Fighting Forty-two's precarious situation vis-à-vis its aircraft worsened on 7 April. That day the nagging problem of the self-sealing fuel tanks blossomed into a real crisis, especially since the enemy was not all that far away. As Fletcher later put it, the fuel tanks began "going sour."9 One Grumman after another was laid up because of disintegrating tank liners, and by 10 April, no fewer than seven out of the nineteen F4F-3s were inoperable. For the rest it was only a matter of time. Flying them was an experience not soon forgotten: "fuel seepage through the outer skin [of the tanks] made for scary smells."10
The squadron's troubles stemmed from a particular batch of self-sealing fuel tanks installed the previous December in place of the vulnerable aluminum tanks. The bladderlike tankage, made up of rubber layers reinforced with cloth, had swelled and split its seams, while the inner linings had blistered, sloughing-off pieces of material. Naturally these particles could raise hell with a fuel system, jamming fuel strainers and plugging lines, behavior that VF-42 felt explained a number of plane losses. The "cemented" type of tank, especially, turned out not to be suitable for the aromatic aviation gasoline used by the fleet, as the fuel tended to dissolve the glue and rubber making up the tanks! Owing to poor seals at the filler neck, gasoline sometimes dripped on the outer skin of the tanks, eating away at them from the outside as well. ComCarPac's materiel officer reported similar problems with F4F-3s in other squadrons.
Even if Brassfield's engineers knew what caused the deterioration, they had no way of repairing the damage. On 10 April (the same day the ship raffled off the last steak on board), Fletcher informed CinCPac of the trouble with VF-42's fighters. Meanwhile, Task Force 17 patrolled back and forth across the center of the Coral Sea. On 14 April, with the seven inoperable F4F-3s essentially unrepairable on the spot and no telling how long the rest would be flyable, he advised Nimitz of his intention to withdraw to Tongatabu if any more fighters turned "sour." Rightfully he felt the lack of fighters crippled the task force's ability to defend itself. The only recourse was to replace all of the tanks with the vulcanized variety and ensure proper sealing at the filler necks.
Fletcher's message crossed one from Nimitz stating that he had resumed operational control over Task Force 17. CinCPac told Fletcher to retire to Tongatabu for necessary supplies, then depart there on 27 April once again bound for the Coral Sea. The new orders ended the offensive patrol, and on 15 April Task Force 17 started southeast toward New Caledonia and points east. The next day another Wildcat succumbed to bad tanks, justifying Fletcher's caution. He radioed Pearl requesting immediate air shipment of twenty-two F4F-3 self-sealing fuel tanks (enough for all fighters and three spares) from Oahu to Tongatabu. CinCPac had already made arrangements to transport the vitally needed replacements to Suva in the Fijis and replied that Fletcher should send a destroyer to bring them to Tongatabu.
On 20 April, Task Force 17 took its first really close look at a South Pacific isle. That morning the Yorktown flew two SBDs and two TBDs to the airstrip on Tongatabu and later dropped anchor along with the rest of the task force at Nukualofa Roads off Tongatabu. Here was the haven where the ships would refuel, reprovision, and relax before again returning to enemy-threatened waters. Already in port were the provision ship Bridge, the repair ship Dobbin, and the hospital ship Solace. Pederson put two F4F-3s on alert, to be shot off from the hangar deck catapults in the unlikely event the Japanese showed up. Fletcher despatched the destroyer Walke the 400 miles to Suva to fetch the replacement tanks. For many of the crew, there was liberty during daylight hours, and that helped restore some good humor to those who had signed on to "see the world." The small New Zealand garrison was most friendly to the Yanks, but beguiling young South Seas maidens were nowhere to be seen. Their Queen Salote had ordered them to hide in the hills!
The Walke returned on 22 April with the first batch of tanks flown down from Pearl Harbor. Brassfield and his machinists set to work installing them in the Grummans, a thankless task indeed. For each fighter, they had to remove access plates and over 500 screws, then push and pull the troublesome bladders into place, taking about 20 man-hours per plane. The second shipment of tanks reached Suva on 22 April and soon were brought to Tongatabu. Thus VF-42's F4Fs finally became fully airworthy, thanks to the emergency transport of vitally needed components and the unceasing labor of the squadron engineers.(11)
