8. Plum Pudding Island offered no comforts to the stranded men
Tiny Plum Pudding Island offered no water, no coconuts, and little in the way of shelter. Kennedy ordered the men to remain behind the tree line, which obscured them from Japanese ships and barges which were likely to come down the slot that evening. While his crew rested, Kennedy swam to Ferguson Passage, about two miles distance, and remained there hoping to see a passing American PT boat. None came. He swam back to his men, having spent the night treading water near Ferguson Passage. On August 3, the exhausted Kennedy decided the crew would have to move to an island which at least offered drinking water.
Olasana Island sat about three and three-quarter miles from Plum Pudding Island, across a passage in which a strong current flowed toward the latter. Once again Kennedy took a lifebelt strap in his teeth to tow the most severely injured of his crew. The night of August 4 was taken up by the difficult swim. The current hampered all of the men as they crossed to the island, but Kennedy most of all, since McMahon was too severely injured to help in any way. Kennedy was forced to deal with a dead weight as he fought the current toward the island. The entire crew arrived safely, and found shelter from the sun, coconut trees with ripe coconuts, but no fresh water.
