During air attack on British force off Malta, carrier HMS Illustrious is bombed and damaged by Luftwaffe JU 87s; Lieutenant Commander Frederick P. Hartman, U.S. Naval Observer on board, is consequently commended for gallantry in action.
Battle of Koh Chang: Vichy French retaliate against Thai moves against Cambodia. French squadron (Rear Admiral Jules Terraux) consisting of light cruiser Lamotte-Picquet, colonial sloops Amiral Charner and Dumont D'Urville and sloops Tahure and Marne, decisively defeats a Thai Navy force in a surface gunnery and torpedo action fought in the Gulf of Siam, sinking coast defense ship Dhonburi and torpedo boats Cholbury and Songkhla and damaging coast defense ship Sri Ayuthia and torpedo boat Trat in about two hours.
Vice Admiral Walter S. Anderson becomes Commander Battleships Battle Force.
West Base, U.S. Antarctic Service, is closed.
Marine Corps expansion occurs as the 1st and 2d Marine Brigades are brought up to division strength.
Rear Admiral H. Fairfax Leary relieves Rear Admiral Husband E. Kimmel as Commander Cruisers Battle Force.
Admiral Husband E. Kimmel relieves Admiral J.O. Richardson as Commander in Chief U.S. Fleet in battleship Pennsylvania (BB-38) at Pearl Harbor, T.H.
Vice Admiral Wilson Brown Jr. relieves Vice Admiral Adolphus Andrews as Commander Scouting Force.
Rear Admiral John H. Newton relieves Rear Admiral Gilbert J. Rowcliff as Commander Cruisers Scouting Force.
Auxiliary Bear (AG-29) and Interior Department motorship North Star depart Bay of Whales; they will proceed via different routes to rendezvous off Adelaide Island to evacuate Antarctic Service's East Base (see 24 February).
During routine exercises in Hawaiian Operating Area off Oahu, destroyers Dale (DD-353) and Hull (DD-350) contact what they believe is a submarine. With all U.S. boats accounted for, Commander Destroyers Battle Force orders Lamson (DD-367) to join Dale and Hull. The ships are to maintain contact and to take offensive action only if attacked. Mahan (DD-364) joins in search as well. With speculation that the only possible reason a submarine would be in those waters would be to obtain supplies or land agents, Lamson accordingly searches the shoreline east of Diamond Head (see 4 February).
Search for submarine off Oahu, begun the previous day, continues. After destroyers Dale (DD-353) and Hull (DD-350) return to Pearl Harbor, destroyers Flusser (DD-368) and Drayton (DD-366) join Lamson (DD-367) in the hunt. Ultimately, however, the search is called off.
Coast Guard Reserve is established.
Europe
Bulgaria joins the Axis as German troops occupy the country.
Pacific
Transport William P. Biddle (AP-15), escorted by light cruiser Concord
(CL-10), arrives at Pago Pago, Samoa, and disembarks the Seventh
Defense Battalion, the first unit of the Fleet Marine Force deployed to
the Southern Hemisphere in World War II.
Rear Admiral Edward J. Marquart is detached as Commander Minecraft Battle Force.
Light cruisers Brooklyn (CL-40) and Savannah (CL-42), and destroyers Case (DD-370), Shaw (DD-373), Cummings Auckland, New Zealand (see 17 March).
Oiler Sangamon (AO-28), that had accompanied the aforementioned cruisers and destroyers from Pearl Harbor, sails to return to Hawaiian waters.
United States
Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi, Texas, is established.
Atlantic
Heavy cruiser Vincennes (CA-44) arrives at Pernambuco, Brazil,
en route to her ultimate destination of Simonstown, South Africa (see
20 March).
Coast Guard cutter Cayuga departs Boston, Massachusetts, with South Greenland Survey Expedition, composed of State, Treasury, War, and Navy Department representatives, embarked. The expedition's mission is to locate sites of airfields, seaplane bases, radio and meteorological stations and aids to navigation on Greenland's soil (see 31 March).
TG 9.2 (Captain Ellis S. Stone), comprising light cruiser Brooklyn (CL-40) and Savannah (CL-42) and destroyers Case (DD-370) and Shaw (DD-373), and Tucker (DD-374), concludes its port visit to Auckland, New Zealand and sails for Tahiti (see 25 March).8
Atlantic
Heavy cruiser Vincennes (CA-44) departs Pernambuco, Brazil, for
Simonstown, South Africa (see 20 March).
TG 9.2 (Captain Ellis S. Stone), comprising light cruisers Brooklyn (CL-40) and Savannah (CL-42) and destroyers Case (DD-370), Shaw (DD-373) and Tucker (DD-374), arrive at Tahiti.
Pacific
TG 9.2 (Captain Ellis S. Stone), comprising light cruisers Brooklyn
(CL-40) and Savannah (CL-42) and destroyers Case
(DD-370), Shaw (DD-373) and Tucker (DD-374), depart
Tahiti for Pearl Harbor.
Pacific
Heavy cruisers Chicago (CA-29) (Rear Admiral John H. Newton,
Commander Cruisers Scouting Force) and Portland (CA-33) and
destroyers Clark (DD-361), Conyngham (DD-371), Reid
(DD-369), Cassin (DD-372) and Downes (DD-375), depart
Brisbane, Australia, for Suva, Fiji Islands (see 1 April).
Coast Guard receives report that crew of Italian merchantman Villarperosa, interned at Wilmington, North Carolina, is sabotaging the ship. The Coast Guard investigates reports that the crews of Italian and German vessels in American ports had received orders to "sabotage and disable" them (see 30 March).
As the result of Coast Guard investigation of report that crew of Italian merchantman Villarperosa was sabotaging their ship, United States takes protective custody of two German, 26 Italian, and 35 Danish ships in American ports; Coast Guardsmen take over the vessels. Executive order consequently imprisons 850 Italian and 63 German officers and men.
Pacific
Element of the First Defense Battalion (5-inch artillery, Detachment
"A") arrives at Palmyra Island in stores issuing ship Antares
(AKS-3) to begin construction of defenses.
Elements of the First Defense Battalion (5-inch artillery, Detachment "B", and Machine Gun Battery, Detachment "A") arrive at Johnston Island in high speed minesweeper Boggs (DMS-3) to begin construction of defenses.
Heavy cruisers Chicago (CA-29) (Rear Admiral John H. Newton, Commander Cruisers Scouting Force) and Portland (CA-33) and destroyers Clark (DD-361), Conyngham (DD-371), Reid (DD-369), Cassin (DD-372) and Downes (DD-375) arrive at Suva, Fiji Islands (see 3 April 1941).
Antarctic
Interior Department motorship North Star and auxiliary Bear
(AG-29) of the U.S. Antarctic Service, depart Punta Arenas, Chile; the
former will proceed back to the United States via the west coast of
South America, the latter via the east coast (see 5 and 18 May,
respectively).
Secretary of State Cordell Hull and Danish Minister to the United States Henrik de Kauffman sign Agreement Relating to the Defense of Greenland.
Pacific
Heavy cruisers Chicago (CA-29) and Portland (CA-33) and
destroyers Clark (DD-361), Conyngham (DD-371), Reid
(DD-369), Cassin (DD-372) and Downes (DD-375) arrive at
Pearl Harbor, thus winding up the Australia-New Zealand good-will
cruise.
Atlantic
Destroyer Niblack (DD-424), while rescuing survivors of Dutch
freighter Saleier (torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-52
the day before at 58°04'N, 30°48'W, after the dispersal of
convoy OB 306) depth charges what is believed to be a German U-boat off
Iceland. A thorough investigation by the German navy, however, will
conclude that none of their submarines are in the vicinity at the time
of Niblack's attack. The U.S. Navy's conclusion is that Niblack
has depth-charged a false contact.
Atlantic
Egyptian steamship Zamzam is shelled and sunk by German
auxiliary cruiser Atlantis (Schiffe 16, aka "Raider C")
in South Atlantic; 138 Americans (including 24 British-American
Ambulance Corps drivers) are among rescued passengers. Even U.S.
citizens travelling in ostensibly neutral ships find themselves at
risk. [Zamzam was en route from New York to Mombasa, Kenya.
After debarking, theambulance unit was to travel by rail to Kisumu,
Uganda and then overland towards Lake Chad, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, and
link up with Free French elements in the East African campaign. They
carried enough supplies and spare parts (including 600,000 Lucky Strike
cigarettes) to remain in the field for a year.)
Purportedly, the surreptitious photographs snapped of Atlantis by Life magazine photographer Carl Mydans, who is serendipitously among the passengers, will prove helpful in providing the Royal Navy with a record of the auxiliary cruiser's appearance. [Note: The Life Magazine photographer aboard the Zamzam was not Carl Mydans. Embarking Zamzam in Recife, Brazil was Life Magazine photographer David E. Scherman and Charles J.V. Murphy, a reporter for Fortune Magazine. Murphy had been with the Admiral Byrd expedition to Antarctica in 1932-33 as a media reporter. Zamzam had been scheduled to arrive in Recife via Port au Spain on 1 April 41, but was delayed due to heavy weather during the passage of the Caribbean Sea until 08 April. Murphy and Scherman had flown into Recife from New York via San Juan and Para' (Belem) in hopes of catching up with Zamzam which had departed New York on 20 March.]
Fifth "Lake"-class Coast Guard cutter, authorized for transfer on 10 April under Lend-Lease, is turned over to the Royal Navy. Chelan becomes HMS Lulworth (see 12, 20 and 30 May).
German submarine U-110 is damaged in action with British destroyers HMS Bulldog and HMS Broadway [ex- U.S. destroyer Hunt (DD-191)] and corvette HMS Aubretia. Boarding party from Bulldog recovers a veritable cryptanalysis windfall, including an intact enigma machine and important current codes. Broadway is damaged in the encounter by collision with U-110, which sinks the following day. U-110's commanding officer, Kapitanleutnant Fritz-Julius Lemp (who had been in command of U-30 when she had sunk British liner Athenia on 3 September 1939) is not among the survivors rescued.
Three "Lake"-class Coast Guard cutters, authorized for transfer on 10 April under Lend-Lease, are turned over to the Royal Navy. Champlain becomes HMS Sennen; Sebago becomes HMS Walney, and Cayuga becomes HMS Totland (see 20 and 30 May).
Atlantic
TG 2 (Rear Admiral Robert C. Giffen), comprising carrier Wasp
(CV-7) (VF 71, VS 72, VMB 2), heavy cruiser Quincy (CA-39) and
destroyers Livermore (DD-429) and Kearny (DD-432),
departs Bermuda to conduct a 4,170-mile neutrality patrol that will
conclude at Bermuda on 3 June.
Ninth "Lake"-class Coast Guard cutter, authorized for transfer on 10 April under Lend-Lease, is turned over to the Royal Navy: Shoshone becomes HMS Languard (see 30 May).
Atlantic
Battle of Denmark Strait: British battle cruiser HMS Hood is
sunk, and battleship HMS Prince of Wales damaged, by German
battleship Bismarck (which is damaged by a shell from the
latter capital ship) and heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. British
Home Fleet elements at sea then pursue the German battleship; carrier
HMS Victorious launches FAA Swordfish that in the prevailing
poor visibility conditions almost attack Coast Guard cutter Modoc,
which is in the vicinity searching for survivors of ships sunk in
convoy HX German submarine torpedoes had wreaked great destruction
against the ships in HX 126: U-94 had sunk British steamers Harpagus
and Norman Monarch and Norwegian motor tanker John P.
Pederson; U-556 had damaged British motor tanker San
Felix and sunk British motor tanker British Security and
motorship Darlington Court; U-111 had sunk British
steamer Cockaponset; U-98 had sunk British steamer Rothermere;
U-109 had sunk British steamer Marconi; and U-93
had sunk Dutch motor tanker Elusa. Bismarck, although
damaged by an aerial torpedo, eludes her shadowers and disappears,
while detaching her consort, Prinz Eugen, to conduct
independent operations. One of the pursuing ships is British battleship
HMS Rodney, en route to the United States for a refit at Boston
when she is rerouted to participate in the hunt for Bismarck;
on board is U.S. Naval Observer Lieutenant Commander Joseph H.
Wellings, who witnesses the ensuing battle from that unique vantage
point.
PBYs (VP 52) operating from seaplane tender Albemarle (AV-5) at Argentia, Newfoundland, and braving foul weather and dangerous flying conditions, search for Bismarck in the western Atlantic.
German battleship Bismarck is overwhelmed and sunk by British naval force, 300 nautical miles west of Ushant, France, 48°10'N, 16°12'W.
TG 3, comprising carrier Ranger (CV-4) (VB 5, VF 5, and VS 5), heavy cruiser Tuscaloosa (CA-37), and destroyers McDougal (DD-358) and Eberle (DD-430), departs Bermuda for a 4,355-mile neutrality patrol that will conclude there on 8 June.
Comanche and Raritan, together with unclassified auxiliary vessel Bowdoin (IX-50) make up the force.
Crete capitulates to the Germans.
Atlantic
Aircraft escort vessel Long Island (AVG 1) is commissioned at
Newport News, Virginia. Converted from Maritime Commission C-3 type
freighter Mormacmail in just 67 working days, Long Island
is the first of a type of what come to be classified as "escort
carriers" that will prove invaluable in the prosecution of the war in
both Atlantic and Pacific theaters.
Naval Air Station, Balboa, Canal Zone, is established.
Naval Air Station, Kodiak, Alaska, is established.
Atlantic
TF 3 (Rear Admiral Jonas H. Ingram) begins patrol operations from
Brazilian ports of Recife and Bahia; the force consists of four Omaha
(CL-4)-class light cruisers and five destroyers.
Rear Admiral Joseph K. Taussig is detached as Commandant Fifth Naval District and Commander Naval Operating Base, Norfolk, Virginia.
Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles sends this message to the German Embassy for the information of the German government (see 24 June, 19 and 26 September and 3 November).
Battleship Texas (BB-35) and destroyers Mayrant (DD-402), Rhind (DD-404), and Trippe (DD-403) are sighted by German submarine U-203 within what the German navy regards as the war, or "blockade" zone in the Atlantic. The American force, however, unaware of the U-boat, outdistances the submarine and frustrates its attempted attack. In the wake of this incident, the commander in chief of the German navy (Grossadmiral Erich Raeder) orders that American warships can only be attacked if they cross the western boundary of the blockade area by 20 or more miles, or within the 20-mile strip along the western edge of the blockade zone.
TG 2.6, comprising carrier Wasp (CV-7) (VF 71, VS 72, and VMB 1), heavy cruiser Tuscaloosa (CA-37), and destroyers Anderson (DD-411) and Rowan (DD-405), departs Hampton Roads for a 4,320-mile neutrality patrol that will conclude at Bermuda on 4 July.
Submarines O 6 (SS-167), O 9 (SS-170) and O 10 (SS-171) conduct deep submergence trials out of Portsmouth, N.H.; while O 6 and O 10 conduct their test dives without incident, O 9, the last boat to make the test dive, accidentally sinks (cause unknown) off the Isles of Shoals, southeast of Portsmouth, 42°59'48"N,
Atlantic
After all hopes of finding any survivors from the sunken submarine O
9 (SS-170) are lost and continued diving operations in the vicinity
deemed hazardous, Secretary of the Navy Knox personally conducts
memorial ceremony, held on board submarine Triton (SS-201),
over last known location of the lost boat.
Atlantic
TG 2.7, comprising light cruisers Philadelphia (CL-41) and Savannah
(CL-42) and destroyers Lang (DD-399) and Wilson
(DD-408), depart Hampton Roads for a 4,762-mile neutrality patrol that
will conclude on 8 July at Bermuda.
During German submarine attacks on convoy HX 133, Dutch steamship Maasdam is torpedoed and sunk by U-564 approximately 300 miles south of Iceland; among the survivors are marines under Major Walter L. Jordan, USMC, the advance detail for the Marine Detachment at the American Embassy in London.
President issues executive order creating the Office of Scientific Research and Development (Dr. Vannevar Bush, chairman) which will replace the National Defense Research Committee. The new office will coordinate and supplement scientific research relating to the defense effort.
Atlantic
Destroyer Madison (DD-425) is damaged when she runs aground on
the southeast tip of Moratties Shoal, Placentia Harbor, Argentia,
Newfoundland.
Vichy France severs relations with the Soviet Union.
Atlantic
Task Forces are organized by Commander in Chief Atlantic Fleet (Admiral
Ernest J. King) to support defense of Iceland and to escort convoys
between the U.S. and Iceland. TF 1 (Rear Admiral David M. LeBreton)
based at Narragansett Bay and Boston; TF 2 (Rear Admiral Arthur B.
Cook) based at Bermuda and Hampton Roads; TF 3 (Rear Admiral Jonas H.
Ingram) based at San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Guantanamo; TF 4 (Rear
Admiral Arthur L. Bristol) based at Narragansett Bay; TF 5 (Rear
Admiral Richard S. Edwards), TF 6 and TF 8 (Rear Admiral Edward D.
McWhorter), TF 7 (Rear Admiral Ferdinand L. Reichmuth) based at
Bermuda; TF 9 (Rear Admiral Randall Jacobs); and TF 10 (Major General
Holland M. Smith, USMC).
Patrol Wing 7 (the redesignated Patrol Wing, Support Force) (Captain Harold M. Mullinix) (TG 4.2) is established at Argentia, Newfoundland, for operations in North Atlantic.
Northeast Greenland Patrol (Commander Edward H. "Iceberg" Smith, USCG) (TG 6.5) is organized at Boston, Massachusetts, by the Coast Guard; it consists of cutters Northland and North Star, and auxiliary Bear (AG-29).
U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom John Winant reports on 11 July 1941 that of the 27 American Red Cross nurses were travelling to serve in England; 9 had arrived safely, 10 had been rescued (4 in serious condition) and 8 were missing.
1st Marine Aircraft Wing (Lieutenant Colonel Louis E. Woods, USMC) is established at Quantico, Virginia.
Naval Air Station, Quonset Point, Rhode Island, is established.
TG 2.7, comprising light cruisers Philadelphia (CL-41) and Savannah (CL-42) and destroyers Meredith (DD-434) and Gwin (DD-433), departs Bermuda for 3,415-mile neutrality patrol that will conclude there on 25 July.
24, Thu.
Atlantic
Transport West Point (AP-23) disembarks German and Italian
consular officials and their families at Lisbon, Portugal (see 26 July
and 1 August).
Pacific
Japanese forces occupy northern French Indochina (see 26 July).
U.S. Army Forces, Far East (Lieutenant General Douglas MacArthur) is organized; Philippine military forces are called into service with U.S. Army.
Atlantic
Transport West Point (AP-23), at Lisbon, Portugal, embarks
American and Chinese consular staffs from Germany, German-occupied
countries, and Italy, and sails for the United States. In addition, West
Point embarks the 21 American ambulance drivers who had been
passengers on board the Egyptian steamship Zamzam when she had
been sunk by German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis on 17 April (see
1 August). [The other three members of the detachment were accounted
for as follows: (1) Commander of the BAAC field unit, Francis J.
'Frank' Vicovari of New York remained aboard the Atlantis due
to the extent of his shrapnel injuries during the attack of April 17th
(There had been 9 passengers wounded in the attack -- 3, who were
serious, including Frank remained aboard Atlantis, the other
passengers and crew transferred aboard the NDL freighter Dresden.
The other wounded American died of his injuries several days later and
was buried-at-sea. A British doctor was also wounded and transferred to
the Dutch flagged prizeship Silva Plana in September, arriving
Bordeaux in November).
Frank would not return to the United States until released in the 2nd
of 3 such operations under the RAMP (Returned Allied Military
Personnel) scheme. Frank was exchanged for (2) German archeologists,
detained in the United States. This 2nd exchange took place in Lisbon,
Portugal during March of 1944 (1st Goteburg, Sweden October 42; 3rd
Seville, Spain, May 44). Frank had been held in the Marlag und Milag du
Nord interment camp near Bremen, Germany since his arrival and transfer
from the French port of St. Nazaire on Christmas Eve, 1941.
(2) The other 2 members of the BAAC team, David Stewart and Tom
Greenough had escaped from a German transport train while the guards
watching over the 21 drivers slept. After several days they walked
safely across the border into unoccupied France. After meeting with
Free-French officials, they were granted passage to Lisbon and arrived
in the USA just 5-days ahead of the other 21 members of the BAAC.]
Pacific
During Japanese bombing raid on Chungking, China, one bomb falls eight
yards astern of river gunboat Tutuila (PR-4). While the bomb
causes no damage to the ship, Tutuila's motor boats are badly
damaged and the motor sampan cut loose from its moorings. There are no
casualties (see 31 July).
Pacific
Japanese government assures U.S. government that the previous day's
bombing of river gunboat Tutuila (PR-4) at Chungking, China, is
"an accident 'pure and simple'."
Atlantic
Naval Operating Base, Trinidad, is established.
Transport West Point (AP-23) arrives at New York with American and Chinese passengers.
Presidential yacht Potomac (AG-25), accompanied by Calypso (AG-35), proceeds to South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, where she embarks Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Martha of Norway and her party. After a day of fishing ("with some luck") the Chief Executive personally takes the helm of a Chris-Craft motorboat and transports his guests back to the place whence they came. That night, Potomac, again accompanied by Calypso, shifts to Menemsha Bight, Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts, where they join heavy cruisers Augusta (CA-31) and Tuscaloosa (CA-37) and five destroyers.
Pacific
Heavy cruisers Northampton (CA-26) and Salt Lake City
(CA-25) arrive at Brisbane, Australia, for a goodwill visit.
Pacific
Executive order transfers Coast Guard's Honolulu District from the
Treasury Department to the Navy in the first step toward shifting the
Coast Guard to naval control (see 11 September and 1 November).
Maneuvers at New River, North Carolina, conclude.
Submarine chaser PC 457 is accidentally sunk in collision with U.S. freighter Norluna off Puerto Rico.
Pacific
During Japanese bombing raid on Chungking, China, Japanese planes
approach the city from the east, passing directly over the U.S. Embassy
chancery and the river gunboat Tutuila (PR-4). There is no
repetition of the incident of 30 July.
Atlantic
TG 2.5, comprising carrier Yorktown (CV-5) (VF 42, VS 41, and
VT 5), light cruiser Brooklyn (CL-40) and destroyers Roe
(DD-418), Grayson (DD-435), and Eberle (DD-430),
departs Bermuda to begin 4,064-mile neutrality patrol that will
conclude at Bermuda on 27 August.
President Roosevelt fishes with "indifferent luck" off Deer Island from presidential yacht Potomac (AG-25); the ship anchors in Pulpit Harbor, Penobscot Bay for the night.
Pacific
Heavy cruisers Northampton (CA-26) and Salt Lake City
(CA-25) arrive at Rabaul, New Britain, British New Guinea, for a
goodwill visit.
Atlantic
Panamanian (ex-Danish) freighter Sessa is torpedoed and sunk
about 300 miles southwest of Iceland, 61°26'N, 30°50'W (see 6
September). The freighter's assailant is unknown.
Atlantic
TG 2.6 (Rear Admiral H. Kent Hewitt), comprising Wasp (CV-7),
light cruiser Savannah (CL-42), and destroyers Meredith
(DD-434) and Gwin (DD-433), departs Hampton Roads, Virginia, on
a neutrality patrol that will conclude at Bermuda on 10 September.
Atlantic
German submarine U-570, attacked by an RAF Hudson (No. 269
Squadron), is captured intact by British surface force in the North
Atlantic. The Royal Navy thoroughly evaluated the submarine, the first
to be captured intact for intensive study; the U-boat served as HMS Graph
until it was wrecked in 1944. Among the ships that captured the
submarine was Canadian destroyer HMCS Niagara, formerly USS Thatcher
(DD-162), one of the fifty destroyers transferred in the
destroyers-for-bases agreement of August 1940.
Hostilities in Iran cease.
Atlantic
TG 2.7, comprising aircraft escort vessel Long Island (AVG 1)
(VGS 1), light cruiser Nashville (CL-43) and destroyers Livermore
(DD-429) and Kearny (DD-432) departs Bermuda. It will conclude
the patrol--the first involving the prototype "escort carrier"--at
Bermuda on 9 September.
Commander in Chief Atlantic Fleet (Admiral Ernest J. King) designates a task group as a Denmark Strait Patrol to operate in waters between Iceland and Greenland.
Pacific
U.S. Consul General in Shanghai, China (Clarence Gauss), Commander
Yangtze Patrol (Rear Admiral William A. Glassford) and Commanding
Officer Fourth Marine Regiment (Colonel Samuel L. Howard, USMC)
recommend that all naval forces in China (river gunboats and marines)
be withdrawn.
Executive order provides that such additional Coast Guard vessels, units, or people, should be transferred to the Navy as should be agreed upon between the Commandant of the Coast Guard and the Chief of Naval Operations (see 6 August and 1 November).
German submarines attack convoy SC 42; unarmed Panamanian freighter Montana is torpedoed and sunk by U-105 at 63°40'N, 35°50'W.
Gulf of Suez
Unarmed U.S. freighter Arkansan is damaged by antiaircraft
shell fragments during heavy air raid on Port Suez; there are no
reported casualties among the 38-man crew.
Atlantic
As TF 15 proceeds toward Iceland, destroyer Truxtun (DD-229)
reports submarine emerging from the fog 300 yards away, but low
visibility and uncertainty as to the position of MacLeish
(DD-220), also in the screen of TF 15, prevents Truxtun from
opening fire. After the submarine submerges, Truxtun, MacLeish
and Sampson (DD-394) make depth charge attacks with no
verifiable result.
German submarines attack convoy SC 44; among the ships lost in the onslaught are Panamanian freighter Pink Star (ex-Danish Landby) and tanker T.J. Williams, torpedoed and sunk by U-552 at 61°36'N, 35°07'W and 61°34'N, 35°11'W, respectively.
German Chargé d'Affaires Hans Thomsen replies to Secretary of State Hull's note of 19 September concerning reparations for the loss of Robin Moor: referring to the notes of 20 June and 19 September 1941, Thomsen replies that "the two communications made are not such as to lead to an appropriate reply by my government" (see 3 November).
TU 4.1.3 (Commander Dennis L. Ryan) assumes escort duty for convoy ON 20 at the MOMP (see 2 October).
Rear Admiral Harold M. Bemis, incapacitated by illness, is relieved as Commandant, Sixteenth Naval District and Navy Yard, Cavite, P.I., by Captain Herbert J. Ray (see 5 November)."
Secretary of the Navy Knox approves "popular" names for naval combat aircraft: "Avenger" (Grumman TBF), "Buccaneer" (Brewster SB2A), "Buffalo" (Brewster F2A), "Catalina" (Consolidated PBY), "Coronado" (Consolidated PB2Y), "Corsair" (Vought F4U), "Dauntless" (Douglas SBD), "Devastator" (Douglas TBD), "Helldiver" (Curtiss SB2C), "Kingfisher" (Vought OS2U/Naval Aircraft Factory OS2N), "Mariner" (Martin PBM), "Sea Ranger" (Boeing PBB patrol bomber), "Seagull" (Curtiss SO3C), and "Vindicator" (Vought SB2U). Names supplement the Navy's letter-number designations, which remain unchanged and continue to be used in correspondence. As can be seen, the name "Avenger" is assigned well before either Pearl Harbor (7 December 1941) or the slaughter of torpedo planes at the Battle of Midway (4-6 June 1942). These two events are commonly believed to have motivated the assignment of this particular nickname to the TBF/TBM series. The name "Seagull" is also applied unofficially to the Curtiss SOC series which is in use in cruiser-based observation squadrons. Ironically, the SO3C proves a failure in service, and the SOC it was designed to replace serves on.
Sale of War Savings Bonds to naval personnel is inaugurated on this date; under the direction of a Coordinator for War Savings Bonds, Supply Corps officers are designated as issuing agents and assigned to 28 major shore activities. Actual sales of the bonds will amount to $61,000,000--over 50 in excess of the predicted sales.
Atlantic
Destroyer Winslow (DD-359), in screen of convoy ON 20, is
detached from TU 4.1.3 to proceed to the assistance of Dutch motor
vessel Tuva, torpedoed by German submarine U-575 at
54°16'N, 26°36'W. Although Winslow finds the freighter
still afloat, the destroyer depth charges a "doubtful" submarine
contact in the vicinity and upon her return is unable to locate any
survivors. Winslow rejoins ON 20 the following morning. The
Dutch freighter's crew, however, is apparently rescued by another ship,
for the Lloyd's List of Shipping Losses: World War II lists
only one man missing from among the complement of 35.
Coast Guard cutter Campbell scuttles irreparably damaged British tanker San Florentino (torpedoed by German submarine U-575 at 52°50'N, 34°40'W and 52°42'N, 34°51'W).
Oiler Salinas (AO-19), with convoy [???}, is damaged by heavy seas, and is convoyed to Iceland by destroyer Broome (DD-210).
Pacific
Captain Lester J. Hudson relieves Captain Richard E. Cassidy as
Commander, South China Patrol, on board river gunboat Mindanao
(PR-8) at Hong Kong, B.C.C.
Destroyer Charles F. Hughes (DD-428), while escorting convoy HX 154, rescues the only seven survivors of British freighter Hatasu (torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-431 on 2 October, 600 miles east of Cape Race), at 51°56'N, 35°58'W.
Pacific
Destroyers Peary (DD-225) and Pillsbury (DD-227) are
damaged in collision during night exercises in Manila Bay, P.I.
Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet (Admiral Husband E. Kimmel) sends two submarines to Midway and two to Wake on "simulated war patrols" (see 26 October).
Navy orders all U.S. merchant ships in Asiatic waters to put into friendly ports.
Atlantic
Battle to protect convoy SC 48 continues. SC 48 is the first U.S.
Navy-escorted convoy to engage German submarines in battle, but despite
the presence of the three modern U.S. destroyers and two flush-deckers--Decatur
(DD-341) and HMCS Columbia [ex-U.S. destroyer Haraden
(DD-183)], and four Canadian corvettes, the enemy torpedoes six ships
and an escort vessel in a total elapsed time of four hours and
forty-seven minutes. U-432 sinks Greek steamer Evros at
57°00'N, 24°30'W, Panamanian steamer Bold Venture and
Norwegian motor tanker Barfonn at 56°58'N, 25°04'W; U-558
sinks British tanker W.C. Teagle at 57°00'N, 25°00'W,
and Norwegian steamship Rym at 57°01'N, 24°20'W. U-553
sinks Norwegian steamer Erviken at 56°10'N, 24°30'W,
and conducts unsuccessful approach on destroyer Plunkett
(DD-431). Destroyer Kearny (DD-432) is torpedoed by U-568
southwest of Iceland, 57°00'N, 24°00'W; 11 of Kearny's
crew are killed, 22 injured (see 18 October). Soon thereafter, U-101
torpedoes and sinks British destroyer HMS Broadwater [ex-U.S.
destroyer Mason (DD-191)], at 57°01'N, 19°08'W. Lost on
board the British flush-decker are two survivors from Ervinger
and nine from W.C. Teagle. Escorted by Greer (DD-145),
the damaged Kearny proceeds to Hvalfjordur, Iceland. There she
will undergo repairs alongside repair ship Vulcan (AR-5) and
eventually return to the United States. Iceland-based PBYs (VP 73)
arrive to provide air coverage for SC 48.
Destroyer Charles F. Hughes (DD-428) and Gleaves (DD-423), while screening convoy HX 154, depth-charge suspicious contacts at 54°40'N, 33°59'W, and 54°40'N, 33°59'W (see 19 October).
Unarmed U.S. freighter Lehigh is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-126 about 75 miles off Freetown, Sierre Leone, 08°26'N, 14°37'W. While there are no fatalities, four men are slightly injured.
TU 4.1.3 (Commander Richard E. Webb) escorts convoy HX 156; destroyer Hilary P. Jones (DD-427) carries out depth charge attacks on suspicious contact but, after spying a school of porpoises, ceases fire.
South and Northeast Greenland Patrols are merged and renamed Greenland Patrol; it is designated as TG 24.8 of the Atlantic Fleet.
Destroyer Hilary P. Jones (DD-427) is damaged by heavy seas while screening convoy HX 156.
TU 4.1.6 (Commander George W. Johnson) screens convoy ON 28. During the day, destroyers Lea (DD-118), DuPont (DD-152), MacLeish (DD-220), and Sampson (DD-394) depth charge suspected U-boat contacts.
TU 4.1.1 (Captain Marion Y. Cohen) contacts MOMP-bound convoy HX 157 at 45°43'N, 55°37'W. The convoy will not be attacked by U-boats (see 1 November).
TU 4.1.6 (Commander George W. Johnson), screening ON 28, carries out vigorous attacks on sound contacts: destroyer Babbitt (DD-128) carries out two, while Buck (DD-420), DuPont (DD-152) (which is attacked by U-boat but missed), Leary (DD-158) and Sampson (DD-394) one attack apiece.
Pacific
Pacific Escort Force is formed at Pearl Harbor to protect transports
and certain merchant vessels carrying troops and valuable military
cargoes between Hawaii and the Far East.
Atlantic
PBYs (VP 73) provide air coverage for convoy ON 30.
Destroyers Dallas (DD-199), Ellis (DD-154), and Eberle (DD-430), screening convoy HX 157, carry out depth charge attacks on sound contacts off St. John's, Newfoundland.
PBMs (VP 74) provide air coverage for convoy ON 30.
Atlantic
PBYs (VP 73) provide air coverage for convoy ON 31.
Destroyer Upshur (DD-144), escorting convoy HX 157, depth charges sound contact (later determined to be most likely a whale or blackfish) at 56°56'N, 49°21'W.
British RFA oiler Olwen reports German surface raider attack at 03°04'N, 22°42'W. Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic, Vice Admiral Algernon U. Willis, RN, orders heavy cruiser HMS Dorsetshire (accompanied by armed merchant cruiser HMS Canton) to investigate. Light cruiser HMS Dunedin and special service vessels HMS Queen Emma and Princess Beatrix are ordered to depart Freetown, Sierra Leone to join in the search. Dorsetshire and Canton part company, with the former heading southeast and the latter steaming toward a position to the northwest, to be supported by TG 3.6, light cruiser Omaha (CL-4) and destroyer Somers (DD-381), which are at that time well to the northwest of the reported enemy position. Light cruiser Memphis (CL-4) and destroyers Davis (DD-395) and Jouett (DD-396), near to Olwen's position, search the area without result; Omaha and Somers search unsuccessfully for survivors (see 5-6 November).
Search for German raider reported by British RFA oiler Olwen the previous day continues; Commander-in-Chief South Atlantic (Vice Admiral Algernon U. Willis, RN) informs British ships of the unsuccessful efforts by the five U.S. ships (two light cruisers and three destroyers) involved in the search the previous day (see 6 November).
Pacific
Rear Admiral Francis W. Rockwell relieves Captain Herbert J. Ray as
Commandant, Sixteenth Naval District and Commander, Philippine Naval
Coastal Frontier. Ray had been acting in that capacity due to the
illness of Rear Admiral Harold M. Bemis.
Destroyer Madison (DD-425), on the flank of convoy ON 39, carries out depth charge attack at 45°50'N, 40°40'W; investigation later proves their quarry to have been a whale.
Naval Operating Base, Iceland, is established; Rear Admiral James L. Kauffman is the first commandant.
Destroyer Ericsson (DD-440), screening convoy HX 157, depth charges sound contact later evaluated as a "doubtful" submarine.
Pacific
Commander in Chief Asiatic Fleet (Admiral Thomas C. Hart) receives
permission to withdraw river gunboats from the Yangtze and USMC forces
from China.
Destroyer Decatur (DD-341), screening convoy HX 159, depth charges sound contact off the Grand Banks; it is later evaluated as a "doubtful" submarine.
Destroyer Decatur (DD-341), screening convoy HX 159, twice depth charges sound contacts that are later evaluated as "non-submarine." Destroyer Badger (DD-126), depth charges sound contact that is later evaluated as perhaps Decatur's wake. Coast Guard cutter Campbell reports sound contact and conducts search; she is joined by destroyer Livermore (DD-429).
Destroyer Decatur (DD-341), screening convoy HX 159, depth charges sound contact; although it is regarded as a good contact, the ensuing search yields no evidence of a submarine.
Atlantic
Destroyer Benson (DD-421) and Niblack (DD-424),
screening convoy ON 34, depth charge sound contacts.
Destroyer Edison (DD-439), en route to MOMP in TU 4.1.1 to screen convoy ON 35, attacks a sound contact southwest of Iceland at 62°53'N, 24°30'W.
Atlantic
TU 4.1.1 (Captain Marion Y. Cohen) assumes escort duty for convoy ON 35
at the MOMP. There will be no U-boat attacks on the convoy, but nearly
continuous heavy weather between 16 and 25 November result in 16 of the
26 ships straggling.
Bureau of Navigation directs that naval district personnel who received Armed Guard training be assigned to Little Creek, Virginia, or San Diego, California, for further instruction. They will be transferred to Armed Guard centers at New York, New York, and Treasure Island, California, for assignment to merchant ships.
Special Japanese envoy Kurusu Saburo arrives in Washington and confers with Secretary of State Cordell Hull.
Atlantic
Destroyers Benson (DD-421) and Edison (DD-439),
screening convoy ON 34, depth charge submarine contacts.
TU 4.1.5 (Commander William K. Phillips) intercepts and joins convoy HX 160; although none of the destroyers in the task unit will be damaged by enemy action, all--Mayo (DD-422), Babbitt (DD-128), Leary (DD-158), Schenck (DD-159), and Nicholson (DD-442)--will suffer storm damage of varying degrees between this date and 28 November.
German blockade runner Odenwald, captured by light cruiser Omaha (CL-4) and destroyer Somers (DD-381) on 6 November, is escorted into San Juan, Puerto Rico, by Somers and turned over to U.S. authorities.
Atlantic
Destroyer Nicholson (DD-424), with TU 4.1.5, escorting convoy
HX 160, depth charges a sound contact at 50°30'N, 50°40'W.
Atlantic
Lend-Lease is extended to Iceland.
Pacific
Destroyer Shaw (DD-373) and oiler Sabine (AO-25) are
damaged in collision in Hawaiian Operating Area.
Atlantic
TU 4.1.6 (Commander Gilbert C. Hoover) assumes escort duty for convoy
HX 161; the convoy will not be attacked by U-boats during its passage
(see 24 November).
British light cruiser Dunedin is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-124 north of Pernambuco, Brazil, at approximately 03°00'S, 26°00'W (see 27 November).
Submarines Triton (SS-201) and Tambor (SS-198) arrive off Wake Island on simulated war patrols.
Pacific
Japanese carrier task force (Vice Admiral NagumoŒ', Chuichi), formed
around six aircraft carriers, sails from remote Hittokappu Bay in the
Kuriles, its departure shrouded in secrecy. Its mission, should talks
between United States and Japan fail to resolve the diplomatic impasse
over Far Eastern and Pacific questions, is to attack the U.S. Pacific
Fleet wherever it is found in Hawaiian waters.
Tug Sonoma (AT-12) sails from Wake Island with Pan American Airways barges PAB No. 2 and PAB No. 4 in tow, bound for Honolulu.
Pacific
U.S. passenger liner President Madison, chartered for the
purpose, sails from Shanghai, China, with the 2d Battalion, 4th Marine
Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel Donald Curtis, USMC) embarked, bound for
the Philippines (see 28 November).
Atlantic
Destroyer Babbitt (DD-128), with TU 4.1.5, escorting convoy HX
160, depth charges a sound contact.
U.S. freighter Nishmaha rescues 72 survivors (five of whom succumb to their wounds) from British light cruiser HMS Dunedin, sunk by German submarine U-124 on 24 November. Nishmaha transports the survivors to Trinidad.
Seaplane tender Wright (AV-1), arrives at Wake Island, with Marine Aircraft Group 21 people to establish an advance aviation base.
U.S. passenger liner President Harrison, chartered for the purpose, sails from Shanghai, China, with the 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel Curtis T. Beecher, USMC) and regimental staff (Colonel Samuel L. Howard, USMC) embarked, bound for the Philippines. "Stirring scenes of farewell," U.S. Consul Edwin F. Stanton reports to Secretary of State Hull, accompany the marines' departure.
During their storm-fraught passage to rendezvous with the river gunboats proceeding from Shanghai to Manila, submarine rescue vessel Pigeon (ASR-6) experiences steering casualty; minesweeper Finch (AM-9), which loses both anchors in the tempest, stands by to render assistance, and eventually, after three tries, manages to take the crippled ship in tow the following day.
Atlantic
TU 4.1.2 (Commander Fred D. Kirtland), accompanied by salvage vessel Redwing
(ARS-4) and oiler Sapelo (AO-11), assumes escort for convoy HX
162 (see 1 December).
TU 4.1.4 (Captain Alan G. Kirk) assumes escort duty for convoy ONS 39; the convoy will not be attacked by U-boats during its passage. ONS 39, however, will encounter considerable stormy weather that causes varying degrees of topside damage to destroyers Plunkett (DD-431), Livermore (DD-429), Decatur (DD-341) and Cole (DD-155).
Destroyer Woolsey (DD-437), screening convoy HX 161, despite having been hampered by propulsion problems the previous days, depth charges suspicious contact without result.
Small reconnaissance seaplane from Japanese submarine I 10 reconnoiters Suva Bay, Fiji.
U.S. passenger liner President Madison arrives at Olongapo, P.I., and disembarks the 2d Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel Donald Curtis, USMC). President Madison will then proceed on to Singapore.
River gunboats Luzon (PR-7) and Oahu (PR-6) (Rear Admiral William A. Glassford, Commander Yangtze Patrol, in Luzon) rendezvous with submarine rescue vessel Pigeon (ASR-6) and minesweeper Finch (AM-9); they will remain in company until 3 December.
Atlantic
Destroyer Decatur (DD-341), in TU 4.1.4 (Captain Alan G. Kirk),
escorting convoy ONS 39, carries out depth charge attack on suspicious
contact, 59°24'N, 27°03'W.
Army GHQ Maneuvers in North and South Carolina conclude.
German submarine U-575 encounters and tracks unarmed U.S. tanker Astral, the latter en route from Aruba, N.W.I., to Lisbon, Portugal, with a cargo of 78,200 barrels of gasoline and kerosene. After seeing that Astral is unarmed and bears prominent neutrality markings, however, the U-boat's commanding officer, Kapitanleutnant Gunther Heydemann, allows the American ship to pass unmolested. Subsequently, another submarine in the vicinity, U-43, encounters Astral and attacks her, but her torpedoes miss their mark (see 2 December).
TU 4.1.2 (Commander Fred D. Kirtland), accompanied by salvage vessel Redwing (ARS-4) and oiler Sapelo (AO-11), while escorting convoy HX 162, encounters heavy weather that scatters 35 merchantmen. Destroyers Charles F. Hughes (DD-428), Madison (DD-425), Lansdale (DD-426), Wilkes (DD-441) and Sturtevant (DD-240) all suffer storm damage of varying degrees (see 7 December).
Destroyer Livermore (DD-429), escorting convoy ONS 39, is dispatched to investigate darkened merchantman steaming on opposite course. Livermore trails her and after determining her to be Panamanian freighter Ramapo, en route to join convoy SC 56, allows her to continue her voyage after being warned not to radio a report of contact with a convoy.
Pacific
President orders a "defensive information patrol" of "three small
ships" established off the coast of French Indochina; he specifically
designates yacht Isabel (PY-10) (reserve flagship for Commander
in Chief Asiatic Fleet) as one of the trio of vessels (see 3 and 6
December). Schooner Lanikai is acquired and commissioned, but
the start of the war results in her planned mission being cancelled.
The third vessel, schooner Molly Moore, is selected for the
mission but is never taken over. Lanikai's civilian career had
seen her used as a "prop" in the filming of motion picture "Hurricane"
that starred Dorothy Lamour and Jon Hall.
U.S. passenger liner President Harrison arrives at Olongapo, P.I., with the remaining elements of the 4th Marine Regiment (Colonel Samuel L. Howard, USMC) withdrawn from Shanghai. President Harrison soon sails to bring out the last marines from China (see 8 December).
As river gunboats Luzon (PR-7) and Oahu (PR-6) (Rear Admiral William A. Glassford, Commander Yangtze Patrol, in Luzon), submarine rescue vessel Pigeon (ASR-6) and minesweeper Finch (AM-9) proceed toward Manila, they become the object of curiosity by Japanese forces in the vicinity; first a floatplane circles the formation, then seven Japanese warships of various types.
Atlantic
German submarine U-43 again attacks unarmed U.S. tanker Astral
and this time torpedoes and sinks her at 35°40'N, 24°00'W.
There are no survivors from the 37-man merchant crew.
Weather encountered by convoy ONS 39, being escorted by TU 4.1.4 (Captain Alan G. Kirk) worsens to the extent that the watch on board destroyer Plunkett (DD-431) cannot be relieved because officers and men cannot safely traverse the weather decks.
TU 4.1.5 (Commander William K. Phillips) clears Reykjavik, Iceland, to rendezvous with convoy ON 41, which due to poor weather will be 48 hours late to the MOMP. Over the ensuing period at sea, TU 4.1.5 battles "consistently severe" weather conditions that will cause varying degrees of damage to all of the ships in the task unit. Although ships of the unit carry out attacks (see 5, 9 and 11 December), there will be no U-boat attacks on the merchantmen under their protection.
TU 4.1.6 (Commander Gilbert C. Hoover), escorting convoy HX 161, encounters heavy weather; destroyer Bernadou (DD-153) suffers storm damage; destroyers Roe (DD-418) and Lea (DD-118) each lose a man overboard. Neither sailor is recovered (see 4 December).
Pacific
Submarine Trout (SS-202) arrives off Midway Island on simulated
war patrol.
Destroyer Mayo (DD-422), in TU 4.1.5 en route to MOMP and convoy ON 41, encounters two British ships, HMS Tenacity and merchantman Meademere, burning navigation lights south of Iceland; when they fail to answer challenge, Mayo illuminates them with starshells, at which point they turn off lights and answer challenge promptly.
Pacific
Yacht Isabel (PY-10) sails for coast of French Indochina,
deployed in accordance with President Roosevelt's "defensive
information patrol" order.
Submarine Argonaut (SS-166) arrives off Midway Island on simulated war patrol.
River gunboat Mindanao (PR-8) (Captain Lester J. Hudson, Commander South China Patrol, embarked) sails from Hong Kong, British Crown Colony, for Manila. She is the last U.S. Navy ship to depart Chinese waters prior to war. Luzon Stevedoring Company tug Ranger follows subsequently, carrying spare parts and 800 3-inch shells for Mindanao's main battery (previously stored ashore at Hong Kong). Only two U.S. naval vessels remain in Chinese waters: river gunboat Wake (ex-Guam) (PR-3) at Shanghai to maintain communications until a radio station is established at the Consulate General with Navy equipment, and river gunboat Tutuila (PR-4) at Chungking, where she furnishes essential services to the U.S. Embassy. Wake had received her new name on 23 January 1941 to clear the name Guam for a new large cruiser (CB 2).
Carrier Enterprise (CV-6) ferries USMC F4Fs (VMF 211) to Wake Island; TF 8 (Vice Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr.) then shapes a course to return to Pearl Harbor. TF 8 is slated to reach Pearl on 6 December. Heavy weather on 5-6 December, however, will result in a delay in fueling the force's destroyers and push back the time of arrival in Pearl from the afternoon of the 6th to the morning of the 7th. That same day, a routine scouting flight from the carrier sights Honolulu-bound tug Sonoma (AT-12) with Pan American Airways barges PAB No. 2 and PAB No. 4 in tow. Sonoma, armed with only two .30-caliber machine guns, will eventually reach Honolulu on 15 December 1941, with her tows.
Japanese naval land attack plane (Chitose Kokutai) reconnoiters Wake Island undetected.
Atlantic
TU 4.1.5 (Commander William K. Phillips) reaches MOMP to escort convoy
ON 41 which has been delayed by bad weather.
TU 4.1.6 (Commander Gilbert C. Hoover), encounters "mountainous" seas as it continues to escort convoy HX 161; destroyer Roe (DD-418) suffers two sailors hurt when torpedo breaks loose atop her after deckhouse.
Carrier Lexington (CV-2) in TF 12 (Rear Admiral John H. Newton) sails for Midway to ferry USMC SB2Us (VMSB 231) to that atoll. Like Enterprise (CV-6)'s deployment to Wake, Lexington's to Midway is in response to the "War Warning" of 27 November.
Atlantic
TU 4.1.3 (Commander George W. Johnson) assumes escort duty for convoy
HX 163 in North Atlantic.
Destroyer Babbitt (DD-128), in TU 4.1.5 escorting convoy ON 41, depth-charges suspected submarine contact without result.
Atlantic
Destroyer Decatur (DD-341), in TU 4.1.4 (Captain Alan G. Kirk),
escorting convoy ONS 39, carries out depth charge attack on suspicious
contact, 51°54'N, 41°53'W.
Pacific
Unarmed U.S. Army-chartered steam schooner Cynthia Olson is
shelled and sunk by Japanese submarine I 26 about 1,000 miles
northwest of Diamond Head, Honolulu, T.H., 33°42'N, 145°29'W.
She is the first U.S. merchantman to be sunk by a Japanese submarine in
World War II. There are no survivors from the 33-man crew or the two
Army passengers.
Japanese Type A midget submarine attempts to follow general stores issue ship Antares (AKS-3) into the entrance channel to Pearl Harbor; summoned to the scene by the auxiliary vessel, destroyer Ward (DD-139), on channel entrance patrol, with an assist from a PBY (VP 14), sinks the intruder with gunfire and depth charges. Word of the incident, however, works its way with almost glacial slowness up the chain of command.
Army radar station at Opana Point, Oahu, soon thereafter detects an unusually large "blip" approaching from the north, but the operator reporting the contact is told not to concern himself with the matter since a formation of USAAF B-17s is expected from the west coast of the United States. The army watch officer dismisses the report as "nothing unusual." The "blip" is the first wave of the incoming enemy strike.
Consequently, "like a thunderclap from a clear sky" Japanese carrier attack planes (in both torpedo and high-level bombing roles) and bombers, supported by fighters, totaling 353 planes from naval striking force (Vice Admiral Nagumo Chuichi) attack in two waves, targeting ships of the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, and nearby military airfields and installations. Japanese planes torpedo and sink battleships Oklahoma (BB-37) and West Virginia (BB-48), and auxiliary (gunnery training/target ship) Utah (AG-16). On board Oklahoma, Ensign Francis G. Flaherty, USNR, and Seaman First Class James R. Ward, as the ship is abandoned, hold flashlights to allow their shipmates to escape; on board West Virginia, her commanding officer, Captain Mervyn Bennion, directs his ship's defense until struck down and mortally wounded by a fragment from a bomb that hits battleship Tennessee (BB-43) moored inboard; on board Utah, Austrian-born Chief Watertender Peter Tomich remains at his post as the ship capsizes, securing the boilers and making sure his shipmates have escaped from the fireroom. Flaherty, Ward, Bennion, Tomich and Bennion's falling in action sets in motion a chain of events that will result in Mess Attendant First Class Doris Miller becoming the first African-American to be awarded the Navy Cross. Miller, a brawny, broad-shouldered former high school football player, is recruited to carry the mortally wounded captain from the bridge. Their egress temporarily blocked by fires, however, the men are compelled to remain on the bridge. Miller mans a .50-caliber machine gun and later tells interviewers modestly that he believes he may have damaged two low-flying Japanese planes. Sadly, Miller will not survive the war; he will perish with escort carrier Liscome Bay (CVE-56) on 24 November 1943 off the Gilberts.
Japanese bombs also sink battleship Arizona (BB-39); the cataclysmic explosion of her forward magazine causes heavy casualties, among them Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, Commander Battleship Division 1, who thus becomes the first U.S. Navy flag officer to die in combat in World War II. Both he and Arizona's commanding officer, Captain Franklin van Valkenburgh, are awarded Medals of Honor, posthumously. In addition, the ship's senior surviving officer on board, Lieutenant Commander Samuel G. Fuqua, directs efforts to fight the raging fires and sees to the evacuation of casualties from the ship; he ultimately directs the abandonment of the doomed battleship and leaves in the last boat. He is awarded the Medal of Honor.
When Arizona explodes, she is moored inboard of repair ship Vestal (AR-4); the blast causes damage to the repair ship, which has already been hit by a bomb. Vestal's capta