04/01 Wed. Naval Air Transport Service Squadron (VR-2) is commissioned
at Alameda, Calif., for operations in the Pacific area.
Japanese occupy Buka Island, Solomon Islands.
04/03 Fri. Adm. C. W. Nimitz, USN, is named Commander in Chief Pacific
Ocean Areas (CINCPOA); Admiral Nimitz is also Commander in
Chief Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC).
04/05 Sun. Submarine SNAPPER (SS-185) delivers food to Corrigedor, P.
I., and evacuates certain military personnel.
Lorengau, Manus Island, in the Admiralty Islands, is occupied
by the Japanese.
04/07 Tue. United States naval patrol aircraft arrive at Natal, Brazil,
for operations in the South Atlantic.
04/08 Wed. Submarine SEADRAGON (SS-194) delivers food to Corrigedor, P.
I., and evacuates certain military personnel.
Hydrographic Office and Naval Observatory are transferred
from the Bureau of Navigation to the Office of the Chief of
Naval Operations
United States naval vessels sunk:
Minesweeper BITTERN (AM-36), damaged 10 December 1941,
Cavite, P. I., sunk by United States forces.
Tug NAPA (AT-32), by scuttling, Philippine Islands area,
14 d. 25' N., 120 d. 30' E.
04/09 Thu. United States-Philippine forces on Bataan, P. I., surrender
to the Japanese.
United States naval vessel lost:
PT-34, by horizontal bomber, Philippine Islands area;
beached and abandoned,
10 d. 16' N., 123 d. 52' E.
04/10 Fri. Pacific Fleet is reorganized into type commands: Battleships
(Rear Adm. W. S. Anderson); Aircraft Carriers (Vice Adm. W.
F. Halsey); Cruisers (Rear Adm. F. J. Fletcher); Destroyers
(Rear Adm. R. A. Theobald); Service Force (Vice Adm. W. L.
Calhoun); Amphibious Force (Vice Adm. W. Brown); Submarine
Force (Rear Adm. T. Whiters); and Patrol Wings (Rear Adm. H.
S. McCain).
Japanese land on Cebu, P. I.
United States naval vessels sunk:
Submarine tender CANOPUS (AS-9), by scuttling, off
Mariveles Bay, P. I.
Minesweeper FINCH (AM-9), by horizontal bomber, Philippine
Islands area,
14 d. 22' N., 120 d. 35' E.
04/12 Sun. United States naval vessel sunk:
PT-35, by scuttling, Philippine Islands area,
10 d. 18' N., 123 d. 54' E.
04/14 Tue. German submarine sunk:
U-85, by destroyer ROPER (DD-147), off Virginia,
35 d. 55' N.
04/15 Wed. Submarine bases at Kodiak and Dutch Harbor, Alaska, are
established.
Naval Air Station, Barbers Point, Oahu, T. H., is
established.
United States naval vessel sunk:
PT-41, by scuttling, Philippine Islands area,
07 d. 53' N., 124 d. 15' E.
04/18 Sat. Vice Adm. W. F. Halsey in carrier HORNET (CV-8) launches 16
Army B-25's (Lt. Col. J. H. Doolittle) at point over 650
miles east of Honshu, Japan; bombers hit Tokyo, Yokosuka,
Yokohoma, Kobe, and Nagoya, Japan.
German submarine shells oil installations at Curacao,
Netherlands West Indies.
04/40 Mon. United States carrier WASP (CV-7), in Mediterranean Sea,
launches 47 British Spitfire aircraft for Malta.
04/26 Sun. United States naval vessel sunk:
Destroyer STURTEVANT (DD-240), by mine, of Marquesas Key,
Fla.
04/28 Tue. United States Escort Force (Rear Adm. R. C. Giffen) departs
Scapa Flow, Scotland, to protect convoys to Russia.
04/29 Wed. First coastal convoy leaves New York for the Delaware River.
Japanese land on and seize Parang and Cotabato, Mindanao, P.
I.
04/30 Thu. Two naval patrol planes evacuate military and civilian
personnel from Corregidor, P. I.
Adm. H. R. Stark assumes command of United States Naval
Forces Europe. (See 17 March 1942).
Battleship INDIANA (BB-58) is commissioned at Newport News,
Va.