12/01 Wed. Naval Air Ferry Command is established.
Teheran Conference attended by the President, British Prime
Minister, and Russian representatives ends; conference has
been in session since 28 November.
12/02 Thu. Submarine NARWHAL (SS-167), lands ammunition and stores, and
evacuates certain personnel from Mindanao, P. I.
United States naval vessel damaged:
Gasoline tanker AROOSTOOK (AOG-14), by horizontal bomber,
Italian area,
41 d. 06' N., 16 d. 52' E.
12/03 Fri. United States Naval Air Facility, Sao Luiz, Brazil, is
established.
12/04 Sat. Aircraft from task force which includes six carriers (Rear
Adm. C. A. Pownall) bomb Kwajalein and Wotje Atolls, Marshall
Islands.
United States naval vessels damaged, Marshall Islands:
Carrier LEXINGTON (CV-16), by aircraft torpedo,
13 d. 30' N., 171 d. 25' E.
Light cruiser MOBILE (CL-63), by accidental explosion,
12 d. 47' N., 170 d. 57' E.
Destroyer TAYLOR (DD-468), accidentally by United States
naval gunfire,
10 d. 00' N., 170 d. 00' E.
12/05 Sun. Destroyers bombard Choiseul Bay area, Choiseul Island,
Solomon Islands.
12/06 Mon. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, USA, is named commander of Allied
Expeditionary Force for invasion of Europe.
12/08 Wed. Task group including carriers, battleships, and destroyers
(Rear Adm. W. A. Lee) bombs Nauru Island.
United States naval vessel damaged:
Destroyer BOYD (DD-544), by coastal defense batteries,
Nauru Island.
12/10 Fri. United States naval vessel damaged:
Destroyer SIGOURNEY (DD-643), by grounding,
Solomon Islands area,
06 d. 21' S., 155 d. 10' E.
12/12 Sun. German submari ne sunk:
U-172, by aircraft (VC-19) from escort carrier BOGUE
(CVE-9), and destroyers BADGER (DD-126), DUPONT (DD-152),
CLEMSON (DD-186), and INGRAHAM (DD-694),
mid-Atlantic area,
26 d. 19' N., 29 d. 58' W.
12/13 Mon. Submarine POMPON (SS-267) lays mines southwest of Cochin
China.
German submarine sunk:
U-593, by United States destroyer WAINWRIGHT (DD-419) and
British surface craft, Mediterranean area,
37 d. 38' N., 05 d. 58' E.
12/14 Tue. United States Naval Air Facility, Maceio, Brazil, is
established.
United States naval vessel sunk:
PT-239, by accidental fire, Solomon Islands area,
07 d. 42' S., 156 D. 47 E.
12/15 Wed. Army troops are landed on Arawe Peninsula, New Britain.
United States Naval Operating Base, Treasury Islands,
Solomon Islands, is established.
12/16 Thu. Japanese submarine sunk:
I-179, by naval land-based aircraft (VP-52),
off New Britain,
04 d. 28' S., 147 d. 22' E.
German submarine sunk:
U-73, by destroyers TRIPPE (DD-403) and WOOLSEY (DD-437),
off Oran,
36 d. 07' N., 00 d. 50' W.
12/17 Fri. United States naval vessel sunk:
Coastal transport APc-21, by dive bomber, off New Britain,
06 d. 15' S., 149 d. 01' E.
United States naval vessel damaged:
Motor minesweeper YMS-50, by horizontal bomber,
off New Britain,
06 d. 12' S., 149 d. 03' E.
12/18 Sat. Submarine CABRILLA (SS-288) lays mines off Cambodia,
Indochina.
12/19 Sun. Japanese naval vessel sunk:
Destroyer NAMUKAZE, by submarine GRAYBACK (SS-208),
off the Ryukyu Islands,
26 d. 29' N., 128 d. 26' E.
12/20 Mon. Destroyers bombard Japanese positions on northeastern coast
of Bougainville, Solomon Islands.
Naval Air Training command is established at Naval Air
Station, Pensacola, Fla.
Japanese naval vessel sunk:
Destroyer FUYO, by submarine PUFFER (SS-268),
Philippine Islands area,
14 d. 44' N., 119 d. 55' E.
German submarine sunk:
U-850, by aircraft (VC-19), from escort carrier BOGUE
(CVE-9), mid-Atlantic area,
32 d. 54' N., 37 d. 01' W.
12/21 Tue. Naval aircraft from Attu, Aleutian Islands, bomb Paramushiro-
Shimushu area, Kurile Islands.
United States Coast Guard vessel lost:
Coastal transport APc-2, by dive bomber, off New Britain,
06 d. 12' S., 149 d. 03' E.
12/23 Thu. United States naval vessel sunk:
Submarine CORVINA (SS-226), Pacific Ocean are,
reported as presumed lost.
Japanese naval vessels sunk:
Submarine I-39, by destroyer escort GRISWOLD (DE-7),
Solomon Islands area,
09 d. 23' S., 160 d. 09' E.
Gunboat NANYO, by aircraft (location unknown.)
12/24 Fri. Task force of 3 cruisers and four destroyers (Rear Adm. A. S.
Merrill) bombard Buka-Bunis area, Solomon Islands.
United States Advanced Amphibious Base, Dartmouth, England,
is established.
United States naval vessel sunk:
Destroyer LEARY (DD-158), by submarine torpedo,
North Atlantic area,
45 d. 00' N., 22 d. 00' W.
German submarine sunk:
U-645, by destroyer SCHENCK (DD-159), North Atlantic area,
45 d. 20' N., 21 d. 40' W.
12/25 Sat. Aircraft from carrier task group (Rear Adm. F. C. Sherman)
bomb Kavieng, New Ireland.
12/26 Sun. 1st Marine Division (Maj. Gen. W. H. Rupertus) is landed at
Cape Gloucester, New Britain, by Seventh Amphibious Force
(Rear Adm. D. E. Barbey) after heavy pre-invasion bombardment
and bombing by ship gunfire and aircraft.
United States naval vessel sunk:
Destroyer BROWNSON (DD-518), by dive bomber,
Cape Gloucester, New Britain,
05 d. 20' S., 148 d. 25' E.
United States naval vessels damaged, Cape Gloucester,
New Britain:
Destroyers LAMSON (DD-367), SHAW (DD-373), and MUGFORD
(DD-389), by dive bombers.
LST 66, by horizontal bomber.
12/27 Mon. Two cruisers and four destroyers (Rear Adm. w. L. Ainsworth)
bombard Kieta area, Bougainville, Solomon Islands.
United States naval vessel damaged:
Coastal transport APc-15, by dive bomber, off New Britain,
06 d. 12' S., 149 d. 03' E.
12/28 Tue. Amphibious Training Base, Kamaole, Maui, T. H., is
established.
12/31 Fri. Naval aircraft from Attu, Aleutian Islands, bomb Paramushiro-
Shimushu area, Kurile Islands.