04/04 Tue. United States naval vessel damaged:
Destroyer HALL (DD-583), by coastal defense gun,
Marshall Islands area,
09 d. 30' N., 170 d. 00' E.
04/05 Wed. Japanese naval vessel sunk:
Auxiliary submarine chaser No. 46, by carrier-based
aircraft, Caroline Islands area.
04/07 Fri. United States naval vessel damaged:
Destroyer CHAMPLIN (DD-601), by intentional ramming
of German submarine and by gunfire, North Atlantic
area,
40 d. 18' N., 62 d. 22' W.
[Who rammed who? LWJ]
Japanese submarine sunk:
I-2, by destroyer SAUFLEY (DD-465), north of New
Ireland,
02 d. 17' S., 149 d. 14' E.
German submarine sunk:
U-856, by destroyer CHAMPLIN (DD-601) and destroyer
escort (DE-145), North Atlantic area,
40 d. 18' N., 62 d. 22' W.
04/09 Sun. United States naval vessel sunk:
Submarine chaser SC-984, by grounding in New
Hebrides.
German submarine sunk:
U-515, by aircraft (VC-58) from escort carrier
GUADALCANAL (CVE-60), and destroyer escorts
PILLSBURY (DE-133), POPE (DE-134), FLAHERTY (DE-
135), and CHATELIN (DE-149), off Madeira Island,
34 d. 35' N., 19 d. 18' W.
04/10 Mon. German submarine sunk:
U-68, by aircraft (VC-58)from escort carrier
GUADALCANAL (CVE-60), off Madeira Island,
33 d. 25' N., 03 d. 58' W.
04/11 Tue. United States naval vessel damaged:
Destroyer escort HOLDER (DE-401), by submarine
torpedo, western Mediterranean area,
37 d. 03' N., 03 d. 58' E.
Japanese naval vessel sunk:
Destroyer AKIGUMO, by submarine REDFIN (SS-272),
Celebes Sea,
06 d. 43' N., 122 d. 23' E.
04/12 Wed. United States naval vessels sunk:
PT-135, damaged by grounding, Bismarck Archipelago
area,
05 d. 29' s., 152 d. 09' E.;
sunk by United States forces.
Rescue tug ATR-98, by collision, Azores area,
44 d. 05' N., 24 d. 08' W.
04/13 Thu. Japanese naval vessel sunk:
Destroyer IKAZUCHI, by submarine HARDER (SS-257),
Central Pacific area,
10 d. 13' N., 143 51' E.
04/15 Sat. Alaskan Sea Frontier (Vice Adm. F. J. Fletcher) with
headquarters at Adak, Aleutian Islands, and
Seventeenth Naval District (Rear Adm. F. E. M.
Whiting) with temporary headquarters in Adak and
permanent headquarters at Kodiak, Alaska, are
established.
United States Naval Base, Abemama, Gilbert Islands,
is established.
Carrier HANCOCK (CV-19) is commissioned at Fore
River, Mass.
04/16 Sat. Battleship WISCONSIN (BB-64) is commissioned at
Philadelphia, Pa.
United States naval vessel damaged:
Destroyer escort GANDY (DE-764), by intentional
ramming of German submarine, North Atlantic area,
40 d. 09' N., 69 d. 44' W.
German submarine sunk:
U-550, by destroyer escorts PETERSON (DE-152),
JOYCE (DE-317), and GANDY (DE-764), North
Atlantic area,
40 d. 09' N., 69 d. 44' W.
04/17 Mon. United States naval vessel sunk:
Submarine TROUT (SS-202), Pacific Ocean area,
reported as presumed lost.
German submarine sunk:
U-986, by minesweeper SWIFT (AM-122), and submarine
chaser PC-619, North Atlantic area,
50 d. 09' N., 12 d. 51' W.
04/19 Wed. Allied naval force (Adm. J. F. Sommerville, RN),
including United States carrier SARATOGA (CV-3) and
three United States destroyers, strikes enemy
positions at Sabang, Netherlands East Indies.
04/20 Thu. United States naval vessel sunk:
Destroyer LANDSDALE (DD-426), by aircraft torpedo,
western Mediterranean area,
37 d. 03' N., 03 d. 51' E.
Japanese submarine sunk:
RO-45, by submarine SEAHORSE (SS-304), off Marianas
Islands,
15 d. 19' N., 145 d. 31' E.
04/21 Fri. Naval task force (Vice Adm. M. A. Mitscher),
including carriers, battleships, cruisers, and
destroyers, bombs and bombards enemy airfields and
defensive positions at Hollandia, Wakde, Sawar, and
Sarmi areas of New Guinea; attacks continue on 22
April.
04/22 Sat. Army forces land at Aitape, Tanahmerah Bay, and
Humboldt Bay in New Guinea. The assault operation is
under the control of Rear Adm. D. E. Barbey and
supported by gunfire and carrier-based aircraft from
Vice Adm. M. A. Mitscher's carrier task force.
Submarine REDFIN (SS-272) lays mines off Sarawak,
Borneo.
04/23 Sun. Japanese naval vessel sunk:
Destroyer AMAGIRI, by mine, Makassar Strait,
Netherlands East Indies area,
02 d. 12' S., 116 d. 45' E.
04/26 Wed. Japanese submarine sunk:
I-180, by destroyer escort GILMORE (DE-18), North
Pacific area,
55 d. 10' N., 155 d. 40' W.
German submarine sunk:
U-488, by destroyer escorts FROST (DE-144), HUSE
(DE-145), BARBER (DE-161), and SNOWDEN (DE-246),
mid-Atlantic area,
17 d. 54' N., 38 d. 05' W.
04/27 Thu. United States naval vessel sunk:
Cargo ship ETAMIN (AK-93), by aircraft torpedo,
western New Guinea area,
03 d. 09' S., 142 d. 24' E.
Japanese naval vessels sunk:
Light cruiser YUBARI, by submarine BLUEGILL (SS-
242), southwest of the Palau Islands,
05 d. 20' N., 132 d. 16' E.
Minelayer KAMONE, by submarine HALIBUT (SS-232),
off Ryukyu Islands,
27 d. 37' N., 128 d. 11' E.
04/28 Fri. Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox dies at Washington,
D. C.
United States naval vessels sunk:
LST 507, and LST 531, by torpedoes from surface
craft, English Channel,
50 d. 28' N., 02 d. 51' W.
Japanese submarine sunk:
I-183, by submarine POGY (SS-266), off Kyushu,
Japan,
32 d. 07' N., 133 d. 03' E.
04/29 Sat. Aircraft from fast carrier task force (Vice Adm. M.
A. Mitscher), including 12 carriers, commence 2-day
bombing attack on Japanese shipping, oil and
ammunition bumps, aircraft facilities, and other
installations at Truk, Caroline Islands.
United States naval vessels sunk:
PT-346 and PT-347, accidentally by friendly
aircraft, Bismarck Archipelago area,
04 d. 13' S., 151 d. 27' E.
Japanese naval vessels sunk:
Submarine I-174, by aircraft from light carrier
MONTEREY (CVL-26) and destroyers MACDONOUGH (DD-
351) and STEPHEN POTTER (DD-538), Caroline Islands
area,
06 d. 13' N., 151 d. 19' E.
River gunboat TAHURE, by submarine FLASHER (SS-
249), South China Sea,
13 d. 02' N., 109 d. 28' E.
German submarine sunk:
U-421, by Army aircraft, Toulon, France.
04/30 Sun. Cruiser and destroyer force (Rear Adm. J. B.
Oldendorf) bombards enemy positions on Satawan
Island, in the Namoi Group, Caroline Islands.