Pacific
Admiral Thomas C. Hart (Commander in Chief, Asiatic Fleet) arrives in Surabaya, Java, N.E.I., after his passage from Manila, P.I., in submarine Shark (SS-174).

Unarmed U.S. freighter Malama, en route from Honolulu to Manila, is bombed and sunk by floatplane from Japanese armed merchant cruiser Aikoku Maru at 26°21'N, 153°24'W. Aikoku Maru takes the 35-man crew and the 8 passengers prisoner.

Japanese army cargo ship Teiun Maru (ex-German Bremerhaven) is sunk by mine (U.S. or Japanese) off mouth of Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, 16°05'N, 120°20'E.

Japanese oiler Toen Maru is damaged by mine southwest of Hong Kong, B.C.C.

Atlantic
Admiral Royal E. Ingersoll succeeds Admiral Ernest J. King as Commander in Chief Atlantic Fleet.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Meiko Maru is sunk by accidental gasoline explosion off Hainan Island, 15°01'N, 112°48'E.

Atlantic
Critical fuel states in the "shortlegged" flush-deck destroyers in the screen of convoy HX 167 prompts the adoption of the expedient of cargo ship Delta (AK-29) fueling destroyers Babbitt (DD-128) and Schenck (DD-159). Weather again worsens, however, preventing Leary (DD-158) from fueling; she is sent to Casco Bay to refuel.

Light cruiser Omaha (CL-4) and destroyer Somers (DD-381) encounter two ships in succession that fail to answer challenges; Omaha sends armed boarding party each time to obtain information. The vessels prove to be Greek freighter Marika Protopapa and Norwegian merchantman Tercero.

Submarine Pollack (SS-180) torpedoes Japanese cargo ship Heijo Maru 80 miles east-southeast of Tokyo Bay, Honshu, 34°15'N, 140°08'E.

Atlantic
Convoy ON 49, escorted by TU 4.1.1, reaches its dispersal point without incident.

Japanese amphibious force lands at Brunei Bay, Borneo.

Pacific
Submarine Pollack (SS-180) torpedoes and sinks Japanese collier No.1 Unkai Maru south of Honshu, 34°27'N, 139°59'E.

Submarine Pickerel (SS-177) torpedoes and sinks Japanese gunboat Kanko Maru at mouth of Davao Gulf, off Cape San Augustin, P.I., 06°19'N, 125°54'E.

Submarine Stingray (SS-186) torpedoes and sinks Japanese cargo ship Harbin Maru in South China Sea off the south coast of Hainan Island, 17°40'N, 109°20'E.

Dutch submarine O-19 torpedoes and sinks Japanese army cargo ship Akita Maru and torpedoes merchant cargo ship Tairyu Maru at the mouth of the Gulf of Siam, 07°40'N, 102°50'E.

Naval Station Pago Pago, Samoa, is shelled by Japanese submarine.

Japan declares war on the Netherlands; invasion of Netherlands East Indies begins as Japanese Central Force (Vice Admiral Hirose Sueto) lands Army 56th Regimental Combat Group and 2d Kure Special [Naval] Landing Force at Tarakan; naval paratroops (1st Yokosuka Special Landing Force) occupy Menado. Eastern Force (Rear Admiral Kubo Kuji) then follows up the airborne assault on Menado with 1st Special Landing Force going ashore at Menado and Kema, Celebes. These operations will secure control of the northern approaches to the Java Sea.

U.S. Army transport Liberty Glo is torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-166 about 10 miles southwest of Lombok Strait, 08°54'S, 115°28'E. Although destroyer Paul Jones (DD-230) and Dutch destroyer Van Ghent take the damaged ship in tow and beach her on the shores of Bali, Liberty Glo will be written off as a total loss.

U.S. tankship Manatawny sinks in Manila Bay as the result of damage received on 13 December 1941.

Atlantic
Operation Paukenschlag ("roll of the kettledrums") descends upon the eastern seaboard of the U.S. like a "bolt from the blue." The first group of five German submarines takes up station off the east coast of the United States on this date. Over the next month, these boats (U-66, U-109, U-123, U-125 and U-130) will sink 26 Allied ships; the presence of the enemy off the eastern seaboard takes U.S. Navy antisubmarine forces by surprise (see 14 January and following).

Pacific
Dutch army shore battery sinks Japanese minesweepers W.13 and W.14 off Tarakan, Borneo; destroyer Asagumo is damaged when she runs aground off Tarakan.

Japanese submarine I-121 mines Clarence Strait, the body of water connecting Van Diemen Gulf and the Timor Sea, off Australia's northern territory, at the approaches to Darwin, the Asiatic Fleet's main logistics base (see 16 January).

Pacific
American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Supreme Command is established at the Grand Hotel, Lembang, Java. General Sir Archibald Wavell, British Army, assumes supreme command of all forces in area; Lieutenant General George H. Brett, USAAF, is deputy commander; Admiral Thomas C. Hart is to command naval forces.

Atlantic
Storm with wind velocity of more than 80 knots and gusts of over 100 knots hits Hvalfjordur, Iceland; heavy cruiser Wichita (CA-45) is damaged in collisions with U.S. freighter West Nohno and British trawler HMS Ebor Wyke, and in grounding near Hrafneyri light. Storm conditions last until 19 January and cause heavy damage among patrol planes based there and tended by seaplane tender Albemarle (AV-5).

Pacific
Japanese invade Burma from Thailand.

Japanese submarines continue mining the approaches to Darwin, Northern Territory: I-122 mines Clarence Strait, I-123 Bundas Strait, and I-124 the waters off Darwin itself (see 20 January).

Japanese cargo ship Taishu Maru is wrecked when she runs aground off Okushiri Island, Hokkaido, 42°00'N, 139°00'E.

During a routine search from carrier Enterprise (CV-6), TBD (VT 6) flown by Aviation Chief Machinist's Mate Harold F. Dixon (Naval Aviation Pilot) fails to return to the ship and force-lands at sea at about 04°20'S, 169°30'E due to fuel starvation. Dixon and his two-man crew have no food and no water (see 19 February).

Japanese transport Fukusei Maru is stranded and wrecked off Yangtze Estuary, 31°00'N, 122°00'E.

Atlantic
U.S. freighter San Jose is sunk in collision with freighter Santa Elisa off Atlantic City, New Jersey, 39°15'N, 74°09'W.

Pacific
River gunboat Tutuila (PR-4), stranded at Chungking by Sino-Japanese hostilities since 1937, is decommissioned and her crew flown out of China.

Submarine Plunger (SS-179) torpedoes and sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Eizan Maru (ex-Panamanian Aurora) off mouth of Kii Suido, Honshu, 33°30'N, 135°00'E.

Atlantic
Unarmed U.S. freighter Frances Salman is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-552 off St. John's, Newfoundland. There are no survivors from the 28-man crew.

Unarmed U.S. tanker Allan Jackson is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-66 about 50 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, 35°57'N, 74°20'W; destroyer Roe (DD-418) rescues the 13 survivors from the 35-man crew.

Unarmed U.S. tanker Malay is shelled and damaged by German submarine U-123 off Oregon Inlet, North Carolina, 35°25'N, 75°23'W. Freighter Scania provides fire-fighting assistance while the tanker's assailant pursues other game (Latvian freighter Ciltvaria). Although Malay is torpedoed by U-123 upon the U-boat's return and damaged further, the holed tanker reaches Hampton Roads safely the next day. One man perishes in the shelling; four drown when the ship is abandoned after she is torpedoed.

Atlantic
In attacks against unescorted coastal shipping, unarmed U.S. steamship City of Atlanta is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-123 off the North Carolina coast at 35°42'N, 75°21'W; railroad ferry Seatrain Texas rescues the three survivors of the 46-man crew.

German submarine U-66 torpedoes and sinks Canadian steamer Lady Hawkins at 35°00'N, 72°30'W (see 28 January).

Motor torpedo boat PT-31, damaged by grounding the day before, is burned by crew to prevent capture, 14°45'N, 120°13'E.

Submarine S-36 (SS-141) is damaged when she runs aground on Taka Bakang Reef, Makassar Strait, Celebes, N.E.I., 04°57'N, 118°31'E (see 21 January).

Destroyer Edsall (DD-219) and Australian minesweeper HMAS Deloraine sink Japanese submarine I-124 off Darwin, Australia.

Japanese gunboat Aso Maru and auxiliary minesweeper No.52 Banshu Maru are sunk by mines, Subic Bay, Luzon, P.I., 14°45'N, 120°17'E.

Japanese merchant storeship Sendai Maru is damaged by unknown cause off mouth of Davao Gulf.

Japanese convoy is reported in Makassar Strait, bound for Balikpapan, Borneo (see 21 January).

Submarine S-36 (SS-141), damaged by grounding on 20 January, is scuttled by her crew in Makassar Strait.

Japanese land on Mussau Island, north of New Ireland.

Allied forces evacuate Lae and Salamaua, New Guinea.

TF 11 (Vice Admiral Wilson Brown Jr.), formed around carrier Lexington (CV-2), departs Oahu to raid Wake Island (see 23 January).

Destroyers Gridley (DD-380) and Fanning (DD-385) are damaged in collision 150 miles northwest of American Samoa as TF 8 proceeds toward the Marshalls and Gilberts.

Survey vessel Sumner (AG 32) arrives at Bora Bora, Society Islands, and commences survey work at that place (see 29 January and 12 February).

Atlantic
Unarmed U.S. freighter Norvana is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-123 south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. There are no survivors, and pieces of wreckage from the ship when she explodes hit her attacker.

Japanese land at Balikpapan, Borneo, N.E.I.

Japanese occupy Rabaul, New Britain, and land at Kieta, Bougainville, Solomons.

Japanese force lands on southwest coast of Bataan peninsula; local Army commander inserts naval battalion of sailors and marines (Commander Francis J. Bridget) into the battle as a stopgap. It blocks enemy progress. Motor torpedo boat PT-34 is damaged in action with Japanese armed launch while on patrol off Bataan Peninsula.

Oiler Neches (AO-5) is torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-72, off Hawaiian Islands, 21°01'N, 160°06'W. The loss of the oiler supporting TF 11 (Vice Admiral Wilson Brown Jr.) forces cancellation of the projected raid on Wake.

Destroyer Edsall (DD-219) is damaged by explosion of own depth charges during attack on submarine contact in Howard Channel, Clarence Strait, one of the approaches to Darwin, Australia.

Submarine Seadragon (SS-194) damages Japanese merchant cargo ship Fukuyo Maru off the northern coast of French Indochina, 12°00'N, 109°00'E.

Atlantic
Unarmed U.S. collier Venore is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-66 about 20 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, 35°50'N, 75°20'W (see 25 January).

Naval battalion (Commander Francis J. Bridget) drives Japanese troops back to Longoskawayan and Quinauan Points on Bataan Peninsula.

Japanese land at Kendari, Celebes; Kavieng, New Ireland; and Subic Bay.

Submarine tender Canopus (AS-9) is damaged by bombs, Lilimbom Cove, Mariveles.

Submarine Swordfish (SS-193) sinks Japanese gunboat Myoken Maru north of Kema, Celebes, 01°26'N, 125°08'E.

Caribbean
Submarine S-26 (SS-131) is accidentally rammed and sunk by submarine chaser PC-460 in Gulf of Panama, 08°13'N, 79°21'E. PC-460 rescues three survivors. Despite a search by the patrol craft and the other three submarines in company, S-21 (SS-126), S-29 (SS-134) and S-44 (SS-155), no other survivors are found; 46 men lose their lives in the mishap.

Japanese destroyer Hatsuharu is damaged by U.S. aircraft east of Kendari, Celebes.

Atlantic
German submarine U-125 attacks unarmed U.S. tanker Olney, forcing the latter aground off Cape Lookout, North Carolina, 37°55'N, 74°56'W. Olney is subsequently removed from her predicament, however, repaired, and returned to service.

U.S. steamer Tennessee rescues one boatload of 21 survivors from U.S. collier Venore, torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-66 on 25 January; two survivors reach port in a second boat. U.S. motor tanker Australia rescues the only other surviving sailor the same day. Seventeen men of Venore's crew perish.

U.S. freighter West Ivis is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-125 off the eastern seaboard. There are no survivors from either the 36-man civilian crew or the 9-man Armed Guard.

Submarine Seawolf (SS-197) delivers ammunition to Corregidor, P.I., and evacuates naval and army pilots.

USAAF B-17s bomb and damage Japanese seaplane carrier Sanuki Maru off Balikpapan, Borneo.

Naval Air Station, Puunene, Maui, T.H., is established.

Atlantic
Unarmed U.S. tanker Francis E. Powell is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-130 about eight miles northeast of Winter Quarter Lightship, 37°45'N, 74°53'W; a Coast Guard boat from the Assateague Island station and U.S. tanker W. C. Fairbanks rescue the 28 survivors from the 32-man crew. U.S. tanker Halo is torpedoed and damaged by U-130 about 17 miles northeast of Diamond Shoals Lightship, 35°33'N, 75°20'W.

U.S. steamship Coamo rescues 71 survivors of Canadian steamer Lady Hawkins that had been sunk by U-66 on 19 January.

Pacific
Japanese land on Rossel Island off New Guinea.

Atlantic
PBO (VP 82) on an antisubmarine sweep astern of convoy HX 172 attacks a surfaced submarine in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland at 43°50'N, 53°50'E. Although pilot (Aviation Machinist's Mate First Class Donald F. Mason) reports "sighted sub, sank same" no U-boat is lost on this date.

Minesweeper Quail (AM-15) bombards Japanese troop concentrations at Longoskawayan Point, Luzon.

Oiler Ramapo (AO-12) arrives at Bora Bora, Society Islands, to support survey operations being carried out by Sumner (AG 32), which had arrived at that place on 22 January (see 12 February).

Indian Ocean
U.S. freighter Florence Luckenbach is torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-64 about 15 miles east of Madras, India, 12°55'N, 80°33'E; there are no casualties among the 38-man crew and all hands reach Madras by lifeboat.

Atlantic
Coast Guard cutter Alexander Hamilton (WPG-34) is torpedoed by German submarine U-132 off Reykjavik, Iceland, 64°10'N, 22°56'W (see 31 January).

PBYs (VP 52) operating out of Natal, Brazil, are fired upon by British freighter Debrett owing to difficulty of mutual identification.

Atlantic
Coast Guard cutter Alexander Hamilton (WPG-34), torpedoed by German submarine U-132 the previous day, is scuttled by gunfire of destroyer Ericsson (DD-440) off Reykjavik, Iceland.

Unarmed U.S. tanker Rochester is torpedoed, shelled, and sunk by German submarine U-106 off the Chesapeake Lightship, 37°10'N, 73°58'W; three crewmen perish in the initial torpedo explosion. Destroyer Roe (DD-418) rescues the 29 survivors.

Pacific
TF 11 (Vice Admiral Wilson Brown Jr.), formed around carrier Lexington (CV-2), departs Pearl Harbor to cover the retirement of TF 8 (Vice Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr.) and TF 17 (Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher) from the Marshalls and Gilberts (see 1 February).

Japanese troops land on Amboina Island, N.E.I.

Destroyer Helm (DD-388) evacuates civilian radio operators and weather observers from Howland and Baker Islands; she is bombed by a Japanese reconnaissance flying boat (Yokohama Kokutai) off Baker, but is not damaged.

Atlantic
British tanker San Arcadio is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-107 at 38°10'N, 63°50'W (see 11 February).

British tanker Tacoma Star is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-109 at 37°33'N, 69°21'W; destroyer Roe (DD-418), on temporary duty with the Fifth Naval District defense forces due to the increase in ship sinkings off Cape Hatteras, is sent to rescue survivors.

At Kwajalein, SBDs (VB 6 and VS 6) and TBDs (VT 6) from Enterprise sink transport Bordeaux Maru and damage light cruiser Katori, submarine I-23, minelayer Tokiwa, auxiliary netlayer Kashima Maru, auxiliary submarine chaser No.2 Shonan Maru, submarine depot ship Yasukuni Maru, oiler Toa Maru, tanker Hoyo Maru, and army cargo ship Shinhei Maru; in the bombing of shore installations, Rear Admiral Yatsushiro Sukeyoshi (Commander Sixth Base Force) becomes the first Imperial Navy flag officer to die in combat when an SBD scores a direct hit on his headquarters. Off Wotje, gunfire from heavy cruisers Northampton (CA-26) and Salt Lake City (CA-25) sink gunboat Toyotsu Maru; destroyer Dunlap (DD-384) shells and sinks auxiliary submarine chaser No.10 Shonan Maru.

Japanese retaliatory air attacks (Chitose Kokutai) on TF 8 result in damage to carrier Enterprise (near-miss of crash of land attack plane), 10°33'N, 171°53'E, and heavy cruiser Chester (by bomb dropped by carrier fighter), 08°45'N, 171°33'E.

Planes from Yorktown cause less damage, due to a paucity of targets at the objective; nevertheless, SBDs (VS 5) bomb and strafe gunboat Nagata Maru at Makin, while SBDs (VB 5) bomb and strafe cargo ship Kanto Maru at Jaluit. Rear Admiral Fletcher detaches three of his four destroyers to look for downed TBD (VT 5) reported in the water astern of TF 17. During the search, a Japanese reconnaissance flying boat (Yokohama Kokutai) attacks (but does not damage) destroyer Sims (DD-409). Soon thereafter, two F4Fs (VF 42) splash the flying boat. The TBD crew, however, is never found in the prevailing poor weather.

Motor torpedo boats and USAAF P-40s repulse Japanese landing attempt on southwest Bataan. PT 32 damages Japanese minelayer Yaeyama off Subic Bay.

Naval Base, Sydney, Australia, is established.

Atlantic
Seventh Naval District with headquarters at Key West, Florida, is reestablished.

Caribbean
Naval Air Stations, St. Lucia, British West Indies, and British Guiana; and Naval Auxiliary Air Facility, Antigua, British West Indies, are established.

Japanese minesweeper W.9 is sunk, and minesweepers W.11 and W.12 damaged, by Dutch mines off Ambon, N.E.I., 03°42'S, 128°10'E.

Atlantic
Unarmed U.S. tanker W.L. Steed is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-103 about 90 miles east of the mouth of the Delaware River, 38°25'N, 72°43'W. Exposure to the frigid weather will eventually kill 34 of the 38-man crew who survive the loss of the ship at the outset (see 4, 6, and 12 February).

Japanese naval land attack planes (Takao Kokutai) bomb ABDA operating base at Surabaya; other naval land attack planes (1st Kokutai) bomb Malang, Java. These raids indicate for the first time that substantial Japanese air forces have been moved south. En route home from Malang, 1st Kokutai aircraft report presence of Allied naval force (Rear Admiral Karel W.F.M. Doorman, RNN) off Madoera (see 4 February).

Atlantic
Panamanian freighter San Gil is torpedoed, shelled, and sunk by German submarine U-103 approximately 15 miles south of Fenwick Island light, 38°05'N, 74°40'W. Two crewmen perish in the attack; Coast Guard cutter Nike (WPC-112) rescues the 38 survivors.

Japanese reconnaissance flying boats (Toko Kokutai) contact and shadow allied force (Rear Admiral Karel W.F.M. Doorman, RNN) of four cruisers and accompanying destroyers (sighted the previous day by 1st Kokutai aircraft) attempting transit of Madoera Strait to attack Japanese Borneo invasion fleet. On the strength of that intelligence, Japanese naval land attack planes (Takao, Kanoya, and 1st Kokutais) bomb Doorman's ships, damaging heavy cruiser Houston (CA-30) (1st Kokutai) and light cruiser Marblehead (CL-12) (Kanoya Kokutai), 07°23'S, 115°47'E. Dutch light cruisers De Ruyter and Tromp are slightly damaged by near-misses (1st Kokutai). Marblehead's extensive damage (only by masterful seamanship and heroic effort does she reach Tjilatjap after the battle) results in her being sent back to the United States via Ceylon and South Africa; despite the loss of turret III (one-third of her main battery), Houston, however, remains.

Asiatic Fleet (Admiral Thomas C. Hart) ceases to exist organizationally (not formally abolished). Units of Asiatic Fleet are organized into Naval Forces, Southwest Pacific Area (Vice Admiral William A. Glassford).

Submarine Sculpin (SS-191) torpedoes Japanese destroyer Sukukaze as the latter patrols off Staring Bay, south of Kendari, Celebes, 04°00'S, 123°00'E.

Atlantic
Unarmed U.S. tanker India Arrow is torpedoed, shelled, and sunk by German submarine U-103 about 20 miles southeast of Cape May, New Jersey, 38°48'N, 73°40'W. Two of her men perish when the ship is shelled; 24 drown when two lifeboats are swamped. Fishing skiff Gitana rescues the 12 survivors 12 miles off Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Canadian armed merchant cruiser HMCS Alcantara comes across lifeboat from torpedoed U.S. tanker W.L. Steed (sunk by German submarine U-103 on 2 February) and rescues the three survivors she finds (see 6 and 12 February).

Japanese planes bomb Allied shipping off Soembawa Island, N.E.I.; after destroyer Paul Jones (DD-230) is damaged by near-miss, she then rescues survivors of Dutch merchantman Tidore, which had run aground in an attempt to avoid Japanese bombs.

Atlantic
Naval Operating Base, Londonderry, Northern Ireland, is established to serve as a turnaround point for transatlantic convoys.

Unarmed U.S. tanker China Arrow is torpedoed, shelled, and sunk by German submarine U-103 off Winter Quarter Lightship, 37°44'N, 73°18'W (see 7 February).

United States
National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, is established in this Washington, D.C. suburb.

U.S. and Britain establish Combined Chiefs of Staff.

Pacific
Japanese land reinforcements at Lingayen Gulf.

Japanese artillery on the Cavite coast, near Ternate, shell Corregidor, Fort Hughes, Fort Frank, Fort Drum and anchorage of Inshore Patrol off South Harbor, Corregidor; river gunboat Luzon (PR-7) is hit by a shell in her vacant admiral's quarters; there are no casualties.

Atlantic
Unarmed U.S. freighter Major Wheeler, en route from Fajardo, Puerto Rico, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-107. There are no survivors from the 35-man crew.

British freighter Hartlepool comes across lifeboat from torpedoed U.S. tanker W.L. Steed (sunk by German submarine U-103 on 2 February) and rescues the two survivors she finds; one of them will die in hospital on 10 February of exposure (see 12 February).

Pacific
Commander Naval Forces Southwest Pacific Area (Vice Admiral William A. Glassford) establishes headquarters at the port of Tjilatjap, on Java's south coast.

Yacht Isabel (PY-10) rescues all 187 survivors from Dutch freighter Van Cloon, which had been torpedoed and shelled earlier that day by Japanese submarine I-155 and beached in a sinking condition off Java, 06°25'S, 111°25'E.

Small reconnaissance seaplane from Japanese submarine I-25 reconnoiters Sydney, Australia.

Japanese submarines RO-61 and RO-62 are damaged in collision, Kwajalein atoll.

Atlantic
U.S. freighter West Jaffrey is stranded off Halfbald Island, Nova Scotia, 43°36'N, 66°02'W, and wrecked. There are no casualties to either the merchant crew or the 14-man Armed Guard.

Coast Guard cutter Nike (WPC-112) rescues all 37 survivors of U.S. tanker China Arrow, sunk by German submarine U-103 off Winter Quarter Lightship on 5 February.

U.S. freighter Mary is damaged in collision with freighter Palimol at 24°50'N, 66°00'W, and proceeds to San Juan, Puerto Rico, for repairs.

Japanese troops land at Gasmata, New Britain.

Submarine S-37 (SS-142) attacks Japanese convoy in Makassar Strait, and torpedoes destroyer Natsushio south of Makassar City, Celebes, 05°10'S, 119°24'E. S-37 survives resultant depth-charging (see 9 February).

Japanese infiltration force at Quinauan Point, Bataan, is mopped up, supported by armed motor launches from submarine tender Canopus (AS-9) (Lieutenant Commander H.H. Goodall). Japanese planes, however, attack the boats, bombing and strafing them, killing three and wounding 15 (including Goodall).

British submarine HMS Trusty shells Japanese merchant coaster Se Go off Poulo Condore, French Indochina.

Atlantic
British freighter Ocean Venture is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-108 at 37°05'N, 74°45'W (see 9 February).

Admiral William H. Standley, USN (Ret.), former Chief of Naval Operations (1935-1937), is named Ambassador to the USSR.

Pacific
Twelve USAAF B-17s are released to Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet for operational control; they will cover the advance of TF 11 (Vice Admiral Wilson Brown Jr.) into the South Pacific.

Transport St. Mihiel (AP-32) is damaged by grounding off MacNamara Point, Alaska.

Submarine Trout (SS-202) torpedoes and sinks Japanese gunboat Chuwa Maru 53 miles off Keelung, Formosa, 25°30'N, 122°38'E.

Japanese carrier Kaga is damaged when she runs aground on an uncharted reef, Palau, Palau Islands.

Japanese transport Kurama Maru is torpedoed and sunk, agent unknown, 28°25'N, 122°03'N.

Japanese destroyer Natsushio, torpedoed by submarine S-37 (SS-142) off Makassar the previous day, sinks.

Japanese planes bomb Batavia, Surabaya, and Malang, Java.

Japanese troops land on Singapore Island.

Atlantic
Transport Lafayette (AP-53) (ex-French liner Normandie) burns at New York pier and capsizes at her berth.

Destroyer Roe (DD-418), at approximately 36°24'N, 74°34'W, rescues 14 survivors from British freighter Ocean Venture, sunk the previous day by German submarine U-108.

Japanese submarine I-69 shells Midway but is immediately bombed and damaged by USMC F2As (VMF 221).

Atlantic
Submarine R-5 (SS-82) fires three torpedoes at what she later reports as a German U-boat at 35°00'N, 65°45'W, but the attack is not successful. By the time R-5 has reloaded, the enemy is gone. While R-5's captain is criticized for erring in judgment for failing to follow up his contact during darkness and continuing the attack, his inexperience (R-5 is his first command) is considered, as is the fact that it is that commanding officer's first war patrol. R-5's quarry may have been U-564, which sinks Canadian motor tanker Victolite at 36°12'N, 67°14'W the same day.

Caribbean
U.S. Army troops arrive at Curacao and Aruba, N.W.I., to assume occupation duty (with the cooperation of the British and Dutch governments) at this naval operating base whose primary mission will be port security, convoy routing, and protection of tankers transporting oil to U.S. ports.

Atlantic
PBM (VP 74) rescues nine survivors adrift in a lifeboat from British tanker San Arcadio, sunk by German submarine U-107 on 31 January.

Europe
Admiral William D. Leahy, USN (Retired), Ambassador to France, receives instructions from President Roosevelt that the U.S. government has learned that French ships are to be used to transport war materiel between France and Tunisia, and that unless the French government gives assurances that no military aid would go forward to any Axis power, and that French ships would not be used in the furtherance of Axis acts of aggression in any theater of war, the ambassador would be recalled to the United States "for consultation in a determination of American future policy with regard to the government of Vichy" (see 20-21 February).

USAAF B-17s bomb Japanese shipping off Surumi, damaging transport Kozui Maru and merchant cargo vessel Kinryu Maru.

Auxiliary [survey vessel] Sumner (AG 32) completes survey work of Bora Bora, Society Islands and publishes Hydrographic Office Field Chart No.1 for those waters.

Atlantic
U.S. freighter Dixie Sword founders and sinks in Nantucket Sound, 41°35'N, 69°59'W.

British freighter Raby Castle comes across lifeboat from torpedoed U.S. tanker W.L. Steed (sunk by German submarine U-103 on 2 February) and rescues the one survivor she finds; sadly, he will die on board on 15 February, of exposure.

Atlantic
Destroyer Ericsson (DD-440) accidentally sinks Icelandic trawler Greedir in collision off Hvalfjordur, Iceland.

Submarine Swordfish (SS-193) torpedoes and sinks Japanese transport Amagisan Maru off Davao, P.I., 06°45'N, 126°54'E.

Admiral Thomas C. Hart, USN, is relieved as Commander in Chief Allied Naval Forces in Southwest Pacific by Vice Admiral Conrad E. L. Helfrich, RNN.

Japanese army paratroopers assault Palembang, Sumatra. During ensuing Allied air attacks on Japanese invasion convoy, RAF Blenheims bomb and sink merchant ship Inabasan Maru off Palembang.

ABDAFloat orders task force (Rear Admiral Karel W.F.M. Doorman) to proceed and attack Japanese Palembang-bound expeditionary force. As Doorman's ships--two Dutch light cruisers, a Dutch flotilla leader, one British heavy cruiser, one Australian light cruiser, four Dutch destroyers and six American--heads toward its objective, Dutch destroyer Van Ghent runs aground on a reef north of Banka Island; irreparably damaged, she is scuttled; sistership Banckert takes off the crew (see 15 February).

On request from local British naval authorities, light cruiser Boise (CL-47), at Ceylon en route to Bombay, India, for repairs following her grounding in Sape Strait on 21 January, provides her two SOCs (VCS 9) to augment routine RAF Catalina searches from the seaplane station at Kogalla, Ceylon. Boise's planes fly morning and evening search flights for the next three days.

PBY (VP 73) accidentally bombs submarine Thresher (SS-200), returning from a war patrol, southwest of Oahu, T.H.

Japanese submarine I-23 is last reported south of Oahu, T.H. She is not heard from again, and her fate is unknown.

Japanese army paratroops secure vital oil refineries at Palembang, on southeast Sumatra, N.E.I.; enemy capture of this territory establishes sea and air control of the Karimata Channel and Gaspar Strait.

Having proceeded through Gaspar Strait to the north of Banka and failed to contact the Japanese force (which has already reached Banka Strait), ABDA striking force (Rear Admiral Karel W.F.M. Doorman, RNN) is attacked by Japanese naval land attack planes (Genzan, Mihoro, and Kanoya Kokutais) as well as carrier attack planes from carrier Ryujo. Australian light cruiser HMAS Hobart is straddled, while near misses damage U.S. destroyers Barker (DD-213) and Bulmer (DD-222), which will need to retire to Australia for repairs.

U.S. Army transport Meigs, U.S. freighters Mauna Loa and Portmar, and Australian coaster Tulagi, escorted by heavy cruiser Houston (CA-30), destroyer Peary (DD-226) and Australian corvettes HMAS Swan and HMAS Warrego sails from Darwin, Australia, for Timor (see 16 and 19 February).

Atlantic
Brazilian steamship Buarque is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-432 30 miles southwest of Cape Henry, 36°35'N, 75°20'W (see 16 February).

U.S. tanker Point Breeze suffers explosion in engine room that damages steering gear, forcing the ship to go around off Throggs Neck, New York; one man is killed and one is blown overboard. Point Breeze later floats free and is towed to New York for repairs.

Atlantic
Unarmed U.S. tanker E.H. Blum blunders into U.S. minefield off Cape Henry, Virginia, 36°57'N, 75°52'W and is damaged by mine and breaks in half (see 17 February).

Coast Guard cutter Calypso (WPG-104) rescues 42 survivors from Brazilian steamship Buarque, that had been sunk by German submarine U-432 the day before (see 17 February).

Pacific
Japanese planes bomb U.S. Timor-bound convoy, escorted by heavy cruiser Houston (CA-30) and destroyer Peary (DD 226); U.S. Army transport Miegs and U.S. freighter Mauna Loa are damaged by near-misses. On board the latter, one crewman is killed; of the 500 troops embarked, one is killed and 18 wounded. Houston's heavy antiaircraft fire saves the convoy from destruction, but the imminent fall of Timor results in the recall of the convoy and its routing back to Darwin (see 19 February).

Submarine Triton (SS-201) torpedoes and sinks Japanese gunboat No. 5 Shin'yo Maru off Nagasaki, Japan, 32°14'N, 127°14'E.

Japanese destroyer Ayanami is damaged when she fouls an uncharted reef 2.4 nautical miles off Durai, Anambas Islands.

Atlantic
Coastal minesweeper Detector (AMc-75) is accidentally sunk in collision with U.S. tanker Oswego 300 yards east-northeast of Finn's Ledge Buoy, at the entrance to the north channel at Boston, Massachusetts. There are no casualties.

Coastal minesweeper Paramount (AMc-92) accidentally runs aground off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and is abandoned without loss. Coast Guard cutter Dione (WPG-107) provides assistance. Paramount is salvaged and returned to service.

Destroyer Jacob Jones (DD-130) rescues 16 men from Brazilian steamship Buarque, that had been sunk by German submarine U-432 on 15 February; U.S. steamship Eagle rescues 16 more, thus accounting for all survivors.

Coast Guard cutter Woodbury (WPC-155) rescues all hands (40 men) from mined tanker E.H. Blum. Both halves of the ship are later salvaged and rejoined, and E.H. Blum returns to active service.

Brazilian tanker Olinda is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-432 at 37°30'N, 75°00'W (see 19 February).

Caribbean
U.S. freighter Mokihana is torpedoed by German submarine U-161 while lying at anchor at Port of Spain, Trinidad, 12°55'N, 80°33'E; there are no casualties among the 36-man merchant crew or 9-man Armed Guard.

Battle of Badoeng Strait begins as Allied naval force (Rear Admiral Karel W.F.M. Doorman, RNN) of three cruisers and accompanying destroyers attacks retiring Japanese Bali occupation force (Rear Admiral Kubo Kyuji) in Badoeng Strait. Destroyer Stewart (DD-224) is damaged by gunfire of destroyers Oshio and Asashio, 07°18'S, 112°46'E. Dutch destroyer Piet Hien is sunk; 30 of her survivors find motor whaleboat jettisoned by destroyer John D. Ford (DD-228) and proceed unaided to Java. Dutch light cruisers Java and Tromp are damaged by Japanese gunfire. Japanese destroyers Ushio and Michisio are damaged by Allied gunfire.

Japanese carrier striking force (Vice Admiral Nagumo Chuichi) attacks Darwin, Australia; 189 planes from carriers Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu and Soryu bomb shipping, airfields, and shore installations; carrier bombers sink destroyer Peary (DD 226), 12°30'S, 130°50'E, U.S. Army Transport Miegs and U.S. freighter Mauna Loa (on board the latter all hands--37-man crew and seven passengers--survive); and damage seaplane tender (destroyer) William B. Preston (AVD-7). U.S. freighter Portmar is damaged and beached (one of her 34-man crew is killed; two of the 300 embarked soldiers perish as well; 12 men are injured); freighter Admiral Halstead (carrying drummed gasoline) is damaged as well (she suffers no casualties). In related actions, U.S. freighter Florence D, under charter to the Army and carrying a cargo of ammunition, rescues eight-man PBY (VP 22) crew (Lieutenant Thomas H. Moorer) off north coast of Australia, near Darwin, and later comes under attack by Japanese carrier aircraft that bomb and sink the ship (one man of Moorer's crew and three of the 37-man ship's complement are killed in action); Australian minesweeper HMAS Warrnambol and mission boat St. Francis rescue the survivors. Japanese carrier planes also bomb and sink Philippine motorship Don Isidro (chartered by the U.S. Army to run supplies to Corregidor) off northwest coast of Bathurst Island, 11°00'S, 130°00'E; 11 of the 67-man crew and one of the 16 embarked soldiers are killed. HMAS Warrnambol rescues the surviving crew and passengers. Japanese naval land attack planes (Kanoya and 1st Kokutais) bomb airfield at Darwin.

Submarine S-37 (SS-142) is damaged by grounding off the northeast corner of Lembogan Island, Lombok Strait, N.E.I., but continues on patrol.

Aviation Chief Machinist's Mate Harold F. Dixon (Naval Aviation Pilot) and his two-man crew (VT 6), whose plane ditched due to fuel exhaustion on 16 January, reach Danger Islands, 10°48'S, 165°49'E, having spent 34 days at sea in their rubber boat. They have subsisted on occasional fish speared with a pocket knife, two birds, and rain water. While the straight line distance traveled measures 450 miles, the estimated track is approximately 1,200 miles. Dixon is awarded the Navy Cross for heroism, leadership, and resourcefulness.

Atlantic
Destroyer Dallas (DD-199) rescues 46 survivors from Brazilian tanker Olinda, sunk the day before by German submarine U-432.

Unarmed U.S. tanker Pan Massachusetts is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-128 about 20 miles off Cape Canaveral, Florida, 28°27'N, 80°08'W; Coast Guard lighthouse tender Forward (WAGL-160) and British tanker Elizabeth Massey rescue 18 survivors from the 38-man crew.

U.S. freighter Lake Osweya is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-96 in the North Atlantic, 43°14'N, 54°45'W. Although U-96 sees three lifeboats pull away from the ship, no survivors from the 30-man merchant complement or the seven-man Armed Guard are ever found.

Caribbean
Transport William P. Biddle (AP-15) arrives at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and disembarks the 9th Defense Battalion.

Pacific
TF 11 (Vice Admiral Wilson Brown Jr.), en route to attack Rabaul, is spotted by Japanese reconnaissance flying boats (Yokohama Kokutai). Although the American attack is cancelled, Japanese naval land-based bombers (4th Kokutai) attack TF 11, centering their efforts upon Lexington (CV-2). In the ensuing battle off Bougainville, combat air patrol F4Fs (VF 3) and SBDs (VS 2) (the latter utilized in the anti-torpedo plane role) and ships' antiaircraft fire annihilate the enemy formations. In the battle, Lieutenant Edward H. O'Hare (VF 3) shoots down five bombers in six minutes, a phenomenal performance that earns him the Medal of Honor.

Submarine Swordfish (SS-193) embarks Philippine President Manuel Quezon, his wife and two children, Vice President Sergio Osmeña, and other Philippine government officials off Mariveles.

In the wake of the Japanese carrier strike the day before, Darwin, Australia, is abandoned as an Allied naval base. RAF and USAAF air operations from the field outside the port, however, will continue.

Japanese invade Timor Island, N.E.I.

Destroyer Stewart (DD-224), damaged by shellfire in the Battle of Badoeng Strait the previous night, suffers further damage when, improperly shored and placed on blocks, she rolls on her port side in a Dutch floating drydock at Surabaya, Java.

Atlantic
U.S. freighter Delplata is torpedoed by German submarine U-156 about 60 miles west of Martinique, 14°45'N, 62°10'W. Small seaplane tender Lapwing (AVP-1) rescues the 52 survivors (including the 13-man Armed Guard) and then scuttles the irreparably damaged merchantman with gunfire.

Unarmed U.S. freighter Azalea City is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-432 about 125 miles east-southeast of Ocean City, Maryland, 38°00'N, 73°00'W. There are no survivors from the 38-man crew.

Europe
Admiral William D. Leahy writes to President Roosevelt that he expects a recall "for consultation" since the French have not responded positively to Roosevelt's message of 11 February. President Roosevelt, while sympathetic to Admiral Leahy's position, subsequently informs his ambassador to Vichy that "to hold the fort [in Vichy] is as important a military task as any other in these days." Leahy is thus retained in France. On the same day that Leahy writes to the President, however, German submarine U-156 puts in to Martinique to put ashore one of the men wounded by the premature barrel explosion on 16 February (see 21 February).

Atlantic
Unarmed U.S. tanker J.N. Pew is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-67 about 225 miles west of Aruba, D.W.I, 12°40'N, 74°00'W; two survivors reach the coast of Colombia, 35 miles east of Riohacha (see 14 March).

Unarmed U.S. tanker Republic is torpedoed by German submarine U-504 about three miles east of Jupiter Inlet, Florida, 27°05'N, 80°15'W; three crewmen perish in the initial explosion, while two drown in the abandonment. One lifeboat reaches shore unaided (18 men on board) while U.S. tanker Cities Service Missouri rescues six men from a second boat (see 23 February).

Europe
Admiral Leahy receives instruction to see Admiral Darlan immediately about German submarine U-156's receiving assistance at Martinique. Unless the Vichy French can assure the U.S. government that no Axis ships or planes will be allowed to enter French ports or territory in the Western Hemisphere, and that unless such assurances are rigidly maintained, the United States "will take such action in the interest of security of the Western Hemisphere as it may judge necessary and in accordance with existing inter-American obligations." Leahy writes in his diary that everything points to his early recall to Washington "for consultation" (see 16 April).

Atlantic
U.S. tanker Cities Service Empire is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-128 25 miles north of Bethel Shoals, 28°00'N, 80°22'W. Destroyer Biddle (DD-151) rescues survivors from life rafts while Coast Guard cutter Vigilant (WPC-154) goes alongside and rescues men directly from the burning ship. All told, 3 of the 9-man Armed Guard are lost, in addition to 11 of the 41-man civilian complement.

Unarmed U.S. tanker W.D. Anderson is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-504 about 12 miles northeast of Jupiter Point Lighthouse, 27°09'N, 79°56'W. The sole survivor of the 36-man crew swims ashore at Stewart, Florida.

Unarmed U.S. freighter West Zeda is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-129 about 125 miles southeast of Trinidad, B.W.I., 09°13'N, 69°04'W. Schooner Emeralda rescues the entire 35-man crew, who suffer no casualties in the encounter with the U-boat.

Submarine Tarpon (SS-175) is damaged when she runs aground in Boling Strait, N.E.I. and becomes stranded (see 24 February).

Atlantic
U.S. freighter Lihue is torpedoed by German submarine U-161 about 275 miles west of Martinique, 14°30'N, 64°45'W; Lihue, damaged, engages U-161 in a surface gunnery action before the freighter is subsequently abandoned and the crew rescued by British tanker British Governor. Canadian armed merchant cruiser HMCS Prince Henry places a salvage party on board in attempt to save Lihue. Minesweeper Partridge (AM-16) tries to tow Lihue to safety, but the crippled merchantman sinks short of St. Lucia, the intended destination. There are no casualties to either the 36-man merchant crew or the 9-man Armed Guard.

Unarmed U.S. tanker Sun is torpedoed by German submarine U-502 about 54 miles north of Aruba, 13°02'N, 70°41'W, and although initially abandoned is reboarded. She is ultimately repaired and returned to service; there are no casualties among the 36-man crew (see 5 July).

Unarmed U.S. tanker Republic, torpedoed by German submarine U-504 on 21 February, having drifted onto reefs off Hobe Sound, Florida, sinks.

Small reconnaissance seaplane launched from Japanese submarine I-9 reconnoiters Pearl Harbor.

Panamanian motor freighter Snark is mined while attempting to enter Nouméa, New Caledonia, without a pilot. Destroyer Worden (DD-352) tows the crippled ship out of the channel but has to abandon further salvage when the damaged vessel drifts and grounds hard and fast onto a reef.

Submarine Swordfish (SS-193) embarks U.S. High Commissioner to the Philippine Islands Francis B. Sayre and his party off Manila Bay (see 9 March). Their original destination is Surabaya, Java.

Submarines Pike (SS-172) and Pickerel (SS-177) are sent to assist stranded submarine Tarpon (SS-175) in Boling Strait, N.E.I.; in the event that they cannot free the grounded boat, they are to destroy her. Fortunately, Tarpon manages to work herself free by removing anchors, torpedoes, oil and ammunition.

Submarines Perch (SS-176) attacks what she identifies as a Japanese merchantman but is damaged by shellfire and is forced to break off action. Perch remains on patrol.

Japanese cargo ship Fukushima Maru runs aground on a reef and is wrecked, Katsura Bay, 35°09'N, 140°18'E.

Small reconnaissance seaplane from Japanese submarine I-25 reconnoiters Melbourne, Australia.

Atlantic
Unarmed U.S. bulk carrier Marore is torpedoed, shelled, and sunk by German submarine U-432 off the North Carolina coast, 35°33'N, 74°58'W. U.S. tanker John D. Gill rescues 25 survivors; 15 more men land at Coast Guard Big Kinnakeet Lifeboat Station. There are no casualties.

U.S. tanker R.P. Resor is torpedoed by German submarine U-578 five miles off Sea Girt, Delaware, 39°47'N, 73°26'W; of the 41-man merchant crew and 8 Armed Guard sailors on board, one civilian and one Armed Guard sailor are rescued by submarine chaser PC-507. Coast Guard cutters Icarus (WPC-110) and Antietam (WPC-128), yacht Zircon (PY-16) and coastal minesweeper AMc-200 converge on the scene; Eagle Boat PE-55 attacks sound contact in the vicinity without result (see 1 March).

U.S. tanker Cassimir is sunk in collision with U.S. freighter Lara 48 miles from Frying Pan Shoals lightship, 33°28'N, 77°34'W.

Seaplane tender Langley (AV-3), carrying 32 USAAF P-40s earmarked for the defense of Java, is bombed by Japanese naval land attack planes (Takao Kokutai) 75 miles south of Tjilatjap, Java, 08°58'S, 109°02'E. Irreparably damaged, the ship that had once been the U.S. Navy's first aircraft carrier (she had been converted to a seaplane tender in 1936) is shelled and torpedoed by destroyer Whipple (DD-217). Necessity to clear the area precludes knowing exactly when Langley sinks.

U.S. freighter Sea Witch delivers 27 crated USAAF P-40s to Tjilatjap, Java, but the planes will be destroyed on the docks to deny their use by the victors.

Submarine Narwhal (SS-167) damages Japanese fleet tanker Manju Maru 28°55'N, 138°15'E.

Atlantic
Joint U.S.-Mexican Defense Commission is established.

Japanese land on north coast of Java. Battle of Sunda Strait begins shortly before midnight as heavy cruiser Houston (CA-30) and Australian light cruiser HMAS Perth (Captain Hector M. L. Waller, RAN), attempting to retire from Java, accidentally encounter Japanese transport force and escorting ships (Rear Admiral Takagi Takeo) in Banten Bay, Java, and engage them (see 1 March).

Minesweeper Whippoorwill (AM-35), while searching waters south of Tjilatjap for survivors of sunken seaplane tender Langley (AV-3), rescues crew of British freighter City of Manchester, that had just been torpedoed, shelled and sunk by Japanese submarine I-153 at 08°16'S, 108°52'E. Gunboat Tulsa (PG-22), in the vicinity on the same errand, takes on board the injured British merchant sailors and treats the wounded.

Atlantic
German submarine U-578 torpedoes and sinks destroyer Jacob Jones (DD-130) off the Delaware capes, 38°42'N, 74°39'W.

Unarmed U.S. tanker Oregon is torpedoed, shelled, and sunk by German submarine U-156 about 150 miles northeast of Mona Passage, 20°44'N, 67°52'W; U-156 machineguns the crew trying to launch one of the lifeboats, killing six men. One group of 26 survivors reaches Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, on 4 March; U.S. tanker Gulfpenn rescues other group of four men the following day.

PBY (VP 73) mistakenly bombs and damages submarine Greenling (SS-213) outside submarine sanctuary off New London, Connecticut.

Pacific
Battle of Sunda Strait continues as heavy cruiser Houston (CA-30) and Australian light cruiser HMAS Perth (Captain Hector M.L. Waller, RAN), heading for Sunda Strait, are attacked by three Japanese cruisers and nine destroyers (Rear Admiral Kurita Takeo). In the melee, Houston (05°50'S, 105°55'E) and Perth are sunk by torpedoes and gunfire of Japanese heavy cruisers Mogami and Mikuma; Japanese minesweeper W.2 and transports Ryuho Maru, Tatsuno Maru, Sakura Maru and Horai Maru are sunk, and landing ship Shinshu Maru damaged, by torpedoes fired by heavy cruiser Mogami; destroyers Shirakumo and Harukaze are damaged by gunfire. Houston's commanding officer, Captain Albert H. Rooks, killed while his ship is being abandoned, is later awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumously) in recognition of his heroism, courage, gallantry and distinguished service during the period between 4 and 27 February.

Japanese oiler Tsurumi is torpedoed by Dutch submarine K-XV east of Nicholas Point, Banten Bay, Java.

In another action in the wake of the Battle of the Java Sea, Japanese heavy cruisers Myoko, Ashigara, Haguro and Nachi engage three Allied ships (Captain Oliver L. Gordon, RN) fleeing Java, sinking British heavy cruiser HMS Exeter and destroyer HMS Encounter. U.S. destroyer Pope (DD-225), the third ship, escapes the cruisers but is located and bombed by floatplanes from seaplane carriers Chitose and Mizuho. Damaged by one close-miss, Pope is then located by carrier attack planes from Ryujo and bombed; scuttling is in progress when Myoko and Ashigara deliver the coup de grace with gunfire at 04°00'S, 111°30'E.

Japanese planes bomb Surabaya, Java; destroyer Stewart (DD-224), previously damaged on 19 and 20 February 1942, is damaged again, by bomb.

Japanese naval forces sweep the waters south of Java. Destroyer Edsall (DD-219) is sunk by gunfire of battleships Hiei and Kirishima, heavy cruisers Tone and Chikuma, and planes from carriers Akagi and Soryu; the amount of main battery shells expended in the attempt to sink the U.S. ship amounts to 297 15-inch and 844 eight-inch. Edsall's five enlisted survivors are executed at Kendari subsequently. Oiler Pecos (AO-6), with Langley (AV-3) survivors on board as well as evacuees from Java, is bombed and sunk by carrier bombers from Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu, and Soryu, south of Christmas Island, 14°27'S, 106°11'E.

Submarine Perch (SS-176) is depth-charged and damaged by Japanese destroyers Amatsukaze and Hatsukaze, 73 miles west of Bawean Island, Java Sea, 06°30'S, 113°50'E.

As Japanese invasion of Java proceeds, Allied planes bomb enemy ships off the beaches: RAF Wildebeests damage light cruiser Kinu, transport Johore Maru, and army cargo ship Tokushima Maru. Dutch Martin 139s, RAF Blenheims, RAAF (or RAF) Hudsons also claim damage to Japanese ships.

ABDA Command is dissolved as the fall of Java looms.

Small reconnaissance seaplane from Japanese submarine I-25 reconnoiters Hobart, Tasmania.

Atlantic
PBO (VP 82), on an antisubmarine sweep, bombs and sinks German submarine U-656 south of Newfoundland, 46°15'N, 53°15'W. U-656 is the first U-boat sunk by U.S. Navy forces during World War II.

Tug Sagamore (AT-20) attempts to tow damaged U.S. tanker R.P.Resor (torpedoed by German submarine U-578 on 27 February) to shallow water to permit salvage, but to no avail. The gutted ship sinks about 31 miles east of Barnegat, New Jersey.

Submarine Perch (SS-176) is depth-charged and damaged by Japanese destroyer Ushio, Java Sea.

Submarine S-38 (SS-143) attacks Japanese light cruiser Kinu but the latter evades all four torpedoes fired, 06°27'S, 112°12'E.

Submarine Sailfish (SS-192) torpedoes and sinks Japanese aircraft transport Kamogawa Maru north of Lombok Strait, 08°06'S, 115°57'E.

Japanese troops land at Zamboanga, Mindanao, P.I.

Bataan-based USAAF P-40s sink Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser No.11 Kyo Maru in Subic Bay.

Atlantic
Antisubmarine Warfare Unit, Atlantic Fleet is established at Boston, Massachusetts.

Gunboat Asheville (PG-21) is sunk by gunfire of Japanese destroyers Arashi and Nowaki south of Java, 12°33'S, 111°35'E. Asheville's sole survivor will perish in POW camp in 1945.

Atlantic
Unarmed U.S. freighter Mary is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-129 about 250 miles northeast of Paramaribo, Dutch Guiana, 08°25'N, 52°50'W (see 9 March).

Operation K: two Japanese reconnaissance flying boats (Yokosuka Kokutai), refueled by submarines I-15 and I-19 at French Frigate Shoals, bomb Oahu, T.H., but cause no damage (see 10 March).

Submarine Grampus (SS-207) torpedoes and sinks Japanese tanker No.2 Kaijo Maru 145 miles south of Truk, 00°56'N, 149°31'E.

Submarine Narwhal (SS-167) torpedoes and sinks Japanese army cargo ship Taki Maru off Amami O Shima, south of Kyushu, 28°37'N, 129°10'E.

Submarine S-39 (SS-144) torpedoes and sinks Japanese oiler Erimo south of Billiton Island, 04°19'S, 108°25'E.

Submarine Sargo (SS-188), while approaching Fremantle, Australia, is mistakenly attacked and damaged by an RAAF Hudson.

Japanese transport Takao Maru, damaged and driven aground off Vigan, Luzon, on 10 December 1941, is destroyed by Filipino saboteurs.

Atlantic
Coastal yacht Alabaster (PYc-21) collides with unidentified merchant ship while patrolling off Cape May, New Jersey, but since the damage suffered by neither ship is serious enough to hamper their operations, both vessels continue on their way.

Unarmed U.S. freighter Collamer, straggling from convoy HX 178, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-404 off the coast of Nova Scotia, 44°18'N, 63°10'W. British freighter Empire Woodcock rescues the 24 survivors from the 31-man crew.

Unarmed U.S. freighter Mariana is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-126 east of Nassau, Bahamas, 22°14'N, 71°23'W. There are no survivors from the 36-man crew.

Atlantic
Unarmed U.S. freighter Barbara is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-126 approximately nine miles north-northwest of West Tortuga Island, Dominican Republic, 20°00'N, 73°56'W; a PBY rescues one group of survivors while the remainder reach shore. Later, U-126 shells and sinks unarmed U.S. freighter Cardonia about five miles west-northwest of San Nicholas Mole, Haiti, 19°53'N, 73°27'W; 22 survivors reach safety at San Nicholas Mole less than five hours after the ship sinks (see 8 March).

U.S. freighter Independence Hall, straggling from convoy SC 73, founders and sinks off Sable Island, 43°55'N, 59°55'W. Ten of the 38-man merchant crew perish; there are no casualties among the 9-man Armed Guard.

Brazilian steamship Arbabutan is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-155 off the Virginia capes, 35°15'N, 73°55'W (see 8 March).

Japanese occupy Rangoon, Burma.

Small reconnaissance seaplane from Japanese submarine I-25 reconnoiters Wellington, New Zealand.

Atlantic
Net tender Mulberry (YN-22) rescues 14 survivors from U.S. freighter Cardonia, sunk by German submarine U-126 the day before.

Coast Guard cutter Calypso (WPC-104) rescues 54 survivors from Brazilian steamship Arabutan, sinks their lifeboats as a hazard to navigation, and transports the men to Little Creek, Virginia.

Java surrenders to the Japanese.

Atlantic
Naval Air Transport Service Squadron (VR 1) is established at Norfolk, Virginia, for operations in Atlantic area.

U.S. freighter Alcoa Scout rescues survivors of U.S. freighter Mary, sunk by German submarine U-129 on 3 March.

Brazilian steamship Cayru is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-94 at 39°10'N, 72°02'W (see 11 March).

Japanese invade Finschhafen, New Guinea.

Japanese collier Kosei Maru is sunk by mine in Lingayen Gulf, P.I., 16°05'N, 120°20'E.

USMC F2As (VMF 221) from Midway shoot down Japanese reconnaissance flying boat (Yokosuka Kokutai) attempting to reconnoiter the atoll.

Atlantic
U.S. tanker Gulftrade is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-588 about two miles east of Barnegat, New Jersey, 39°50'N, 73°52'W; net tender Larch (YN-16) and Coast Guard cutter Antietam (WPC-128), along with Eagle Boat PE-48 and Coast Guard motor lifeboats from the Barnegat station are sent to the scene. Larch rescues seven survivors; Antietam nine.

Submarine Pollack (SS-180), operating in the East China Sea about 270 miles east of Shanghai, sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Fukushu Maru, 30°53'N, 126°20'E and passenger-cargo ship Baikal Maru, 31°00'N, 126°32'E.

U.S. passenger ship Mount McKinley is stranded off Unimak Island, Aleutians; wrecked subsequently by heavy seas, the ship will be written off as a total loss.

Atlantic
Unarmed U.S. freighter Texan is torpedoed, shelled, and sunk by German submarine U-126 about 40 miles east of Nuevitas, Cuba, 21°32'N, 76°24'W; Cuban fishing boat Yoyo rescues survivors.

Unarmed U.S. freighter Caribsea is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-158 about 14 miles east of Cape Lookout, North Carolina, 34°40'N, 76°10'W; U.S. freighter Norlindo rescues survivors.

Coastal minesweeper AMc-202, at 40°32'N, 71°40'W, rescues seven survivors from Brazilian steamship Cayru, sunk by German submarine U-94 on 9 March, and transports them to New London, Connecticut.

Pacific
U.S. Army troops (Brigadier General Alexander M. Patch) arrive on New Caledonia to establish a base at Nouméa.

Atlantic
U.S. tanker John D. Gill is torpedoed and irreparably damaged by German submarine U-158 off Frying Pan Shoals, 33°55'N, 77°39'W. Four of the seven-man Armed Guard are lost. Coast Guard cutter CG-186 and cutter Agassiz (WPC-126) rescue one group of survivors, tanker Robert H. Colley the remainder. John D. Gill sinks the next morning.

German submarine U-126 torpedoes unarmed U.S. freighters off the coast of Cuba, sinking Olga off Camaguey, 23°39'N, 77°00'W, and damaging Colabee about 10 miles off Cape Guajaba, 22°14'N, 77°35'W. Colabee drifts ashore and grounds on a shoal; Cuban ship Oriente rescues one group of survivors (and then tows the damaged ship off the shoal), tanker Cities Service Kansas the other. Cuban Navy vessels later salvage the ship.

First British armed trawlers sent to augment U.S. Navy patrol force efforts off the German submarine-plagued Eastern Seaboard, HMS Wastwater and HMS Le Tigre, begin patrol operations in Third Naval District waters. They are assigned duties off Atlantic City and Barnegat, New Jersey.

Lieutenant General Douglas MacArthur and Rear Admiral Francis W. Rockwell, with their respective staffs, reach Cagayan, Mindanao, after a 560-mile voyage in heavy to moderate seas, in motor torpedo boats PT-32, PT-34, PT-35, and PT-41. PT-32 becomes disabled during the operation, and is scuttled by gunfire of submarine Permit (SS-178) one mile southwest of Taguayan Island, P.I., 10°58'N, 121°12'E.

Submarine Gar (SS-206) torpedoes and sinks Japanese victualling stores ship Chichibu Maru between six and ten miles southwest of Mikura Jima, south of Tokyo Bay, Japan, 33°53'N, 139°29.5'E.

Japanese minesweeper No.2 Tama Maru sinks as the result of damage inflicted by U.S. Navy carrier-based planes on 10 March during the Lae-Salamaua Raid.

Atlantic
Unarmed U.S. schooner Albert F. Paul is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-332 off the east coast of the United States, 26°00'N, 72°00'W. There are no survivors.

Chilean freighter Tolten is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-404 off Barnegat, New Jersey, 40°10'N, 73°50'W; subsequently, plane en route from Langley Field to Mitchell Field sights one survivor on a life raft at 39°50'N, 73°40'W; Coast Guard cutter Antietam (WPC-128), coastal minesweeper AMc-200 are sent to the scene; NAS Lakehurst sends three L-type blimps, one of which, L 2, ultimately sights the raft seen earlier that day. Net tender Larch (YN-16) rescues the one survivor of what was a crew of between 16 and 21 men.

Unarmed U.S. collier Lemuel Burrows is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-404 off Atlantic City, New Jersey, 39°18'N, 74°16'W. Freighter Sewalls Point rescues one group of survivors; a boat from James Elwood Jones the other.

Panamanian motorship Annetta I rescues the last survivor of unarmed U.S. tanker J.N. Pew, sunk by German submarine U-67 on 21 February; 33 of the 36-man crew are lost.

Unarmed U.S. tanker Ario is torpedoed, shelled, and sunk by German submarine U-158 11 miles southwest of Cape Lookout, 34°20'N, 76°39'W. Destroyer Dupont (DD-152) rescues the 29 survivors of the 36-man crew.

U.S. tanker Olean is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-158 15 miles south of Cape Lookout, 34°24'N, 76°29'W. Coast Guard motor lifeboats from Cape Lookout and Fort Mason stations rescue 33 survivors.

While providing coverage for convoy ON 74, PBO (VP 82) bombs and sinks German submarine U-503, North Atlantic, 43°50'N, 48°45'W.

Atlantic
Unarmed U.S. tanker Australia is torpedoed, shelled, and irreparably damaged by German submarine U-332 off Diamond Shoals, 35°07'N, 75°22'W. U.S. freighter William J. Salman rescues survivors and transfers them to yacht Ruby (PY-21) for further transportation to Southport, North Carolina. Australia, sunk in shallow water, is written off as a total loss and her wreck demolished on 20 March.

British tanker San Demetrio is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-404 at 37°03'N, 73°50'W (see 18 March).

Submarine Grayback (SS-208) sinks Japanese collier Ishikari Maru six miles west of Port Lloyd, Chichi Jima, Bonins, 27°05'N, 142°05'E.

Submarine Permit (SS-178) is damaged by depth charges off Tayabas Bay, P.I. but remains on patrol.

Europe
Naval Forces Europe (Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley) is established.

Atlantic
Destroyer Stack (DD-406) and carrier Wasp (CV-7) are damaged in collision while en route from Casco Bay, Maine, to Norfolk, Virginia.

Unarmed U.S. tanker Acme is torpedoed and damaged by German submarine U-124 west of Diamond Shoals, 35°06'N, 75°23'W; U-124 later torpedoes and sinks Greek freighter Kassandra Louloudi four miles west-southwest of Diamond Shoals gas buoy. Coast Guard cutter Dione (WPC-107) rescues 20 survivors from Acme and 35 from Kassandra Louloudi; steamship Beta rescues 22 men from the latter ship.

Honduran freighter Ceiba is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-124 at 35°43'N, 73°49'W (see 19 March).

Japanese merchant cargo ship Jumpo Maru is sunk, agent unknown, off Tsushima Island.

Atlantic
U.S. tanker E.M. Clark is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-124 about 22 miles southwest of Diamond Shoals, North Carolina, 34°50'N, 75°35'W. Venezuelan tanker Catatumbo rescues 23 of the tanker's complement. Unarmed U.S. tanker Papoose is torpedoed by German submarine U-124 about 15 miles south of Cape Lookout, North Carolina, 34°17'N, 76°39'W (see 19 March 1942).

Yacht Tourmaline (PY-20) and Coast Guard cutter Cuyahoga (WPC-157) rescue eight survivors of British tanker San Demetrio, sunk by U-404 on 16 March.

Unarmed U.S. tanker W.E. Hutton is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-332 about 20 miles southeast of Cape Lookout, North Carolina, 34°05'N, 76°40'W; 13 of the ship's complement of 36 merchant sailors perish in the attack (see 19 March).

Small reconnaissance seaplane from Japanese submarine I-25 reconnoiters Suva, Fiji Islands.

Atlantic
Destroyer Dickerson (DD-157) rescues 14 of the 40-man crew of tanker E.M. Clark, sunk by U-124 the previous day. Later, however, Dickerson is mistakenly fired upon and damaged by gunfire from U.S. freighter Liberator off Virginia capes; three men (including the ship's captain) are killed and six wounded. Later the same day, Liberator is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-332, three miles west of the Diamond Shoals Buoy, 35°05'N, 75°30'W; five crewmen perish. Tug Umpqua (AT-25) rescues 26 merchant sailors and the 4-man Armed Guard.

Destroyer Hambleton (DD-455), at 35°39'N, 71°10'W; rescues six survivors of Honduran freighter Ceiba, sunk by U-124 on 17 March.

British motor vessel Port Halifax rescues the 23 survivors of U.S. tanker W.E. Hutton, sunk by German submarine U-332 off Cape Lookout, North Carolina, the previous day.

High speed transport Stringham (APD 6) rescues the 31 survivors of U.S. tanker Papoose, irreparably damaged the previous day by German submarine U-124. On report of the master, who believes his ship can be saved, tug Kewaydin (AT-24) is sent to investigate salvage possibilities. Papoose, however, is beyond saving, and sinks the next day; Kewaydin proceeds to assist Acushnet (see below).

Damaged U.S. tanker Acme (torpedoed by German submarine U-124 on 17 March) is taken in tow by tug Acushnet (AT-63) and taken to Norfolk.

Unarmed U.S. tanker Muskogee is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-123 at 28°00'N, 58°00'W. U-123 draws near to the survivors on two rafts and questions them before clearing the area. None of the 34-man crew, however, are ever seen again.

Indian Ocean
Japanese occupy Andaman Islands, Bay of Bengal.

Atlantic
TF 39 (Rear Admiral John W. Wilcox), including battleship Washington (BB 56), carrier Wasp (CV-7), heavy cruisers Wichita (CA-45) and Tuscaloosa (CA-37), and eight destroyers, sails from Portland, Maine, for Scapa Flow, to reinforce the British Home Fleet (see 27 March).

Commander Eastern Sea Frontier is given operational control of certain USAAF units for antisubmarine patrol duty in the Atlantic. Unity of command over Navy and USAAF units operating over water to protect shipping and conduct antisubmarine warfare is thus vested in the Navy.

Antisubmarine vessel Atik (AK-101) is torpedoed and sunk with all hands by German submarine U-123 in the North Atlantic, 36°00'N, 70°00'W, after the "Q-ship's" gunfire damages the U-boat in a spirited encounter. Atik is the only U.S. Navy warship disguised as a merchantman that is lost to enemy action during World War II. Sistership Asterion (AK-100) will conduct a fruitless search for survivors (see 30 March).

Unarmed U.S. tanker Dixie Arrow, bound for Paulsboro, New Jersey, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-71 about 12 miles off the Diamond Shoals Lighted Buoy, off the coast of North Carolina, 34°59'N, 75°33'W. The ship breaks in half and sinks. Destroyer Tarbell (DD-142), directed to the scene by a Coast Guard plane, rescues 22 survivors; 11 merchant sailors either drown or burn to death, however, as the torpedo explosions set the ship's cargo of 86,136 barrels of crude oil afire.

Panamanian freighter Equipoise is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-160 at 36°36'N, 74°45'W (see 27 March).

Destroyer Greer (DD-145) proceeds to position indicated by Army plane and rescues five survivors from Panamanian freighter Equipoise, sunk the previous day by U-160; later, Greer picks up an additional eight survivors from the sunken Panamanian merchantman.

Europe
British raiding force begins attack on port facilities in German-held St. Nazaire, France; destroyer HMS Campbelltown (former U.S. destroyer Buchanan [DD 132]), reconfigured to resemble a German torpedo boat, is to ram the caisson of the only drydock on the French coast capable of handling the battleship Tirpitz.

Pacific
Submarine Gudgeon (SS-211) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Nissho Maru southeast of Kumun Island, 33°50'N, 127°33'E.

Japanese collier Yubari Maru is sunk by Dutch planes off Koepang, Timor.

Japanese transport/cargo ship Kitano Maru is sunk by Japanese mine off Mabilao, Lingayen Gulf, 16°10'N, 120°24'E.

Atlantic
U.S. steamship City of New York is torpedoed by German submarine U-160 about 40 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, 35°16'N, 74°25'W. Before the ship is torpedoed a second time, the Armed Guard, who man their gun stations promptly, manages to get 12 rounds off at the U-boat's periscope. A second torpedo sinks the ship, with the Armed Guard leaving only when the bridge is awash (see 30-31 March and 11 April).

U.S. tanker Paulsboro is damaged in heavy seas off Overfalls Lightship; tug Allegheny (AT-19) is sent to her assistance.

U.S. freighter Excelsior suffers engine breakdown off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina; tug Kewaydin (AT-24) is sent to tow the ship to Norfolk.

Pacific
Joint Chiefs of Staff order Pacific Ocean divided into two commands: Pacific Ocean Areas (Admiral Chester W. Nimitz) and Southwest Pacific Area (Lieutenant General Douglas MacArthur).

Submarine Tambor (SS-198) damages Japanese transport Tatsuho Maru off Brown Atoll, 13°00'N, 157°30'E.

Destroyer Phelps (DD-360), undergoing repairs in drydock at Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, is damaged when a railroad crane falls into the drydock.

Japanese forces occupy Christmas Island.

Submarine Sturgeon (SS-187) sinks Japanese transport Choko Maru off Makassar City, Celebes, N.E.I., 05°39'S, 119°00'E.

Atlantic
Debris sighted by plane at 34°52'N, 69°58'W includes five empty life rafts; no survivors are sighted in the area of the last reported position of antisubmarine vessel Atik (AK-101), sunk on 26 March by German submarine U-123.

PBY search of area in which U.S. steamship City of New York is torpedoed proves negative (see 31 March and 11 April).

North Russia
U.S. freighter Effingham, straggling 90 miles astern of Murmansk-bound convoy PQ 13, is torpedoed and set afire by German submarine U-435 at 70°28'N, 35°44'E. The ship explodes and sinks; two men drown during the abandonment (see 2 and 4 April).

Caribbean
Commander of All Forces Aruba and Curacao, Netherlands West Indies, is established (Rear Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf).

Atlantic
Unarmed U.S. tug Menominee and the barges that she is towing--Allegheny, Barnegat, and Ontario--are shelled by German submarine U-754 about 50 miles off the mouth of Chesapeake Bay at 37°34'N, 75°25'W. U-754 sinks Menominee and barges Allegheny and Barnegat; Ontario, with its dunnage cargo, remains afloat and provides a life preserver for the three men who had been on board each barge. Of Menominee's crew of 18 men, however, only two survive the U-boat's gunfire. Coast Guard lifeboat from the Metomkin Inlet station rescues the men from the barges while tanker Northern Sun rescues the tug crew's survivors. Later the same day, U-754 torpedoes unarmed U.S. tanker Tiger as the American vessel, en route to Norfolk, waits to embark a pilot. One crewman dies in the initial explosion; the surviving 36 men of the ship's complement, in addition to a six-man Navy gun crew riding the ship as passengers, abandon the ship (see 1 and 2 April).

Unarmed U.S. tanker T.C. McCobb, en route to Caripito, Venezuela from Buenos Aires, Argentina, is shelled, torpedoed, and sunk by Italian submarine Pietro Calvi at 07°10'N, 45°20'W; one crewman drowns and one is killed by shellfire (see 8 and 10 April and 16 May).

Destroyer Roper (DD-147) and tug Acushnet (AT-63) rescue 124 survivors (including a newborn infant) of U.S. steamship City of New York, sunk by U-160 off Cape Hatteras on 29 March (see 12 April).

Japanese occupy Buka Island, Solomons.

Submarine Seawolf (SS-197) torpedoes Japanese light cruiser Naka off Christmas Island, 10°00'S, 105°00'E.

British submarine HMS Truant sinks Japanese merchant cargo ships Yae Maru and Shunsei Maru in Malacca Strait, 80 miles west-northwest of Penang, Malaya, 05°42'N, 98°57'E.

Atlantic
District patrol vessel YP-52 rescues 42 survivors of U.S. tanker Tiger, torpedoed by German submarine U-754 late the previous day. Coast Guard cutter Jackson (WPC-142) and Merritt, Chapman, and Scott salvage tug Relief take the damaged ship in tow (see 2 April).

Unarmed U.S. freighter David H. Atwater is shelled by German submarine U-552 east of Chincoteague Inlet, Virginia, 37°37'N, 75°10'W; destroyers Noa (DD-343) and Herbert (DD-160) are sent to the scene, but arrive too late to be of assistance. The sudden and savage nature of U-552's attack leaves David H. Atwater's crew little or no time to take to lifeboats. Of the 25-man complement, only three survive to be rescued by Coast Guard cutter Legare (WPC-144) and taken to Chincoteague Island Coast Guard station.

British minesweeper HMS Harrier rescues 17 men in lifeboat from U.S. freighter Effingham, sunk by German submarine U-435 on 30 March 1942; six of those rescued later die of exposure (see 4 April).

Despite the efforts of a salvage crew, U.S. tanker Tiger, torpedoed by German submarine U-754 on 31 March and taken in tow the previous day, sinks short of her destination, Norfolk, Virginia.

Light minelayers Pruitt (DM-22), Preble (DM-20), Sicard (DM-21), and Tracy (DM-19) mine French Frigate Shoals, Hawaiian Group, to prevent Japanese submarines from using the area as a refueling point for flying boat raids on Oahu.

Indian Ocean
U.S. freighter Exhibitor is bombed and damaged by Japanese reconnaissance flying boat near Calcutta, India, while proceeding to Colombo, Ceylon. The ship's gunfire drives off the enemy plane as it makes a second pass; only four of the men on board (43-man merchant complement and 9-man Armed Guard) are injured in the attack.

Atlantic
U.S. freighter Otho, en route to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from Takoradi, Gold Coast, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-754 about 200 miles east of Cape Henry, Virginia, 36°25'N, 71°57'W; survivors abandon ship in a raft and three boats (see 8 and 25 April).

U.S. freighter West Irmo, en route to Takoradi, Gold Coast, from Marshall, Liberia, is torpedoed by German submarine U-505 at 02°10'N, 05°50'W, and abandoned. Ten longshoremen are lost in the explosion while the remainder of the ship's complement, 36 merchant seamen, the 8-man Armed Guard and 55 longshoremen, are rescued by British escort vessel HMS Copinsay (see 4 April).

Unarmed U.S. tanker Byron D. Benson is torpedoed by German submarine U-552 approximately eight miles off Currituck Inlet, North Carolina, 36°08'N, 75°32'W; fires, fed by the ship's cargo of 91,500 barrels of crude oil, consume nine of the 37-man crew. Antisubmarine vessel ["Q ship"] Asterion (AK-100), nearby, reports the attack (see 5 April).

Russian patrol boat rescues 11 men in lifeboat from U.S. freighter Effingham, sunk by German submarine U-435 on 30 March; four of those rescued later die of exposure. All told, 11 of the 34-man merchant crew perish, as does one of the 9-man Armed Guard.

British escort vessel HMS Copinsay attempts to tow the damaged U.S. freighter West Irmo, torpedoed the previous day by German submarine U-505, but the merchantman proves beyond saving. Copinsay hastens West Irmo's end with a depth charge.

Indian Ocean
In Operation C, Japanese carrier striking force (Vice Admiral Nagumo Chuichi) raids Colombo, Ceylon. After reconnaissance floatplane from heavy cruiser Tone finds British heavy cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire, carrier bombers from Akagi, Hiryu and Soryu sink both ships. Japanese Second Expeditionary Fleet, Malay Force (Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo) is divided into three groups to disrupt Allied shipping in the Bay of Bengal (see 6 April).

Atlantic
U.S. tanker Catahoula, about 100 miles into her voyage from San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, to Wilmington, Delaware, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-154 at 19°16'N, 68°12'W; two merchant sailors perish in the explosion of the torpedo and five drown when the ship is abandoned (see 6 April).

Coast Guard cutter Dione (WPC-107) proceeds to the scene of the torpedoing of unarmed U.S. tanker Byron D. Benson, attacked by German submarine U-552 the previous evening; high speed minesweeper Hamilton (DMS-18) does likewise, and during the search for the submarine, rescues 27 survivors; British trawler HMS Norwich City picks up one man. Byron D. Benson sinks two days later.

Unarmed U.S. freighter Washingtonian, en route from Suez to Ceylon, is torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-5 at 07°25'N, 73°05'E; all hands (39-man crew and two passengers) survive the attack and reach the Maldive Islands in less than a day's rowing.

Pacific
Advance elements of the U.S. Army 41st Division reach Melbourne, Australia.

River gunboats Mindanao (PR-8) and Oahu (PR-6) engage Japanese landing barges, claiming the destruction of at least four, in a night surface action in Manila Bay. Mindanao is damaged by return fire.

Atlantic
Destroyer Sturtevant (DD-240), directed to the scene by a patrolling USAAF plane, rescues 31 merchant seamen and the 7-man Armed Guard from sunken U.S. tanker Catahoula, sunk by U-154 on 5 April.

Unarmed U.S. tanker Bidwell, bound from Corpus Christi, Texas, to New York City, is torpedoed by German submarine U-160 about 30 miles east of Cape Lookout, North Carolina, 34°25'N, 75°57'W, but manages to reach Hampton Roads under her own power. One man of her 33-man crew is lost in the torpedoing.

Destroyer Sturtevant (DD-240), directed to the scene by a USN patrol plane, rescues the 39 survivors (including the entire 6-man Armed Guard detachment) of U.S. tanker Comol Rico, sunk by U-154 on 4 April.

U.S. tanker Pan Rhode Island, off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, rescues 29 survivors of Norwegian freighter Lancing, torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-552, and 20 men from British tanker British Splendour, sunk by the same U-boat the same day.

Pacific
Submarine Seadragon (SS-194) delivers food to Corregidor, and evacuates the final increment of naval radio and communications intelligence people.

Atlantic
Submarine Mackerel (SS-204) is attacked by USAAF plane six miles south of Watch Hill light, but is not damaged in the accidental encounter.

Unarmed U.S. tanker Bidwell, bound from Corpus Christi, Texas, to New York City, is torpedoed by German submarine U-160 about 30 miles east of Cape Lookout, North Carolina, 34°25'N, 75°57'W, but manages to reach Hampton Roads under her own power. One man of her 33-man crew is lost in the attack.

Unarmed U.S. tanker Oklahoma, en route from Port Arthur, Texas, to Providence, Rhode Island, is torpedoed by German submarine U-123 about 12 miles off Brunswick, Georgia, 31°18'N, 80°59'W; U-123 then proceeds to attack unarmed U.S. tanker Esso Baton Rouge approximately 15 miles off St. Simons Island, Georgia, 31°13'N, 80°05'W, torpedoing that ship as well. U-123 returns and shells Oklahoma. Both tankers sink in shallow water, and survivors from both vessels (18 from the 37-man crew from Oklahoma and 36 of the 39-man crew from Esso Baton Rouge) meet and proceed together for Brunswick, which they reach with the help of a Coast Guard boat. Both ships are not lost to the war effort; they are refloated, repaired, and returned to service.

Yacht Zircon (PY-16) rescues 16 survivors (including one Armed Guard sailor) from U.S. freighter Otho, sunk by German submarine U-754 on 3 April (see 25 April).

Panamanian merchantman Santa Monica rescues survivors from unarmed U.S. tanker T.C. McCobb, sunk by Italian submarine Pietro Calvi on 31 March (see 10 April and 16 May).

U.S. Navy facilities at Mariveles are demolished to prevent enemy use: Navy forces scuttle submarine tender Canopus (AS-9), minesweeper Bittern (AM-36), tug Napa (AT-32), and drydock Dewey. Ferry launches San Felipe (YFB-12), Camia (YFB-683), and Dap Dap (YFB-684), and Canopus motor launches, evacuate men and equipment to Corregidor.

Submarine Snapper (SS-185) delivers food to Corregidor.

Motor torpedo boats PT-34 and PT-41 engage Japanese light cruiser Kuma and torpedo boat Kiji in a running fight off Cape Tanon, the southern tip of Cebu, P.I.; Kuma is hit by a dud torpedo and machine gun fire. Later that same day, PT-34 is bombed and strafed by floatplanes from Japanese seaplane carrier Sanuki Maruand beached off Cauit Island, P.I., 10°16'N, 123°52'E. A second bombing and strafing attack by Sanuki Maru's planes destroys PT-34, which suffers two dead and three wounded from her six-man crew in the action.

Indian Ocean
Japanese Operation C continues: carrier striking force (Vice Admiral Nagumo Chuichi) raids Trincomalee, Ceylon, which has been cleared of shipping in expectation of the attack. Notwithstanding the precautions taken by the British, Japanese carrier bombers attack the ships they find returning to Trincomalee. British carrier HMS Hermes is sunk, as is Australian destroyer HMAS Vampire, British corvette HMS Hollyhock, depot ship HMS Athelstane and RFA oiler British Sergeant.

Atlantic
Unarmed U.S. freighter Esparta, en route from Honduras to New York, is torpedoed by German submarine U-123 about 14 miles south of Brunswick, Georgia, 30°46'N, 81°11'W; one man perishes out of the merchantman's 40-man crew.

Unarmed U.S. freighter Malchace is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-160 about 50 miles off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, 34°28'N, 75°56'W; Mexican freighter Faja De Oro rescues the 28 survivors (one crewman drowns when Malchace is abandoned).

Unarmed U.S. tanker Atlas is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-552 off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, 34°27'N, 76°16'W; two of the 34-man crew die attempting to escape the fires fed by the cargo of 84,239 barrels of gasoline. Coast Guard cutter CG 462 rescue the 32 men who survive the inferno. Later the same day, U-552 torpedoes tanker Tamaulipas at 34°25'N, 76°00'W; British trawler HMS Norwich City rescues the 35 survivors (two crewmen perish when the tanker is abandoned). Tamaulipas, gutted by fires, sinks the following morning.

Unarmed U.S. tanker Eugene V.R. Thayer, en route to Caripito, Venezuela from Buenos Aires, Argentina, is pursued and shelled by Italian submarine Pietro Calvi at 02°20'S, 39°30'W; 11 of the tanker's crew are killed in the engagement that ends when Eugene V.R. Thayer is abandoned (see 10, 11 and 13 April).

Motor torpedo boat PT-59, on practice run in upper Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, accidentally torpedoes cargo ship Capella (AK-13); tugs are on the scene immediately and anchor the damaged auxiliary in shoal water. Eight crewmen are injured in the mishap.

Submarine Snapper (SS-185) evacuates military personnel from Corregidor.

Minesweeper Finch (AM-9) is sunk by aerial bombs off Luzon, 14°22'N, 120°35'E.

Crews of river gunboats Oahu (PR-6), Luzon (PR-7), and Mindanao (PR-8) are transferred ashore to man U.S. Army guns at Fort Hughes, Manila Bay.

Japanese troops land on Cebu.

Submarine Thresher (SS-200) torpedoes and sinks Japanese (ex-Portuguese) merchant cargo ship Maru six miles north of Oshima, near the entrance to Tokyo Bay, Honshu, Japan, 34°59'N, 139°29'E.

Atlantic
U.S. tanker Gulfamerica, silhouetted by the lights of Jacksonville, Florida, is torpedoed and shelled by German submarine U-123 at 30°14'N, 81°18'W. Some of the tanker's crew perish in the torpedo explosion or gunfire when U-123 shells and machineguns the vessel; others drown as the ship is abandoned. Of the 41-man crew, 17 perish; 2 of the 7-man Armed Guard die in the attack. District patrol vessel YP-32 aids in rescue of survivors. Gulfamerica capsizes and sinks on 16 April.

Norwegian freighter Marpesia, off Surinam, rescues 19 survivors from U.S. tanker T.C. McCobb, sunk by Italian submarine Pietro Calvi on 31 March (see 16 May).

Seaplane recovers 13 survivors from U.S. tanker Eugene V.R. Thayer, shelled on 9 April by Italian submarine Pietro Calvi (see 11 and 13 April).

USAAF A-20s attack Japanese shipping off Lae, New Guinea, damaging cargo vessel Taijun Maru, 06°49'S, 147°02'E. Taijun Maru, deemed irreparable, is later scuttled.

Atlantic
Unarmed U.S. tanker Harry F. Sinclair, Jr., is torpedoed by German submarine U-203 seven miles south of Cape Lookout, North Carolina, 34°25'N, 76°30'W. Intense fires, fed by the tanker's 66,000 barrels of gasoline, consume the amidships section of the vessel; 10 of the 36-man crew perish in the flames. British armed trawler HMS Hertfordshire rescues 24 survivors, destroyer Herbert (DD-160) two. British (ex-French) armed trawler HMS Senateur Duhamel tows Harry F. Sinclair, Jr. into Morehead City, North Carolina.

British steamship Ulysses is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-160 at 34°23'N, 75°35'W; high speed transport Manley (APD-1) rescues all hands (195 crew, 95 passengers).

British trawler HMS St. Cathan (one of the Royal Navy patrol vessels operating off the eastern seaboard) and Dutch freighter Hebe collide at 38°40'N, 73°00'W, both ships sink. District patrol vessel YP-22 rescues 7 survivors from St. Cathan and 31 from Hebe; yachts Azurlite (PY-22) and Beryl (PY-23) participate in rescue efforts and between them later transport the survivors (Hebe's entire 31-man crew and nine of the 39-man crew of St. Cathan) to Charleston, South Carolina.

After a patrol plane sights lifeboat at 38°40'N, 73°00'W, Coast Guard patrol boat 455 proceeds from Cape May, New Jersey, to the reported position, and there rescues last nine survivors of U.S. steamship City of New York, sunk by U-160 off Cape Hatteras on 29 March, and transports them to Lewes, Delaware. All told, one Armed Guard sailor, 16 crewmen and seven passengers have perished in the loss of the ship.

Second group of 13 survivors from U.S. tanker Eugene V.R. Thayer, shelled on 9 April by Italian submarine Pietro Calvi reach the Brazilian coast north of Aracati (see 13 April).

Atlantic
U.S. freighter Delvalle, en route from New Orleans, Louisiana to Buenos Aires, Argentina, via St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-154 at 16°51'N, 72°25'W. One man from the 54-man crew drowns when the ship is abandoned; there are no casualties among the five passengers or the four-man Armed Guard. Canadian armed merchant cruiser HMCS Prince Henry rescues some of the survivors, the rest reach Jacmel, Haiti, via motor launch.

Panamanian motor tanker Stanvac Melbourne is torpedoed by German submarine U-203 about 15 miles off Frying Pan Shoals, 33°53'N, 77°29'W; Coast Guard cutter CG-186 rescues survivors, 41 merchant seamen and the 7-man Armed Guard.

Unarmed U.S. tanker Esso Boston, en route from Venezuela to Nova Scotia, is torpedoed and shelled by German submarine U-130 at 21°42'N, 60°00'W and abandoned. The Germans question the survivors, offer food and water and provide directions to nearest land (see 13 April).

U.S. freighter Leslie is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-123 approximately three miles southeast of Hetzel Shoals Gas Buoy, 28°37'N, 80°25'W; 27 survivors from the 31-man crew, and one passenger, reach the coast of Florida just north of Cape Canaveral. U.S. tanker Esso Bayonne rescues one other surviving crewman; he goes ashore at Key West the next day.

Coast Guard cutter Vigilant (WPC-154) runs ag