Today in the History of the Pacific Theater

Aug 3, 1942
-Light minelayers Gamble (DM-15), Breese (DM-18) and Tracy (DM-19) lay minefield off western entrance of Segond Channel, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides.
Submarine Gudgeon (SS-211) sinks Japanese transport Naniwa Maru.

Aug 3, 1943
-German auxiliary cruiser Michel (Schiffe 28) sights transport Hermitage (AP-54) off Pitcairn Island, but does not attack.
In the Indian Ocean, a fifth group of survivors from U.S. freighter Robert Bacon, torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-178 on 14 July 1943 off Mozambique Light, reaches safety after 20 days at sea.

Aug 3, 1944
-In Washington, the Office of the General Counsel Navy Department is established; formerly designated Procurement Legal Division, Navy Department.
-Heavy cruiser Baltimore (CA-68), with President Roosevelt embarked, arrives at Adak, Aleutians.
-Submarine Cod (SS-224) sinks Japanese auxiliary netlayer Seiko Maru off Mangole, Molucca Sea.
-Japanese minelayer Hatsutaka is damaged by mine laid by British submarine HMS Truculent on 24 June 1944, Klang Strait.

Aug 3, 1945
-Mines laid by USAAF B-29s (20th Air Force) sink Japanese merchant cargo ships No.3 Kamikage Maru outside Najin harbor and Tairetsu Maru in Kobe harbor, and transport Aga Maru off Takatakao Light; and damage army ship Osho Maru off Tsuruga; and merchant cargo ships Kokuyo Maru east of Hesaki and Shotai Maru in Fushiki harbor.
-Cargo ship Taii Maru is damaged, agent unspecified, 5.6 kilometers off Karasu Jima.
-British submarines HMS Trump and HMS Tiptoe attack Japanese Batavia-to-Singapore convoy escorted by Patrol Boat No. 109, sinking army cargo vessel Tencho Maru.
-Navy Petroleum Reserve 4 Expedition, formed around cargo ship Spica (AK-16) and U.S. freighters Jonathan Harrington and Enos A. Mills, anchors off Icy Cape, Alaska. There it will remain until ice conditions improve at Point Barrow, its ultimate destination.

 

Aug 4, 1942
-Destroyer Tucker (DD-374), uninformed of its presence, is sunk in U.S. minefield laid the previous day by Gamble (DM-15), Breese (DM-18), and Tracy (DM-19), in Segond Channel, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides. Chartered transport President Coolidge is also lost as the result of striking a mine in the same field.
-Submarine Narwhal (SS-167) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Fukuyama Maru.

Aug 4, 1943
-Radar-equipped PBY carries out pre-dawn bombing of submarine base and main Japanese camp area on Kiska. The Catalina also drops 92 empty beer bottles (for the disconcerting whistling effect they produce) on those targets.
-U.S. motor torpedo boats engage Japanese guardboats off Vanga Vanga, Kolombangara, sinking No. 3 Matsue Maru and driving Banyo Maru ashore, damaged.
-Submarine Finback (SS-230) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Kaisho Maru.
-Submarine Seadragon (SS-194) damages Japanese transport Kembu Maru.

Aug 4, 1944
-While planes from TG 58.3 (Rear Admiral Alfred E. Montgomery) bomb airfields on Iwo Jima, aircraft from TG 58.1 (Rear Admiral Joseph J. Clark), together with four light cruisers and seven destroyers detached from TG 58.1 and TG 58.3 (organized as TU 58.1.6 under Rear Admiral Laurance T. DuBose) set upon Japanese convoy 4804 about 25 miles northwest of Muko Jima, Bonins. Ship gunfire sinks escort destroyer Matsu and collier Ryuko Maru, carrier planes sink transports No.7 Unkai Maru, Enju Maru, Tonegawa Maru and Shogen Maru and damage Coast Defense Vessel No.4 and Coast Defense Vessel No.12; ship gunfire and carrier planes combine to sink cargo ship Hokkai Maru. Planes from small carrier Cabot (CVL- 29) damage fast transport T.4; planes from carriers Bunker Hill (CV-17) and Lexington (CV-16) sink landing ship T.133 off coast of Iwo Jima.
-Heavy cruiser Baltimore (CA-68), with President Roosevelt embarked, departs Adak, Aleutians, bound for Kodiak, Alaska.
-Submarine Raton (SS-270) attacks Japanese merchant cargo ship No.1 Ogura Maru off coast of Luzon forcing her to take refuge at Santa Cruz.
-Submarine Ray (SS-271) attacks Makassar-bound Japanese convoy in Celebes Sea, sinking army cargo ship Koshu Maru; auxiliary submarine chaser Chga 112 conducts fruitless counterattack.
-Submarine Sterlet (SS-392) sinks Japanese guardboats Miyagi Maru and Zensho Maru northwest of Chichi Jima.
-PB4Y attacks Japanese submarine chaser Ch 12 150 miles west of Palau.

Aug 4, 1945
-Japanese merchant tanker Koshin Maru is sunk by mine in Osaka harbor. Mines also damage army cargo ship Tensho Maru outside Najin harbor, and merchant tanker No.4 Nanko Maru near Hesaki harbor light.
-Navy PBMs sink Japanese vessel No.1 Hanshin Maru off China coast.

 

Aug 5, 1941
-Heavy cruisers Northampton (CA-26) and Salt Lake City (CA-25) arrive at Brisbane, Australia, for a goodwill visit.

Aug 5, 1942
-Light cruiser Boise (CL-47), in the course of her deception mission, launches two SOCs to search the area. Despite repeated efforts to do so, however, the planes do not find the ship upon their return. Radio silence is broken, thus compromising the operation, and the ship returns to Pearl Harbor, but the Japanese believe that a major U.S. task force is close to the homeland.
-Submarine Greenling (SS-213), attacking Japanese shipping about 150 miles north-northwest of Truk, sinks transport Brazil Maru and merchant passenger-cargo ship Palau Maru.

Aug 5, 1943
-Munda, New Georgia, Solomons, falls to U.S. Army forces.
-Submarine Pike (SS-173) sinks Japanese transport Shoju Maru west of Marcus Island.
-Submarine Silversides (SS-236) damages Japanese minelayer Tsugaru north-northeast of Rabaul.
-USAAF B-24 and USN/USMC F4Us sink Japanese fishing boat No.9 Kaiyo Maru off Kolombangara.

Aug 5, 1944
-Aircraft from TG 58.1 (Rear Admiral Joseph J. Clark) and TG 58.3 (Rear Admiral Alfred E. Montgomery) and cruisers and destroyers (Rear Admiral Laurance T. DuBose) repeat strikes on Japanese installations on Chichi Jima and Haha Jima, Bonins. Planes from carrier Bunker Hill (CV-17) inflict further damage upon fast transport T.4 and damage T.2 off Chichi Jima.
-Fast Carrier Task Force is reorganized into First Fast Carrier Task Force, Pacific Fleet (Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher) and Second Fast Carrier Task Force, Pacific Fleet (Vice Admiral John S. McCain).
-Submarine Barbel (SS-316) sinks Japanese merchant passenger/cargo ship Miyako Maru off Tokuno Jima.
-Submarine Cero (SS-225) attacks Japanese convoy off Mindanao and sinks oiler Tsurumi in Davao Gulf.
-British submarine HMS Terrapin bombards Japanese installations at Gunung Sitoli, engaging shore batteries and guardboat Shime Maru.
-PBY sinks small Japanese cargo vessel No.2 Eiko Maru off Latoelahat.
-PVs, attacking Japanese guardboats in the Kurils, damage Hyuga Maru.
-USAAF B-25s (5th Air Force) sink Japanese army cargo ship Shirohama Maru off Boetoeng, Api Island, southern Celebes.

Aug 5, 1945
-Twenty-eight USAAF B-29s mine the waters off Najin, Korea, and Geijitsu, Tsuruga, Oura and Hagi, Japan.
-Destroyer escort Earl V. Johnson (DE-702) is damaged by explosion [near-miss of kaiten fired by submarine I 53, Philippine Sea.
-Destroyer Bristol (DD-857) is damaged in collision with oiler Ashtabula (AO-51) off Iwo Jima.
-Submarine Aspro (SS-309) rescues USAAF P-51 pilot deep in Sagami Wan, covered by PB4Ys that splash 4 of 12 Japanese planes that try to interfere with the extraction.
-Submarine Billfish (SS-286), attacking Japanese convoy in the Yellow Sea, sinks merchant cargo ship Kori Maru off the Kwantung Peninsula.
-Submarine Pogy (SS-266) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Kotohirasan Maru in the Japan Sea about 30 miles west of Akita, Honshu.
-Mines damage Japanese fast transport T.20 four miles off Koiwai Jima, Japan, and damage merchant cargo ship Nissho Maru in vicinity of Nanao and Oguchi, and merchant tanker No.32 Yoshitomo Maru, 5.5 kilometers off Genkai Jima.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Iki Maru is damaged by aircraft off Hamada Island.
-RAAF Liberator sinks Japanese ship No.15 Eigyo Maru off western Flores Island.
-Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser No.25 Hino Maru sinks after running aground in Bungo Suido off Hinomisaki Light.

 

Aug 6, 1941
-Executive order transfers Coast Guard's Honolulu District from the Treasury Department to the Navy in the first step toward shifting the Coast Guard to naval control.

Aug 6, 1942
-Submarine Tautog (SS-199) sinks Japanese army transport Ohio Maru in South China Sea about 250 miles east-northeast of Cam Ranh Bay, French Indochina.

Aug 6, 1943
-Battle of Vella Gulf is joined shortly before midnight, as six destroyers of TG 36.2 (Commander Frederick Moosbrugger) attack four Japanese destroyers attempting to bring troops and supplies to Kolombangara, Solomons, in Vella Gulf; destroyers Dunlap (DD-384), Craven (DD-382), and Maury (DD-401) sink Japanese destroyers Kawakaze, Hagikaze, and Arashi. U.S. force suffers no damage.
-Submarine Pike (SS-173) unsuccessfully attacks Japanese aircraft carrier Taiyo.

Aug 6, 1944
-Submarine Pintado (SS-387) attacks Japanese convoy off southwest coast of Kyushu, sinking army cargo ship Sh_nan Maru and damaging escort vessel Etorofu east of Kusagaki Jima.
-Submarine Rasher (SS-269) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Shiroganesan Maru west of Luzon.
-Dutch Mitchells sink Japanese army cargo ship No.15 Uwajima Maru in Banda Sea.

Aug 6, 1945
-USAAF B-29 "Enola Gay" (509th Composite Group) drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Honshu; USN Commander William S. Parsons is the weaponeer on this mission.
-TG 95.3 planes, from escort carriers Lunga Point (CVE-94), Makin Island (CVE-93) and Cape Gloucester (CVE-109) (Vice Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf) strike enemy shipping in Tinghai Harbor, China.
-Carrier Intrepid (CV-11)'s air group bombs Japanese installations on Wake Island as the ship is en route from Pearl Harbor to join TF 38 in the western Pacific.
-TF 58 planes damage Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.37 and small minelayer/netlayer Kyosai east of Nojimazaki.
-Submarine Bugara (SS-331) comes across British submarine HMS Sleuth and four Japanese junks. Bugara, in display of Anglo-American cooperation, assists the British boat by sinking two of the enemy craft by gunfire.
-Submarine Bullhead (SS-332) is sunk, probably by Japanese Army aircraft (73d Chutai), off Bali, Java Sea.
-USAAF B-25s and P-51s (Far East Air Force) attack Japanese shipping in Tsushima Strait, sinking merchant cargo ships No.7 Shintai Maru and Kowa Maru five miles east of Tsuno Jima.
-USAAF mines sink Japanese merchant cargo ships No.2 Chokai Maru off Fushiki Light, Isojima Maru in south channel of Kammon Strait, and No.2 Kozan Maru.
-Japanese auxiliary minelayer Kinjo Maru and auxiliary netlayer Kosei Maru, are damaged by aircraft, near Kujukuruhama.

 

Small time out for some vacation time . . .

29 July – Nothing to report

30 July – Nothing to report

31 July 1945 – Two VPB-121 PB4Ys share an A6M shoot down credit about 15 miles south-southeast of Choshi, Honshu

1 August 1943 – A PBY from VP-63 is credited with a Ju-88 over the Bay of Biscay. Some sources indicate there were two Ju-88s credited, but the ACA indicates only 1. This PBY was shot down itself in the encounter, three of the seven man crew survived.

2 August – Nothing to report.

3 August 1945 – Two PB4Ys from VPB-121 share 2 F1M over Sagami Bay, Honshu

4 August 1944 – Operating in Bonins in the area of Iwo Jima, F6Fs from VF-19 are credited with 2 A6M.

5 August 1944 – A VB-13 SB2C shares a G4M with a VF-13 F6F east of Torishima in the Ryukyus. F6Fs from VF-2 are credited with 2 H8K, one near Chichi Jima and the other north of Sumisu-to in the Ryukyus and from VF-8, with 1 H8K east of Haha Jima.
5 August 1945 – A VC-41 FM-2 downs a P1Y about 115 east of Shanghai in the East China Sea. A VC-97 FM-2 downs another P1Y in the same vicinity.

6 August 1944 – A VB-116 PB4Y is credited with 1 A6M near Tuol Island.

7 August 1942 – In action in the vicinity of Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the lower Solomons – F4Fs from VF-5 are credited with 4 B5N and 10 D3A and from VF-6 with 1 A6M, 3 B5N, and 5 D3A. A VS-5 SBD rear gunner is credited with 1 A6M.

8 August 1942 – In action in the vicinity of Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the lower Solomons – F4Fs from VF-6 are credited with 1 A6M, 4 B5N, and 1 D3A. An SBD from VS-71 is credited with 1 A6M. Further north, near Rekata Bay, an SBD from VS-72 is credited with a E13A. Much farther north, in the Aleutian Islands, between Kiska Island and Little Kiska Island, two PBYs from VP-43 are credited with 1 A6M2-N each.
8 August 1945 – Task Force 38 operating off the northeast coast of Honshu – An F4U from VBF-86 is credited with a Ki-45 about 60 miles east of Yamada and an F6F from VBF-87 scores a Ki-46 about 120 miles east of Sendai. In patrol plane action, a PB4Y from VPB-117 brings down a G4M near Bien Hoa airfield near Saigon, Indochina.

Regards

Rich

 

Aug 7, 1942
-Operation WATCHTOWER: 1st Marine Division (Major General Alexander A. Vandegrift, USMC) lands on Florida, Tulagi, Gavutu, Tanambogo, and Guadalcanal, in the first American land offensive of the war. Amphibious Force, South Pacific (Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner) lands the leathernecks under cover of naval surface and air forces (Vice Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher). Landings are supported by carrier and shore-based aircraft (Rear Admiral Leigh Noyes and Rear Admiral John S. McCain). Overall commander is Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley, Commander South Pacific Force; officer in tactical command is Vice Admiral Fletcher. During Japanese air attacks on the transport force and its escorts off Guadalcanal, destroyer Mugford (DD-389) is damaged by Rabaul based carrier [dive] bomber (2nd Kokutai). Following shore bombardment operations in Tulagi Bay, light cruiser San Juan (CL-54) is damaged by explosion in one of her forward 5-inch gun mounts.
-TG 8.6 (Rear Admiral William W. Smith) bombards Kiska, Aleutians.
-Submarine Tambor (SS-198) sinks Japanese auxiliary netlayer Shofuku Maru off Wotje, Marshalls.

Aug 7, 1943
-German auxiliary cruiser Michel (Schiffe 28) again sights transport Hermitage (AP-54) off Pitcairn Island, but, again, does not attack.

Aug 7, 1944
-Heavy cruiser Baltimore (CA-68), with President Roosevelt embarked, arrives at Kodiak, Alaska, where the Chief Executive transfers to destroyer Cummings (DD- 376).
-Submarine Barbel (SS-316) sinks Japanese cargo vessel No.11 Sakura Maru, 15 kilometers southwest of Tokuno Jima.
-Submarine Bluegill (SS-242) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking transport Yamatama Maru southwest of Mindanao.
-Submarine Croaker (SS-246), despite presence of escort vessel and shore-based air cover, sinks Japanese light cruiser Nagara about 35 miles south of Nagasaki, Japan.
-Submarine Guitarro (SS-363) attacks Japanese convoy and sinks escort vessel Kusagaki off Capones Island, Luzon; Guitarro survives depth-charging by other escorts (perhaps destroyer Asakaze, escort vessel Yashiro and/or Coast Defense Vessel No.14).
-Submarine Puffer (SS-268) sinks Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser No.2 Ky_ Maru off Zamboanga.
-Submarine Sailfish (SS-192) damages Japanese army cargo ship Kinsh_ Maru in Luzon Strait; transport Shinten Maru sinks.
-Submarine Sand Lance (SS-381) is damaged by aerial bombs off northern Celebes.
-Submarine Seawolf (SS-197) lands men and supplies at Tawi Tawi, P.I.
-Tank landing craft LCT-182 founders and sinks in heavy weather, Solomon Islands.
-Japanese army cargo ship Kinshu Maru is sunk by aircraft.
-Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 94 is lost to marine casualty in Luzon Strait.
-USAAF B-24 aircraft damages Italian passenger liner Conte Verde at Shanghai.

Aug 7, 1945
-Submarine Pargo (SS-264), attacking Japanese convoy off northeastern Korea, sinking merchant cargo ship Rashin Maru.
-Thirty USAAF B-29s mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Maizuru and Sakai, Japan, and Najin, Korea.
-USAAF B-29s (20th Air Force) on shakedown flight bomb Japanese installations at Truk, sinking auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 66.
-Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Rumoe Maru is sunk by aircraft near My Tho, French Indochina.
-USAAF B-25s (5th Air Force) attack Japanese convoy off Fusan, Korea, sinking Coast Defense Vessel No.39 and merchant tankers No.7 Kinyu Maru and No.9 Nanki Maru near Koje-Do.
-Japanese army cargo ship Kibitsu Maru is sunk by mine 250 meters east of Hiraiso.
-Japanese merchant ship Keizan Maru is damaged by aircraft 13 miles south-southwest of Hime Jima light. Japanese merchant cargo ships Daigen Maru and Chiyotama Maru are damaged when they collide four miles south of Funagawa pier.

 

Aug 8, 1941
-Japanese Ambassador Nomura suggests conference between President Roosevelt and Japanese Prime Minister Konoye.

Aug 8, 1942
-Marines wrest control of Tulagi, Gavutu, and Tanambogo, Solomons, from tenacious Japanese resistance. Unfinished airstrip on Guadalcanal is captured and named "Henderson Field" in honor of the late Major Lofton R. Henderson, USMC, who was killed while leading VMSB 241 in the gallant but unsuccessful attack on Japanese carrier Hiryu at Midway on 4 June 1942. Coastwatchers report incoming raid. During fierce Japanese aerial assault by land attack planes (4th and Misawa Kokutais) on invasion shipping: destroyer Jarvis (DD-393) and transport George F. Elliott (AP-13) are torpedoed. The latter, also crashed by a Japanese plane, is later scuttled by destroyer Hull (DD-350). Another crashing bomber damages transport Barnett (AP-11).
-Submarine Narwhal (SS-167) sinks Japanese crab boat Bifuku Maru southeast of Shiriya Zaki, at northeast tip of Honshu.
-Submarine S-38 (SS-143), despite presence of escorting minesweeper W.21, sinks Japanese transport Meiyo Maru at southern entrance of St. George Channel, between New Britain and New Ireland.
-Submarine Silversides (SS-236), attacking Japanese convoy emerging from Kobe harbor, torpedoes and sinks merchant cargo ship Nikkei Maru in Kii Suido, near Ichiya Zaki.
-Destroyers Mustin (DD-413) and Morris (DD-417) are damaged in collision during night maneuvers in Hawaiian Operating Area.

Aug 8, 1943
-Motor torpedo boat PT-113, damaged by grounding, eastern New Guinea and is beached and abandoned.
-Submarine Salmon (SS-182) unsuccessfully attacks Japanese vessel Shinko Maru.
-Submarine Whale (SS-239) sinks Japanese ammunition ship Naruto Maru northwest of the Marianas and survives counterattack by destroyer Asanagi.
-Japanese gunboat Tozan Maru is wrecked in storm on the south coast of Hokkaido.

Aug 8, 1944
-Destroyers Gansevoort (DD-608) and Bancroft (DD-598) and land-based marine aircraft (MAG 13) from Majuro, Marshalls, bombard and bomb Japanese positions on Taroa, Maloelap Atoll.
-Submarine Sterlet (SS-392) sinks Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser No.6 Tama Maru west of Chichi Jima.

Aug 8, 1945
-Destroyer Cassin (DD-372) boards Japanese hospital ship Kiku Maru, about 250 miles northwest of Marcus Island and after observing no violations, permits the vessel to proceed to Yokosuka.
-Submarine Muskallunge (SS-262) is damaged by machine gun fire while engaging Japanese "sea trucks" off the Kurils but remains on patrol.
-Navy Petroleum Reserve 4 Expedition, formed around cargo ship Spica (AK-16) and U.S. freighters Jonathan Harrington and Enos A. Mills, departs Icy Cape, Alaska, for Point Barrow.
-U.S. freighter Casimir Pulaski is damaged when nearby dredging operations detonate mine or bomb off the ship's port bow as she lies alongside Pier 13, Manila, P.I.; the blast injures 2 of the 28-man Armed Guard.
-PB4Ys attack Japanese shipping off Pusan, Korea, sinking No.7 Yamabishi Maru and Kagoshima Maru off that port, and guardboat No.63 Hino Maru east of Kyosaitoo.
-Japanese cargo vessel Shinten Maru is damaged by mine, a half mile off Wada Misaki light.
-USAAF B-24s, B-25s, A-26s, P-51s and P-47s (Far East Air Force) carry out strikes against targets on Kyushu, and Japanese shipping between Kyushu and Korea, sinking merchant cargo ship Shokai Maru off Pusan and Megami Maru off Shodo Jima; Kainan Maru is damaged.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Tenzan Maru is damaged by marine casualty, northeast of Kamaishi, Japan.

 

Aug 9, 1942
-Battle of Savo Island: Japanese force of seven cruisers and one destroyer (Vice Admiral Mikawa Gunichi) approaches west of Savo Island, Solomons, undetected. The defeat is one of the worst ever inflicted on the U.S. Navy. Allied ships depart Guadalcanal area. Japanese vessels temporarily control waters around Guadalcanal. Heavy cruiser Astoria (CA-34) is sunk by gunfire of Japanese heavy cruisers Chokai, Aoba, Kinugasa, and Kako. Quincy (CA-39) is sunk by gunfire of heavy cruisers Aoba, Kako, and Furutaka and light cruiser Tenryu and is torpedoed by light cruiser Yubari. Vincennes (CA-44) is sunk by gunfire and torpedo from heavy cruiser Chokai, and gunfire from Kako, Aoba, and Kinugasa, and light cruiser Yubari. The fourth Allied ship lost off Savo is Australian heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra which, badly damaged by Japanese gunfire, is scuttled by destroyer Selfridge (DD-357).
U.S. ships damaged are heavy cruiser Chicago (CA-29) by Kako; destroyer Ralph Talbot (DD-390) by Furutaka, Yubari, and Tenryu; and destroyer Patterson (DD-392) by Yubari and Tenryu. U.S. gunfire damages Chokai (from Quincy and Astoria); Kinugasa (by Vincennes); Aoba (by Quincy) and Tenryu (by Chicago and Patterson).
-Destroyer Jarvis (DD-393), damaged the previous day, is mistaken as a "Achilles-class cruiser" and attacked by Japanese land attack planes (Misawa Kokutai) and torpedoed 200 nautical miles southeast of Tulagi. Jarvis puts up a stout fight, splashing two of the attacking planes; a third ditches due to battle damage. There are, however, no survivors from the destroyer, which is lost with all hands.

Aug 9, 1943
-Submarine Sculpin (SS-191) sinks Japanese merchant passenger/cargo ship Sekko Maru.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Esutoru Maru is damaged by mine laid by submarine Scorpion (SS-278) on 19 April 1943.

Aug 9, 1944
-President Roosevelt reembarks in heavy cruiser Baltimore (CA-68) and then shifts to destroyer Cummings (DD-376) to visit the Puget Sound Navy Yard.
-PB4Y (VB 116) crashes on takeoff from Stickell Field, Eniwetok, and burns amidst the 340 planes in the carrier aircraft replacement pool area; 106 (F6Fs, FMs,SB2Cs, and TBMs) are destroyed.
-Submarine Barbel (SS-316) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Yagi Maru and merchant cargo ship Boko Maru (ex- British Sagres) north of Okinoshima. Coast Defense Vessel No.1 and minesweeper W.17 carry out antisubmarine sweep to no avail.
-Submarine Seawolf (SS-197) lands men and supplies on Palawan.
-British submarine HMS Trenchant sinks Japanese merchant fishing boat No.2 Hiyoshi Maru off coast of Sumatra.
-USAAF B-25s sink Japanese ship Tokuyu Maru and damage fishing boat No.6 Meijin Maru off Halmahera.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Hokko Maru is sunk by aircraft off Shanghai, China.
-Japanese cargo ship Koshin Maru is sunk by fire, 125 miles northeast of Keelung, Formosa.

Aug 9, 1945
-USAAF B-29 "Bock's Car" (509th Composite Group) drops atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Kyushu; USN Commander Frederick W. Ashworth is the weaponeer on this mission. In the nuclear devastation unleashed upon that Japanese port city, merchant tanker Tsuruoka Maru is damaged.
-USN carrier-based aircraft from TF 38 carriers (Admiral William F. Halsey Jr.) pound Japanese shipping and airfields, ranging from northern Honshu and Hokkaido to the coast of Korea, sinking auxiliary submarine chasers Shintohoku Maru and 2 Kongo Maru and 6 Takunan Maru, minesweepers W.1 and W.33, and fleet tanker Juko Maru, and merchant cargo ship No.36 Banshu Maru off Hamada. USN (TF 38) and British carrier aircraft (TF 37) sink escort vessels Amakusa and Inagi off Onagawa.
-Off Honshu, retaliatory air strikes by Japanese planes result in friendly fire damage to destroyer John W. Weeks (DD-701); kamikaze damages destroyer Borie (DD-704).
-TU 12.5.6--battleship New Jersey (BB-62), light cruiser Biloxi (CL-80) and four destroyers--bombards Wake Island while en route from Pearl Harbor to Eniwetok.
-TU 34.8.1, battleships and cruisers (Rear Admiral John F. Shafroth) shells industrial targets at Kamaishi, Honshu. Two British light cruisers participate in the bombardment as well.
-Soviet forces enter Korea. Russian planes sink Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.82 north of Joshin, Korea and merchant vessels Kasado Maru and No.2 Ryuho Maru off Kamchatka, Sea of Okhotsk.
-Submarine Hawkbill (SS-366) shells Tambelan Island 230 miles east of Singapore, destroying Japanese radio station.
-Destroyer escort Johnnie Hutchins (DE-360), carrying out an antisubmarine sweep on the convoy route between Leyte and Okinawa, sinks what may have been kaitens launched by I-58, known to have been in the area at that time.
-USAAF B-25s on antishipping sweeps against Japanese shipping traffic off the coast of Korea sink auxiliary submarine chaser No.63 Hino Maru west of Koje-do, merchant cargo ship No.7 Yamabishi Maru off Tsushima and army cargo ship Daito Maru, 15 miles off Chongjin, Korea.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Izu Maru is sunk by aircraft, Shiogama harbor.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship No.7 Yamanami Maru is sunk by U.S. aircraft.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Kagoshima Maru and [type unspecified] Toyoshima Maru are sunk by aircraft off Pusan, Korea.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Senko Maru is sunk by aircraft off Chongjin, Korea, Tensho Maru is damaged.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship No.2 Ryuho Maru is sunk by aircraft off Utka.
-Japanese merchant cargo ships Edamitsu Maru and Sotsu Go, tanker Empo Maru are sunk by aircraft off Najin, Korea. Japanese merchant cargo ship Rakusan Maru is damaged by aircraft.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship No.6 Banshu Maru is damaged by aircraft off Hamada, Japan.
-Japanese destroyer Yanagi and minelayer Tokiwa are damaged by aircraft, Ominato, Japan.
-Japanese escort vessel Yashiro and Coast Defense Vessel No.87, and army cargo ship Ryuwa Maru, and merchant cargo ship Meiyu Maru are damaged by aircraft off Unggi, Korea.
-USAAF B-25s (5th Air Force) damage Japanese fast transport T.21 off Tsuwa Jima. Although T.21 is run aground to permit salvage, she never returns to active service.
-Japanese transport Choun Maru is damaged by aircraft, location unspecified.
-Mines damage Japanese merchant cargo ships Enoshima Maru in Oguchi channel, Nanao; Genyo Maru; Shinri Go; and damage merchant vessel Okita Maru near Sumoto.

 

That crash at Eniwetok was a killer!! I have never read about that one before. But I guess they don't like to publisize messing up 106 aircraft by your own side in one day.

 

Frankly, I had never known about this till I saw it in a chronology about the pacific theater and after doing some searching today I have not been able to locate any amplifying information regarding this event. Odd considering the major loss equipment.

 

Aug 10, 1940
-Japanese naval blockade of coast of China is extended to South China.

Aug 10, 1942
-Submarine S-44 (SS-155) sinks Japanese heavy cruiser Kako near Kavieng as Kako retires from the Battle of Savo Island.

Aug 10, 1943
-Motor torpedo boat PT-161, operating from Rendova, is damaged by Japanese floatplane off Gatere. Other motor torpedo boats engage Japanese craft (fishing boats) in Blackett Strait, sinking Suiko Maru.
-Submarine Salmon (SS-182) sinks Japanese merchant fishing boat Wakanoura Maru.
-Submarine Tullibee (SS-284) is damaged when rammed by Japanese cargo ship during the submarine's attack on a three-ship convoy on the Saipan-Truk route.
-USAAF B-24 damages (with a near-miss) Japanese auxiliary sailing vessel No.5 Shinsei Maru west of Cape St. George.

Aug 10, 1944
-Organized Japanese resistance ends on Guam. Patrols soon begin off northeast coast of the island to prevent escape of Japanese forces still present on Guam and to aid marine forces in exterminating or capturing Japanese hidden in caves and brush along the shoreline. Not only do the infantry landing craft employed on this task carry out gunfire support duties but actively pursue measures to induce Japanese to surrender. LCI(G)-466, LCI(G)-469, LCI(G)-471, and LCI(G)-473 induce 157 Japanese to surrender up to the end of September.
-Submarine Bowfin (SS-287) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Seiyo Maru off Minami Daito Shima.
-Submarine Cod (SS-224) sinks Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Toseki Maru south of the Celebes.
-Submarine Guitarro (SS-363) attacks Japanese convoy off northwest coast of Luzon, sinking merchant tanker Shinei Maru.
-Japanese guardboat Sakae Maru is sunk by U.S. aircraft at Rabaul.

Aug 10, 1945
-USN carrier-based planes from fast carrier task forces of the Third Fleet (Admiral William F. Halsey Jr.), pound Japanese shipping, airfields and railroads in northern Honshu. Planes from British TF 37 participate as well. TF 38 planes sink submarine chaser Ch 42 and minesweeper W.1 in Yamada Bay, auxiliary minesweeper No.2 Kongo Maru off Onagawa; merchant cargo ship Masayoshi Maru and tanker No.3 Nanki Maru in Sakata harbor; merchant cargo ship No.14 Horai Maru off east coast of Korea; merchant cargo ship No.5 Nishiki Maru off Hachinohe harbor; and cargo ship Chichibu Maru in Keelung harbor, Formosa. TF 37 or TF 38 planes sink auxiliary submarine chaser No.6 Takunan Maru off Onagawa. TF 38 planes damage auxiliary minelayer Koei Maru off Ominato, and merchant cargo ship Toyotama Maru off Sakata.
-In addition, aircraft (service not specified) on antishipping missions against Japanese warships and merchantmen operating at or near Niigata, sink army cargo ship Ujina Maru, and merchant cargo ships Manei Maru and No.7 Hosei Maru, and damage auxiliary patrol vessel Pa No.84, army cargo ship Yorihime Maru, and merchant cargo ship No.7 Manei Maru, and in Tsugaru Strait damage liaison vessel Aniwa Maru; in antishipping sweeps off the Korean coast, planes sink cargo ships Taishun Maru and Awakawa Maru off Chongjin and merchant cargo vessels Taiko Maru, Erimo Maru, and Kari Go in or off Najin harbor, army cargo ship I sshin Maru off Ulsan, and in Tsushima Strait, sink merchant cargo ship Shofuko Maru and damage Coast Defense Vessel No. 194, Coast Defense Vessel No. 198 and army cargo ship Tairetsu Maru.
-Thirty-one USAAF B-29s (20th Air Force) mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Hagi and Yuyawan, Japan, and Wonsan, Korea. Mines sink merchant cargo ship Shinjo Maru off Hime Jima, and damage Coast Defense Vessel No. 63 in Nanao Bay and merchant cargo ships Harada Maru, Tsushima Maru and 12 Nissho Maru, 1.6 kilometers off Cape Echizen, and merchant tanker No.8 Kinyu Maru in Maizuru harbor.
-Soviet forces enter Korea. Russian planes sink Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.82 north of Joshin, Korea and merchant vessels Kasado Maru and No.2 Ryuho Maru off Kamchatka peninsula, in Sea of Okhotsk.
-Submarine Hawkbill (SS-366) shells and destroys Japanese radio station on Djemadja Island 150 miles northeast of Singapore.
-Navy Petroleum Reserve 4 Expedition, formed around cargo ship Spica (AK-16) and U.S. freighters Jonathan Harrington and Enos A. Mills, reaches Point Barrow and discharges some tonnage until ice and weather conditions force a halt in operations.
-U.S. freighter Jack Singer is torpedoed by Japanese plane off Naha, Okinawa. None of the 29-man Armed Guard are injured, and only one merchant seaman reports any injuries suffered in the incident. The ship is later written off as a total loss.
-Japanese fast transport T.21 sinks as the result of damage suffered the previous day off Tsuwa Jima.

 

Aug 11, 1943
-Submarine Finback (SS-230) damages Japanese auxiliary vessel Tatsumiya Maru, bound for Singapore and endures counterattack by escorting auxiliary submarine chaser Toseki Maru.
-U.S. freighter Matthew Lyon is torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-11 as the ship proceeds toward Espiritu Santo but reaches her destination under her own power. Of the 59 men on board, 41 merchant sailors and an 18-man Armed Guard, only one is injured in the attack.
-USAAF B-24 attacks Japanese convoy, bombing minesweeper W.22.

Aug 11, 1944
-Submarine Cod (SS-224) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship No.6 Shinsei Maru south of the Celebes.
-Submarine Tang (SS-306) attacks Japanese convoy off southern Honshu, and sinks merchant cargo ship Roko Maru.
-USAAF B-25s sink Japanese guardboat Daishin Maru east of Paramushiro, Kurils.
-Other Japanese casualties include cargo vessel No.7 Kyoei Maru damaged by mine laid by USAAF B-29 (20th Bomber Command) in Musi River, while en route to Palembang; tanker Ikuta Maru sunk by mine off coast of Sumatra; guardboats No.20 Aiko Maru and No.32 Ebisu Maru by U.S. aircraft, Kaoe Bay, Halmahera; and Shinyu Maru sunk by aircraft, Halmahera Bay.

Aug 11, 1945
-TG 95.4 (Captain Henry J. Armstrong, Jr.) comprising four light minelayers (DM), 40 minesweepers (AM) and 10 motor minesweepers (YMS), and various supporting vessels, departs Buckner Bay, Okinawa, to proceed into the East China Sea to conduct minesweeping operations.
-TF 38 planes damage Japanese destroyer Kaba and submarines I-36, I-159, and I-402 at Kure, Japan.
-Destroyer McDermut (DD-677) is damaged by small-caliber naval gunfire in Kurils.
-Submarine Chub (SS-329) sinks Japanese army auxiliary sailing vessel No.32 Sakura Maru.
-Submarine Hawkbill (SS-366) puts landing party and Australian commandoes ashore at Terampah Harbor, Matak Island Anambas Islands, that destroys a gasoline dump, captures intelligence documents, and rescues an Indian POW.
-Submarine Jallao (SS-368) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Teihoku Maru.
-Mines laid by USAAF B-29s (20th Air Force) sink Japanese merchant cargo ship No.2 Nisshin Maru eight kilometers off Wakamatsu light and damage landing ship T.153 two miles east-northeast of Kanawaiwa, Japan.
-Japanese merchant vessel Wajun Go is damaged by marine casualty near Funagawa.

 

I'll be giving a lecture on the Pacific War in the first weeks of September and I'll thank you in advance, Bill, because your posts are and will be of great utility! Thanks!

 

You are quite welcome Fried. Out of curiosity, is there any particular area that your lecture is going to focus on?

 

Aug 12, 1942
-Submarine Pickerel (SS-177) is damaged by depth charges off the Marianas but remains on patrol.
-USAAF B-17s damage Japanese oiler Matsumoto Maru.

Aug 12, 1943
-TU 16.6.1 (Rear Admiral Wilder D. Baker), consisting of two heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and five destroyers, bombards Kiska.
-Motor torpedo boat PT-168, operating from Rendova, is damaged by Japanese aircraft off Sandfly Harbor and Ferguson Passage.

Aug 12, 1944
-President Roosevelt concludes his inspection of naval activities in the Pacific when he departs Puget Sound on this date to return to Washington.
-Submarine Pompon (SS-267) attacks Japanese convoy in Sea of Okhotsk, damaging merchant cargo ship Mayachi Maru east of Sakhalin.
-Submarine Puffer (SS-268) attacks Japanese convoy off Mindoro, sinking merchant tanker Teikon Maru off Cape Calavite, Philippines; Puffer also damages tanker Shinpo Maru, which is beached off Golo Island.

Aug 14, 1945
-TF 92, comprising two light cruisers and 12 destroyers (Rear Admiral John H. Brown, Jr.) bombards Japanese installations on Matsuwa Island and at Kurabu Cape and Suribachi Bay, Paramushiro Island Kurils. A pre-bombardment sweep of the Sea of Okhotsk results in the destruction of ten trawlers.
-Japanese submarine I-58 conducts unsuccessful kaiten attack on dock landing ship Oak Hill (LSD-7) while she is en route from Okinawa to Leyte Gulf accompanied by destroyer escort Thomas F. Nickel (DE-587).
-Battleship Pennsylvania (BB-38) is damaged by aerial torpedo, Buckner Bay, Okinawa.
-Aircraft sink Japanese auxiliary patrol vessel Pa 166 five miles southeast of Urasaki, Japan, and merchant cargo ship Hozugawa Maru off the east coast of Korea and damage Kitanami Maru off Mishima light.
-Mines sink Japanese merchant cargo ship No.1 Shinyo Maru north of Kyushu, and damage merchant cargo ship Yurakawa Maru eight kilometers off Wakamatsu light, and army cargo ship No.16 Tamon Maru in Koguchi Channel, Nanao.

 

Aug 13, 1940
-Commander in Chief Asiatic Fleet (Admiral Thomas C. Hart) shifts flag from heavy cruiser Augusta (CA-31) to submarine Porpoise (SS-172), Tsingtao, China, and travels to Shanghai, arriving the next day and transferring to yacht Isabel (PY-10). It is the first time a CINCAF (a submariner himself) has taken passage in a submarine in this fashion.

Aug 13, 1941
-Heavy cruisers Northampton (CA-26) and Salt Lake City (CA-25), arrive at Port Moresby, Papua, Australian Territory of New Guinea, for a goodwill visit.

Aug 13, 1943
-Japanese bomber and torpedo planes raid shipping at Guadalcanal, sinking attack transport John Penn (APA-23).
-Motor torpedo boat PT-181, operating out of Rendova, is damaged by near-miss of Japanese bomb off Hunda Cove.
-Submarine Paddle (SS-263) damages Japanese transport Hidaka Maru.
-Submarine Sunfish (SS-281) sinks Japanese gunboat Edo Maru 180 miles from Chichi Jima.
-U.S. freighter M.H. De Young is torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-19 as the ship proceeds toward Espiritu Santo but though damaged remains afloat due to barge pontoons stowed in each hold. The 25-man Armed Guard remains on board along with the master and two merchant marine officers while the crew and passengers remain nearby.
-U.S. aircraft sink Japanese guardboat No.15 Dai Nippon Maru in Bismarck Archipelago.

Aug 13, 1944
-Submarine Barbel (SS-316) sinks Japanese auxiliary Koan Maru off Amami Oshima.
-Submarine Bluegill (SS-242) attacks Japanese convoy off Cape San Augustin, Mindanao, and sinks submarine chasser Ch 12, auxiliary submarine chaser Misago Maru and transport Kojun Maru near entrance to Davao Gulf.
-Submarine Cod (SS-224) attacks Japanese landing ship T.129 in the Banda Sea but is driven off by the enemy amphibious ship's accurate return fire.
-Submarine Flier (SS-250) is sunk by mine, south of Palawan, Balabac Strait, North Borneo.
-Submarine Tambor (SS-198) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Toei Maru in southern part of Sea of Okhotsk.
-Japanese submarine I-365 is damaged by Fairmile motor gunboats off Biak.
-RAAF Beaufighters sink small Japanese cargo vessel No.3 Hamayoshi Maru off Kalig Island.
-Japanese army cargo ship No.2 Asahi Maru is sunk by aircraft in South China Sea, southeast of Hong Kong.
-Japanese tanker Butsu Maru is sunk by accidental fire off Ahan Point, Formosa.

Aug 13, 1945
-Aircraft from fast carrier task force (Vice Admiral John S. McCain) bomb targets in the vicinity of Tokyo.
-USAAF OA-10A extracts TBM crew (VT 87) from Ticonderoga (CV-14) from the inner reaches of Tokyo Bay midway between Yokohama and Kizarazu, marking the first time that a U.S. plane has accomplished a rescue in those waters.
-Attack transport Lagrange (APA-124) is crashed by suicide plane, Buckner Bay, Okinawa.
-Submarine Atule (SS-403) sinks Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.6 and damages Coast Defense Vessel No.16 off Hokkaido.
-Submarine Torsk (SS-423) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Kaiho Maru.
-USAAF B-24s and/or B-25s operating against Japanese shipping in Korea Strait sink guardboat Ayanami Maru and damage merchant cargo ship Tatsukiri Maru approx 40 west of Hamada .
-Japanese merchant cargo ship No.11 Tosei Maru is damaged by aircraft off Hekata.
-Japanese army tanker No.10 Nitto Maru is damaged by mine approx 5 miles west of Yuya Japan.

 

Aug 14, 1941
-During Japanese bombing raid on Chungking, China, Japanese planes approach the city from the east, passing directly over the U.S. Embassy chancery and the river gunboat Tutuila (PR-4). There is no repetition of the incident of 30 July when a near miss from a bomb slightly damaged the Tutuila.

Aug 14, 1942
-Submarine S-39 (SS-144) is damaged when she strikes submerged reef off Rossel Island, Louisiade Archipelago.
-Submarine Seawolf (SS-197) sinks Japanese merchant passenger-cargo ship Hachigen Maru (ex-British Wenchow) in Sibitu Passage.

Aug 14, 1943
-Submarine chaser SC-67 makes rendezvous with damaged U.S. freighter M.H. De Young, torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-19 the previous day, and takes off wounded men to transport to Tongatabu. M.H. De Young is subsequently towed to that port by Canadian steamship Quebec two days later.
-Open lighter YC-970 sinks in Puget Sound, Washington.
-Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 109 is damaged by aircraft off Balikpapan, Borneo.
-USAAF B-25 aircraft sink three Japanese fishing craft, Iboki in the Bismark Sea, approx 150 southwest of Rabaul.

Aug 14, 1944
-Submarine Bluefish (SS-222) sinks Japanese tanker Shinpo Maru, previously damaged by Puffer (SS-268) on 12 August, off Golo Island.
-Submarine Cod (SS-224) sinks Japanese landing ship T.129 in Banda Sea, about 40 miles south of Boeroe Island and 80 miles southwest of Ambon Bay.
-Submarine Croaker (SS-246) sinks Japanese gunboat No.7 Daigen Maru southwest of Inchon, Korea.
-Submarine Ray (SS-271) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking merchant cargo ship Zuisho Maru off northwest coast of Borneo and damaging cargo vessel Uga Maru.
-Japanese cargo ship Miikesan Maru is sunk by mind laid by USAAF B-24 (14th Air Force) off Takao, Formosa.

Aug 14, 1945
-Japan accepts the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration and agrees to surrender ("VJ Day"). General of the Army Douglas MacArthur is named Supreme Allied Commander to receive the enemy's capitulation and conduct the occupation of his homeland.
-Thirty-five USAAF B-29s mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Nanao, Maizuru and Hamada, Japan, in the final B-29 minelaying operations of the war.
-Submarine Spikefish (SS-404) sinks Japanese submarine I-373, then en route from Sasebo to Takao, 190 miles southeast of Shanghai, China.
-In Sea of Japan, submarine Torsk (SS-423) sinks Coast Defense Vessel No.13 and Coast Defense Vessel No.47.
-Mines laid by USAAF B-29s (20th Air Force) sink Japanese gunboat Hirota Maru off Mutsure, Japan, cargo ship Mikamasan Maru, and merchant cargo ships Yojo Maru in Osaka harbor and Kashima Maru off coast of Korea.
-Marine casualties account for damage to Japanese merchant tankers No.8 Nankai Maru and tanker Nanki Maru 300 miles off Bontensen.
-Aircraft (nationality and type unidentified) sink Japanese merchant cargo ship No.6 Hatokama Maru off Tanoura. and damage merchant cargo ships No.5 Shinko Maru and Tatsusugi Maru.
-Merchant cargo ship No.3 Takakawa Maru, damaged by aircraft, is beached north of Hirato Island.

 

9 August 1945 – In various actions between 50 and 150 miles east of Sendai, Honshu – VBF-1 F4Us are credited with 1 D4Y. F6Fs from VF-6 are credited with 1 B5N; from VF-16, with 1 C6N; from VF-27, with 1 A6M; from VF-86, with 1B7A; from VF-88, with 1B7A; and from VF(N)-91 with 2 D4Y.

10 August – Nothing to report.

11 August 1945 – a VPB-121 PB4Y is credited with an A6M 10 miles south of Fujisama, Honshu.

12 August – Nothing to report.

13 August 1945 – In various actions roughly 80 to 120 miles southeast of Inubo Zaki, Honshu - VF-85 F4Us score 1 B7A, 1 D4Y, and 1 Ki-45. F6F squadrons were credited with: from VF-1, with 1 D4Y; from VF-16, with 1 B7A; from VF-49, with 1 D4Y; from VF-86, with 2 B7a; and from VF(N)-91 with 2 Ki-45. Not so far away, other F6F credits this day are: from VF-34, 1 Ki-84 near Hokoda Airfield; from VF-86, a Ki-45 about 120 miles southeast of Katsuura; from VF-88, a J1N about 160 miles southeast of Katsuura; and from VF(N)-91, with 1 Ki-45 and 2 P1Y about 10 miles west of Mito.

14 August – Nothing to report.

15 August 1945 – In the last actions of the war by USN squadrons operating over Central Honshu and in CAP in the vicinity of TF-38 – A VBF-6 F4U downs a B5N about 100 miles southeast of Katsuura and another F4U, this from VBF-85, scores a D4Y in the same area. Just west of Mito, a VBF-83 takes down a C6N and, in the same vicinity, F6Fs from VBF-87 are credited with 3 more C6N. Other F6F squadron credits are: from VF-6, 1 A6M and 1 J2M 30-40 miles east of Taito-Zaki and another J2M 90 miles east of Katsuura; from VF-31, 1 A6M and 1 D4Y over Hokoda Airfield, a Ki-43 about 110 miles east-southeast of Nojima-Zaki, and 4 A6M about 70 miles southeast of Hachijo-Fuji; from VF-49, 7 A6M 30-40 miles east of Taito-Zaki; from VF-86, 1 A6M and 1 D4Y over Sagami Wan; and from VF-88, in the vicinity of Atsugi Airfield, 4 J2M and 5 Ki-84. Last credit of the day was the aforementioned VF-31 credited D4Y over Hokoda Airfield, at approximately 1400, by Ensign Clarence A Moore. This was the last of 7242 enemy aircraft credited as shot down by pilots and gunners of USN squadrons in World War II. Additionally, there were 769 enemy aircraft noted as probables and 828 as damaged.

Rich

 

Not really. It will have to be very general, since I only have about two hours to resume it all.

The emphasis, however, will be done, as was done in the lecture about the ETO, on the veterans and the heroes who fought and won that war.

Thanks, Bill!

 

Aug 15, 1941
-Naval Air Station, Palmyra Island, and Naval Air Facility, Johnston Island, are established.

Aug 15, 1942
-Submarine Pickerel (SS-177) is damaged by depth charges off the Marianas but remains on patrol.
-USAAF B-17s damage Japanese oiler Matsumoto Maru.

Aug 15, 1943
-Japanese bomber and torpedo planes raid shipping at Guadalcanal, sinking attack transport John Penn (APA-23).
-Motor torpedo boat PT-181, operating out of Rendova, is damaged by near-miss of Japanese bomb off Hunda Cove.
-Submarine Paddle (SS-263) damages Japanese transport Hidaka Maru approx 10 miles east of Shingu, Japan.
-Submarine Sunfish (SS-281) sinks Japanese gunboat Edo Maru 180 miles from Chichi Jima.
-U.S. freighter M.H. De Young is torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-19 as the ship proceeds toward Espiritu Santoapprox 400 miles southwest of Fiji, but though damaged remains afloat due to barge pontoons stowed in each hold. The 25-man Armed Guard remains on board along with the master and two merchant marine officers while the crew and passengers remain nearby (see 14 August 1943).
-U.S. aircraft sink Japanese guardboat No.15 Dai Nippon Maru in Bismarck Archipelago.

Aug 15, 1944
-USAAF B-24s (5th Air Force) attack Japanese convoy and sink army cargo ship Tosho Maru in Banda Sea, southwest of Soena Islands; auxiliary submarine chaser No.18 Nitto Maru rescues survivors.
-RAAF Mitchells sink Japanese cargo vessel No.14 Sakura Maru off north coast of central Timor.
-Other aircraft sink vessel Kono Maru off Halmahera Island.

Aug 15, 1945
-Before receiving the announcement of the end of hostilities, planes from fast carrier task force (Vice Admiral John S. McCain) raid airfields in the vicinity of Tokyo, encountering heavy aerial opposition. Second strike is cancelled while it is en route to objectives; pilots jettison their ordnance and return to their carriers.
-TG 30.6 (Commodore Rodger W. Simpson) is formed to liberate, evacuate, and care for Allied POWs in Japan.
-Japanese escort vessel Kanju is sunk by Russian aircraft off Wonsan.
-Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 167 is sunk by accident, Kure.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship No.12 Yamabishi Maru is damaged by aircraft between Pusan, Korea and Fukuoka, Japan.