Today in the History of the Pacific Theater

June 12, 1940
-Navy Department awards contracts for 22 new warships.
-Japan-Thailand Non-Aggression Pact is announced.

June 12, 1941
-All members of the U.S. Naval Reserve, not in a deferred status, are called to active duty.

Jume 12, 1942
-USAAF B-17s and B-24s raid Kiska, damaging Japanese destroyer Hibiki.
-Submarine Plunger (SS-179) is damaged when emergency identification flare explodes as she makes signal to friendly aircraft; she suffers no serious injuries and remains on patrol.
-Submarine Swordfish (SS-193) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Burma Maru northwest of Pulo Wai, in the Gulf of Siam.

June 12, 1943
-Submarine Trout (SS-202) lands men and supplies on Mindanao.
-In the Indian Ocean, the British destroyer HMS Relentless rescues last survivors from U.S. tanker William King, torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-198 off the South African coast on 6 June 1943.

June 12, 1944
-Planes from 15 carriers (CV-and CVL) of TF 58 (Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher) work over Japanese air facilities and coast defenses on Saipan, Tinian, Guam, Rota, and Pagan Islands, Marianas. Carrier strikes are repeated on 13 and 14 June in preparation for the landings on Saipan. Aircraft from carrier Essex (CV-9) and small carriers Langley (CVL-27) and Cowpens (CVL- 25) (TG 58.4) smash Japanese convoy (which had sailed from Tanapag harbor for Japan the previous day) northwest of Saipan, sinking torpedo boat Otori, auxiliary netlayer Kokku Maru, transports Batavia Maru, Hinko Maru, Kamishima Maru, Imizu Maru, Nitcho Maru, Reikai Maru, and Tenryugawa Maru, cargo ship Bokuyo Maru, army cargo ships Fukoku Maru and Moji Maru, and merchant vessel Tsushima Maru; and damaging transport Tatsutakawa Maru, Coast Defense Vessel No.4, submarine chaser Ch 50, and submarine chasers Ch 33and Ch 51, auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 20 and auxiliary minesweeper Wa 6.15 Japanese minelayer Nichiyu Maru is further damaged by carrier planes in Apra Harbor.
-Destroyer Kalk (DD-611) is damaged by horizontal bomber off western New Guinea.
-British submarine HMS Stoic attacks Japanese convoy, and sinks transport Kainan Maru off Phuket, Siam.

June 11, 1945
-Off Okinawa, light cruiser Vicksburg (CL-86) is damaged when own shell bursts as it leaves muzzle.
-Submarine Sea Dog (SS-401) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ships Shinsen Maru and Kaiwa Maru.
-Submarine Skate (SS-305) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ships Yozan Maru, Kenjo Maru, and Zuiko Maru, and damages Kankyo Maru in Togi harbor, northern Honshu.
-Submarine Spadefish (SS-411) sinks Japanese guardboat Daido Maru west of Wakkanai, Hokkaido.
-Submarine Tinosa (SS-283) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Keito Maru.
-Japanese submarine chaser Ch 57 and passenger ferry No.2 Kuroshio (ex-landing ship T.149) are sunk by British destroyers HMS Tartar, HMS Eskimo, and HMS Nubian (10th Destroyer Flotilla), 20 miles north of Sabang, Sumatra as the enemy is engaged in withdrawing his troops from the Andamans.
-Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Myoken Maru is sunk by aircraft, Atsuta dockyard.
-Okinawa-based PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), using radar, mine the waters off Chin-To, Korean Archipelago. The same waters are mined again the following day.
-Mines laid by USAAF B-29s sink Japanese army cargo ship Aizan Maru in Hakata Bay, merchant cargo ship Sagami Maru, 25 miles off Kaburazaki, and Fumitsuki Maru off Shirasu, and liaison ship Shimonoseki Maru, and damage army tanker Yamadono Maru, 2.5 kilometers off Manabe Island.

 

Sorry, away from the machine for a few days. My last was 5 June, so this wil bring us up to date:


6 June 1944 – A PB4Y from VB-108 downs a B5N west of Truk.
6 June 1945 – F6Fs from VBF-87 are credited with 3 Ki-61 about 30 miles northwest of Okinawa; from VBF-9, with a Ki-61 off the northwest coast of Theya-Jima; and from VF-9, with 3 Ki-61 north of Aguni-Jima. A pair of PB4Ys from VPB-123 shoot down still another Ki-61 west of Yaku-Shima.

7 June 1943 – F4Fs from VF-11 account for 2 A6M, one near Vanganu Island and the other near Baruku Island in the Solomons.
7 June 1944 – A patrolling PV from VB-148 is credited with downing a G4M southwest of Pohnpei in the Carolines.

8 June 1944 – A PB4Y from VB-115 shoots down a G4M about 160 miles north-northeast of Samfeman, New Guinea.
8 June 1945 – F6Fs from VF-9 shoot down 2 A6M west of Sibushi. A VC-97 FM-2 scores a Ki-43 northwest on Yontan. PB4Ys from VPB-123 are credited with 1 N1K1 and 1 Ki-44 near Sasebo, Kyushu.

9 June 1944 – A PB4Y from VB-115 picks off a pair of DC2 about 45 miles northwest of Pulo Anna in the Carolines

10 June 1944 – An F6F from VF-50 downs a P1Y northeast of Saipan. A PB4Y from VB-108 is credited with a J1N1 southeast of Saipan and another PB4Y, from VB109, with a G4M east of Saipan. A PB2Y from VP-13 accounts for another G4M east-northeast of Saipan.

11 June 1944 – In strikes on Guam and Saipan in the Marianas, F6Fs from VF-1 are credited with 3 A6M, 2 H8K, and 1 Ki-48; from VF-2, with 21 A6M, 1 G4M, 2 H8K, and 2 Ki-44; and from VF-8, with 1 B6N, 5 J1N, and 1 Ki-61. More F6F credits were awarded to VF-10 for 6 A6M and 1 Ki-43; to VF-14 for 1 Ki-49; to VF-15 for 5 A6M, 1 H6K, 1 H8K, and 1 Ki-44; to VF-24 for 2 A6M and 2 Ki-44; to VF-25 for 5 A6M and 1 H8K; and to VF-27 and VF-28 for 3 A6M, each. VF-31 F6Fs scored 14 A6M; VF-32, 6 A6M; VF-50, 3 A6M and 1 D4Y1; and VF-51, 1 G4M and 1 H8K. A VT-10 TBM accounts for 1 G4M. Elsewhere, a PB4Y from VB-101 is credited with 1 G4M west-southwest of Palau; another, from VB-115 downs a DC2 east-southeast of Pulo Anna.

12 June 1943 – F4Fs from VF-11 shoot down 14 A6Ms in a large action about 10 miles northwest of Russel Island in the Solomons.
12 June 1944 – In the North Mariana Islands in actions centering on Guam, Rota, and Saipan – Starting the day about 20 minutes after sunrise an F6F from VF-50 shoots down a D4Y snooping the US carrier force, about 200 miles east of Guam. In strikes, F6Fs from VF-1 are credited with 2 A6M and 1 Ki-21; from VF-2 with 7 A6M, 2 J1N, and 2 Ki-44; from VF-10, with 1 A6M, 1 G4M, and 1 Ki-48; from VF-24, with 1 A6M and 1 Ki-45; from VF-27, with 1 Ki-45; and from VF-31, with 1 D4Y. Elsewhere, a PB4Y from VB-115 downs a DC2 about 100 miles northeast of Morotai Island.

Rich

 

June 13, 1940
-Rear Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr., relieves Vice Admiral Charles A. Blakely as Commander Aircraft, Battle Force, on board carrier Yorktown (CV-5) at Lahaina Roads, Maui, T.H. Halsey receives the temporary rank of vice admiral.

June 13, 1943
-Destroyer Frazier (DD-607) sinks Japanese submarine I-9 one and a half miles east of Sirius Point, Kiska, Aleutians.
-Submarine Guardfish (SS-217) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Suzuya Maru off the southwest coast of New Ireland.
-Submarine Sargo (SS-188) attacks Japanese convoy 250 miles south of Yap, Carolines, and sinks army transport Konan Maru. The submarine is damaged by depth charges but remains on patrol.

June 13, 1944
-TF 58 (Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher) strikes against Saipan continue; Navy carrier-based planes sink aircraft transport Keiyo Maru, which had been damaged in the 11 June fighter sweep, and destroy convoy of small cargo vessels: No.11 Shinriki Maru, Sekizen Maru, Myogawa Maru, Shigei Maru and Suwa Maru. F6Fs from TF 58 attack Japanese convoy spotted the previous day and damage fast transport T.1 southwest of the Marianas.
During the strikes, Commander William I. Martin, commanding officer of Enterprise's VT-10, is shot down and parachutes into the sea off Red Beach Three, Saipan. Before he is rescued, he observes that the Japanese have marked the length of the reef offshore with red and white pennants, indicating pre-sited artillery ranges--valuable intelligence information quickly disseminated to the approaching amphibious forces.
-TG 58.7 (Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee) battleships and destroyers conduct an almost day-long bombardment of Japanese installations on Saipan and Tinian.
-TF 94 (Rear Admiral Ernest G. Small) cruisers and destroyers bombard Japanese position on Matsuwa Island in the Kurils.
-Submarine Barb (SS-220) sinks Japanese army transport Takashima Maru in Sea of Okhotsk despite presence of escorting destroyer Hatsuharu, which carries out ineffective countermeasures.
-Submarine Flier (SS-250) damages Japanese merchant tanker Marifu Maru in South China Sea west of Luzon.
-Submarine Narwhal (SS-167) shells oil tanks at Bula, Ceram Island, N.E.I.
-Destroyer Melvin (DD-680) sinks Japanese submarine RO-36 between 50 and 75 miles east of Saipan.

June 13, 1945
-Large infantry landing craft LCI(L)-871, on routine patrol along the east coast of Urukthapel Island Palaus, engages Japanese artillery and mortar batteries.
-Twenty-nine USAAF B-29s (20th Air Force) mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Niigata, Japan. Mines laid in these and previous plants by B-29s sink merchant cargo ship Matsuo Maru, 3.4 kilometers south of Motoyama light, and Hiyoshi Maru and No.8 Nissho Maru off Hesaki light, Koryu Maru off Hesaki light, and damage escort destroyer Io, 1.7 kilometers southeast of Kannonzaki, and merchant cargo ships Kinyo Maru, Kyokenzaki, Kammon Strait, Kannon Maru, Hakujitsu Maru, Takakurasan Maru, and 2 Kofuku Maru.
-Off Okinawa, battleship Idaho (BB-42) is damaged by grounding.
-Submarine Bergall (SS-320) is damaged by mine (U.S. or British proximity-fuzed) in Gulf of Siam and is forced to terminate her patrol.
-Submarine Bonefish (SS-223) sinks Japanese cargo ship Oshikasan Maru in Japan Sea.
-Submarine Bowfin (SS-287) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Meiho Maru.
-Submarine Skate (SS-305) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Hattenzan Maru.
-Submarine Spadefish (SS-411) mistakenly sinks Russian cargo ship Transbalt.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Kaisho Maru is sunk by aircraft.
-Mines laid by USAAF B-24s (14th Air Force) sink Japanese merchant cargo ship Koun Maru off Macao.

 

13 June 1944 – A PB4Y from VB-101 shoots down a G4M 80 miles south of Yap and another, from VB-115, scores another G4M, this action approximately 200 miles northeast of Morotai. In the North Marianas, actions continue – four FM-2s from VC-5 shoot down 1 G4M 180 miles east of Guam. F6Fs from VF-15 are credited with 1 Ki-49 50 miles northwest of Saipan and 1 G4M 75 miles west of Pagan. F6Fs from VF-25 account for 1 G4M 100 miles west of Pagan and two more about 300 miles west of Guam.

Rich

 

June 14, 1940
-President Roosevelt signs Naval Expansion Act increasing the carrier, cruiser, and submarine tonnage of the Navy by 167,000 tons, auxiliary shipping by 75,000; and the useful number of authorized naval aircraft to 4,500 planes.

June 14, 1942
-First echelon of 1st Marine Division (Major General Alexander A. Vandegrift) arrives at Wellington, New Zealand.
-Japanese cargo ship Taizan Maru is stranded and sinks off southwest coast of Korea.

June 14, 1943
-Submarine Sargo (SS-188) is damaged by depth charges off Palau Islands but remains on patrol.

June 14, 1944
-Bombardment groups, TG 52.17 (Rear Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf) and TG 52.18 (Rear Admiral Walden L. Ainsworth), shell Japanese installations on Saipan and Tinian. Enemy shore battery fire damages battleship California (BB-44) off Saipan and destroyer Braine (DD-630) off Tinian; near-misses from shells damage battleship Tennessee (BB-43), heavy cruiser Indianapolis (CA-35), light cruiser Birmingham (CL-62), and destroyer Remey (DD-688). Destroyer Wadleigh (DD-689) covers withdrawal of Underwater Demolition team (UDT) 7 after its beach reconnaissance mission.
-Submarine Golet (SS-361) is probably sunk by Japanese guard boat Miya Maru, auxiliary submarine chaser Bunzan Maru, and naval aircraft off northern Honshu. She is listed as overdue, presumed lost, on 26 July.
-Submarine Rasher (SS-269), in attack on Japanese convoy in the Celebes Sea, sinks army cargo ship Koan Maru about 130 miles south of Mindanao.

June 14, 1945
-British TG 111.2 (Rear Admiral Eric J.P. Brind, RN), comprising fleet carrier HMS Implacable, escort carrier HMS Ruler, four light cruisers and five destroyers, attacks Truk atoll to neutralize Japanese air bases there.
-Motor gunboat PGM-24 is damaged when accidentally rammed by light minelayer Thomas E. Fraser (DM-24) off Okinawa.
-Submarine Sea Devil (SS-400), despite presence of two escorts, sinks Japanese transport Wakamiyasan Maru in the northern Yellow Sea.
-Submarine Spadefish (SS-411) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Seizan Maru off western Sakhalin.
-PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), flying from Okinawa, mine waters between Gyuji-To, Toso-To and Jobai-To, Korean Archipelago, encountering antiaircraft fire from nearby anchored shipping. The same waters are mined each day over the next three days, but the Privateers encounter no further antiaircraft fire on those occasions.
-Mine laid by USAAF B-29s sinks Japanese army cargo ship No.18 Umajima Maru.
-PB4Y bombs Japanese shipping off Bandjermasin, sinking No.470 Shuttle Vessel.

 

June 15, 1940
-President Roosevelt approves Act of Congress to increase naval aviation to a strength of not more than 10,000 aircraft, vice 4,500.

June 15, 1941
-Japanese land attack planes bombing Chungking, China, drop their ordnance near river gunboat Tutuila (PR-4), U.S. military attaché's office and U.S. Navy canteen. Japanese Admiral Shimada Shigetaro expresses regret over the incident and assures U.S. representatives that the bombing is "wholly unintentional." U.S. military and naval attachés privately concur, however, that the bombing "was either criminal carelessness or [with] deliberate intent to bomb Embassy and gunboat..."
-Naval Air Station, Kodiak, Alaska, is established.

June 15, 1942
-Submarine Seawolf (SS-197) sinks Japanese gunboat Nampo Maru off Corregidor.

June 15, 1943
-Submarine Gunnel (SS-253) sinks Japanese merchant passenger-cargo ship Koyo Maru in Tsushima Straits.
Submarine Sailfish (SS-192) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Shinju Maru south of Todozaki, Honshu.
-Submarine Trout (SS-202) damages Japanese oiler Sanraku Maru in the Celebes Sea, off Sibitu; Sanraku Maru is eventually scuttled.

June 15, 1944
-TF 52 (Vice Admiral Richmond K. Turner) lands Marines (Lieutenant General Holland M. Smith, USMC) on Saipan in Operation FORAGER, under cover of intensive naval gunfire and carrier-based aircraft. Saipan is the first relatively large and heavily defended land mass in the central Pacific to be assaulted by American amphibious might. Chengtu, China-based USAAF B-29s bomb the Yawata Steel Mills, northern Kyushu, Japan, marking the first time that B-29s are used in distant support of an ongoing amphibious operation.
-Battleship Tennessee (BB-43) is damaged by shore battery, northeast of Tinian; light cruiser St. Louis (CL-49) is damaged by materiel casualty (dropped no.3 propeller and part of tail shaft), Saipan channel. Infantry landing craft (gunboat) LCI(G)-451 and LCI(G)-726 are damaged by mortar fire off approaches to Saipan landing beaches.
-Carrier-based aircraft from TG 58.1 (Rear Admiral Joseph J. Clark) and TG 58.4 (Rear Admiral William K. Harrill) bomb Japanese installations on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, and Chichi Jima and Haha Jima in the Bonins; attack on Iwo Jima is repeated 16 June. Destroyers Boyd (DD-544) and Charrette (DD-581) sink transport Tatsutakawa Maru after she had been damaged by TBFs/TBMs and F6Fs from small carrier Bataan (CVL- 29) east of Ogasawara-shoto. TF 58 aircraft sink auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 54 off Rota Island, Marianas. Destroyer Halsey Powell (DD-686) sinks minelayer Ma 101 (ex-British netlayer HMS Barlight, captured at Hong Kong in December 1941) in Tanapag Harbor, Saipan.
-Japanese submarine chaser Ch 7 is sunk by mine south of the Palaus.
-Submarine Swordfish (SS-193) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking army cargo ship Kanseishi Maru about 150 miles north-northwest of Chichi Jima.
-Japanese cargo vessel Kanzaki Maru is stranded and sunk off east coast of Korea.

June 15, 1945
-British TG 111.2 (Rear Admiral Eric J.P. Brind, RN), bombards Japanese installations, Truk atoll.
-Fifteen motor minesweepers (YMS), accompanied by the high speed transport Cofer (APD-62) and landing craft equipped with light minesweeping gear, arrive off Balikpapan, Borneo, to begin mine clearance operations.
-Thirty USAAF B-29s mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Fushiki, Fukuoka, and Karatsu, Japan.
-Destroyer escort O'Flaherty (DE-340) is damaged in collision with escort carrier Block Island (CVE-106) off Okinawa.
-Submarine Sea Dog (SS-401) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Koan Maru.
-Japanese guardboats Gion Maru and Jinko Maru are sunk by U.S. aircraft, Cam Ranh Bay, French Indochina.
-Japanese freighter No.2 Tanshin Maru is sunk by marine casualty, near Malay peninsula.
-USAAF B-24s (10th Air Force) attack Japanese convoy in Gulf of Siam, damaging destroyer Kamikaze and minesweeper W.4 and sinking merchant tanker Toho Maru off Samui Island.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Heiryu Maru sinks after colliding with submerged wreck southwest of Shinshin Island Korea.
-Japanese cargo vessel Junkawa Maru is sunk by mine.

 

14 June 1944 – A PB4Y from VB-115 shoots down a DC2 about 60 miles northwest of Pulo Anna. An F6F from VF-16 scores 1 G4M about 40 miles northwest of Saipan; another F6F, from VF-50, downs another G4M about 110 miles northwest of Saipan.

15 June 1944 – In the North Marianas – FM-2s from VC-4 shoot down 4 B6N. An FM-2 from VC-68 also scores 1 B6N; these actions occurring about 50 miles southeast of Saipan. An F6F from VF(N)-76 shoots down a D4Y about 12 miles east of Tinian and F6Fs from VF-51 bag 1 A6M, 1 Ki-45, and 5 Ki-61 about 15 miles southeast of Tinian. Shifting north to action over and around Iwo Jima in the Bonin Islands – F6Fs from VF-1 are credited with 20 A6M; from VF-2, with 17 A6M; and from VF-15, with 3 A6M.

Eich

 

June 16, 1943
-In the largest raid since 7 April 1943, Japanese aircraft attack ships off Guadalcanal; while a large number of enemy planes are shot down, tank landing ships LST-340, damaged by dive bombers, is beached off Lunga Point; cargo ship Celeno (AK-76) is also damaged.

June 16, 1944
-Battleship, cruiser, and destroyer force (Rear Admiral Walden L. Ainsworth) bombards Japanese installations on Guam.
-High speed transport Gilmer (APD-11), on radar picket duty 25 miles west of Saipan, encounters Japanese convoy of small cargo vessels (whose sailors are apparently unaware of the presence of American ships in the Marianas) bound for Saipan, and sinks four: No.1 Yusen Maru, No.2 Usen Maru, Toa Maru, and Tatsutaka Maru. Destroyer Shaw (DD-373), ordered to support Gilmer, arrives in time to sink a fifth ship, No.17 Yusen Maru.
-Light cruiser Vincennes (CL-91) is damaged by materiel casualty (main Kingsbury thrust bearing, no.3 shaft), at sea with TG 58.4.
-Destroyers Melvin (DD-680) and Wadleigh (DD-689) sink Japanese submarine RO-114, 80 miles west of Tinian.
-Destroyer escort Burden R. Hastings (DE-19) sinks Japanese submarine RO-44, 110 miles east of Eniwetok.
-Submarine Bluefish (SS-222) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking merchant cargo ship Nanshin Maru in the Celebes Sea southwest of Tarakan, Borneo.
-Submarine Bream (SS-243) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Y_ki Maru and damages army cargo ship Hinode Maru off Halmahera Island.

June 16, 1945
-Off Okinawa, destroyer Twiggs (DD-591) is sunk by aerial torpedo, and escort carrier Steamer Bay (CVE-87) is damaged by aircraft operational casualty.
-Submarine Piranha (SS-389) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Eiso Maru.
-British submarine HMS Taciturn sinks Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 105 and unnamed air warning picket hulk (ex-Dutch submarine K-XVIII) off Surabaya, Java, N.E.I.
-Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Wakatake Maru is sunk by aircraft, Keelung harbor.
-Japanese army cargo ship Taikyu Maru is sunk by mine west of the mouth of Kammon channel.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Takeshima Maru is sunk by aircraft.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Kinsho Maru is sunk, agent and location unspecified.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship No.35 Banshu Maru is sunk by mine.
-Japanese destroyer Natsuzuki is damaged 3.1 kilometers off Mutsure Island.

 

June 17, 1940
-Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Harold R. Stark asks for $4 billion to construct the "Two-Ocean Navy."

June 17, 1943
-Submarine chaser SC-740 sinks after running aground.
-Submarine Drum (SS-228) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking transport Myoko Maru about 175 miles east-northeast of Kavieng, New Ireland.

June 17, 1944
-Escort carrier Fanshaw Bay (CVE-70) is damaged by horizontal bomber off Marianas; tank landing ship LST-84 is damaged by friendly fire, Marianas; infantry landing craft (gunboat) LCI(G)-468, damaged by Japanese torpedo planes en route to Saipan, is scuttled by destroyer Stembel (DD-644). TF 58 aircraft sink Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 56 at Rota; and transport Marudai Maru off Saipan.
-PB4Y-1 (VB 109) from Eniwetok sinks Japanese submarine RO-117.
-Submarine Hake (SS-256) attacks Japanese convoy as it proceeds from Palau to Davao, and sinks transport Kinshu Maru about 65 miles southeast of Davao. Later that same day, submarine Flounder (SS-251) attacks the same convoy beset earlier by Hake and sinks torpedo recovery ship Nihonkai Maru south of Mindanao. Flounder survives depth- chargings by submarine chasers Ch 35 and Ch 64.
-USAAF B-25s (5th Air Force) supported by fighters, work over Japanese shipping in Sorong harbor, sinking army cargo ships Minyu Maru and No.12 Sanko Maru, and merchant cargo ship Shofuku Maru.
-Japanese tanker Nichiyoko Maru is damaged by mine off Belawan, Sumatra, N.E.I.

June 17, 1945
-Twenty-seven USAAF B-29s mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Kobe, Japan.
-Gasoline tanker Chestatee (AOG-49) is damaged in collision with U.S. tanker Sinclair Superflame off Luzon.
-Submarine Spadefish (SS-411) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking Japanese auxiliary minelayer Eijo Maru off Matsuta Misaki, Hokkaido.
-Submarine chaser PC-794 is damaged when she strikes an uncharted rock off Theodore Point, Otter Island Alaska.
-Japanese cargo ship Kongo Maru is sunk by aircraft, north of Shumushu Island.
-Japanese fast transport T.16 is damaged by aircraft, 15 miles off Oshima.
-Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.46 is damaged by marine casualty north of Tsingtao, China.
-Japanese naval vessel Bingo Maru is damaged by marine casualty, two kilometers off Paekyongdo.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Jintsugawa Maru is sunk by marine casualty off Najin, Korea.

 

June 18, 1941
-Pacific Fleet Exercise No. 1, which commenced off coast of California on 14 May, concludes.

June 18, 1942
-USAAF B-17s, B-24s, and an LB-30 (11th Air Force) bomb Japanese shipping in Kiska harbor, sinking fleet tanker Nissan Maru.
-Japanese cargo ship Tairyu Maru is stranded and wrecked off Gyoji Island, Korea.

June 18, 1943
-Submarine S-33 (SS-138) damages two Japanese fishing craft off Paramushiro, Kuriles.

June 18, 1944
-Destroyer Phelps (DD-360), along with infantry landing craft (gunboat) [LCI(G)] and amphibian tractors [LVT(A)] oppose between 25 and 30 Japanese landing barges, southward-bound off Garapan, Saipan, sinking 13 and putting the rest to flight.
-Off Saipan, battleship California (BB-44) is damaged by friendly fire; destroyer Phelps (DD-360), LCI(G)-371, and motor minesweeper YMS-323 are damaged by shore battery off Garapan. Phelps moors alongside the battle damage repair ship Phaon (ARB-3) soon thereafter, in such a manner to permit the destroyer to continue to carry out her fire support duties.
-During Japanese bombing raid, oilers Neshanic (AO-71) and Saranac (AO-74) are damaged; oiler Saugatuck (AO-75) is near-missed southeast of Saipan.
-Motor torpedo boats PT-63 and PT-107 are destroyed by fire off New Ireland.
-British submarine HMS Storm attacks Japanese convoy off Penang, Malaya, sinking gunboat Eiko Maru.

June 18, 1945
-Battleship Nevada (BB-36) and two destroyers (Captain Homer L. Grosskopf), en route from Pearl Harbor to Saipan, bombards shore installations on Emidj Island, Jaluit Atoll, Marshalls, coordinated with bombing by land-based planes from U.S. bases in the Marshalls.
-Lieutenant General Simon B. Buckner, USA, commander of the Tenth Army, is killed on Okinawa; Major General Roy S. Geiger, USMC, assumes temporary command of the Tenth Army to direct its final combat operations on the island. Geiger is the first USMC general and first and only naval avaitor to command an American army in the field.
-Rear Admiral Forrest B. Royal, Commander, Amphibious Group 6, dies on board amphibious force flagship Rocky Mount (AGC-3) of coronary thrombosis.
-Motor minesweeper YMS-50, damaged by mine off Balikpapan, Borneo and is scuttled by light cruiser Denver (CL-58).
-Submarine Apogon (SS-308), attacking Japanese convoy RU, sinks transport Hakuai Maru and guardboat No.2 Kusonoki Maru southwest of Paramushiro, Kurils.
-Submarine Bonefish (SS-223), after conferring with Tunny (SS-282) off western coast of Honshu, sinks Japanese cargo ship Konzan Maru. Bonefish, however, is later sunk by escort destroyer Okinawa, Coast Defense Vessel No.63, Coast Defense Vessel No.75, Coast Defense Vessel No.158 and Coast Defense Vessel No.207 in Sea of Japan. She is reported as overdue, presumed lost, on 30 July 1945.
-Submarine Bullhead (SS-332) sinks Japanese auxiliary sailing vessel No.58 Sakura Maru in Sunda Strait, off Merak.
-Submarine Dentuda (SS-335) sinks Japanese guardboats Reiko Maru and Heiwa Maru in East China Sea.
-Submarine Tinosa (SS-283) sinks Japanese ship Wakae Maru off the coast of Kansong, Korea.
-PB4Y-2s (VPB 118) continue aerial mining of waters in Korean archipelago, sowing mines in the waters north of Roka-To.
-Mines sink Japanese transport Shintai Maru west of Noto-Hanto, auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 197, 1.48 kilometers southwest of Mojizaki light, and merchant cargo ships Nissho Maru off Moji, and Bizan Maru, and damage naval vessel Shintai Maru.
-Marine casualties damage Japanese merchant cargo ships No.1 Oshima Maru east of Tachang Shan Island, Shinko Maru one kilometer off Nisshin, and Hazuki Maru off Kuzuiwa.
-Japanese Motor Gunboat No.54 is sunk by aircraft off Port Arthur.

 

16 June 1943 – In a 40 minute action ranging over the Guadalcanal-Savo-Tulagi area – F4Fs from VF-11 are credited with 15 A6M and 16 D3A.
16 June 1944 – In the North Marianas, an F6F from VF-60 shoots down a G4M about 400 miles east of Saipan. In the Bonins, two F6Fs from VF-32 account for an H8K about 33 miles southeast of Minamito-Jima.
16 June 1945 - A PB4Y from VPB-108 shoots down 2 A6M 8 miles southeast of Kujukuri, Honsho.

17 June 1943 – A VF-26 F4F downs a G4M 30 miles southeast of San Cristobal Island in the Solomons.
17 June 1944 – In the Northern Marianas/Guam/Saipan area – an F6F from VF-10 is credited with a D4Y and another F6F, this from VF-14, with a G4M. FM-2s from VC-41 dispose of 2 G4M and 1 Ki-61; from VC-65, 1 A6M and 1 Ki-21; and from VC-68, 3 B5N. Way to the southwest of these actions, a VB-115 PB4Y accounts for a G4M 5 miles south of Baru, Morotai Island.
17 June 1945 – Two PB4Ys from VPB-102 on patrol out of Saipan shoot down 2 Ki-43 and 1 Ki-44 off the east coast of Honshu near Choshi.

18 June 1944 – In the North Marianas/Guam/Saipan area – F6F credits were, from VF-2, 1 E13A; from VF-8, 1 G4M; from VF-15, 1 G4M; from VF-25, 1 D4Y; from VF-28, 1 G4M; and from VF-51, 1 Ki-61. FM-2 credits were, From VC-5, 9 A6M; from VC-10, 1 G4M and 2 unidentified twin engine aircraft; from VC-33, 2 J1N and 8 Ki-61; and from VC-41, 1 A6M and 1 Ki-45. A VB-15 SB2C accounts for 1 B5N.
18 June 1944 – Three PB4Ys from VPB-117 on patrol out of Mindoro shoot down 3 Ki-43 in the vicinity of Ha Tien, Indochina.

Rich

 

June 19, 1942
-Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley assumes command of South Pacific Area and South Pacific Force with headquarters at Auckland, New Zealand.
-Submarine S-27 (SS-132) runs aground off St. Makarius Point, Amchitka, Aleutians; all hands reach safety ashore. Crew, provisions, clothing, guns, medical supplies are ferried ashore by rubber boat.
-Japanese water carrier Wayo Maru is damaged by aircraft (nationality unspecified), Rabaul.
-Seaplane tender (destroyer) Ballard (AVD-10), directed to the scene by a PBY (VP 11), rescues 35 survivors (one of whom dies shortly after rescue) from Japanese carrier Hiryu that had been scuttled by destroyers Kazegumo and Yugumo on 5 June. They had been members of the engineering department, left below for dead in the abandonment of the ship.

June 19, 1943
-Submarine Guardfish (SS-217) is damaged by depth charges north of Bismarck Archipelago but remains on patrol.
-Submarine Growler (SS-215), in attack on Japanese convoy on the Palau-to-Rabaul route, sinks army cargo ship Miyadono Maru about 200 miles north-northwest of Mussau Island.
-Submarine Gunnel (SS-253) damages Japanese gunboat Hong Kong Maru (ex-Philippine Argus) and sinks merchant cargo ship Tokiwa Maru, off Shirase, Japan and sinks coastal minesweeper Tsubame.
-Submarine Sculpin (SS-191) sinks Japanese guardboat No.1 Miyasho Maru and army cargo ship Sagami Maru off Inubozaki, Japan.
In the Indian Ocean, the U.S. freighter Henry Knox, en route from Fremantle, Australia, to Bandar Shahpur, Iran, is torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-37. Although I-37 surfaces and conducts an extensive questioning of the survivors in one boat, the Japanese take no action against the men, who begin sailing toward the Maldive Islands, 200 miles distant, upon the enemy's departure.

June 19, 1944
-Battle of the Philippine Sea opens as the Japanese Fleet (Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo) contests the landings on Saipan. Japanese carrier-based aircraft attack Fifth Fleet (Admiral Raymond A. Spruance) covering Saipan operation. Despite the combat air patrol and heavy antiaircraft fire, battleship South Dakota (BB-57) is damaged by dive bomber; battleship Indiana (BB-58) is damaged by suicide plane; carriers Bunker Hill (CV-17) and Wasp (CV-18) are near-missed by dive bombers; heavy cruiser Minneapolis (CA-36) is near-missed by horizontal bomber; destroyer Hudson (DD-475) is damaged by friendly fire.
-Commander David McCampbell, Commander Air Group 15, flying from carrier Essex (CV-9), distinguishes himself in aerial combat, splashing at least seven Japanese planes in defense of TF 58.
-The Japanese lose at least 300 aircraft in what U.S. Navy pilots call the "Marianas Turkey Shoot."
-Submarine Albacore (SS-244) sinks Japanese carrier Taiho, 180 nautical miles north-northwest of Yap; submarine Cavalla (SS-244) sinks Japanese carrier Shokaku, 140 nautical miles north of Yap Island. Both boats survive counterattacks by escorts: Albacore counts 75 depth charges, Cavalla 106.
-Motor minesweeper YMS-323 is damaged by shore battery, as she carries out survey operations off Tanapag Harbor, Saipan.
-Aircraft (VT 60) from escort carrier Suwannee (CVE-27) sink Japanese submarine I-184, 20 miles south of Guam.
-USAAF A-20s raid Manokwari, sinking small Japanese cargo vessels No.5 Masutuko Maru and No.43 Taigyo Maru.

June 19, 1945
-Destroyer Dunlap (DD-384), while patrolling north of Chichi Jima, sinks Japanese luggers Gorgen Maru, Legaspi Maru, and cargo ship Kasidori Maru; the enemy vessels are en route to evacuate non-combatants from Chichi Jima to the Japanese home islands, and to take off supplies of gasoline.
-Twenty-eight USAAF B-29s mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Niigata, Miyazu, and Maizuru, Japan.
-PB4Y-2s (VPB 118) continue aerial mining of waters in Korean archipelago, sowing mines in the waters north of Roka-To, in a repeat of the mission flown the previous day. On this occasion, however, all planes are damaged by antiaircraft fire when they strafe a ship encountered in the vicinity.
-Submarine Bullhead (SS-332) sinks Japanese auxiliary sailing vessel No.57 Tachibana Maru in Sunda Strait, off Merak.
-Submarine Cabezon (SS-334), attacking Japanese convoy beset by Apogon (SS-308) the previous day, sinks merchant cargo ship Zaosan Maru southwest of Paramushiro, Kurils.
-Submarine Sea Dog (SS-401), attacking Japanese convoy off northwest coast of Hokkaido, sinks army cargo ship Kokai Maru and merchant cargo ship No.3 Shinhei Maru, and damages merchant vessel Naga Maru.
-Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Koshun Maru is lost to marine casualty, 4.5 kilometers off Yura Saki, eastern Bungo Suido.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Hattenzan Maru is sunk by aircraft off Masan, Korea; freighter Heian Maru is damaged by marine casualty off Hunghae.
-Japanese merchant tanker No.1 Nanki Maru is sunk by mine off Aki-Nada, in western part of the Inland Sea; guardboat No.3 Kaigyo Maru is damaged by mine 1.9 kilometers off He Saki, Japan.

 

19 June 1944 – Battle of the East Philippine Sea – Action in the North Marianas/Guam/Saipan area. F6F squadrons are credited with the following scores: from VF-1, 44 A6M, 1 B5N, 1 E13A, and 18 Ki-61; from VF-2, 27 A6M, 3 B6N, 13 D3A, and 1 E13A; from VF-8, 21 A6M, 2 D4Y, 1 E13A, and 1 Ki-57; from VF-10, 6 A6M, 4 B5N, 5 D3A, and 4 D4Y; from VF-14, 7 A6M, 1 B5N, 1 B6N, and 2 Ki-61; from VF-15, 40 A6M (including 0.5 credit from an F6F from an unknown squadron), 1 B6N, 2 D3A, 23 D4Y, and 1 E13A; from VF-16, 18 A6M, 2 B5N, 10 B6N, 13 D4Y, 3 E13A, and 1 unidentified bomber; from VF-24, 10 A6M; from VF-25, 4 A6M and 5 B6N, from VF-27, 13 A6M, 5 B5N, 5 D4Y, and 7 Ki-61; from VF-28, 23 A6M, 6 B6N, and 1 D4Y; from VF-31, 31 A6M and 2 D4Y; from VF-32, 1 A6M and 1 D4Y; from VF-50, 6 A6M, 1 B6N, 4 D4Y and 1 E13A; from VF-51, 1 A6M, 2 D4Y, 1 G4M, and 4 Ki-61 (including 0.5 credit from an F6F from an unknown squadron); and from VF(N)-76, 1 A6M, 1 B5N, 1 B6N, and 6 D3A. FM-2 squadrons were credited with: from VC-10, 1 B5N and from VC-41, 3 A6M. SB2Cs from VB-14 were credited with 1 D4Y and 1 G4M and from VB-15 with 2 B5N and 1 E13A. A VT-16 TBM accounted for 1 A6M. To the south, about 110 miles west of Yap, a VB-101 PB4Y shoots down an H8K.
19 June 1945 – A PB4Y from VPB-102 shoots down a Ki-43 over the Kii Suido between Shikokou and Honshu.

 

June 20, 1940
-Bureau of Ships is established with Rear Admiral Samuel M. Robinson as chief; Bureau of Construction and Repair and Bureau of Engineering are abolished.
-Office of Undersecretary of the Navy is created for duration of emergency.l
-Light cruiser Phoenix (CL-46) departs Lahaina, Maui, T.H., for the Panama Canal Zone, on the first leg of her goodwill cruise to the Pacific coast of South America.
-Vichy France opens northern Indochina to Japanese military mission and supporting troops.

June 20, 1942
-Japanese submarine I-26 shells Estevan Point, Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
-Submarine S-27 (SS-132) crew reach deserted village at Constantine Harbor and inhabit it until rescue comes.

June 20, 1943
-Submarine Seawolf (SS-197) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Shojin Maru.
-Submarine Tautog (SS-199) sinks Japanese transport Meiten Maru west of the Marianas.

June 20, 1944
-Battle of the Philippine Sea concludes as planes from TF 58 (Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher), launched late in the afternoon from carriers Hornet (CV-12), Yorktown (CV-10), Bunker Hill (CV-17), and Lexington (CV-16), and small carriers Belleau Wood (CVL-24), Monterey (CVL- 26) and San Jacinto (CVL-30), strike Japanese fleet in what becomes known as the "Mission Beyond Darkness." TBFs from Belleau Wood (VT 24) sink carrier Hiyo northwest of Yap Island. Fleet tanker Gen'yo Maru, damaged by F6Fs, SB2Cs and TBFs from Wasp, is scuttled by destroyer Uzuki, west of Saipan; likewise, oiler Seiyo Maru, damaged by F6Fs, SB2Cs and TBFs from Wasp, is scuttled by destroyer Yukikaze. TF 58 planes also damage carrier Zuikaku, small carriers Chiyoda and Ryuho, battleship Haruna, heavy cruiser Maya, destroyers Samidare and Shigure, and fast fleet tanker/seaplane carrier Hayasui. Vice Admiral Mitscher orders the ships of TF 58 to show lights in order to guide returning strike groups home.
In the two-day Battle of the Philippine Sea the Japanese Fleet loses 395 (92%) of its carrier planes, and 12 float planes remain operational. Besides the losses afloat, an estimated 50 land-based Japanese aircraft from Guam are destroyed. The U.S. Fleet loss is 130 planes and 76 pilots and crewmen for the two days, predominantly from the "Mission Beyond Darkness" on 20 June 1944.
-Destroyer Phelps (DD-360) is damaged by shore battery, Saipan.
-Submarine Hake (SS-256) attacks Japanese convoy off south coast of Mindanao, and sinks army cargo ship Nichibi Maru in Saragan Strait.
-Submarines Narwhal (SS-167) and Nautilus (SS-168) land supplies and evacuate people from Negros and Panay, P.I.
-USAAF A-20s raid New Guinea coastline, sinking Japanese fishing vessels Shinei Maru and No.3 Kompira Maru at Manokwari and No.31 Taikoko Maru at Windessi.

June 20, 1945
-TG 12.4, en route from Pearl Harbor to Leyte, attacks Wake Island; planes from carriers Hancock (CV-19) and Lexington (CV-16) and small carrier Cowpens (CVL-25) (Rear Admiral Ralph E. Jennings) bomb Japanese installations.
-Tank landing ship LST-562 is damaged when accidentally rammed by tank landing craft LCT-1310, Brunei Bay, Borneo.
-Minesweepers Device (AM-220) and Dour (AM-223) are damaged in collision off Okinawa.
-Motor minesweeper YMS-368 is damaged by mine off Balikpapan, Borneo.
-Tank landing ship LST-288 is damaged by operational casualty off Okinawa.
-Submarine Kraken (SS-370) sinks Japanese auxiliary sailing vessel No.58 Tachibana Maru in Sunda Strait, off Merak.
-Submarine Tinosa (SS-283), on patrol off the east coast of Korea, sinks Japanese army cargo ship Taito Maru and merchant cargo ship Kaisei Maru.
-Japanese merchant tanker Nanshin Maru is sunk by mine, possibly laid by submarine Ray (SS-271) on 22 February 1944, off Cape St. Jacques, French Indochina.
-Mine sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Kenan Maru in north Kyushu channel, mine laid by USAAF B-29 (20th Air Force) sinks merchant tanker No.1 Nanki Maru off Aki-Nada and damage merchant cargo ships Nitto Maru 5.7 kilometers off Tateishi light, and Keizan Maru seven kilometers southeast of Motoyamazaki. Cargo ship Huashan Maru is sunk by B-29-laid mine near Fukuoka, Kyushu.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Kamome Maru is sunk by aircraft between Pusan, Korea, and Yosu.
-USAAF B-24s (Fifth Air Force) on shipping sweep off coast of Korea sink cargo ship Keijo Maru off Mokpo.
-PB4Y-2s (VPB 118) continue aerial mining of waters of Korean archipelago in a repeat of the mission of the previous day, but on this occasion encounter heavy antiaircraft fire from Japanese warships in the vicinity.

 

Bill, I have a question about the entry, "Japanese water carrier Wayo Maru is damaged by aircraft (nationality unspecified), Rabaul."
Did the Japanese build special made ships to carry water to the islands ? Did the US have the same or how did the Marines get water on places like Iwo Jima ? I never gave this much thought until now. I always thought they were in the tropics and it rained alot so they caught drinking water in buckets or something. Then I realized the tropics also have lots of bugs that live in water and make you sick as a dog. I suppose they had to import water in North Africa also.

 

20 June 1944 – Battle of the East Philippine Sea continues as the TF-58 launches late strikes against the Japanese Fleet – F6F squadrons are credited: for VF-2, 1 B5N and 3 E13A; for VF-8, 2 A6M; for VF-10, 7 A6M, 1 B5N, 1 B6N, and 1 E13A; for VF-14, 5 A6M; for VF-15, 1 A6M; for VF-16, 1 A6M; for VF-24, 3 A6M; for VF-31, 1 G4M; for VF-50, 4 A6M and 1 G4M; and for VF(N)-77, 3 D3A. SB2C squadrons are credited: for VB-2 with 1 A6M, VB-14, 1 E13A, and VB-16, 2 A6M. TBM squadrons are credited: for VT-10, 1 A6M and 1 B6N; and for VT-16, 1 A6M.
20 June 1945 – Two PB4Ys from VPB-108 share a Ki-43 six miles south of Omaezaki, Honshu.

Water question is interesting. Never gave it much thought.

 

The very limited information that I have about the Wayo Maru is that it was a one a handful of regular freighters that the Japanese had adapted to transport water to some of their island outposts. As for the US island bases I would imagine that like at Midway, they had fully functioning water purification sytems in place. I believe that members of the 14th NCB (Naval Construction Battalion) started arriving at Guadalcanal very shortly after the initial landings (mid-late Aug '42) and that construction of water systems on the island was one of there priorties along with maintenance of the airstrips and other utilities such as power generation and sewage.

 

June 21, 1942
-PBY (VP 24) recovers two-man crew from Enterprise (CV-6) TBD (VT 6) 360 miles north of Midway. Their plane had to land in the water on 4 June; these are the last survivors of the Battle of Midway to be recovered.
-Submarine S-44 (SS-155) sinks Japanese gunboat Keijo Maru 12 miles west of Gavutu, Solomons.
-Japanese submarine I-25 shells Fort Stevens, Oregon.

June 21, 1943
-Fourth Marine Raider Battalion lands at Segi Point, New Georgia, Solomons.
-Submarine Harder (SS-257) damages Japanese oiler No. 3 Kyoei Maru east of Daiozaki, Japan.
-Submarine Hoe (SS-258) attacks Japanese vessel Koyo Maru; although Hoe claims a sinking, Koyo Maru survives the encounter with no damage.
-Japanese gunboat Hong Kong Maru sinks as the result of damage inflicted by submarine Gunnel (SS-253) off Shirase, Japan, lighthouse on 19 June 1943.

June 21, 1944
-Destroyer Newcomb (DD-586) and high speed minesweeper Chandler (DMS-9) sink Japanese submarine I-185, 90 miles east-northeast of Saipan; Japanese guardboat Kompira Maru is sunk by gunfire off Tinian.
-Submarine Bluefish (SS-222), despite presence of escort, sinks Japanese army cargo ship Kanan Maru off southern approaches to Makassar Strait.
-Submarine Narwhal (SS-167) sinks Japanese powered sailboat No.2 Shinshu Maru 12 miles southwest of Culasi.
-Dutch submarine K-14 damages Japanese minelayer Tsugaru between Sorong, New Guinea, and Kau Roads, Moluccas.
-TBF/Ms and F4Fs from escort carrier White Plains (CVE- 66) sink Japanese cargo ship Shoun Maru off Rota, Saipan.

June 21, 1945
-Okinawa is declared secured 82 days after the initial landings; Japanese air attacks on U.S. ships offshore, however, continue. Kamikazes damage destroyer escort Halloran (DE-305) and sink medium landing ship LSM-59, while she is escorting fleet tug Lipan (ATF-85) and high speed transport Barry (APD-29). Barry (previously damaged by kamikaze on 24 May) and in tow of Lipan, is en route to Ie Shima. Barry, decommissioned that morning, sailed loaded with empty powder cases, shell cases, ammunition tanks and empty oil drums, being employed to a picket station off Okinawa as a decoy to "absorb several suiciders." The already-damaged submarine chaser PC-1603 was earmarked for the same purpose. In addition, suicider planes damage seaplane tenders Curtiss (AV-4) and Kenneth Whiting (AV-14).
-Twenty-seven USAAF B-29s mine the waters off Oura, Senzaki, Nanao, Fushiki and Osaka, Japan.
-PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), flying from Okinawa, continue aerial mining of waters of Korean archipelago, sowing mines in waters in channel between Hikin-To, Iion-To, and Gantai-To; one plane encounters antiaircraft fire from Japanese warship in vicinity. Waters north of Roka-To are mined again as well.
-Landing craft repair ship Endymion (ARL-9) is damaged by Japanese submarine I-36 north of Truk.
-Motor minesweeper YMS-335 is damaged by shore battery, Balikpapan, Borneo.
-Submarine Parche (SS-384) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Hizen Maru.
-Submarine Piranha (SS-389) damages Japanese merchant cargo ship Shirogane Maru.

 

21 June 1943 – An F4F from VF-11 shoots down a G4M in the vicinity of the southeast tip of Santa Isabel, Solomon Islands
21 June 1944 – In the vicinity of the Northern Marianas – F6Fs from squadrons noted are credited as follows: From VF-24, 1 G4M; from VF-28, 1 G4M; from VF-31, 1 A6M; from VF-35, 1 G4M.

 

June 22, 1940
-Prince Konoye Fumimaro forms new Japanese cabinet with General Tojo Hideki as Minister of War and Matsuoka Yosuke as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

June 22, 1943
-Japanese submarine I-7, damaged by destroyer Monaghan (DD-354) 10 miles south of Cape Hita, runs aground, irreparably damaged, 12 miles south-southwest of Kiska, Aleutians.
-Submarine Grayling (SS-209) damages Japanese merchant oiler Eiyo Maru.

June 22, 1944
-Battleship Maryland (BB-46) is damaged by aerial torpedo off Garapan, Saipan; tank landing ship LST-119 is damaged by Tinian shore battery, Saipan; transport Prince Georges (AP-165) is damaged by near-miss of bomb off Saipan.
-Submarine Batfish (SS-310) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Nagaragawa Maru off Honshu.
-Submarine Flier (SS-250) torpedoes Japanese army cargo ship Belgium Maru west of Mindoro.
-Submarine Narwhal (SS-167) damages Japanese tanker Itsukushima Maru in Sulu Sea.
-USAAF aircraft damage Japanese cargo vessel Shoyu Maru off Sorong Island.

June 22, 1945
-High speed transport Barry (APD-29) (previously damaged twice by kamikazes) sinks as the result of damage received the previous day.
-Off Okinawa, kamikazes damage high speed minesweeper Ellyson (DMS-19); tank landing ship LST-534; medium landing ship LSM-213 is damaged by operational casualty.
-Motor minesweeper YMS-10 is damaged by shore battery, Balikpapan, Borneo.
-USAAF B-29s (162 strong) bomb naval facility at Kure, Japan, destroying the incomplete submarines I-204 and I-352, and damaging escort destroyer Nire and submarine RO-67.
-Submarine Crevalle (SS-291) damages Japanese escort destroyer Kasado.
-Submarine Parche (SS-384) sinks unnamed Japanese fishing boat.
-Submarine Piranha (SS-389) damages Coast Defense Vessel No.196.
-Mines laid by USAAF B-29s (20th Air Force) sink Japanese merchant cargo ships Yubu Maru in Kammon Channel, Tokasegawa Maru off Tsutura, in Kammon Channel, Taigen Maru near Kammon Channel, and Ungetsu Maru north of Mutsure, and damage transport Tatsumiya Maru one kilometer off Ganryu Jima Light.
-PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), flying from Okinawa, continue aerial mining of waters of Korean archipelago, sowing mines in waters in channel between Hikin-To, Iion-To, and Gantai-To.
-PBMs bomb lighthouse and Japanese shipping off south coast of Korea.