Today in the History of the Pacific Theater

23 June 1944 – In the vicinity of the Northern Marianas – F6Fs from squadrons noted are credited as follows: From VF-15, 13 A6M; from VF-16, 1 A6M; from VF-50, 6 A6M and 1 G4M; and from VF-51, 2 A6M. FM-2s from VC-65 shoot down 2 B5N. TBMs from VT-32 account for 2 G4M, and from VT-27, another G4M. East of Guam a PB4Y from VB-108 down a B5N.

 

June 23, 1942
-PBY on routine search spots submarine S-27 (SS-132) crew at Constantine Harbor; 15 men are transported out.

June 23, 1943
-Japanese submarine RO-103 torpedoes and sinks cargo ship Aludra (AK-72) and torpedoes cargo ship Deimos (AK-78) while both are in convoy en route to Guadalcanal. Deimos, irreparably damaged, is scuttled by destroyer O'Bannon (DD-450).
-Submarine Harder (SS-257) damages Japanese seaplane carrier Sagara Maru off southern Honshu.
-U.S. aircraft sink Japanese guardboat Nikka Maru north of Bougainville.

June 23, 1944
-Aircraft from carrier task group (Rear Admiral Joseph J. Clark) bomb Japanese air facilities and shipping in the Marianas, sinking guardboat Haruta Maru off Pagan Island and cargo ship Shoun Maru off Rota.
-SB2C crew (VB 14) is rescued by PBM (VH-1); the two men picked up by the flying boat are the last to be recovered in the wake of the "Mission Beyond Darkness" of 20 June 1944. Ironically, the PBM is off course when it recovers the men.
-Japanese planes begin night high-level bombing attack on U.S. amphibious shipping off Saipan.

June 23, 1945
-Twenty-six USAAF B-29s mine the waters off Karatsu, Fukuoka, Sakai, and Niigata, Japan.
-PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), flying from Okinawa, continue aerial mining of waters of Korean archipelago, sowing mines in waters in channel north of Iion-To and Gantai-To, and off Ninshi-To and Chi-To.
-Motor minesweeper YMS-364 is damaged by shore battery, Balikpapan, Borneo.
-Submarine Hardhead (SS-365) sinks Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 42 in Java Sea and after undergoing counterattack by auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 113, sinks Cha 113 and No. 833 Shuttle Boat.
-Submarine Tirante (SS-420) sinks Japanese merchant sailing junk No.293 Antung Maru.
-Mines sink Japanese merchant cargo ship Goshu Maru off Mutsure light, and damage merchant cargo ship Kocho Maru 1.5 kilometers off Takenoko light.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Shingishu Maru is damaged by aircraft off Pusan, Korea.

 

Damn, I seem to have skipped a day . . . Sorry to get things out of order.

22 June 1944 – In the vicinity of the Northern Marianas – F6Fs from squadrons noted are credited as follows: From VF-8, 1 H8K; from VF-14 1 H8K; from VF-25, 1 G4M; from VF-35, 1 G4M; from VF-37, 1 D4Y; from VF-51, 1 D4Y; and from VF-60, 1 D4Y. A VT-37 TBM shoots down 1 G4M.

 

June 24, 1940
-Charles Edison, who had devoted himself to accelerating naval construction and to technical advances in the naval service, resigns as Secretary of the Navy. Lewis Compton, Assistant Secretary of the Navy since 9 February, becomes Acting Secretary. Edison will become Governor of New Jersey.
-Japan requests that British close the Burma Road, thus severing the Allied supply line to China.
-Rear Admiral Charles A. Blakely relieves Rear Admiral Joseph R. Defrees as Commandant, Eleventh Naval District and Commandant Naval Operating Base, San Diego, California.

June 24, 1942
-Three PBYs bring out remainder of submarine S-27 (SS-132)'s crew from Constantine Harbor.

June 24, 1943
-Submarine Snook (SS-279) damages Japanese oiler Ose west of Amami Oshima.

June 24, 1944
-Japanese planes conclude night high-level bombing attack on U.S. amphibious shipping off Saipan. Battle damage repair ship Phaon (ARB-3), submarine chasers PC(S)-1401 and PC(S)-1461, and tank landing craft LCT-998 are all damaged by near-misses.
-Aircraft from carrier task groups (Rear Admiral Joseph J. Clark and Rear Admiral Alfred E. Montgomery) strike Japanese airfields and facilities on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, and Pagan Island, Marianas.
-Motor torpedo boat PT-193, irreparably damaged by grounding, western New Guinea is burned by her crew.
-Submarine Grouper (SS-214) attacks Japanese convoy off coast of central Japan, and sinks cargo ship Kumanoyama Maru and merchant tanker No.6 Nanmei Maru south of Yokosuka.
-Submarine Redfin (SS-272) attacks Japanese convoy off southern coast of Leyte, and sinks army cargo ship Aso Maru southwest of Surigao Strait.
-Submarine Tang (SS-306) attacks Japanese convoy leaving Koshiki Straits, and sinks army cargo ships Tamahoko Maru and Kennichi Maru, and merchant tanker Nasuzan Maru and cargo ship Tainan Maru outside Nagasaki harbor, Kyushu. Coast Defense Vessel No.1 does not prove fast enough to pursue Tang to counterattack.

June 24, 1945
-Destroyer escort Neuendorf (DE-200) is damaged in collision, P.I.
-Motor minesweeper YMS-339 is damaged, accidentally, by U.S. aircraft off Balikpapan, Borneo.
-Submarine Tirante (SS-420) sinks Japanese merchant sailing junk No.284 Antung Maru.
-British submarine HMS Statesman damages Japanese submarine depot ship Komahashi off northern Sumatra.
-British submarine HMS Torbay sinks unnamed merchant coaster [motor sailboat] in Malacca Strait.
-Mines sink Japanese merchant cargo ships Katsura Maru; No.8 Kenkon Maru, 2.4 kilometers off Mutsure light, Tatsukaba Maru at mouth of Karatsu Bay; and damage merchant cargo ships Tsurukawa Maru and Unzen Maru.
-PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), flying from Okinawa in a repeat of mission carried out the previous day, continue aerial mining of waters of Korean archipelago, sowing mines in waters north of Iion-To and Gantai-To, and off Ninshi-To and Chi-To. The Privateers, upon completion of the mining operation, strafe targets of opportunity that include railroad facilities, airports and Japanese shipping, sinking merchant ship Pluto Go off Mokpo.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Wakamatsu Maru is damaged by aircraft.

 

June 25, 1942
-President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Churchill conclude conference in Washington; decision is reached for combined U.S.-British research and development of the atomic bomb.
Pacific
-Carrier Saratoga (CV-3) ferries 25 USAAF P-40s (73d Fighter Squadron) to Midway to provide fighter defense for the atoll, after the heavy losses suffered by VMF 221 during the Battle of Midway on 4 June. Saratoga also brings in 18 SBDs to bring VMSB 241 (also badly battered at Midway) up to strength.
-Submarine Nautilus (SS-168) torpedoes and sinks Japanese destroyer Yamakaze southeast of Yokosuka, Japan.
-Submarine Grouper (SS-214) damages Japanese oiler No.3 Tonan Maru.
-PBYs (VP 71) bomb Japanese base at Tulagi; Rear Admiral John S. McCain (Commander, Aircraft, South Pacific Force) is present in one of the flying boats to observe operations.

June 25, 1943
-Submarine Sailfish (SS-192) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking army collier Iburi Maru off northeast coast of Honshu.

June 25, 1944
-Submarine Bashaw (SS-241) attacks Japanese convoy, and sinks army cargo ship Yamamiya Maru between Taland Island and Halmahera.
-Submarine Jack (SS-259) attacks Japanese convoy, and sinks merchant tanker San Pedro Maru off northwest coast of Luzon.
-Japanese minelayer Nichiyu Maru is further damaged by naval gunfire in Apra Harbor, Guam.

June 25, 1945
-PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), flying from Okinawa, continue aerial mining of waters of Korean archipelago, sowing mines in waters north of Chin-To. Upon completion of the mining operation, the Privateers strafe targets of opportunity that include lighthouses and Japanese shipping.
-Twenty-six USAAF B-29s mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Tsuruga and Ohama, Japan. Mines sink Japanese merchant cargo ships Anri Go off Mutsure, and Kozan Maru off Wakamatsu; and damage escort destroyer Kuga in Fukagawa Bay.
-Underwater demolition teams, covered by aircraft, begin operations on the beaches at Balikpapan, Borneo, in advance of landings slated to begin there.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Katori Maru is sunk by aircraft.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship No.5 Ise Maru is sunk by aircraft, outside Sakito harbor.

 

24 June 1944 – In the vicinity of Iwo Jima – F6Fs from squadrons noted are credited as follows: From VF-1, 18 A6M; 1 B5N, and 2 Ki-43; from VF-2, 33 A6M, 19 B5N, and 9 D4Y; from VF-15, 2 A6M; from VF-24, 1 B5N; from VF-50, 20 A6M, 2 B6N, and 4 D4Y; and from VF(N)-76, 2 B5N. A VB-2 SB2C is credited with 1 B5N.

25 June 1945 – A PBM from VPB-25 shoots down a Ki-43 near the mouth of the Geum River, on the west coast of Korea.

26 June 1944 – While on patrol out of Eniwetok a PB4Y from VD-4 shoots down a Ki-49 10 miles south of the Hall Islands, central Carolines. An F6F from VF-27 is credited with a Ki-61 north of Guam.
26 June 1945 – A VPB-111 PB4Y shoots down a Ki-44 near Kuantan, Malaya.

27 June 1944 – A nightfighter F4U-2 from VF(N)-101 brings down a Ki-21 in the area of the task force formation, about 60 miles west-southwest of Guam.

28 June 1944 – F4U-2s from VF(N)-101, between 2015 and 2245 shoot down 3 G4M, 75 miles southwest of Guam.

Rich

 

June 26, 1943
-Submarine Jack (SS-259) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking transports Shozan Maru and Toyo Maru off Hachijo Jima, southern Honshu, Japan. Although damaged by a Japanese aerial bomb during enemy countermeasures, Jack continues on patrol.
-Submarine Runner (SS-476) perhaps sinks Japanese army cargo ship Shinryu Maru off Matsuwa Island, Kuriles.

June 26, 1944
-Cruiser and destroyers (Rear Admiral Ernest G. Small) bombard Japanese positions at Kurabu Zaki, Paramushiro, Kurils.
-Infantry landing craft (gunboat) LCI(G)-438 and LCI(G)-456 repel attack by Japanese barges (some of which fire torpedoes) off Tanapag Harbor, Saipan, but both gunboats are damaged in the battle. Elsewhere off Saipan, cargo ship Mercury (AK-42) is damaged by low- flying Japanese aircraft that flies into cargo boom, and is hit by dud aerial torpedo.
-British submarine HMS Truculent attacks Japanese convoy, sinking cargo ship Harugiku Maru about 60 miles southeast of Medan, Sumatra.
-USAAF P-38s sink Japanese army cargo ship Hokushin Maru east of Halmahera Island.
-USAAF B-25s sink Japanese fishing boat No.1 Daisen Maru off Manokwari.

June 26, 1945
-Naval task group (Captain Charles A. Buchanan) lands marines on Kume Jima, Ryukyus.
Underwater demolition teams at Balikpapan continue operations to clear obstacles, covered by close support unit (an element of TG 78.2) comprising 10 landing craft [LCS(L)], 8 rocket-equipped infantry landing craft [LCI(R)] and 6 infantry landing craft (gunboats) [LCI(G)].
-PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), flying from Okinawa, continue aerial mining of waters of Korean archipelago, sowing mines in waters north of Chin-To, and north of Iion-To and Gantai-To.
-Destroyer escort Halloran (DE-305) is strafed by Japanese aircraft in Davao Gulf, P.I.
-Off Balikpapan, Borneo, motor minesweeper YMS-39 is sunk by mine; motor minesweeper YMS-365, damaged by mine is scuttled by U.S. forces.
-Off Okinawa, small seaplane tender Suisun (AVP-53) is damaged when accidentally rammed by tank landing craft LCT-1407.
-Destroyers Bearss (DD-654), John Hood (DD-655), Jarvis (DD-799), and Porter (DD-800) sink Japanese auxiliary submarine chasers Cha 73, Cha 206 and Cha 209, and guardboat No.2 Kusunoki Maru, and damage auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 198, south of Onekotan, Kurils.
-Submarine Parche (SS-384), attacking Japanese convoy, sinks gunboat Kamitsu Maru and merchant cargo ship Eikan Maru seven miles off Todozaki, southern Honshu, but although damaged by depth charges, remains on patrol.
-Japanese escort destroyer Enoki is sunk by mine, Obama Wan, Fukui, Japan. Destroyer Hatsuume is damaged by mine off Maizuru.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Kisei Go is sunk by aircraft.
-Japanese submarine I-162 is damaged by marine casualty off south coast of Korea.
-Japanese naval vessel Bingo Maru is damaged by aircraft, East China Sea.
-Japanese cargo ship Nadamitsu Maru is damaged by aircraft off Yodoe, Tottori prefecture.
-Japanese cargo ship No.11 Shinsei Maru is damaged by marine casualty east of Kamoizaki.

 

June 27, 1940
-President Roosevelt establishes National Defense Research Committee (Dr. Vannevar Bush, chairman) to correlate and support scientific research on the mechanisms and devices of war; among its members are officers of the Navy and War Departments.

June 27, 1942
-Submarine Nautilus (SS-168) torpedoes and sinks Japanese auxiliary minesweeper Musashi Maru east of Nojimazaki, Japan.

June 27, 1943
-In the Indian Ocean, the U.S. freighter Sebastian Cermeno, en route from Mombasa, Kenya, to Bahia, Brazil, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-511 at 29°00'S, 50°10'E; after U-511 surfaces to question the survivors, the enemy submarine submerges and retires from the area.
-First group of survivors of U.S. freighter Henry Knox, torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-37 on 19 June 1943, reaches the Maldives.

June 27, 1944
-TF 58 planes complete destruction of Japanese water tanker Kizugawa Maru, already damaged irreparably by submarine Seahorse (SS-304) on 8 April off Guam.
-Submarine Seahorse (SS-304) attacks Japanese convoy, and sinks merchant tanker Medan Maru south-southwest of Formosa.

June 27, 1945
-Twenty-nine USAAF B-29s mine the waters off Hagi, Niigata, Kobe, and Osaka, Japan.
PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), flying from Okinawa, continue aerial mining of waters of Korean archipelago, sowing mines in fields off Chin-To and northwest of Roka-To.
-Destroyer Caldwell (DD-605) is damaged by mine in Brunei Bay, Borneo.
-Submarine Blueback (SS-326) sinks Japanese submarine chaser Ch 2 north of Lombok, Java Sea.
-Japanese submarine I-165 is sunk by naval land-based aircraft (VPB 142), 450 miles east of Saipan, Marianas.
-Japanese auxiliary minelayer Kyushu Maru is sunk by U.S. aircraft east of Otsu, Japan.
-Mines sink Japanese merchant cargo ships Mifuku Maru outside Nanao harbor and No.7 Kaishin Maru off Mutsure, Japan, and damage escort destroyer Sakito, army cargo ship Maoka Maru .3 kilometers off Niigata light, and merchant cargo ships Yuzuki Maru off Moji, and Mifunesan Maru off Harima-Nada.
-Japanese army cargo ship Hozu Maru is sunk by aircraft, near Rabaul, New Britain.
-Japanese submarine chaser Ch 19 is damaged by aircraft, south of Korea; merchant cargo ship Keisei Maru is damaged by aircraft, near Mokpo, Korea.
-Navy land-based aircraft damage Japanese cargo vessel Keijo Maru.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship No.7 Nichiyu Maru is damaged by marine casualty.

 

June 28, 1942
-Submarine Nautilus (SS-168) is damaged by depth charges off central Honshu.
-Submarine Stingray (SS-186), attacking Japanese convoy, torpedoes and sinks gunboat Saikyo Maru about 190 miles north of Yap, Carolines; cargo ship Meiten Maru fires at Stingray's periscope without effect.
-PBYs (VP 14) bomb Japanese base at Tulagi.

June 28, 1943
-Submarine Peto (SS-265) sinks Japanese hydrographic-meteorological research ship Tenkai.
-Submarine Tunny (SS-282) sinks Japanese gunboat Shotoku Maru off west coast of Rota, Marianas.
-In the Indian Ocean, a second group of survivors of U.S. freighter Henry Knox, torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-37 on 19 June 1943, reaches the Maldives.

June 28, 1944
-Submarine Archerfish (SS-311) sinks Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.24, 30 miles southwest of Iwo Jima as the enemy warship covers unloading operations by what are most likely landing ships.
-Submarine Pargo (SS-264) attacks Japanese convoy in Moro Gulf, army cargo ship Yamagiku Maru and damages Coast Defense Vessel No.10 about 35 miles east of Zamboanga.
-Submarine Sealion (SS-315), despite presence of escorts, sinks Japanese collier Sansei Maru in Tsushima Strait.
-USAAF B-24s (14th Air Force) attack Japanese convoy MATA 23 southwest of the Pescadores, sinking transport Ussuri Maru off Formosa.

June 28, 1945
-Japanese submarine I-36 carries out unsuccessful kaiten attack on general issues stores ship Antares (AKS-3) southeast of the Marianas; destroyer Sproston (DD-577) comes to Antares's aid, sinking one kaiten and damaging I-36.
-Off Balikpapan, Borneo, motor minesweeper YMS-47 is damaged by mine; motor minesweeper YMS-49 is damaged by shore battery.
-PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), flying from Okinawa, continue aerial mining of waters of Korean archipelago in a repeat of mission the previous day, sowing mines in fields off Chin-To and northwest of Roka-To. Although fighter opposition materializes to this mission, the Privateers "after considerable sparring" drive off the enemy without loss.
-Mines sink Japanese merchant cargo ship Daikokusan Maru (off Moji, Japan) and damage cable ship Osei Maru (three kilometers southeast of Jizozaki) and merchant cargo ship Yahiko Maru.
-Japanese naval vessel Toyokawa Maru is damaged by marine casualty 450 meters southeast of Hikoshima.

 

June 29, 1943
-Naval Auxiliary Air Facility, Shemya, Alaska, is established.
-Submarine Gurnard (SS-254) unsuccessfully attacks Japanese convoy.
-Japanese cargo vessel No.8 Mikage Maru is sunk in collision with Nikko Maru 30 miles west of Iwanni, northern coast of Hokkaido.

June 29, 1944
-Submarine Bang (SS-385) damages Japanese fleet tanker Miri Maru and merchant tanker Sarawak Maru west of Luzon.
-Submarine Darter (SS-227) attacks Japanese convoy off northern tip of Halmahera Island, and sinks minelayer Tsugaru.
-Submarine Flasher (SS-249) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking merchant cargo ship Niho Maru and damaging oiler Notoro about 125 miles southeast of Singapore.
-Submarine Growler (SS-215), despite presence of three escort vessels, sinks Japanese transport Katori Maru in Luzon Strait.
-Submarine Sturgeon (SS-187) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking army cargo ship Toyama Maru in the Nansei Shoto, off Taira Jima.

June 29, 1945
-Twenty-five USAAF B-29s (20th Air Force) mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Maizuru and Sakata, Japan. Mines laid by B-29s in these and previous plants sink merchant cargo ship Kyokuto Maru off Mutsure, and damage naval vessel Soshu Maru two kilometers off Tsuruga light, merchant cargo ships Akizuki Maru in Tsuruga harbor, Nichiyu Maru and Hiyoriyama Maru outside Sakai harbor.
-PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), flying from Okinawa, continue aerial mining of waters of Korean archipelago, sowing mines in fields off Gyuji-To, Jobai-To, and Toso-To.

 

29 June 1944 – An F6F from VF-27 scores a D4Y and a pair of F6Fs from VF-51 share a G4M about 50 miles southeast of Guam.

Rich

 

June 30, 1940
-Naval ships and district craft on hand (all types)--1,099. Personnel: Navy--160,997; Marine Corps--28,364; Coast Guard--13,766. Total personnel--203,127.

June 30, 1941
-Naval vessels on hand (all types)--1,899. Personnel: Navy--284,427; Marine Corps--54,359; Coast Guard--19,235. Total personnel--358,021.

June 30, 1942
-Naval vessels on hand (all types of ships and craft)--5,612. Personnel: Navy--640,570; Marine Corps--143,528; Coast Guard--58,998. Total personnel--843,096.
-XPBS-1 transporting Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet, and his staff to San Francisco crashes upon landing off Alameda, California. Nimitz suffers scratches and abrasions in the mishap but remains topside on the wreckage to direct rescue operations, refusing to leave that post until the wrecked flying boat has been searched for survivors.
-Coastal minesweeper Hornbill (AMc-13) is sunk in collision with U.S. lumber schooner Esther Johnson in San Francisco Bay, California.
-District patrol craft YP-270 sinks after running aground at Boca Santo Domingo, while en route from San Diego, California, to the Panama Canal Zone.
-District patrol craft YP-128 sinks after running aground in heavy weather three miles northeast of Monterey, California.
-Submarine Plunger (SS-179) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship No.5 Unkai Maru off the China coast near approaches to Shanghai.
In the Indian Ocean, the U.S. freighter Express, en route from Bombay, India, to Cape Town, South Africa, is torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-10; one lifeboat is swamped when the ship is abandoned, and two Armed Guard sailors and 11 merchant seamen are lost.

June 30, 1943
-Naval vessels and craft on hand (all types)-18,493. Personnel: Navy--1,741,750; Marine Corps--310,994; Coast Guard--154,976. Total Personnel--2,207,720.
-Beginning shortly before midnight on 29 June, four cruisers and four destroyers of TU 36.2.1 (Rear Admiral Aaron S. Merrill) bombard Vila-Stanmore on Kolombangara and Buin-Shortland, Bougainville, Solomons; TU 36.2.2--light minelayers Preble (DM-20), Gamble (DM-15), and Breese (DM-18)--sow mines off Shortland Harbor, Bougainville, between Alu and Munda Islands. Gamble lays mines off New Georgia.
-In Operation TOENAILS, Third Fleet Amphibious Force (Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner) supported by land-based aircraft (Vice Admiral Aubrey W. Fitch) lands Marines and Army troops on Rendova and other islands in the New Georgia area, Solomons. Destroyer Gwin (DD-433) is damaged off Munda, New Georgia, by Japanese shore battery.
-Attack transport McCawley (APA-4), damaged by Japanese aerial torpedoes is torpedoed by what is most likely U.S. motor torpedo boat off New Georgia, Solomons.
-High speed minesweeper Zane (DMS-14) is damaged by grounding, Solomons.
-Seaplane tender (destroyer) Hulbert (AVD-6) is damaged by grounding off Alexai Point, Massacre Bay, Aleutians.
In the Indian Ocean, the last survivors of U.S. freighter Henry Knox, torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-37 on 19 June 1943, reaches the Maldives. From Henry Knox's complement, 13 of 42-man merchant sailors perish, as do 13 of the 25-man Armed Guard.

June 30, 1944
-Naval vessels on hand (all types)--46,032. Personnel: Navy--2,981,365; Marine Corps--472,582; Coast Guard-- 169,258. Total personnel--3,623,205.
-Submarine Jack (SS-259) attacks Japanese convoy about 70 miles west of Manila, and sinks army cargo ships Tsurushima Maru and Matsukawa Maru.
-Submarine Plaice (SS-390) (despite a debilitating epidemic of intenstinal influenza on board) sinks Japanese gunboat Hyakafuku Maru northwest of Chichi Jima. Auxiliary netlayer Kogi Maru's counterattack is unsuccessful.
-Submarine Tang (SS-306) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Nikkin Maru in the Yellow Sea off Mokpo, Korea.
-Japanese guardboat Aikoku Maru is sunk by shore battery off Kwajalein Atoll.

June 30, 1945
-Naval vessels on hand (all types)--67,952. Personnel: Navy--3,383,196; Marine Corps--476,709; Coast Guard--171,192. Total personnel--4,031,097.
-Open lighter YC-1272, beached on south side of Cerritos Channel, San Pedro, California, is lost during June (date indeterminate).
-PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), flying from Okinawa, continue aerial mining of waters of Korean archipelago, sowing mines in fields off the south central coast.
-Off Balikpapan, Borneo, destroyer Smith (DD-378) is damaged by shore battery; minesweeper YMS-314 by mine.
-Submarines Baya (SS-318) and Capitaine (SS-336) attack Japanese Makassar-to-Surabaya convoy MASU-705, engaging the escorting submarine chaser Ch 5 and sinking cargo vessel Bandai Maru.
-Japanese army cargo ship Hokushin Maru is lost to unknown cause in South China Sea. Probable agent of destruction is submarine Lagarto which is assigned to patrol the South China Sea at that time. Lagarto does not return from her war patrol.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship No.1 Ryuho Maru is sunk by aircraft.
-Mines damage Japanese escort destroyer Nara, six miles west-southwest of Shimonoseki, Japan Coast Defense Vessel No.154, 2.8 kilometers off Hesaki light, and merchant cargo ships Chikuma Maru, 15 kilometers off Himejima, Taruyasu Maru and Taisei Maru.
-Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.215 is damaged 2.8 kilometers off Iwasaki.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship No.1 Taiyu Maru is damaged by aircraft, Moji harbor.

 

July 1, 1940
-Navy awards contracts for 44 ships.
-Headquarters Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force (Brigadier General Ross E. Rowell, USMC) is established at the Marine Corps Base, San Diego, California.

July 1, 1941
-Naval Coastal Frontiers are established: North Atlantic, Southern, Caribbean, Panama, Pacific Southern, Pacific Northern, Hawaiian, and Philippine. Their commanders are responsible for the direction of local patrol, convoy escort, and antisubmarine warfare operations. Mobilization of all Organized, Fleet, and local defense divisions of the Naval Reserve is completed on this date.

July 1, 1942
-Submarine Sturgeon (SS-187) sinks Japanese transport Montevideo Maru about 65 miles west of Cape Bojeador, Luzon. Unbeknownst to the submariners, Montevideo Maru is transporting 1,050 Allied POWs to Hainan Island.

July 1, 1943
-Naval Operating Base, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, is established.
-Motor torpedo boat PT-162, operating out of Rendova, is damaged by Japanese plane, south of Mbalumbala Island.
-Submarine Gar (SS-206) lands commandoes on south coast of Timor, N.E.I.
-Submarine Gurnard (SS-254) unsuccessfully attacks Japanese landing craft transport/aircraft transport Akitsu Maru.
-Submarine Thresher (SS-200) attacks Japanese convoy off the northwest coast of Celebes, in the Straits of Makassar, damaging destroyer Hokaze and sinking army cargo ship Yoneyama Maru, 38 miles from Balikpapan. Hokaze is grounded in Sibaya harbor, Celebes, to prevent sinking and to permit salvage.

July 1, 1944
-Submarine Batfish (SS-310) sinks Japanese guardboats Kamoi Maru and No.5 Isuzugawa Maru northwest of Mariana Islands.
-Submarine Tang (SS-306) sinks Japanese fleet tanker No.1 Takatori Maru off Mokpo, Korea, and merchant cargo ship No.2 Taiun Maru.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Nikko Maru is sunk by mine, possibly laid by submarine Kingfish (SS-234) on 10 October 1943, off Makassar.

July 1, 1945
-TG 78.2 (Rear Admiral Albert G. Noble) lands Australian troops [Seventh Australian Division (Reinforced) less one brigade] at Balikpapan, Borneo; landing is covered by Allied naval gunfire and aircraft. This, the final major amphibious assault of the Borneo campaign, is unopposed.
-Over 530 USAAF B-29s firebomb Ube, Kure, Shimonoseki, and Kumamoto, Japan; auxiliary minelayer Himetaka Maru is damaged at Kure.
-PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), flying from Okinawa, conclude aerial mining of waters of Korean archipelago, sowing mines in fields off Chin-To. VPB 118 wraps up its mining operations this date having sown 195 mines. The aircrew notice an absence of shipping in the areas mined, leading to the conclusion that the effort "has effectively stopped the movement of enemy ships in theinner channels around the southwest coast of Korea."
-Twenty-four USAAF B-29s mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Nanao and Fushiki, Japan. Mines sink Japanese merchant cargo ships Tenyu Maru at entrance of Niigata harbor, and Naoshima Maru three miles north of Shodo Jima, and damage merchant cargo ships Yamaji Maru and Eijun Maru off Moji, Japan.
-Submarine Haddo (SS-255) sinks Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.72 and merchant cargo ships Konri Maru and 1 Taiun Maru and No.2 Taiun Maru in Yellow Sea off west coast of Korea.
-Japanese minesweeper depot ship Chohei Maru and merchant cargo ship Koa Maru are damaged by U.S. aircraft, Woosung, China.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Mitakesan Maru is damaged by aircraft.
-USAAF planes (5th Air Force) sink Japanese merchant cargo ship Shinneisho Maru at mouth of Yangtze River.

July 1, 1969
-At 0619hrs at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Pottsville Pa, Roberta Lynn Murray gives birth to her first son, William.

 

30 June 1943 – F4Fs from VF-21 are credited with 18 A6M and 14 G4M in the Blanche Channel/Munda area. TBFs from VT-11 shoot down 1 A6M and 1 D3A over Blanche Channel.

1 July 1943 – F4Fs from VF-21 shoot down 2 D3A in the vicinity of Munda

2 July 1943 – F4Fs from VF-28 shoot down 2 D3A and 1 A6M in the vicinity of Rendova
2 July 1944 – An F6F from VF(N)-76 shoots down 1 G4M as the task force approaches Iwo Jima. A PB4Y from VB-115 shoots down 1 H8K southwest of Palau.

Rich

 

July 2, 1940
-Congress passes Export Control Act giving the President the power, whenever he deems "necessary in the interest of national defense" to prohibit or curtail the exportation of military equipment, munitions, tools, and materials.

July 2, 1941
-Japan recalls its merchant ships from Atlantic Ocean and calls up more than one million army conscripts.

July 2, 1942
-Submarine Plunger (SS-179), attacking Japanese convoy off the mouth of the Yangtze, sinks army cargo ship No.3 Unyo Maru.
-Japanese guardboats No.1 Kaiyo Maru and No.2 Kaiyo Maru are wrecked (cause unknown) off Guadalcanal.

July 2, 1943
-Japanese naval and army aircraft bomb Rendova, Solomons; Japanese light cruiser Yubari and nine destroyers bombard the beachhead. Motor torpedo boats PT-156, PT-157, and PT-161 engage the enemy, but inflict no damage.
-Motor torpedo boats PT-153 and PT-158, damaged by grounding, Solomons, are beached and abandoned.
-Submarine Flying Fish (SS-229) sinks Japanese merchant troopship Canton Maru off China coast, about 80 miles northeast of Amoy.
-Submarine S-35 (SS-140) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship (crab-catcher) No.7 Banshu Maru off the west coast of the Kamchatka peninsula, Aleutians.
-Submarine Trout (SS-202) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Isuzu Maru off north coast of Marinduque Island, P.I.
-USAAF B-25 and USN F4Us sink Japanese auxiliary minelayer Kashi Maru off New Georgia.

July 2, 1944
-TF 77 (Rear Admiral William M. Fechteler, USN) lands U.S. Army troops (the reinforced 168th Infantry) on Noemfoor Island off Netherlands New Guinea, in Operation TABLETENNIS, in order to secure the island's three airstrips that will support operations in New Guinea. TF 74 (Commodore John A. Collins, RAN) and TF 75 (Rear Admiral Russell S. Berkey), composed of heavy and light cruisers and destroyers, provide gunfire support.
-Japanese landing ship T.150 is damaged by mine off Amoy, China.
-In the Indian Ocean, the U.S. freighter Jean Nicolet is torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-8 and abandoned. I-8 then shells the ship, setting it afire. Survivors (41-man merchant complement, 28-man Armed Guard, and 30 passengers) are then taken on board the submarine, where their captors search them, bind them, and question them. At least one man is shot; some of the POWs are made to run a gauntlet; some are beaten. In the meantime, the Japanese destroy the lifeboats with gunfire. I-8 retains the master, radio operator, and a civilian passenger, and then submerges, leaving the remainder of the survivors on deck to drown. Some of the survivors, however, return to the burning Jean Nicolet (which sinks the following day) to launch rafts.

July 2, 1945
-Japanese planes attack fleet units patrolling off Okinawa; high speed transport Scribner (APD-122) is narrowly missed by aerial torpedo.
-Submarine Apogon (SS-308) damages Japanese auxiliary submarine chasers Cha 58 and Cha 65.
-Submarine Barb (SS-220) employs rockets in bombardment of Japanese shore installations at Kaihyo Island off the east coast of Karafuto; this is the first successful use of these weapons against shore positions by a U.S. submarine.
-Submarines Haddo (SS-255) and Paddle (SS-263) attack Japanese shipping, sinking one unnamed cargo vessel and leaving another drifting.
-Mines sink Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 188 in Sea of Japan, 1.5 kilometers off Mutsure light and damage army motor sailer Nanko Maru, by mine, .5 kilometers off Kammon light.
-Japanese merchant tanker No.5 Nanki Maru is sunk by marine casualty. Marine casualties (most likely groundings or storms) account for damage to cargo ship Awa Maru between Hakodate and Yokohama, and cargo vessel Annette Fritzen at entrance to Pusan harbor, Korea.
-USAAF B-29s (20th Air Force) bomb Japanese shipping and installations at Kure, sinking cargo vessel Himetaka Maru.
-USN land-based planes sink Japanese sailing vessel Nishima Maru off Gunzan, west coast of Korea, and cargo ship No.12 Shima Maru.

 

July 3, 1942
-USAAF B-24s bomb and damage Japanese seaplane carriers Kamikawa Maru and Kimikawa Maru, and transport Fujisan Maru off Agattu Island.
British submarine HMS Truant sinks Japanese army cargo ship No.1 Tamon Maru in Strait of Malacca.

July 3, 1943
-Submarine Scorpion (SS-278) attacks Japanese convoy in the Yellow Sea and sinks merchant cargo ships Anzan Maru and Kokuryu Maru.

July 3, 1944
-Submarine Albacore (SS-218) sinks Japanese steamer Taimei Maru, en route from Yap to Palau.
-Submarine Sturgeon (SS-187), in attack on Japanese convoy, sinks Japanese army transport Tairin Maru north of the Nansei Shoto.
-Submarine Tinosa (SS-283) attacks Japanese convoy in the East China Sea, and sinks merchant passenger/cargo ship Kamo Maru and tanker Konzan Maru west of Kyushu.

July 3, 1945
-Over 560 USAAF Air Force B-29s firebomb Kochi, Himeji, Takamatsu, and Tokushima, concluding the raid early the following morning.
-Final mine plant of Phase IV of Operation STARVATION: 31 USAAF B-29s mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Maizuru and Funakawa, Japan.
-Japanese merchant tanker No.5 Nanko Maru is sunk by marine casualty, Seto, Inland Sea.
-Japanese army cargo ship Hoei Maru is sunk by aircraft.
-USAAF B-24s bomb Japanese shipping at Bandjermasin, sinking cargo vessel No.3 Misaki Maru.

 

3 July 1944 – Operating in the vicinity of Iwo Jima – F6Fs from VF-1 are credited with 11 A6M; from VF-2, with 30 A6M; from VF-50, with 5 A6M; from VF(N)-76 with 3 A6M. Three F6Fs from VF-31 and 2 TBMs from VT-31 gang up on an H8K about 300 miles southeast of Iwo Jima and shoot it down.
3 July 1945 – A PB4Y from VPB-123 shoots down a Ki-44 about 18 miles west of Nagasaki, Honshu.

4 July 1943 – Off the north coast of New Georgia F4Fs from VF-21 shoot down 1 A6M and 5 G4M. Near Rendova F4Fs from VF-28 down 2 A6M.
4 July 1944 – Continuing strikes in the Bonins Islands, centering on Iwo Jima – A radio-gunner in an OS2U off USS Sante Fe shoots down an A6M. F6Fs from VF-2 are credited with 1 H8K; from VF-13, with 3 A6M and 1 B5N; from VF-14, with 14 A6M and 1 Ki-44; from VF-31 with 12 A6M and 1 Ki-61; from VF(N)-76, with 7 A6M2-N; and from VF(N)-77, with 1 A6M2-N.

5 July – Nothing to report

Rich

 

A Zero getting shot down by a Kingfisher says alot about how poor the quality of the Japanese pilots had gotton by mid 1944.

 

July 4, 1942
-Submarine Triton (SS-201) torpedoes Japanese destroyer Nenohi off Cape Sabak, off southeast tip of Agattu, Aleutians.

July 4, 1943
-Submarine Jack (SS-259) attacks Japanese convoy off southeast coast of Honshu, sinking army cargo ship Nikkyu Maru.
Submarine Pompano (SS-181) sinks Japanese seaplane carrier Sagara Maru, previously damaged by Harder (SS-257).
-Submarine Snook (SS-279) attacks Takao, Formosa-bound Japanese convoy in the East China Sea, damaging transport Atlantic Maru and sinking army cargo ships Liverpool Maru and Koki Maru about 250 miles north-northeast of Keelung.

July 4, 1944
-Carrier-based aircraft and naval gunfire from two task groups (Rear Admiral Joseph J. Clark and Rear Admiral Ralph E. Davison) hit Japanese installations on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, and Chichi Jima and Haha Jima, Bonins.
Carrier planes sink submarine chaser Ch 16 at Chichi Jima; coastal minelayer Sarushima in the Bonins; landing ships T.103, 108 miles off Chichi Jima Retto and T.130 off east coast of Iwo Jima; auxiliary netlayer Taiko Maru off Onagawa Retto; minesweeper W.25 and auxiliary minesweeper No.5 Toshi Maru off Haha Jima; transports Shozui Maru, Shima Maru, Tatsuei Maru, and No.8 Un'yo Maru in Takinoura Bay; planes damage landing ship T.153 and victualling stores ship Kaiko Maru off Ani Jima, and submarine chaser Ch 18 off Chichi Jima.
-Destroyer David W. Taylor (DD-551) and destroyer escort Riddle (DE-185) sink Japanese submarine I-10, attempting an evacuation mission to Saipan, 100 miles east-northeast of her destination.
-Submarine Guavina (SS-362), despite presence of four escort vessels, sinks Japanese transport Tama Maru 60 miles northwest of Palau.
-Submarine Seahorse (SS-304) attacks Japanese convoy in South China Sea and sinks army cargo ship Gy_y_ Maru, cargo ship No.28 Ky_d_ Maru, and merchant cargo ship Nitt_ Maru about 140 miles south of Hong Kong.
-Submarine Tang (SS-306), operating in the Yellow Sea off the west coast of Korea, sinks Japanese merchant cargo ships Asukasan Maru and Yamaoka Maru.
-RAAF Mitchells damage Japanese cargo vessel No.1 K_sh_ Maru north of the Kai Islands.
-Submarine S-28 (SS-133) is lost to unknown cause during training exercises off Oahu.
In the Indian Ocean, the Indian Navy trawler Hoxa rescues survivors (10 of the freighter's merchant complement, ten Armed Guard sailors, and three passengers) of U.S. freighter Jean Nicolet, scourged by Japanese submarine I-8 on 2 July 1944; 18 of Jean Nicolet's 28-man Armed Guard perish in the atrocity wrought by the Japanese. Of the three Americans taken prisoner and retained on board I-8, only one, the passenger, will survive internment.

July 4, 1945
-TF 32 (Rear Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf), consisting of 3 battleships, 2 heavy cruisers, 1 light cruiser, 4 escort carriers, 11 destroyers and 4 destroyer escorts, departs Buckner Bay to provide cover for the minesweeping operation slated to begin the following day. This force will operate approximately 150 miles northwest of Okinawa.
-Destroyer Murray (DD-576) intercepts Japanese hospital ship Takasago Maru as she evacuates sick and wounded members of Wake Island garrison. Murray reports subsequently that the many months of isolation and bombardment have reduced life on the atoll to a mere struggle for survival.
-Submarine Tirante (SS-420) sinks Japanese guardboats Koshe Maru and Mashuye Maru in the Yellow Sea, east of Tsingtao, China.
-Japanese auxiliary patrol vessel Pa No.177 is destroyed by fire, following raid by USAAF B-29s on Tokushima, Japan.
-Mines damage Japanese transport Tsukushi Maru southeast of Shimonoseki, and damage army cargo ship Taiko Maru off Bakuchizaki, and merchant cargo ship Sagami Maru off Osaka.
-Marine casualties account for damage to Japanese merchant cargo ships Hiyoriyama Maru outside Sakai harbor, and Unzen Maru three miles south of Taki harbor.

 

July 5, 1940
-President Roosevelt invokes Export Control Act against Japan by prohibiting exportation, without license, of strategic minerals and chemicals, aircraft engines, parts, and equipment.
-Admiral James O. Richardson arrives in Washington for conferences with the President and Navy and State Department officials concerning the retention of the U.S. Fleet in Hawaiian waters. He will depart to return to the fleet on 17 July.

July 5, 1942
-Submarine Growler (SS-215) sinks Japanese destroyer Arare and damages destroyers Kasumi and Shiranui off Kiska, Aleutians. Growler is damaged by depth charges.
-Submarine Sturgeon (SS-187) damages Japanese oiler San Pedro Maru south of Palauig, Luzon.

July 5, 1943
-TG 36.1 (Rear Admiral Walden L. Ainsworth) bombard Vila, Kolombangara, and Bairoko Harbor, New Georgia, Solomons. That night, shortly before midnight, Rear Admiral Ainsworth's ships engage a force of Japanese destroyers (Rear Admiral Akiyama Teruo) in the Battle of Kula Gulf. Destroyer Strong (DD-467) is sunk by Japanese destroyer torpedo (fired by either Niizuki, Yunagi or Nagatsuki).
-Marines (1st Marine Raider Battalion) and Army troops land at Rice Anchorage, New Georgia, Solomons.
-RAAF Beaufighters sink Japanese auxiliary sailing vessel No.12 Koyo Maru, chartered to carry fuel, 35 miles west of Dobo, en route to Ambon.
-In the Indian Ocean, the U.S. freighter Alcoa Prospector, in convoy PA 44 and en route from Abadan, Iran, to Montevideo, Uruguay, is torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-27; Royal Indian Navy minesweeper RINS Bengal takes on board the survivors.

July 5, 1944
-Submarine Plaice (SS-390) sinks Japanese auxiliary netlayer Kogi Maru off Ototo Jima.
-Submarine Sunfish (SS-281) sinks Japanese merchant passenger/cargo ship Shinmei Maru off Paramushiro, Kurils.
-USAAF B-24 sinks Japanese cargo vessel No.1 Koshu Maru off Gorong Island. Japanese army cargo ship No.1 Koshu Maru is sunk by aircraft in Java Sea south of Celebes Island.

July 5, 1945
-General of the Army Douglas MacArthur announces the liberation of the Philippines.
-TF 39 (Rear Admiral Alexander Sharp) composed of 7 light minelayers (DM), 52 minesweepers (AM), 6 high speed minesweepers (DMS), 49 motor minesweepers (YMS) and 7 netlayers, begins minesweeping operations in the East China Sea.
-Destroyer Smith (DD-378) is accidentally damaged by depth charge off Balikpapan, Borneo.
-Submarine Barb (SS-220) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship No.11 Sapporo Maru outside Odomari harbor, southwest of Sakhalin.
-Submarines Lizardfish (SS-373) and Puffer (SS-268) bombard Japanese port facilities and shipping at Chelukan Buwang, on north coast of Bali; Lizardfish sinks auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 37 and No.153 Shuttle Vessel, in addition to barges and landing craft. Fires started by the shelling destroys small cargo vessel Hino Maru. Puffer destroys cargo vessels Heiyo Maru and Nihon Maru in Bulelong Roads.
-Mines sink Japanese transport Toyokawa Maru near Mutsure Jima, and merchant tanker No.1 Tosei Maru, 1.7 kilometers off Niigata harbor, and damage merchant cargo ships Miurasan Maru, Enho Maru and Take Maru near Moji, Japan.
-Japanese landing ship T.147 is damaged by aircraft off Hachijo Jima.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Awa Maru is damaged by aircraft, 20 miles off Katsuura light.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Hirano Maru is damaged by aircraft.
-USAAF planes sink Japanese cargo vessel Tone Maru.
-Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.95 is damaged by marine casualty, Tsurumi harbor.