Today in the History of the Pacific Theater

Glad you came across the website on the HMS Flacon Deep, I just took a cursory glance this morning and it looks like it has some really good information on it. As for the ABDA command, the concept was right however in practice it was never given the tools that were needed for it to succeed. (Not the the tools were really available at the time). The submarines of this group were really the most potent arm of this force and the US "S" class boats were there in some number however I think most of us are familiar with the problems with the US torpedoes at this early stage of the war. So really that left the 16 subs of the Netherlands, which accounted for a majority of the very few successes that the ABDA command did have during the early days of the war.

 

January 1, 1940
-Charles Edison of New Jersey becomes Secretary of the Navy; he had been Acting Secretary since the death of Claude A. Swanson on 7 July 1939.

January 1, 1942
-President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill sign the Joint Declaration of the United Nations; only the United States and Britain had discussed the document's creation, but ultimately representatives of 24 other nations, including the Soviet Union and China, will affix their signatures to it. There will be no separate peace agreements; the signatories pledge to fight until the Axis is defeated.
-Admiral Thomas C. Hart (Commander in Chief, Asiatic Fleet) arrives in Surabaya, Java, N.E.I., after his passage from Manila, P.I., in submarine Shark (SS-174).
-Unarmed U.S. freighter Malama, en route from Honolulu to Manila, is bombed and sunk by floatplane from Japanese armed merchant cruiser Aikoku Maru aprroximately 900 miles northwest of Wake Island. Aikoku Maru takes the 35-man crew and the 8 passengers prisoner.
-Japanese army cargo ship Teiun Maru (ex-German Bremerhaven) is sunk by mine (U.S. or Japanese) off mouth of Lingayen Gulf, Luzon.
-Japanese oiler Toen Maru is damaged by mine southwest of Hong Kong, B.C.C.

January 1, 1943
-Rescuer (ARS-18) sinks after running aground off Scotch Cape, Aleutians.
-Submarine Nautilus (SS-168) evacuates 29 civilians from Teop Island, Solomons.
-Submarine Porpoise (SS-172), in attack on Japanese convoy, sinks merchant cargo ship Renzan Maru off northeastern coast of Honshu.
-Submarine Trigger (SS-237) damages Japanese transport Shozan Maru of the northern coast of Chosi Japan.
-Japanese army cargo ship Osaka Maru is damaged by mine, 16 miles off Ambon, N.E.I.

January 1, 1944
-Naval Air Facility, Honolulu, Oahu, T.H., is established.
-TG 37.2 (Rear Admiral Frederick C. Sherman) attacks Japanese convoy off Kavieng, New Ireland. Planes from carrier Bunker Hill (CV-17) and small carrier Monterey (CVL-26), bomb shipping escorted by cruisers and destroyers, damaging light cruiser Noshiro.
-Destroyers Smith (DD-378) and Hutchins (DD-476) are damaged in collision off eastern New Guinea.
-Tank landing ship LST-446 is damaged by accidental explosion, Solomon Islands.
-Submarine Balao (SS-285) damages Japanese transport Kiyosumi Maru south of Truk, Caroline Islands.
-Submarine Herring (SS-233), pursuing Japanese convoy spotted the previous day, sinks aircraft transport Nagoya Maru 220 miles south-southwest of Tokyo Bay. Counterattack by escorting destroyer Ikazuchi is unsuccessful.
-Submarine Puffer (SS-268), in attack on Japanese convoy at the western entrance of the Mindanao Sea, sinks army cargo ship Ryuyo Maru about 40 miles south of Negros Island.
-Submarine Ray (SS-271) sinks Japanese gunboat Okuyo Maru at mouth of Ambon Bay, N.E.I.
-PBYs sink Japanese cargo ship Kanaiyama Maru near Lorengau, Admiralty islands.
-Aerial minelaying operations in the Marshalls continue: four PB4Y-1s (VB 108), flying from Apamama, mine Enijun Channel, Maleolap; flying from Tarawa, three PV-1s (VB 137) mine the waters off Jaluit; two PBY-5s (VP 72) mine Jabor Anchorage, Jaluit.

January 1, 1945
-Destroyer escort Seid (DE-256), tank landing ship LST-225 and three infantry landing craft (LCI) (TU 94.5.10) land one company of Army troops (321st Infantry) on Fais Island to investigate whether or not it was being used as a midget submarine base and a communication center by the Japanese.
-Submarine Stingray (SS-186) lands supplies at Tawi Tawi, P.I.
-U.S. freighter John M. Clayton is damaged by bomb dropped by Japanese plane, and catches fire off Blue Beach, Mindoro; four of the 29-man Armed Guard sailors die of the resultant burns. The Liberty ship is beached the next day to prevent further damage; the Navy subsequently repairs her. She is renamed Harcourt and classified as a miscellaneous auxiliary (IX-225).
-USAAF planes sink Japanese ships No.7 Taiko Maru and No.3 Taiwan Maru off Masinloc, P.I.
-Japanese cargo vessel Kyokko Maru is sunk by mine (laid by British submarine HMS Tradewind on 30 October 1944), off Mergui.

 

January 2, 1942
-Manila and Cavite, P.I., fall to the Japanese.

January 2, 1943
-SBDs and F4Fs and USAAF B-17s, B-26s, and P-38s bomb ten Japanese supply-carrying destroyers (Rear Admiral Koyonagi Tomiji) west of Rendova, Solomons; SBDs damage destroyer Sukukaze. Eleven motor torpedo boats attack the force off Cape Esperance without success.
-U.S. Army I Corps (Lieutenant General Robert Eichelberger) captures Buna, New Guinea, significantly reducing the threat to Port Moresby.
-Submarine Argonaut (SS-166) sinks Japanese guardboat Ebon Maru, Bismarck Sea.
-Submarine Spearfish (SS-190) damages Japanese army cargo ship Akagisan Maru off New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago.

January 2, 1944
-TF 76 (Rear Admiral Daniel E. Barbey) lands U.S. Sixth Army troops (126th Regimental Combat Team, 32d Division, Reinforced) at Saidor, New Guinea, in Operation MICHAELMAS. Insertion of American troops at Saidor leap-frogs the Japanese garrison at Sio, 75 miles to the east. U.S. cruisers and destroyers provide cover.
-Submarine Finback (SS-230) sinks Japanese merchant tanker Isshin Maru in East China Sea about 30 miles northwest of Takara Jima, Nansei Shoto.
-Aerial minelaying operations in the Marshalls continue: flying from Tarawa, five PV-1s (VB 137) and one PBY-5 (VP 72) mine Jabor Anchorage.
-Japanese planes bomb advanced base on Apamama Atoll, demolishing one PB4Y; exploding ammunition in the burning aircraft damages two additional PB4Ys.
-U.S. freighter Albert Gallatin is torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-26 about 60 miles off the Arabian coast; there are no casualties among the complement (including the 28-man Armed Guard, who remain at their posts until the ship literally sinks beneath them). Norwegian tanker Britannia rescues the survivors.

January 2, 1945
-Submarine Aspro (SS-309) damages Japanese landing ship Shinshu Maru south of Formosa Strait.
-Submarine Becuna (SS-319) sinks Japanese ship Daian Maru east of Madoera Island.
-USAAF A-20s and P-38s (Fifth Air Force) attack Japanese shipping off San Fernando, Luzon, sinking Coast Defense Vessel No.138, transport Meiryu Maru, army cargo ship Shirokawa Maru, merchant cargo ships Taishin Maru, Hakka Maru, Hishikata Maru and Koryu Maru.

 

January 3, 1942
-Japanese collier Moji Maru is sunk by mine southwest of Hong Kong, B.C.C.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Meiko Maru is sunk by accidental gasoline explosion off Hainan Island.

January 3, 1943
-SOCs (VCS Detachment RINGBOLT) bomb footbridge and probable Japanese bivouac near Kukumbona, Guadalcanal.

January 3, 1944
-Submarine Bluefish (SS-222) lays mines off eastern Malayan coast.
-Submarine Kingfish (SS-234) attacks Japanese convoy northwest of Miri, Sarawak, Borneo, and sinks fleet tankers Bokuei Maru and Ryuei Maru.
-Submarine Raton (SS-270) damages Japanese fleet tanker Akebono Maru east of Mindanao, P.I.
-Submarine Scorpion (SS-278) departs Midway for her fourth war patrol. She will rendezvous with Herring (SS-233) on 5 January, but will never be seen again.
-Submarine Tautog (SS-199) sinks Japanese transport Saishu Maru south of Honshu.
-Aerial minelaying operations in the Marshalls continue: seven PB4Y-1s (VB 108 and VB 109), flying from Apemama, mine the waters northwest of Enijun Island, off west side of Taroa, and outside lagoon off Kumaru Island, and strafe shipping anchored off Taroa; four PV-1s (VB 137), flying from Tarawa, mine southeast pass, Jaluit.
-Japanese planes again bomb advanced base at Apamama, but inflict neither casualties nor serious damage to installations.

January 3, 1945
-TF 38 (Vice Admiral John S. McCain) begins operations against Japanese airfields and shipping in the Formosa area. Principally along the west coast of Formosa, TF 38 planes sink landing ship Shinshu Maru (previously damaged by Aspro on 2 January), cargo ships Kinrei Maru, 2 Ume Maru, 22 Kawauchi Maru, Sanni Maru, another unidentified Maru, and damage army cargo ship Kibitsu Maru, Hyuga Maru and 2 Nichiyu Maru and 36 Taiwa Maru, and Kakuju Maru.
-Occupation of Fais Island that began on January 1st, continues. Occupying force destroys Japanese radio station found there. Interrogation of natives and Japanese prisoners reveals that Fais had never been used to base ships.
-Leading groups of U.S. fleet units bound for Lingayen Gulf make daylight passage of Surigao Strait, where they come under attack from Japanese planes. Oiler Cowanesque (AO-79) is damaged by kamikaze, motor minesweeper YMS-53 by near-miss of bomb.
-USAAF B-25s (13th Air Force) on a shipping sweep off Davao, sink Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 10.
-British submarine HMS Shakespeare and Japanese auxiliary minesweeper Wa.1damage each other in surface gun action east of Nancowry Strait.
-Escort carrier Sargent Bay (CVE-83) and destroyer escort Robert F. Keller (DE-419) are damaged in collision during mail delivery exercise, Philippine Islands area.
-Motor minesweeper YMS-53 is damaged by near-miss of bomb off Luzon.
-Submarine Kingfish (SS-234), attacking Japanese convoy in the Bonins, sinks Japanese army cargo ship Shoto Maru and merchant cargo ships Yaei Maru and Shibazono Maru 200 miles north of Chichi Jima.

 

January 4, 1942
-USAAF B-17s bomb Japanese warships in Malalag Bay, Davao, P.I., and damage heavy cruisers Myoko and Nachi.

January 4, 1944
-TG 37.2 (Rear Admiral Frederick C. Sherman) planes bomb Japanese shipping at Kavieng, damaging destroyers Fumizuki and Satsuki in Stephen Strait.
-Motor torpedo boat PT-145, damaged by grounding off Mindiri, is scuttled by motor torpedo boat PT-370. The latter suffers damage during the attempt to tow PT-145 out of the area.
-Escort carrier Tripoli (CVE-64) is damaged by accidental gasoline fire, Naval Repair Base, San Diego, California.
-Submarines Bluefish (SS-222) and Rasher (SS-269) attack Japanese convoy off coast of French Indochina. Bluefish sinks merchant tanker Hakko Maru, Rasher damages tanker Kiyo Maru (ex-Norwegian Vigrid). Third ship in convoy, Konsan Maru, escapes unharmed. Rasher also carries out mining operation in waters off Cochin China the same day.
-Submarine Cabrilla (SS-288) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship No.8 Tamon Maru off Cape Padaran, French Indochina.
-Submarine Tautog (SS-199), despite presence of two escort vessels, sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Usa Maru off southern Honshu.
-Aerial minelaying operations in the Marshalls continue: two PV-1s (VB 137) and one PBY-5 (VP 72), flying from Tarawa, mine southeast pass, Jaluit.
-USAAF B-25s (5th Air Force), covered by RAAF Beaufighters, attack Japanese shipping in Tenau harbor, Timor, sinking army cargo ship Heimei Maru.

January 4, 1945
-TF 38 continues operations against Japanese airfields and shipping in the Formosa area. Navy planes sink auxiliary submarine chasers Cha 163, Cha 176, and Cha 210 and damage escort vessel Ikuna and auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 204 in Formosa Strait; sink auxiliary netlayer Iwato Maru northeast of Taiwan; and damage minesweeper W.41 near Takao, Formosa. Japanese air attacks continue against Lingayen Gulf-bound forces; a kamikaze crashes escort carrier Ommaney Bay (CVE-79) in the northeastern area of the Sulu Sea, irreparably damaging her; another suicider narrowly misses escort carrier Lunga Point (CVE-94). Destroyer Burns (DD-588) scuttles Ommaney Bay, but not before destroyer Bell (DD-587) is damaged by collision with the escort carrier as the former fights fires. South of Mindoro, a kamikaze crashes U.S. freighter Lewis L. Dyche (carrying bombs and fuses), which disintegrates, killing all hands, including the 28-man Armed Guard; debris from the exploding freighter damages nearby oiler Pecos (AO-65) and minelayer Monadnock (CM-9); small seaplane tender Half Moon (AVP-26) is damaged by near-miss of bomb.
USAAF planes damage Japanese submarine chasers Ch 17, Ch 18, Ch 23, Ch 37, and Ch 38 off San Fernando, Luzon.
-Fais Island is formally occupied.
-Japanese army vessel No.15 Horikoshi Maru is sunk by mine off northeast shore of Mukai Jima.

 

January 5, 1942
-Submarine tender Canopus (AS-9) is damaged by bombs, Lilimbom Cove, Mariveles, P.I.
-Submarine Pollack (SS-180) torpedoes Japanese cargo ship Heijo Maru 80 miles east-southeast of Tokyo Bay, Honshu.

January 5, 1943
-TG 67.2 (Rear Admiral Walden L. Ainsworth) bombards airfield and installations at Munda, New Georgia, Solomons. After the rest of TF 67 joins TG 67.2, Japanese planes attack the force, near-missing light cruiser Honolulu (CL 48) and damaging New Zealand light cruiser HMNZS Achilles, 18 miles south of Cape Hunter, Guadalcanal. In the action, light cruiser Helena (CL 50) becomes the first U.S. Navy ship to use Mk. 32 proximity-fuzed projectiles in combat, downing a Japanese Aichi Type 99 carrier bomber (VAL) with her second salvo.
-USAAF B-17s and B-24s bomb Japanese shipping at Rabaul, New Guinea.

January 5, 1944
-Submarine Rasher (SS-269) sinks Japanese tanker Kiyo Maru (ex-Norwegian Vigrid), in South China Sea.
-Aerial minelaying operations in the Marshalls continue: one PBY-5 (VP 72), flying from Tarawa, mines Schischmarov Strait, Wotje.
-Japanese guardboat No.5 Fukuyoshi Maru is wrecked following attack by USAAF B-24, Wotje Atoll, Marshalls.

January 5, 1945
-Japanese air attacks continue against Lingayen Gulf- bound forces in the teeth of heavy antiaircraft fire and combat air patrol. Of the minesweeping group, infantry landing craft (gunboat) LCI(G)-70 is damaged by kamikaze, small seaplane tender Orca (AVP-49) and fleet tug Apache (ATF-67) are damaged by near-misses of suiciders. Kamikazes attacking the bombardment and escort carrier groups succeed in damaging heavy cruiser Louisville (CA-28) and destroyer Helm (DD-388), escort carriers Manila Bay (CVE-61), and Savo Island (CVE-78), and destroyer escort Stafford (DE-411). Suiciders also damage Australian heavy cruiser HMAS Australia and destroyer HMAS Arunta. Japanese escort destroyers approach minesweeping group but turn away at approach of destroyer Bennion (DD-662) and Australian frigate HMAS Gascoyne and sloop HMAS Warrego; subsequently, planes from TG 77.4 (escort carrier group) sink Momi 20 miles southwest of entrance to Manila Bay and damage Hinoki and Sugi west of Manila Bay. TG 94.9 (Rear Admiral Allan E. Smith), three heavy cruisers and six destroyers, together with USAAF B-24s (escorted by P-38s) jointly pound Japanese shipping and installations on Chichi Jima, Haha Jima, and Iwo Jima, Bonins. Approaching Chichi Jima, Dunlap (DD-384), Fanning (DD-386) and Cummings (DD-365) damage landing ship T.107; Fanning sinks her. Off Chichi Jima, David W. Taylor (DD-551) is damaged by mine, destroyer Fanning by gunfire. Off Iwo Jima, Dunlap, Cummings, Ellet (DD-398) and Roe (DD-418) sink landing ship T.154.
-TF 92 (Rear Admiral John L. McCrea), three light cruisers and nine destroyers, bombards Japanese installations (airfield and fish canneries) at Suribachi Wan, Paramushiro, Kurils.
-Destroyer escort Edwin A. Howard (DE-346) is damaged in collision with destroyer escort Leland E. Thomas (DE-420) off Mindanao.
-Minelayer Monadnock (CM-9) is damaged by grounding off Ilin Island Luzon.
-Submarine Cavalla (SS-244) sinks Japanese auxiliary netlayers Kanko Maru and Shunsen Maru in Java Sea.
-Destroyer escort Brackett (DE-41) shells Japanese installations on Taroa, Marshalls.
-PB4Y-1s (VPB 111) sink Japanese midget submarine Ha.71 two miles southwest of Chichi Jima.

 

January 6 1940
-Admiral James O. Richardson relieves Admiral Claude C. Bloch as Commander in Chief U.S. Fleet on board battleship Pennsylvania (BB-38) at Pearl Harbor, T.H. Admiral Charles P. Snyder hoists flag as Commander Battle Force on board battleship California (BB-44).

January 6, 1942
-Second Marine Brigade (Brigadier General Henry L. Larsen, USMC) embarked in troop transports (former Matson Line passenger liners) Lurline, Monterey and Matsonia, and cargo ship Jupiter (AK-43) and ammunition ship Lassen (AE-3) sails from San Diego, California, for Pago Pago, American Samoa. Initial escort is provided by TF 17 (Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher), formed around carrier Yorktown (CV-5).
-Japanese amphibious force lands at Brunei Bay, Borneo.

January 6, 1943
-Motor torpedo boats PT-22 and PT-24 are damaged in collision during storm, Dora Harbor, Unimak Island, Aleutians.
-PBY sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Montreal Maru near Kiska, Aleutians.
-USAAF B-24s sink Japanese merchant cargo ship Kotohira Maru off Holtz Bay, Attu.
-USAAF B-17s and B-24s bomb Japanese shipping at Rabaul, New Britain, sinking army cargo vessel Keifuku Maru and damaging destroyer Tachikaze and cargo vessel Kagu Maru.
-USAAF aircraft damage Japanese torpedo boat Tomozuru off Kai Island, Banda Sea.

January 6, 1944
-Aerial minelaying operations in the Marshalls continue: One PBY-5 (VP 72), flying from Tarawa, mines Schischmarov Strait, Wotje; a second Catalina, vexed by engine trouble, brings its mines back and does not carry out the mission.

January 6, 1945
-Japanese suicide plane attacks intensify against Lingayen Gulf invasion force; kamikazes damage battleships New Mexico (BB-40) (killing members of anobserving British military mission) and California (BB-44), light cruiser Columbia (CL-56) and destroyers Newcomb (DD-586) (she is also hit by friendly fire) and Richard P. Leary (DD-664), heavy cruiser Louisville (CA-28), destroyers Allen M. Sumner (DD-692), and O'Brien (DD-725). Destroyer Lowry (DD-770) is damaged by friendly fire.
-Kamikazes attack minesweeping group, sinking high speed minesweeper Long (DMS-12), and damaging high speed minesweeper Southard (DMS-10), and high speed transport Brooks (APD-10). Destroyer Walke (DD-723), on detached duty covering the minesweeping operations, is attacked by four enemy aircraft; one crashes the ship's bridge, drenching it with burning gasoline and mortally wounding Walke's commanding officer, Commander George F. Davis. Davis nevertheless remains at his post, conning his ship amidst the wreckage and rallying his crew. Carried below only when assured that his ship would survive, he dies of his wounds within hours. He is subsequently awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously.
-As a consequence of the kamikaze attacks, TF 38 (Vice Admiral John S. McCain) shifts its focus from Formosa to begin operations against Japanese airfields and shipping in Luzon area. In South China Sea off northern Luzon, Navy carrier-based planes sink army cargo ship Kyodo Maru and merchant tankers No.1 Nanko Maru and 8 Iyasaka Maru and 6 Kyoei Maru and 10 Nanshin Maru and 10 Kyoei Maru and No.3 Kyoei Maru.
-Submarine Besugo (SS-321) sinks Japanese fleet tanker Nichei Maru in Gulf of Thailand. Coast Defense Ship No.17 carries out ineffective countermeasures.
-Submarine Sea Robin (SS-407) attacks Japanese convoy, and sinks fleet tanker Tarakan Maru east of Hainan Island.
-USAAF aircraft sink auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 64 off Poulo Condore Island, and merchant tanker No.3 Iyasaka Maru off Cape St. Jacques, French Indochina.

 

January 7, 1942
-Navy's authorized aircraft strength is increased from 15,000 to 27,500.
-Submarine Pollack (SS-180) torpedoes and sinks Japanese collier No.1 Unkai Maru south of Honshu.

January 7, 1943
-USAAF B-17s, B-24s, B-25s and B-26s, supported by P-38s and P-40s, and RAAF or RNZAF Hudsons and RAF Catalinas, set upon Japanese convoy bound for Lae, New Guinea. During these attacks, army cargo ship Nichiryu Maru is sunk off Lae, and army cargo ship Myoko Maru is forced aground south of Arawe.

January 7, 1944
-Small carrier Belleau Wood (CVL-24) and destroyer Dunlap (DD-384) are damaged in collision during exercises off Oahu, T.H.
-Submarine Kingfish (SS-234) attacks Japanese convoy southwest of Palawan, sinking merchant tanker No.3 Fushimi Maru.
-Eight PB4Y-1s (VB 108 and VB 109), flying from Apemama, encounter bad weather that forces cancellation of their minelaying mission to the Marshalls.
-USAAF B-25s sink Vichy French merchant ship Kai Ping, Ben Thuy, French Indochina.
-Japanese cargo vessel Katsuragisan Maru is sunk by Japanese mine in northwest channel of Truk harbor.

January 7, 1945
-Bombardment and fire support group, TG 77.2 (Rear Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf) and planes from escort carrier group, TG 77.4 (Rear Admiral Calvin T. Durgin), begin pounding Japanese defenses of Lingayen Gulf. Enemy air attacks in the area, however, continue: high speed minesweeper Hovey (DMS-11) is sunk by aerial torpedo; high speed minesweeper Palmer (DMS-5) by bombs. Kamikazes damage attack transport Callaway (APA-35) and tank landing ship LST-912.
Destroyers Charles Ausburne (DD-570), Braine (DD-630), Russell (DD-414), and Shaw (DD-373) sink Japanese destroyer Hinoki, 50 miles west-southwest of Manila Bay.
-Submarine Picuda (SS-382) damages Japanese army tanker Munakata Maru 28 miles northwest of Fukikaku, Formosa. Munakata Maru puts in to Keelung for repairs.
-Submarine Spot (SS-413) sinks Japanese guardboat No.2 Nichiei Maru in the Inland Sea.
-USAAF B-24s (14th Air Force), attacking Japanese convoy in the South China Sea, sink stores ship Shinsei Maru in Formosa Strait.

 

January 8, 1941
-Transport William Ward Burrows (AP-6) arrives at Wake Island with first increment of workmen (Contractors Pacific Naval Air Bases) to begin building a naval air station there.

January 8, 1942
-Small reconnaissance seaplane from Japanese submarine I-19 reconnoiters Pearl Harbor.

January 8, 1943
-USAAF B-17s, B-24s, B-25s and A-20s, supported by P-38s, attack Japanese convoy unloading off Lae, New Guinea. Army cargo ship Myoko Maru, forced aground south of Arawe, the previous day, is destroyed by bombs.

January 8, 1944
-TF 38 (Rear Admiral Walden L. Ainsworth), consisting of two light cruisers and five destroyers, bombards Japanese shore installations on Faisi, Poporang, and Shortland Islands, Solomons.
-Aerial minelaying operations in the Marshalls continue: eight PB4Y-1s (VB 108 and VB 109), flying from Apemama, mine the waters off Wotje and then strafe enemy facilities on the island and shipping offshore; seven PBY-5s (VP 72), flying from Tarawa, mine Wotje anchorage and Schischmarov Strait.

January 8, 1945
-During continuing Japanese aerial onslaught on the Lingayen Gulf invasion force, kamikazes damage escort carriers Kitkun Bay (CVE-71) and Kadashan Bay (CVE-76). A suicider also crashes close aboard Australian heavy cruiser HMAS Australia, ending her support operations that day.
-Infantry landing craft (gunboat) LCI(G)-404 is damaged by suicide swimmers, Yoo Passage, Palaus.
-Submarine Balao (SS-285) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Daigo Maru southwest of Korea.
-Coordinated submarine attack group, TG 17.21 (Commander Charles E. Loughlin) attacks Japanese convoy off northwest coast of Formosa. Barb (SS-220) sinks merchant cargo ships Anyo Maru and Shinyo Maru (which explodes violently, forcing Barb deep and tearing off deck gratings); and merchant tanker Sanyo Maru and damages army cargo ship Meiho Maru; Picuda (SS-382) damages cargo ship Rashin Maru; and Queenfish (SS-393) damages tanker Manju Maru. In the confusion generated by TG 17.21's attack, merchant tanker Hikoshima Maru runs aground in Tungshiao Bay.
-Submarine Piranha (SS-389) damages auxiliary netlayer No.2 Shinto Maru in the Nansei Shoto.
-Japanese ship No.22 Seikai Maru is sunk by mine off Haha Jima.
-Cargo ship Malay Maru is damaged by mine (laid by British submarine HMS Stoic on 3 June 1944) off west coast of Malaya.

 

January 9, 1942
-Submarine Pollack (SS-180) torpedoes and sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Teian Maru (ex-Yugoslav Tomislav) 40 miles south-southwest of Inubozaki, Japan.

January 9, 1943
-Submarine Gar (SS-206) damages Japanese oiler Notoro in Makassar Strait, N.E.I.
-Submarine Nautilus (SS-168) sinks Japanese transport Yoshinogawa Maru just east of Kieta, Bougainville; even though she is damaged early in the engagement, Yoshinogawa Maru depth-charges Nautilus, but the latter escapes unharmed.
-Submarine Searaven (SS-196) damages Japanese army cargo ship Yubae Maru.
-Submarine Tautog (SS-199) damages Japanese light cruiser Natori southeast of Ambon.

January 9, 1944
-District patrol craft YP-281 founders in heavy weather west of the Society Islands, and is scuttled by submarine chaser PC-1134.

January 9, 1945
-Under the overall direction of General Douglas MacArthur, USA, TF 77 (Vice Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid) lands Sixth Army troops (Lieutenant General Walter Krueger, USA) at Lingayen Gulf under cover of heavy gunfire from the bombardment force, TG 77.2 (Vice Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf) and aircraft from the escort carrier force, TG 77.4 (Rear Admiral Calvin T. Durgin). The troops initially encounter little resistance, but Japanese air attacks and assault demolition boats continue to vex the invasion forces off the beaches. Kamikazes crash battleship Mississippi (BB-41); light cruiser Columbia (CL-56) and destroyer escort Hodges (DE-231), in addition to Australian heavy cruiser HMAS Australia, which is finally sent to the rear areas for repairs. Friendly fire damages battleship Colorado (BB-45); Japanese assault demolition boats damage transport War Hawk (AP-168) and tank landing ships LST-925 and LST-1028.
-TF 38 (Vice Admiral John S. McCain) supports the landings at Lingayen Gulf with attacks on Japanese airfields and shipping in the Formosa, Ryukyus, and Pescadores Islands areas. Off Formosa, TF 38 planes sink Coast Defense Vessel No.3 north of Keelung, submarine chaser Ch 61; and fleet tanker Kuroshio Maru. Merchant tanker Kaiho Maru, and cargo ship Fukuyama Maru south of Formosa; and small cargo vessel No.21 Ume Maru off Keelung. They damage escort vessel Yashiro, oiler Kamoi, and escort destroyer Miyake and cargo ship Tainan Maru off Takao; Coast Defense Vessel No.9, Coast Defense Vessel No.13, and Coast Defense Vessel No.60 off Saei; auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 161 in Formosa Strait; minesweeper W.102 and auxiliary submarine chaser No.22 Nitto Maru off Keelung; and auxiliary submarine chaser Kinsui Maru north of Formosa.
-Japanese merchant tanker Hikoshima Maru sinks as the result of damage inflicted by submarine Barb (SS-220) and beaching the previous day.
-Dutch submarine HNMS O-19 sinks gunboat No.1 Shinko Maru off Tandjung Puting, Borneo, Banten Bay.
-Other Japanese shipping casualties include merchant tanker No.4 Nanshin Maru sunk by aircraft off northwest tip of Luzon; merchant cargo ship No.9 Hokoku Maru is sunk by aircraft off Ishigaki Jima; auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 216 damaged by aircraft off Paishatun.

 

January 10, 1942
-Destroyer Paul Jones (DD-230) rescues survivors from Dutch steamships Camphuijs (sunk on 9 January by Japanese submarine I-158) and Benkoelen (also sunk on the 9th by Japanese submarine I-165).
-Submarine Pickerel (SS-177) torpedoes and sinks Japanese gunboat Kanko Maru at mouth of Davao Gulf, off Cape San Augustin, P.I.
-Submarine Stingray (SS-186) torpedoes and sinks Japanese cargo ship Harbin Maru in South China Sea off the south coast of Hainan Island.
-Dutch submarine O-19 torpedoes and sinks Japanese army cargo ship Akita Maru and torpedoes merchant cargo ship Tairyu Maru at the mouth of the Gulf of Siam.

January 10, 1943
-Transport submarine Argonaut (APS-1) is sunk by Japanese aircraft (582d Kokutai, 21st Air Flotilla) and destroyers Isokaze and Maikaze, as Argonaut attacks convoy southeast of New Britain.
-Destroyer Shaw (DD-373) is damaged by grounding, Bulari Passage, New Caledonia.
-Motor torpedo boats PT-27 and PT-28 are damaged by storm, Dora Harbor, Unimak Island, Aleutians.
-Submarine Trigger (SS-237) sinks Japanese destroyer Okikaze off Yokosuka.
-RAAF Hudsons and Catalinas damage Japanese army cargo ship Brazil Maru off Lae. Navy planes attack the same convoy later but do not achieve any damage.

January 10, 1944
-Motor minesweeper YMS-127 sinks after running aground, Aleutian Islands.
-Submarine Seawolf (SS-197) begins series of attacks on Japanese convoy about 70 miles north of Naha, Okinawa, sinking army cargo ship Asuka Maru, and merchant cargo ship Getsuyo Maru.
-Submarine Steelhead (SS-280), in the midst of a "full- fledged typhoon," attacks Japanese convoy south of Honshu, sinking repair ship Yamabiko Maru.
-Aerial minelaying operations in the Marshalls continue: two PBY-5s (VP 72), flying from Tarawa, mine Meichen Channel and Legediak Strait, Wotje.
-Japanese planes again bomb advanced base at Apamama, but inflict neither casualties nor serious damage to installations.

January 10, 1945
-Japanese assault demolition boats infiltrate the transport areas off Lingayen, sinking infantry landing craft (mortar) LCI(M)-974 and infantry landing craft (gunboat) LCI(G)-365, and damaging destroyers Robinson (DD-562) and Philip (DD-498), transport War Hawk (AP-168) and tank landing ship LST-610. Japanese air attacks against the fleet off Lingayen continue, damaging destroyer Wickes (DD-578); kamikazes damage destroyer escort Leray Wilson (DE-414), and attack transport Dupage (APA-41).
-Off west coast of Luzon, high speed transport Clemson (APD-31) and battleship Pennsylvania (BB-38) are damaged in collision. Clemson is also accidentally rammed the same day by attack transport Latimer (APA-152); oiler Guadalupe (AO-32) is damaged in collision with Nantahala (AO-60); tank landing ship LST-567 is damaged in collision with LST-610.
-Submarine Puffer (SS-268) sinks Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.42 and damages Coast Defense Vessel No.30 in the East China Sea.
-Merchant vessel No.2 Seikai Maru is damaged by aircraft off Mukai Jima.

 

January 11, 1941
-Rear Admiral Harold M. Bemis relieves Captain Eugene T. Oates as Commandant, Sixteenth Naval District and Navy Yard, Cavite, P.I. Captain Oates had been acting commandant since the incapacitation of Rear Admiral John M. Smeallie in December 1940.

January 11, 1942
-Carrier Saratoga (CV-3) is torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-6, 500 miles southwest of Oahu, T.H.
-Naval Station Pago Pago, Samoa, is shelled by Japanese submarine.
-Japan declares war on the Netherlands; invasion of Netherlands East Indies begins as Japanese Central Force (Vice Admiral Hirose Sueto) lands Army 56th Regimental Combat Group and 2d Kure Special Naval Landing Force at Tarakan; naval paratroops (1st Yokosuka Special Landing Force) occupy Menado. Eastern Force (Rear Admiral Kubo Kuji) then follows up the airborne assault on Menado with 1st Special Landing Force going ashore at Menado and Kema, Celebes. These operations will secure control of the northern approaches to the Java Sea.
-U.S. Army transport Liberty Glo is torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-166 about 10 miles southwest of Lombok Strait. Although destroyer Paul Jones (DD-230) and Dutch destroyer Van Ghent take the damaged ship in tow and beach her on the shores of Bali, Liberty Glo will be written off as a total loss.
-U.S. tankship Manatawny sinks in Manila Bay as the result of damage received on 13 December 1941.

January 11, 1943
-Nine motor torpedo boats operating from Tulagi, directed to the scene by a PBY, attack Japanese Reinforcement Unit (Captain Koyanagi Tomiji), eight destroyers strong, off Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal; destroyer Hatsukaze is damaged. Motor torpedo boat PT-112 is sunk and PT-43 damaged by Japanese destroyer gunfire.

January 11, 1944
-Submarine Seawolf (SS-197) concludes operations against Japanese convoy attacked the previous day, sinking army cargo ship Yahiko Maru about 50 miles north of Naha, Okinawa.
-Submarine Sturgeon (SS-187) attacks Japanese convoy in approaches to Bungo Suido, sinking army cargo ship Erie Maru about 20 miles east of Saeki, Kyushu and survives ensuing depth-charging by escorts.
-Submarine Tautog (SS-199) damages Japanese ammunition ship Kogyo Maru off Honshu.
-British submarine HMS Tally Ho sinks Japanese light cruiser Kuma (en route to conduct torpedo practice) 10 miles northwest of Penang, Malaya.
-Aerial minelaying operations in the Marshalls continue: four PBYs (VP 72), flying from Tarawa, mine Meichen Channel and Schischmarov Strait, Wotje; Enibin and Torappu channels, Maleolap.
-USAAF B-25Gs strike Japanese shipping and installations at Maleolap and Wotje, damaging destroyer Ushio.

January 11, 1945
-Off Luzon, high speed transport Belknap (APD-34) is damaged by kamikaze; tank landing ships LST-270 and LST-918 are damaged by shore battery; and tank landing ship LST-700 is damaged by friendly fire.
-U.S. destroyer gunfire sinks Japanese auxiliary minesweeper Wa.10, south of Vigan. Auxiliary minesweeper No.56 Banshu Maru and auxiliary submarine submarine chaser Hakuyo Maru are scuttled as blockships at south entrance of Manila Bay, Luzon.
-During hunter-killer operations near Yap, destroyer Evans (DD-552) and destroyer escort McCoy Reynolds (DE-440) bombard Japanese defenses; they repeat the operation the following day.
-Destroyer escort Brackett (DE-41) extracts party of Marshallese scouts from Jaluit, where they had been landed on 9 January to determine the condition of the garrison there.
-Japanese submarines commence operation KONGO, employing suicide torpedoes [kaitens]; I-36 launches kaitens that damage ammunition ship Mazama (AE-9) and infantrylanding craft LCI-600 at Ulithi.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Kinsei Maru is sunk by marine casualty in Osaka Bay, Japan.

 

January 12, 1942
-Authorized enlisted strength of the U.S. Navy is increased to 500,000.
-Dutch army shore battery sinks Japanese minesweepers W.13 and W.14 off Tarakan, Borneo; destroyer Asagumo is damaged when she runs aground off Tarakan.
-Japanese submarine I-121 mines Clarence Strait, the body of water connecting Van Diemen Gulf and the Timor Sea, off Australia's northern territory, at the approaches to Darwin, the Asiatic Fleet's main logistics base.

January 12, 1943
-TF 8 (Rear Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid) covers unopposed landing of Army troops (Brigadier General Lloyd E. Jones) to occupy Amchitka, Aleutians. Destroyer Worden (DD-352) is lost when she sinks after running aground south of Kirilof Point, at entrance to Constantine Harbor.
-Motor torpedo boat PT-28 is damaged by grounding during storm, Dora Harbor, Unimak Island, Aleutians.
-Submarine Guardfish (SS-217) sinks Patrol Boat No.1 about 10 miles southwest of the Tingwon Islands, located just southwest of the northern tip of New Hanover, Bismarck Archipelago.
-New Zealand corvette scuttles hulk of motor torpedo boat PT-43 off Guadalcanal.
-District patrol vessel YP-183 sinks after running aground off west coast of Hawaii, T.H.

January 12, 1944
-PB4Ys (VB 108 and VB 109) bomb Japanese shipping in Kwajalein lagoon, sinking gunboat Ikuta Maru. Aerial minelaying operations continue in the Marshalls as five PBY-5s, flying from Tarawa, mine Tokowa and Torappu channels and the south entrance to Maleolap; one Catalina goes on to bomb Jabor but is forced down by antiaircraft fire six miles east of Jaluit.
-Submarine Albacore (SS-218) sinks Japanese gunboat No.12 Choko Maru about 350 miles southwest of Truk; she also damages motor gunboat Hayabusa-Tei No.4, under tow of No.12 Choko Maru, so badly that the smaller craft has to be scuttled.
-Submarine Hake (SS-256) sinks Japanese aircraft transport Nigitsu Maru about 300 miles southeast of Okinawa.
-Japanese army cargo vessel Kanjo Maru is sunk by USAAF mine in Takao harbor, Formosa.

January 12, 1945
-TF 38 (Vice Adm John S. McCain) operating in the South China Sea hits Japanese shipping, airfields, and other shore installations in southeastern French Indochina. TF 38 planes sink training cruiser Kashii north of Qui Nhon; escort vessel Chiburi, Coast Defense Vessel No.17, and Coast Defense Vessel No.19 off Cape St. Jacques; submarine chaser Ch 31, minesweeper W.101, Patrol Boat No.103 [ex-U.S. minesweeper Finch (AM-9)], Coast Defense Vessel No.35, Coast Defense Vessel No.43, and merchant tanker Ayayuki Maru off Cape Padaran; submarine chaser Ch 43 near Cam Ranh Bay; landing ship T.140 and victualling stores ship Ikutagawa Maru at Saigon; Coast Defense Vessel No.23 and Coast Defense Vessel No.51 north of Qui Nhon; auxiliary minesweeper Otowa Maru at Cam Ranh Bay; oil tanker Kumagawa Maru and transports Shinsei Maru and Toyu Maru off Cape St. Jacques; transport Kembu Maru and army cargo ships Yushu Maru and Kyokuun Maru north of Qui Nhon; army cargo ships Kiyo Maru and No.17 Shinsei Maru, Saigon; and merchant cargo ships Kenei Maru and Taikyu Maru and tanker No.9 Horai Maru at Saigon; tanker Akashi Maru off Cape St. Jacques; cargo ship Eiman Maru and tanker No.2 Nanryu Maru, east coast (exact location unspecified) off French Indochina; tanker Shoei Maru, cargo ships Hotsusan Maru, Tatsuhato Maru, Otsusan Maru, Yujo Maru, and No.63 Banshu Maru north of Qui Nhon; and tankers Koshin Maru, Ayanami Maru, Hoei Maru, and Eiho Maru, and cargo ship Kensei Maru, southeast of Cape St. Jacques. TF 38 planes also damage escort vessels Daito and Ukuru, Coast Defense Vessel No.27, and fleet tanker San Luis Maru north of Qui Nhon; submarine chaser Ch 34 and merchant cargo ship Ryuyo Maru at Cam Ranh Bay; landing ships T.149 and T.137 and fleet tanker No.3 Kyoei Maru off Cape St. Jacques; landing ship T.131 near Saigon; guardboat No.2 Fushimi Maru at entrance to Vung Tau; army cargo ship France Maru and merchant tanker Shingi Maru, southeast of Cape St. Jacques; and merchant cargo ships Chefoo Maru and Kanju Maru at Saigon. Vichy French ships, due to their proximity to Japanese vessels, also come under attack: TF 38 planes sink light cruiser Lamotte-Picquet off Cat Lai, and sink French surveying vessel Octant.
Other Japanese casualties include Coast Defense Vessel No.2 damaged by aircraft (location unspecified); and auxiliary vessel Keishu Maru damaged by aircraft off Longhai.
-Off the west coast of Luzon, kamikazes damage destroyer escorts Richard W. Suesens (DE-342) and Gilligan (DE-508); attack transport Zeilin (APA-3); and tank landing ship LST-700; suicide pilots target U.S. merchant ships, damaging freighters Elmira Victory (there are no casualties to either the merchant complement or the 27- man Armed Guard) (friendly fire also accounts for damage to the ship); Otis Skinner, on board which Armed Guard sailors contribute to fire- fighting efforts; Edward M. Wescott off the west coast of Luzon (10 of the 25-man Armed Guards are wounded by flying debris); Kyle V. Johnson, (on board which 129 of 506 Army troops, being transported, die); and David Dudley Field at Subic Bay (Armed Guard gunfire deflects the kamikaze so that it only strikes the ship a glancing blow). Friendly fire accounts for damage to high speed transport Sands (APD-13) and tank landing ships LST-710 and LST-778.
-Operation KONGO continues; submarine I-47 launches kaitens that damage U.S. freighter Pontus H. Ross off Hollandia, New Guinea; there are no casualties among the merchant sailors or the 27-man Armed Guard. Efforts by submarines I-53 at Kossol Roads, Palau; I-56 at Manus, in the Admiralties; and by I-58 at Apra Harbor, Guam, are not unsuccessful.

 

January 13, 1943
-Transport Arthur Middleton (AP 55) is damaged when she runs aground at western end of Constantine Harbor, Amchitka, Aleutians.
Submarine Triton (SS-201) damages Japanese oiler Maru north of the St. Matthias Island group.
-Submarine Whale (SS-239) sinks Japanese collier Iwashiro Maru about 40 miles north of Kwajalein.

January 13, 1944
-Submarine Swordfish (SS-193) is damaged by depth charges off central Honshu but remains on patrol.
-USAAF B-24 (5th Air Force) sinks Japanese transport Haguro Maru 35 miles northwest of New Hanover.
-Thai ship Valaya is sunk by mine in Menam River, Thailand.

January 13, 1945
-Submarine Cobia (SS-245) sinks Japanese minelayer Yurijima off east coast of Malaya.
-Motor torpedo boat PT-73, damaged by grounding is beached and abandoned.
-Army freight supply vessel FS 41 breaks loose from her moorings at Amchitka, Alaska, in heavy weather, and demolishes 300 feet of an Army dock; fleet tug Sarsi (ATF-111) is sent from Adak to go to the ship's assistance.
-USAAF P-51s (14th Air Force) sink Japanese army cargo ship Akatsuki Maru in the Yangtze between Wuhu and Kiukiang.

 

January 14, 1943
-Casablanca (SYMBOL) Conference begins. President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill, and their staffs meet to plan future operations against the Axis powers.
-Submarine Gudgeon (SS-211) lands men and equipment near Catmon Point, Negros, P.I.
-Submarine Nautilus (SS-168) hits Japanese Toa Maru with dud torpedo off Bougainville.
-Submarine Pike (SS-173) is damaged by bombs and depth charges off Ichie Saki, southern Honshu; she is forced to terminate her patrol.
-Submarine Searaven (SS-196) attacks Japanese convoy northwest of the Palaus, sinking the sole escort, auxiliary submarine chaser No.1 Ganjitsu Maru, and army cargo ship Shiraha Maru.
-Motor torpedo boat PT-28, previously damaged, is abandoned, Dora Harbor, Unimak Island, Aleutians.
-Japanese naval auxiliary Shoan Maru is damaged by aircraft off Saipan.
-SOCs (VCS Detachment RINGBOLT) locate and illuminate Japanese destroyers for PT-boats; the planes also bomb and strafe the enemy ships.

January 14, 1944
-Fuel oil barge (self-propelled) YO-159, under tow of U.S. tanker Gulf Star, is torpedoed by Japanese submarine RO-42, 250 miles east of Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides.
-Submarine Scamp (SS-277) attacks Japanese convoy about 400 miles east-southeast of the Palaus, sinking fleet tanker Nippon Maru south of Sorol Island; Albacore (SS-218), nearby, sinks destroyer Sazanami; Guardfish (SS-217) sets upon same convoy attacked earlier by Scamp and sinks fleet tanker Ken'yo Maru 520 miles southeast of Palau.
-Submarine Seawolf (SS-197) attacks Japanese convoy approximately 300 miles northeast of Okinawa, sinking fleet tanker Yamazuru Maru.
-Submarine Swordfish (SS-193) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking transport Yamakuni Maru off Hachijo Jima, south of Honshu.
-SBDs and TBFs, supported by Allied fighters, bomb Japanese shipping in Simpson Harbor, Rabaul, damaging destroyer Matsukaze and fleet tanker Naruto.
-PBY-5 (VP 72) shot down attacking Jabor on 12 January is located and its crew rescued about 40 miles southwest of Jaluit.
-USAAF B-25s strike Japanese shipping and installations at Wotje atoll, Marshalls, sinking guardboat Tama Maru.
-USAAF B-24s (14th Air Force) sink army cargo ship Gyoei Maru in South China Sea.

January 14, 1945
-Submarine Cobia (SS-245) sinks Japanese minelayer Yurijima off east coast of Malaya.
-Motor torpedo boat PT-73, damaged by grounding, is beached and abandoned.
-Army freight supply vessel FS 41 breaks loose from her moorings at Amchitka, Alaska, in heavy weather, and demolishes 300 feet of an Army dock; fleet tug Sarsi (ATF-111) is sent from Adak to go to the ship's assistance.
-USAAF P-51s (14th Air Force) sink Japanese army cargo ship Akatsuki Maru in the Yangtze between Wuhu and Kiukiang.

 

January 15, 1940
-Joint amphibious exercise begins in the Monterey, California, area, to provide training for the Army and Navy in planning and executing Joint operations, to train Army troops in embarking and disembarking, and to afford an opportunity for elements of the GHQ Air Force and Navy patrol squadrons to work together and with ground forces. Commander Battle Force (Admiral Charles P. Snyder) conducts the Navy portion of the exercise.
-Japanese fishing schooner No. 1 Seiho Maru is stranded on reef off southeast coast of Guam, M.I. A detail of Guam Militia (12th Company) renders necessary assistance during salvage operations. Minesweeper Penguin (AM-33) rescues the 24-man crew.

January 15, 1942
-Third Conference of Foreign Ministers of the American Republics convenes at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to secure a unanimous and binding resolution for the American republics to sever relations with the Axis powers.
-American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Supreme Command is established at the Grand Hotel, Lembang, Java. General Sir Archibald Wavell, British Army, assumes supreme command of all forces in area; Lieutenant General George H. Brett, USAAF, is deputy commander; Admiral Thomas C. Hart is to command naval forces.

January 15, 1943
-SBDs from Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, and USAAF B-17s, escorted by F4Fs and USAAF P-39s, attack nine Japanese destroyers northeast of New Georgia, Solomons, and damage four: Arashi, Tanikaze, Urakaze, and Hamakaze.
Japanese attempt to reinforce their troops in the Solomons begins as first group of ships--Section A-- three transports accompanied by destroyer Shigure, departs Truk for Bougainville. The soldiers are being transferred from China.
-USAAF B-24s bomb Japanese convoy, sinking army cargo ship Nichimei Maru and damaging army cargo ship Moji Maru, about 200 miles south-southwest of Rangoon, Burma. Unknown to the aviators, Nichimei Maru is transporting Allied POWs, 500 of whom are lost.

January 15, 1944
-Service Squadron 10 (Captain Worrall R. Carter) is activated at Pearl Harbor to provide mobile logistics support for a projected advanced major fleet anchorage in the Central Pacific Area. SERVRON 10 was based at Majuro (February-May 1944), Eniwetok (June-September 1944), Ulithi (October 1944-April 1945), and Leyte-Samar, P.I. (May-August 1945), during the war. At the height of its activities, the squadron controlled 609 vessels at five fleet anchorages.
-Fuel oil barge (self-propelled) YO-159, torpedoed the previous day by Japanese submarine RO-42, is scuttled by gunfire of submarine chaser PC-1138.
-Submarine Crevalle (SS-291) lays mines east of Saigon, French Indochina.
-Submarine Thresher (SS-200), in attack on Japanese convoy, sinks army cargo ship Toho Maru and merchant tanker Tatsuno Maru about 75 miles north of Luzon.
-British submarine HMS Tally Ho sinks Japanese army cargo ship Ry k Maru south of Port Blair, Andaman Islands.
-USAAF B-25 sinks Vichy French coast patrol craft Ping Sung off Hongay, French Indochina.

January 15, 1945
-District patrol craft YP-73 sinks after running aground 1,000 yards east of Spruce Cape signal station, Kodiak, Alaska. Coast Guard tender Bittersweet (WAG-389) rescues survivors.
-Escort carrier Hoggatt Bay (CVE-75) is damaged by accidental explosion of bombs as aircraft (VC 88) lands on board as the ship operates off west coast of Luzon.
-TF 38 (Vice Admiral John S. McCain) attacks Japanese shipping and aircraft off Formosa and the China coast. Carrier planes sink destroyer Hatakaze and fast transport T.14; fleet tanker Mirii Maru and army cargo ship Enoshima Maru off Takao; destroyer Tsuga off Mako; and damage auxiliary minelayer Maroshima off Formosa and army cargo ships Beiju Maru and Yoshun Maru off Keelung.
-TF 38 planes sink Japanese salvage ship Horei Maru, San Fernando, Luzon.
-Japanese auxiliary minesweeper No.1 Kyo Maru is sunk by mine (laid by British submarine HMS Porpoise on 9 January), south of Penang, Malaya.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship No.5 Kujyo Maru is sunk by aircraft southwest of Paramushiro Island Kurils.
-Japanese river gunboat Narumi is damaged by USAAF aircraft near Hankow, China.
-Destroyer Swanson (DD-443) bombards Rota Island; she repeats the operation the following day.

[ 16. January 2005, 10:35 AM: Message edited by: Bill Murray ]

 

January 16, 1941
-President asks Congress for immediate appropriation of $350 million for 200 new merchant ships.

January 16, 1942
-War Production Board is established to supplant Office of Production Management.
-Japanese invade Burma from Thailand.
-Japanese submarines continue mining the approaches to Darwin, Northern Territory: I-122 mines Clarence Strait, I-123 Bundas Strait, and I-124 the waters off Darwin itself.
-Japanese cargo ship Taishu Maru is wrecked when she runs aground off Okushiri Island, Hokkaido.
-During a routine search from carrier Enterprise (CV-6), TBD (VT 6) flown by Aviation Chief Machinist's Mate Harold F. Dixon (Naval Aviation Pilot) fails to return to the ship and force-lands at sea due to fuel starvation. Dixon and his two-man crew have no food and no water.

January 16, 1943
-Submarine Greenling (SS-213) sinks Japanese transport Kimposan Maru west of Kavieng; after forcing Greenling deep, submarine chaser Ch 17 rescues Kimposan Maru's survivors.
-Submarine Growler (SS-215) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking army passenger-cargo ship Chifuku Maru 11 miles north of Waton Island and survives escorts' counterattacks.

January 16, 1944
-Submarine Blackfish (SS-221) attacks Japanese convoy and sinks transport Kaika Maru about 275 miles southwest of Truk.
-Submarine Flier (SS-250) runs aground and is damaged as she transits channel at Midway Island; submarine rescue vessel Macaw (ASR-17) becomes stranded as she attempts to assist the stranded fleet boat.
-Submarine Redfin (SS-272) damages Japanese destroyer Amatsukaze, 250 miles north of the Spratly Islands.
-Submarine Seahorse (SS-304) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Nikko Maru southeast of the Marianas.
-Submarine Sturgeon (SS-187) damages Japanese destroyer Suzutsuki in Bungo Channel but fails to hit the destroyer's charge, cargo vessel Azaki Maru.
-Submarine Swordfish (SS-193), despite presence of escort vessel, sinks Japanese gunboat Delhi Maru off Honshu. Delhi Maru is on her maiden voyage as a "Q-ship," her conversion having been completed 14 January.
-Submarine Whale (SS-239) attacks Japanese convoy and sinks army cargo ship Denmark Maru about 400 miles southeast of Okinawa; Seawolf (SS-197), nearby, damages transport Tarushima Maru, which Whale later finishes off.
-PBYs attack Rabaul-bound Japanese convoy O-905, sinking army cargo ships Shunko Maru, Hozugawa Maru and transport Meisho Maru about 45 miles northwest of New Hanover. Kosei Maru (see 17 January) and escorting submarine chasers Ch 24 and Ch 29 emerge unscathed.
-U.S. forces sink Japanese submarine I-181 in Gidiagu Strait.

January 16, 1945
-TF 38 (Vice Admiral John S. McCain) strikes Japanese shipping and installations at Hong Kong, Hainan Island and along the China coast. Off Hong Kong TF 38 planes sink transport Hokkai Maru; merchant tankers Tenei Maru, Matsushima Maru, and Sanko Maru; and merchant cargo ship No.2 Anri Go. They also damage oiler Kamoi, destroyer Hasu, fast transport T.108, escort destroyers Shinnan and Nomi, and Coast Defense Vessel No.60; off Yulin, TF 38 planes sink merchant tanker Harima Maru, and damage escort destroyer Daito. Guardboat No.1 Taiyo Maru is sunk east of Hainan; merchant tanker No.6 Nanryu Maru is sunk off coast of South China.

 

January 17, 1941
-Rear Admiral Thomas Withers relieves Rear Admiral Wilhelm L. Friedell as Commander Submarines Scouting Force, on board light cruiser Richmond (CL-9) (force flagship) at Pearl Harbor, T.H.
-Battle of Koh Chang: Vichy French retaliate against Thai moves against Cambodia. French squadron (Rear Admiral Jules Terraux) consisting of light cruiser Lamotte-Picquet, colonial sloops Amiral Charner and Dumont D'Urville and sloops Tahure and Marne, decisively defeats a Thai Navy force in a surface gunnery and torpedo action fought in the Gulf of Siam, sinking coast defense ship Dhonburi and torpedo boats Cholbury and Songkhla and damaging coast defense ship Sri Ayuthia and torpedo boat Trat in about two hours.

January 17, 1942
-Japanese submarine I-60 is sunk by British destroyer HMS Jupiter 25 miles north-northwest of Krakatoa, Java.
-Japanese transport Fukusei Maru is stranded and wrecked off Yangtze Estuary.

January 17, 1943
-Naval Base and Naval Air Station, Brisbane, Australia, are established. The Brisbane base will eventually become the largest Navy facility in Australia. It will not be disestablished until 14 January 1946.
-Section B of Japanese Solomons reinforcement convoy sails from Truk, bound for the Shortlands.
-Submarine Finback (SS-230) damages Japanese merchant cargo ship Yachiyo Maru off Tanega Shima.
-Submarine Searaven (SS-196) torpedoes Japanese ship Gokoku Maru just off Palau, but the "fish" that hits proves a dud.
-Submarine Whale (SS-239) damages Japanese troopship Heiyo Maru northeast of Truk.
-SOC (VCS Detachment RINGBOLT) on night patrol locates Japanese submarine by lightning flash and attacks her, but the bomb fails to detonate.

January 17, 1944
-SBDs and TBFs, covered by fighters, bomb Japanese shipping at Rabaul, sinking repair ship Hakkai Maru, transport Kenshin Maru (ex-British Celebes), and army cargo ship Kosei Maru (which had escaped damage the previous day), and damaging aircraft transport Lyon Maru. Kosei Maru sinks with 14 landing barges still on board.
-Japanese sources indicate guardboat No.6 Shinko Maru is sunk, but offers no location other than "South Seas area." The only naval air activity on this day that may have been responsible for the loss of a ship the size of No.6 Shinko Maru is a raid by PB4Y aircraft upon Kusaie in the Carolines.
-Submarine Bowfin (SS-287) attacks Japanese convoy, gunboat Delhi Maru off west coast of Palawan.
-USAAF B-24s (5th Air Force) sink Japanese merchant cargo ship Chiburi Maru and No.9 Fukei Maru about 80 miles east of Manus.

January 17, 1945
-Off Philippine Islands, escort carrier Nehenta Bay (CVE-74) is damaged by storm.
-Submarine Tautog (SS-199) sinks Japanese fast transport T.15 off southern Kyushu.
-British submarine HMS Stygian sinks small Japanese cargo vessel Nichinan Maru off Perak.
-Japanese cargo ship Minka Maru is sunk by mine on Yangtze, above Kiukiang, China.

 

January 18, 1942
-Germany, Italy, and Japan sign new military pact in Berlin.
-River gunboat Tutuila (PR-4), stranded at Chungking by Sino-Japanese hostilities since 1937, is decommissioned and her crew flown out of China.
-Submarine Plunger (SS-179) torpedoes and sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Eizan Maru (ex-Panamanian Aurora) off mouth of Kii Suido, Honshu.

January 18, 1943
-Submarine Greenling (SS-213) damages Japanese ammunition ship/survey vessel Soya in Queen Carola Channel.
-Submarine Silversidess (SS-236) sinks Japanese fleet tanker Genyo Maru about 90 miles southwest of Truk but is damaged by depth charges from escorting warship and is forced to terminate her patrol.
-USAAF B-24 sinks Japanese transport Senzan Maru off Kavieng; submarine chaser Ch 16 rescues survivors.
-USAAF B-17s and P-39s sink Japanese cargo vessel Yamafuku Maru off Shortland Island.
-Japanese collier Tokachi Maru is sunk by Japanese mine west of Surubaya, Java, N.E.I.
-U.S. tanker Mobilube is torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-21 off coast of New South Wales, Australia; Australian minesweeper HMAS Kapunda provides assistance as the tanker remains afloat. Other than three men killed in the initial explosion, no other members of the ship's complement (that includes an 11-man Armed Guard) perish. Mobilube is towed to Sydney by salvage tug St. Aristell, but is eventually declared a total loss.

January 18, 1944
-Tropical hurricane batters Noumea, New Caledonia, damaging high speed transport Noa (APD-24), district patrol vessel YP-239, district auxiliary (miscellaneous) YAG-25, and a crane barge.
-Submarine Bowfin (SS-287) sinks Japanese merchant tanker Shoyu Maru off west coast of Palawan. Bowfin identifies the escort for the tanker as what she believes to be ex-Stewart (DD-224), which had been salvaged by the Japanese and commissioned as the unnamed Patrol Vessel No.102.
-Submarine Flasher (SS-249) sinks Japanese oiler Yoshida Maru about 140 miles west-southwest of Marcus Island.
-PB4Y-1 (VB 108), to simulate minelaying operations, sows unfuzed 100-pound bombs in Mellu, Gegibu and Onemak channels, Kwajalein.
-USAAF A-24s and P-40s bomb Japanese installations at Jaluit, sinking merchant tanker No.1 Nanyu Maru.

January 18, 1945
-Japanese raiding parties land on Peleliu, Palau Islands. The attempt to damage aircraft on the ground and destroy ammunition is not successful.
Tank landing ship LST-219 is damaged by grounding off west coast of Luzon.
-Tank landing ship LST-752 is damaged in collision off Leyte.
-Infantry landing craft (gunboat) LCI(G)-396 is damaged by mine, Palaus.
-Japanese merchant cargo ship Reizan Maru (previously damaged on 31 August 1944 by 14th Air Force planes) is sunk by mine in upper Yangtze.

 

January 19, 1942
-Motor torpedo boat PT-31 is damaged when her engines fail because of what is believed to be sabotaged gasoline and she runs aground on reef north of Mayagao Point, Bataan, P.I.

January 19, 1943
-Japanese land at Wewak, New Guinea.
-Submarine Swordfish (SS-193) encounters Section A of the Japanese Solomons reinforcement convoy, and sinks army cargo ship Myoho Maru. Section C of the reinforcement convoy, meanwhile, departs Truk.
-Submarine Greenling (SS-213) damages Japanese army cargo ship Shinai Maru north of Rabaul.
-Submarine Haddock (SS-231) attacks Japanese convoy off south coast of Honshu, damaging transport Shunko Maru.
-Submarine Nautilus (SS-168) damages Japanese destroyer Akizuki 270 miles west of Tulagi.
-Submarine Spearfish (SS-190) en route to Pearl Harbor after completing her patrol, is damaged by aerial bombs off the Gilberts.

January 19, 1944
-Submarine Haddock (SS-231) damages Japanese carrier Unyo 140 miles east-southeast of Guam.
-USAAF B-24 (5th Air Force) sinks Japanese cargo vessel Kaishu Maru at Manus, Admiralty Islands.

January 19, 1945
-Submarine Spot (SS-413) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Usa Maru.
British submarine HMS Supreme damages Japanese auxiliary netlayer Agata Maru south of Ross Island Andaman Islands.