Monday, 24 November 1941

US NAVY

ATLANTIC—Destroyer DuPont (DD‑152) in North Atlantic with TU 4.1.6, escorting convoy HX 161, is damaged in collision with merchant ship Thorshovdi.

            British light cruiser Dunedin is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U‑124 north of Pernambuco, Brazil, at approximately 03°00'S, 26°00'W (see 27 November).  

Consolidated Combat Chronology of the US Armed Forces in the Second World War

In 1941, the US was still at peace, though preparing for war.  This post aligns with those events 84 years ago to the day, month and day of week, something that I only realized as I transitioned from the monthly summaries to a daily format.  Two weeks to the anniversary of Pearl Harbor and the active involvement in WWII as a belligerent. Follow along with the daily consolidated combat chronology of the US Armed Forces in the Second World War.

Sunday, 23 November 1941

US NAVY

CARRIBEAN—U.S. occupies Surinam, Dutch Guiana, pursuant to agreement with the Netherlands government to protect bauxite mines.

ATLANTIC—TU M.# (Commander Gilbert C. Hoover) assumes escort duty for convoy HX 161; the convoy will not be attacked by U‑boats during its passage (see 24 November).

On The Week of 16 – 22 November 1941

US NAVY

16 November 1941, Sunday

ATLANTIC—TU 4.1.5 (Commander William K. Phillips) clears Argentia, Newfoundland, to assumes escort duty for convoy HX160; between 17 and 28 November, heavy seas will cause varying degrees of damage to destroyers Mayo (DD‑422), Nicholson (DD‑424), Babbitt (DD‑128), Leary (DD‑158) and Schenck (DD‑159). The convoy will not be attacked by U‑boats (see 19, 20 and 27 November).  

17 November 1941, Monday

UNITED STATES—Congress amends the Neutrality Act of 1939 by Joint Resolution; U.S. merchant ships can now be armed and can enter war zones.  

            Bureau of Navigation directs that naval district personnel who received Armed Guard training be assigned to Little Creek, Virginia, or San Diego, California, for further instruction. They will be transferred to Armed Guard centers at New York, New York, and Treasure Island, California, for assignment to merchant ships.

            Special Japanese envoy Kurusu Saburo arrives in Washington and confers with Secretary of State Cordell Hull.

ATLANTIC—Destroyers Benson (DD‑421) and Edison (DD‑439), screening convoy ON 34, depth charge submarine contacts.

            TU 4.1.5 (Commander William K. Phillips) intercepts and joins convoy HX 160; although none of the destroyers in the task unit will be damaged by enemy action, all‑‑Mayo (DD‑422), Babbitt (DD‑128), Leary (DD‑158), Schenck (DD‑159), and Nicholson (DD‑442) ‑‑will suffer storm damage of varying degrees between this date and 28November.

            German blockade runner Odenwald, captured by light cruiser Omaha (CL‑4) and destroyer Somers (DD‑381) on 6November, is escorted into San Juan, Puerto Rico, by Somers and turned over to U.S. authorities.

19 November 1941, Wednesday

ATLANTIC—Destroyer Leary (DD‑158), with TU 4.1.5, escorting convoy HX 160, depth charges a sound contact.

20 November 1941, Thursday

US NAVY

UNITED STATES—Ambassador Nomura presents Japan's "final proposal" to keep peace in the Pacific.

ATLANTIC—Destroyer Nicholson (DD‑424), with TU 4.1.5, escorting convoy HX 160, depth charges a sound contact at 50°30'N,50°40'W.

US MARINE CORPS

UNITED STATES—Ambassador Nomura presents Japan’s “final proposal” to keep peace in the Pacific.

21 November 1941, Friday

US NAVY

UNITED STATES—Office of the Chief of Naval Operations mistakenly informs Naval Air Station, New York, of the imminent delivery of infantile paralysis serum from Navy Medical Supply Depot, Brooklyn, for further transport to Norfolk by 1000 on the following day and thence to Bermuda. It is soon discovered, however, that no such serum exists in Brooklyn or anywhere east of Milwaukee. Urgent ensuing search locates the needed serum in Milwaukee, whence it is flown to Chicago, where American Air Lines holds a plane to make the necessary connection for the flight to New York (see 22 November).

ATLANTIC—Lend‑Lease is extended to Iceland.

PACIFIC—Destroyer Shaw (DD‑373) and oiler Sabine (AO‑25) are damaged in collision in Hawaiian Operating Area.

22 November 1941, Saturday

US NAVY

UNITED STATES— Naval Air Station, New York SNJ‑2 delivers needed infantile paralysis serum to Norfolk. It ultimately arrives in Bermuda on time.

 

On 1 – 15 November 1941

US NAVY

1 November 1941, Saturday

US NAVY

UNITED STATES—Executive order places Coast Guard under jurisdiction of Department of the Navy for duration of national emergency.

PACIFIC—Pacific Escort Force is formed at Pearl Harbor to protect transports and certain merchant vessels carrying troops and valuable military cargoes between Hawaii and the Far East.

ATLANTIC—PBYs (VP 73) provide air coverage for convoy ON 30.  

            Destroyers Dallas (DD‑199), Ellis (DD‑154), and Eberle (DD‑430), screening convoy HX 157, carry out depth charge attacks on sound contacts off St. John's, Newfoundland.

US MARINE CORPS

UNITED STATES—Second Joint Training Force (JTF-2), composed of the 2d Marine Division, the U.S. Army 3d Infantry Division, and the 2d Marine Aircraft Wing organized at Camp Elliott, San Diego, California, to become a part of the Pacific Fleet.

2 November 1941, Sunday

ATLANTIC—TF 14 (Rear Admiral H. Kent Hewitt) (see 25 October 1941 for composition) reaches MOMP and exchanges convoy “Cargo" for CT 5, eight British transports carrying 20,000 British troops earmarked for the Middle East. Convoy CT5's first destination is Halifax, Nova Scotia.

            PBMs (VP 74) provide air coverage for convoy ON 30.

3 November 1941, Monday

UNITED STATES—Secretary of State Hull releases to the press the correspondence of June and September detailing the German refusal to pay reparations for sinking U.S. freighter Robin Moor on 21 May.

ATLANTIC—PBYs (VP 73) provide air coverage for convoy ON 31.

            Destroyer Upshur (DD‑144), escorting convoy HX 157, depth charges sound contact (later determined to be most likely a whale or blackfish) at 56°56'N, 49°21'W.

4 November 1941, Tuesday

ATLANTIC—PBYs (VP 73) provide air coverage for convoy ON 31.

            British RFA oiler Olwen reports German surface raider attack at 03°04'N, 22°42'W. Commander‑in‑Chief, South Atlantic, Vice Admiral Algernon U. Willis, RN, orders heavy cruiser HMS Dorsetshire (accompanied by armed merchant cruiser HMS Canton) to investigate. Light cruiser HMS Dunedin and special service vessels HMS Queen Emma and Princess Beatrix are ordered to depart Freetown, Sierra Leone to join in the search. Dorsetshire and Canton part company, with the former heading southeast and the latter steaming toward a position to the northwest, to be supported by TG 3.6, light cruiser Omaha (CL‑4) and destroyer Somers (DD‑381), which are at that time well to the northwest of the reported enemy position. Light cruiser Memphis (CL‑4) and destroyers Davis (DD‑395) and Jouett (DD‑396), near to Olwen's position, search the area without result; Omaha and Somers search unsuccessfully for survivors (see 5‑6 November).

5 November 1941, Wednesday

ATLANTIC—Oiler Laramie (A0 16) is rammed by Panamanian freighter Montrose, Tunugdliark Fjord, Narsarssuak, Greenland, but suffers no damage in the accidental encounter caused by stormy weather.

            Search for German raider reported by British RFA oiler Olwen the previous day continues; Commander‑in‑Chief South Atlantic (Vice Admiral Algernon U. Willis, RN) informs British ships of the unsuccessful efforts by the five U.S. ships (two light cruisers and three destroyers) involved in the search the previous day (see 6 November).

PACIFIC—Rear Admiral Francis W. Rockwell relieves Captain Herbert J. Ray as Commandant, Sixteenth Naval District and Commander, Philippine Naval Coastal Frontier. Ray had been acting in that capacity due to the illness of Rear Admiral Harold M. Bemis.

6 November 1941, Thursday

ATLANTIC—Unsuccessful search for German raider reported by British RFA oiler Olwen on 4 November is not entirely fruitless: TG 3.6, light cruiser Omaha (CL‑4) (Captain Theodore E. Chandler) and destroyer Somers (DD‑381), en route to Recife, Brazil, returning from the 3,023‑mile patrol, captures German blockade runner Odenwald, disguised as U.S. freighter Willmoto, in Atlantic equatorial waters, 00°40'N, 28°04'W. Boarding party from Omaha (Lieutenant George K. Carmichael) reaches Odenwald as Germans explode charges to scuttle the ship. Omaha's sailors, however, joined by a diesel engine specialist from Somers, prevent Odenwald's loss while the cruiser's SOCs and her accompanying destroyer screen the operation. The three ships then proceed to Trinidad because of possible complications with the Brazilian government; in view of the precarious fuel state in the American ships, Somers's crew ingeniously rigs a sail that cuts fuel consumption and allows her to reach her destination with fuel to spare. British RFA oiler Olwen subsequently reports that she had made the "raider" signal when what was probably a surfaced submarine had fired upon her at dawn on 4 November 1941. Ten U.S. and British warships had searched for two days for a phantom enemy.

            Destroyer Madison (DD‑425), on the flank of convoy ON 39, carries out depth charge attack at 45°50'N, 40°40'W; investigation later proves their quarry to have been a whale.

7 November 1941, Friday

ATLANTIC—Destroyers Lansdale (DD‑426), Charles F. Hughes (DD‑428), and Gleaves (DD‑423), while in TU 4.1.2 escorting convoy ON 30, make depth charge attacks on sound contact. Destroyer Madison (DD‑425) sights bleeding whale soon thereafter, leading to the conclusion that the warships had attacked a large marine mammal.

8 November 1941, Saturday

ATLANTIC—Destroyer Niblack (DD‑424) damages Norwegian freighter Astra in collision, Reykjavik, Iceland.

            Naval Operating Base, Iceland, is established; Rear Admiral James L. Kauffman is the first commandant.

9 November 1941, Sunday

ATLANTIC—TU 4.1.4 (Captain Alan G. Kirk) departs Argentia, Newfoundland, to screen 31‑ship convoy HX 159. It is the first escort task unit that includes in its composition a Coast Guard cutter, Campbell. The convoy will not be attacked by U‑boats although the presence of whales and blackfish result in attacks on sound contacts on five occasions (see 11,12, and 13 November).

10 November 1941, Monday

ATLANTIC—U.S.‑escorted convoy WS 12 (Rear Admiral Arthur B. Cook), formed around carrier Ranger (CV‑4) and transporting more than 20,000 British soldiers (see 2 November) in six U.S. Navy transports, sails from Halifax.

            Destroyer Ericsson (DD‑440), screening convoy HX 157, depth charges sound contact later evaluated as a "doubtful” submarine.

PACIFIC—Commander in Chief Asiatic Fleet (Admiral Thomas C. Hart) receives permission to withdraw river gunboats from the Yangtze and USMC forces from China.

11 November 1941, Tuesday

ATLANTIC—Destroyer Edison (DD‑439), en route to rendezvous with convoy ON 34, depth charges sound contact.

            Destroyer Decatur (DD‑341), screening convoy HX 159, depth charges sound contact off the Grand Banks; it is later evaluated as a "doubtful" submarine.

12 November 1941, Wednesday

ATLANTIC—TU 4.1.3 (Commander Richard E. Webb) assumes escort duty for convoy ON 34.

            Destroyer Decatur (DD‑341), screening convoy HX 159, twice depth charges sound contacts that are later evaluated as "non‑submarine." Destroyer Badger (DD‑126), depth charges sound contact that is later evaluated as perhaps Decatur’s wake. Coast Guard cutter Campbell reports sound contact and conducts search; she is joined by destroyer Livermore (DD‑429).

13 November 1941, Tuesday

ATLANTIC—Destroyer Edison (DD‑439), screening convoy ON 34 southwest of Iceland, depth charges sound contact.

            Destroyer Decatur (DD‑341), screening convoy HX 159, depth charges sound contact; although it is regarded as a good contact, the ensuing search yields no evidence of a submarine.

14 November 1941, Friday

PACIFIC—Marines are ordered withdrawn from Shanghai, Peiping, and Tientsin, China.

ATLANTIC—Destroyer Benson (DD‑421) and Niblack (DD‑424), screening convoy ON 34, depth charge sound contacts.

            Destroyer Edison (DD‑439), en route to MOMP in TU 4.1.1 to screen convoy ON 35, attacks a sound contact southwest of Iceland at 62°53'N, 24°30'W.

US MARINE CORPS

PACIFIC—Marines are ordered to leave Shanghai, Peiping, and Tientsin, China.

15 November 1941, Saturday

US NAVY

UNITED STATES—Army GHQ maneuvers begin in North and South Carolina. Two U.S. Navy (VB 8 and VS 8) and two Marine Corps (VMF 111 and VMF 121) squadrons take part in the large‑scale war games.

ATLANTIC—TU 4.1.1 (Captain Marion Y. Cohen) assumes escort duty for convoy ON 35 at the MOMP. There will be no U‑boat attacks on the convoy, but nearly continuous heavy weather between 16 and 25 November result in 16 of the 26 ships straggling.

On 16 - 31 October 1941

US NAVY

16 October 1941, Thursday

ATLANTIC—Battle to protect convoy SC 48 continues. German submarines U‑502 and U‑568 reestablish contact before retiring upon arrival of TU 4.1.4 (Captain Hewlett Thebaud). Destroyer Livermore (DD‑429) sweeps ahead of the convoy, depth‑charges U‑553; destroyer Kearny (DD‑432), sweeping astern, drops charges to discourage tracking submarines. Later, U‑502 and U‑568, augmented by U‑432, U‑553, and U‑558 renew attack upon SC 48. The U‑boats commence a determined assault on SC 48 during the night of 16‑17 October.

            Destroyer Charles F. Hughes (DD‑428), while escorting convoy HX 154, rescues the only seven survivors of British freighter Hatasu (torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U‑431 on 2 October, 600 miles east of Cape Race), at 51°56'N, 35°58'W.

PACIFIC—Destroyers Peary (DD‑225) and Pillsbury (DD‑227) are damaged in collision during night exercises in Manila Bay P.I.

17 October 1941, Friday

PACIFIC—General Tojo Hideki becomes Japanese Premier as Konoye Government resigns.

            Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet (Admiral Husband E. Kimmel) sends two submarines to Midway and two to Wake on "simulated war patrols" (see 26 October).  

            Navy orders all U.S. merchant ships in Asiatic waters to put into friendly ports.

ATLANTIC—Battle to protect convoy SC 48 continues. SC 48 is the first U.S. Navy‑escorted convoy to engage German submarines in battle, but despite the presence of the three modern U.S. destroyers and two flush‑deckers‑‑Decatur (DD‑341) and HMCS Columbia [ex‑U.S. destroyer Haraden (DD‑183)], and four Canadian corvettes, the enemy torpedoes six ships and an escort vessel in a total elapsed time of four hours and forty‑seven minutes. U‑432 sinks Greek steamer Evros at57°00'N, 24°30'W, Panamanian steamer Bold Venture and Norwegian motor tanker Barfonn at 56°58'N, 25°04'W; U‑558 sinks British tanker W.C. Teagle at 57°00'N, 25°00'W, and Norwegian steamship Rym at 57°01'N, 24°20'W. U‑553 sinks Norwegian steamer Erviken at 56°10'N, 24°30'W, and conducts unsuccessful approach on destroyer Plunkett (DD‑431). Destroyer Kearny (DD‑432) is torpedoed by U‑568 southwest of Iceland, 57°00'N, 24°00'W; 11 of Kearny’s crew are killed, 22 injured (see 18 October). Soon thereafter, U‑101 torpedoes and sinks British destroyer HMS Broadwater [ex‑U.S. destroyer Mason (DD‑191)], at 57°01'N, 19°08'W. Lost on board the British flush‑decker are two survivors from Ervinger and nine from W.C. Teagle. Escorted by Greer (DD‑145), the damaged Kearny proceeds to Hvalfjordur, Iceland. There she will undergo repairs alongside repair ship Vulcan (AR‑5) and eventually return to the United States. Iceland‑based PBYs (VP 73) arrive to provide air coverage for SC 48.

            Destroyer Charles F. Hughes (DD‑428) and Gleaves (DD‑423), while screening convoy HX 154, depth‑charge suspicious contacts at 54°40'N, 33°59'W, and 54°40'N, 33°59'W (see 19 October).

18 October 1941, Saturday

ATLANTIC—PBY (VP 73) drops package containing blood plasma and transfusion gear for use in treating the wounded on board Kearny (DD‑432); Monssen (DD‑435) retrieves the package but the gear becomes disengaged and sinks. PBM (VP74) repeats the operation a few hours later; this time the drop is successful and Monssen retrieves the medical supplies intact. Destroyers Plunkett (DD‑431), Livermore (DD‑429) and Decatur (DD‑341), meanwhile, make concerted depth charge attacks on sound contacts at 54°53'N, 33°08'W with no visible results. German submarines break off operations against SC 48.

19 October 1941, Sunday

ATLANTIC—Destroyer Charles F. Hughes (DD‑428) and Gleaves (DD‑423), while screening convoy HX 154, depth‑charge suspicious contacts at 59°58'N, 23°15'W, and 60°00'N, 23°20'W, and 59°57'N, 22°41'W.

            Unarmed U.S. freighter Lehigh is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U‑126 about 75 miles off Freetown, Sierre Leone, 08°26'N, 14°37'W. While there are no fatalities, four men are slightly injured.

20 October 1941, Monday

ATLANTIC—PBYs (VP 73) provide air coverage for convoy ON 26.

22 October 1941, Wednesday

PACIFIC—Battleships Oklahoma (BB‑36) and Arizona (BB‑39) are damaged in collision in Hawaiian Operating Area.

25 October 1941, Saturday

ATLANTIC—TF 14 (Rear Admiral H. Kent Hewitt), formed around carrier Yorktown (CV‑5) (VF 42, VB 5, VS 5 and VT 5), battleship New Mexico (BB‑40), light cruisers Savannah (CL‑42) and Philadelphia (CL‑41), and nine destroyers, departs Portland, Maine, to escort a convoy ("Cargo") of British merchantmen.

            TU 4.1.3 (Commander Richard E. Webb) escorts convoy HX 156; destroyer Hilary P. Jones (DD‑427) carries out depth charge attacks on suspicious contact but, after spying a school of porpoises, ceases fire.

            South and Northeast Greenland Patrols are merged and renamed Greenland Patrol; it is designated as TG 24.8 of the Atlantic Fleet.

26 October 1941, Sunday

PACIFIC—Submarines Narwhal (SS‑168) and Dolphin (SS‑169) arrive off Wake Island on simulated war patrols.

27 October 1941, Monday

ATLANTIC—TU 4.1.6 (Commander George W. Johnson) screens convoy ON 28. During the day, destroyers DuPont (DD‑152) and Sampson (DD‑394) each carry out two depth charge attacks against suspected U‑boat contacts.

            Destroyer Hilary P. Jones (DD‑427) is damaged by heavy seas while screening convoy HX 156.

29 October 1941, Wednesday

ATLANTIC—TU 4.1.3 (Commander Richard E. Webb) escorts convoy HX 156; destroyer Hilary P. Jones (DD‑427) carries out depth charge attack on suspicious contact.

            TU 4.1.6 (Commander George W. Johnson) screens convoy ON 28. During the day, destroyers Lea (DD‑118), DuPont (DD‑152), MacLeish (DD‑220), and Sampson (DD‑394) depth charge suspected U‑boat contacts.

30 October 1941, Thursday

ATLANTIC—Oiler Salinas (AO‑19), in convoy ON 28, is torpedoed by German submarine U‑106 about 700 miles east of Newfoundland. Only one of Salinas's crew is injured. TU 4.1.6 (Commander George W. Johnson), screening ON 28, attacks sound contacts; destroyer Bernadou (DD‑153) carries out five depth charge attacks and fires at what was most likely German submarine U‑67, forcing her to submerge; DuPont (DD‑152) carries out three depth charge attacks; MacLeish (DD‑220) and Sampson (DD‑394) one apiece. Lea (DD‑118) escorts Salinas (which will reach port under her own power); they will be joined en route by Coast Guard cutter Campbell and tug Cherokee (AT‑66).

            TU 4.1.1 (Captain Marion Y. Cohen) contacts MOMP‑bound convoy HX 157 at 45°43'N, 55°37'W. The convoy will not be attacked by U‑boats (see 1 November).

31 October 1941, Friday

ATLANTIC—Destroyer Reuben James (DD‑245), while escorting 42‑ship convoy HX 156, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U‑552 off western Iceland, 51°59'N, 27°05'W; 115 men are killed. No merchantmen in HX 156 are attacked. Despite the heavy oil slick in the vicinity and the need to investigate sound contacts, destroyer Niblack (DD‑424) rescues 36 men (one of whom dies of wounds on 2 November); Hilary P. Jones (DD‑427) picks up 10. The loss of Reuben James, the first U.S. naval vessel to be lost to enemy action in World War II, proves a temporary detriment to Navy recruiting efforts.

            TU 4.1.6 (Commander George W. Johnson), screening ON 28, carries out vigorous attacks on sound contacts: destroyer Babbitt (DD‑128) carries out two, while Buck (DD‑420), DuPont (DD‑152) (which is attacked by U‑boat but missed), Leary (DD‑158) and Sampson (DD‑394) one attack apiece.

On 1 -15 October 1941

US NAVY

1 October 1941, Wednesday

SOVIET UNION—, British, and Soviet representatives conclude three‑day conference in Moscow on aid to the Soviet Union.

UNITED STATES—Secretary of the Navy Knox approves "popular" names for naval combat aircraft: "Avenger" (Grumman TBF),"Buccaneer" (Brewster SB2A), "Buffalo" (Brewster F2A), "Catalina" (Consolidated PBY), "Coronado" (ConsolidatedPB2Y), "Corsair" (Vought F4U), "Dauntless" (Douglas SBD), "Devastator" (Douglas TBD), "Helldiver" (CurtissSB2C), "Kingfisher" (Vought OS2U/Naval Aircraft Factory OS2N), "Mariner" (Martin PBM), "Sea Ranger" (Boeing PBB patrol bomber), "Seagull" (Curtiss SO3C), and "Vindicator" (Vought SB2U). Names supplement the Navy’s letter‑number designations, which remain unchanged and continue to be used in correspondence. As can be seen, the name "Avenger" is assigned well before either Pearl Harbor (7 December 1941) or the slaughter of torpedo planes at the Battle of Midway (4‑6 June 1942). These two events are commonly believed to have motivated the assignment of this particular nickname to the TBF/TBM series. The name "Seagull" is also applied unofficially to the Curtiss SOC series which is in use in cruiser‑based observation squadrons. Ironically, the SO3C proves a failure in service, and the SOC it was designed to replace serves on.  

            Sale of War Savings Bonds to naval personnel is inaugurated on this date; under the direction of a Coordinator for War Savings Bonds, Supply Corps officers are designated as issuing agents and assigned to 28 major shore activities. Actual sales of the bonds will amount to $61,000,000‑‑over 50 in excess of the predicted sales.

2 October 1941, Thursday

UNITED STATES—President Roosevelt rejects Japanese Prime Minister Konoye's request to meet and discuss Pacific and Far Eastern questions.

ATLANTIC—Destroyer Winslow (DD‑359), in screen of convoy ON 20, is detached from TU 4.1.3 to proceed to the assistance of Dutch motor vessel Tuva, torpedoed by German submarine U‑575 at 54°16'N, 26°36'W. Although Winslow finds the freighter still afloat, the destroyer depth charges a "doubtful" submarine contact in the vicinity and upon her return is unable to locate any survivors. Winslow rejoins ON 20 the following morning. The Dutch freighter's crew, however, is apparently rescued by another ship, for the Lloyd's List of Shipping Losses: World War II lists only one man missing from among the complement of 35.

            Coast Guard cutter Campbell scuttles irreparably damaged British tanker San Florentino (torpedoed by German submarine U‑575 at 52°50'N, 34°40'W and 52°42'N, 34°51'W).

5 October 1941, Sunday

ATLANTIC—Destroyer Mayo (DD‑422), escorting convoy HX 152, after seeing Swedish motor vessel Kaaparen showing a string of lights for five minutes, thus jeopardizing the convoy, hails the offender and threatens to open fire if the practice is not stopped.

7 October 1941, Tuesday

ATLANTIC—TU 4.1.1 (Captain Marion Y. Cohen) assumes escort duty for convoy ON 22 at the MOMP. Although there are no U‑boat attacks on the convoy, ships of TU 4.1.1 carry out depth charges attacks on suspicious contacts (see 8 and 9October).

8 October 1941, Wednesday

ATLANTIC—Destroyer Dallas (DD‑199), in screen of convoy ON 22, depth charges a contact (later evaluated as "non‑submarine”) about 450 miles southwest of Reykjavik, Iceland, 58°54'N, 29°31'W.

            Oiler Salinas (AO‑19), with convoy HX 152, is damaged by heavy seas, and is convoyed to Iceland by destroyer Broome (DD‑210).

9 October 1941, Thursday

ATLANTIC—Destroyer Upshur (DD‑144), in screen of convoy ON 22, carries out depth charge attack (like Dallas's the previous day, evaluated as "non‑submarine") about 405 miles southeast of Cape Farewell, 56°47'N, 34°05'W.

10 October 1941, Friday

ATLANTIC—TG 14.3 (Rear Admiral H. Kent Hewitt), comprising carrier Yorktown (CV‑5), battleship New Mexico (BB‑40), heavy cruiser Quincy (CA‑39), light cruiser Savannah (CL‑42), and Destroyer Divisions 3 and 16, sails from Argentia, Newfoundland, for Casco Bay, Maine. Encountering heavy weather en route, Yorktown, New Mexico, Quincy, Savannah, and destroyers Rhind (DD‑404), Hammann (DD‑412), Anderson (DD‑411), Sims (DD‑409), Mayrant (DD‑402), Rowan (DD‑405), Hughes (DD‑410), and Trippe (DD‑403) will all suffer damage before the force reaches Casco Bay on 13 October.

PACIFIC—Captain Lester J. Hudson relieves Captain Richard E. Cassidy as Commander, South China Patrol, on board river gunboat Mindanao (PR‑8) at Hong Kong, B.C.C.

14 October 1941, Tuesday

ATLANTIC—German submarine U‑553 encounters convoy SC 48 and summons help (see 15‑18 October).

15 October 1941, Wednesday

ATLANTIC—German submarine U‑553 begins onslaught against convoy SC 48, torpedoing and sinking British motorship Silvercedar at 53°36'N, 30°00'W, and Norwegian freighter Ila at 53°34'N, 30°10'W, before the U‑boat is driven off by Canadian destroyer HMCS Columbia [ex‑U.S. destroyer Haraden (DD‑183)]. U‑432, U‑502, U‑558 and U‑568, followed by U‑73, U‑77, U‑101 and U‑751 converge on the convoy, and one of these boats, U‑568, torpedoes and sinks British steamer Empire Heron at 54°55'N, 27°15'W, before being driven off by British corvette HMS Gladiolus. Consequently, TU 4.1.4 (Captain Hewlett Thebaud), comprising four U.S. destroyers, is directed to proceed to SC 48'said as the west‑bound convoy it had been escorting, ON 24, is dispersed (see 16‑18 October).

In the Month of September 1941

US NAVY

1 September 1941, Monday

ATLANTIC—Navy assumes responsibility for trans‑Atlantic convoys from point off Argentia to meridian of Iceland.

            Commander in Chief Atlantic Fleet (Admiral Ernest J. King) designates a task group as a Denmark Strait Patrol to operate in waters between Iceland and Greenland.  

PACIFIC—U.S. Consul General in Shanghai, China (Clarence Gauss), Commander Yangtze Patrol (Rear Admiral William A. Glassford) and Commanding Officer Fourth Marine Regiment (Colonel Samuel L. Howard, USMC) recommend that all naval forces in China (river gunboats and Marines) be withdrawn.

4 September 1941, Thursday

ATLANTIC—Destroyer Greer (DD‑145), while tracking German submarine U‑652 175 miles southwest of Iceland, is attacked but not damaged. Soon thereafter, Greer damages the U‑boat with depth charges.

6 September 1941, Saturday

ATLANTIC—Destroyer Lansdale (DD‑426) rescues only three survivors from Panamanian freighter Sessa, sunk on 17 August; 24 crewmen (one of whom is an American) perish.

7 September 1941, Sunday

GULF OF SUEZ—Unarmed U.S. freighter Steel Seafarer (carrying cargo earmarked for the British Army in Egypt) is bombed and sunk by German plane (identified as a JU 88) off the Shadwan Islands; her 36‑man crew is rescued unharmed.

9 September 1941, Tuesday

UNITED STATES—Naval Coastal Frontier Forces are formed.

11 September 1941, Thursday

UNITED STATES—Executive order provides that such additional Coast Guard vessels, units, or people, should be transferred to the Navy as should be agreed upon between the Commandant of the Coast Guard and the Chief of Naval Operations (see 6 August and 1 November).

ATLANTIC—President Roosevelt, in the wake of the Greer‑U 652 incident, announces order to Navy ("Shoot on Sight") to attack any vessel threatening U.S. shipping or ships under American escort. Roosevelt declares that if German or Italian vessels of war enter American‑protected waters, they "do so at their own risk."

            German submarines attack convoy SC 42; unarmed Panamanian freighter Montana is torpedoed and sunk by U‑105 at63°40'N, 35°50'W.

GULF OF SUEZ—Unarmed U.S. freighter Arkansan is damaged by antiaircraft shell fragments during heavy air raid on Port Suez; there are no reported casualties among the 38‑man crew.

US MARINE CORPS

UNITED STATES—President orders Navy to attack any vessel threatening U. S. shipping.

12 September 1941, Friday

US NAVY

ATLANTIC—Coast Guard cutter Northland, assisted by cutter North Star, seizes Norwegian trawler Buskoe in MacKenzie Bay, Greenland, thwarting Buskoe's mission of establishing and servicing German radio weather stations in that region. This is the first capture of a belligerent ship by U.S. naval forces in World War II.

14 September 1941, Sunday

UNITED STATES—Army General Headquarters (GHQ) maneuvers commence in Louisiana. Army's neglect of aviation support for its ground troops during the interwar period compels it to ask the Navy to provide planes to take part. Five Navy (VB 2, VF 41, VF 72, VS 5, and VS 42) and four Marine Corps (VMF 111, VMO 151, VMSB 131, and VMSB 132) squadrons take part in the large‑scale war games.

ATLANTIC—As TF 15 proceeds toward Iceland, destroyer Truxtun (DD‑229) reports submarine emerging from the fog 300 yards away, but low visibility and uncertainty as to the position of MacLeish (DD‑220), also in the screen of TF 15, prevents Truxtun from opening fire. After the submarine submerges, Truxtun, MacLeish and Sampson (DD‑394) make depth charge attacks with no verifiable result.

18 September 1941, Thursday

ATLANTIC—U.S. Navy ships escort eastbound British trans‑Atlantic convoy for first time: TU.4.1.1 (Captain Morton L. Deyo), comprising destroyers Ericsson (DD‑440), Eberle (DD‑430), Ellis (DD‑154), Dallas (DD‑199), and Upshur (DD‑144), assumes ocean escort duties for convoy HX 150, 150 miles south of Newfoundland.

19 September 1941, Friday

UNITED STATES—Secretary of State Cordell Hull sends note to German Chargé d'Affaires Hans Thomsen concerning settlement of the Robin Moor incident, citing reparations to the amount of $2,967,092.00. German Embassy acknowledges receipt of the note the same day (see 26 September 1941).

20 September 1941, Saturday

ATLANTIC—Army shore battery fires across the bow of destroyer Charles F. Hughes (DD‑428) as TU 4.1.2 (Commander Fred D. Kirtland) enters Hvalfjordur, Iceland in foggy weather conditions.

            German submarines attack convoy SC 44; among the ships lost in the onslaught are Panamanian freighter Pink Star (ex‑Danish Landby) and tanker T.J. Williams, torpedoed and sunk by U‑552 at 61°36'N, 35°07'W and 61°34'N,35°11'W, respectively.

24 September 1941, Wednesday

ATLANTIC—Destroyer Eberle (DD‑430), in TU 4.1.1, screening convoy HX 150, rescues crew of British freighter Nigaristan, which has suffered an engine room fire.

25 September 1941, Thursday

ATLANTIC—U.S. Navy escorts (see 18 September) turn over convoy HX 150 to British escort vessels at the Mid‑Ocean Meeting Point (MOMP). All convoyed vessels reach port safely.

26 September 1941, Friday

ATLANTIC—Navy orders protection of all ships engaged in commerce in U.S. defensive waters‑‑by patrolling, covering, escorting, and by reporting or destroying German and Italian naval forces encountered.

UNITED STATES—German Chargé d'Affaires Hans Thomsen replies to Secretary of State Hull's note of 19 September concerning reparations for the loss of Robin Moor: referring to the notes of 20 June and 19 September 1941, Thomsen replies that “the two communications made are not such as to lead to an appropriate reply by my government" (see 3 November).

27 September 1941, Saturday

UNITED STATES—First Maritime Commission EC‑2 type freighter (Liberty Ship), Patrick Henry, is launched at Baltimore, Maryland. This standardized type of ship is to be put into mass production in American shipyards to fulfill the need for merchant vessels in a wartime economy.

28 September 1941, Sunday

UNITED STATES—Army GHQ Maneuvers in Louisiana conclude.

30 September 1941, Tuesday

ATLANTIC—TU 4.1.5 (Commander William K. Phillips) assumes escort duty for convoy. During the rough passage to the MOMP, which concludes on 9 October, all destroyers of the unit, Mayo (DD‑422) (flagship), Broome (DD‑210), Babbitt (DD‑128), Leary (DD‑158) and Schenck (DD‑159) suffer varying degrees of storm damage.

            TU 4.1.3 (Commander Dennis L. Ryan) assumes escort duty for convoy ON 20 at the MOMP (see 2 October).

PACIFIC—Rear Admiral Harold M. Bemis, incapacitated by illness, is relieved as Commandant, Sixteenth Naval District and Navy Yard, Cavite, P.I., by Captain Herbert J. Ray (see 5 November)."