US NAVY
PACIFIC—Yacht Isabel (PY‑10) is sighted by
floatplane from Japanese seaplane carrier Kamikawa Maru at about
13°24'N,112°21'E. Later in the day, Isabel receives orders to return to
Manila.
ATLANTIC—Destroyer Decatur (DD‑341), in TU 4.1.4
(Captain Alan G. Kirk), escorting convoy ONS 39, carries out depth charge
attack on suspicious contact, 51°54'N, 41°53'W.
US NAVY
PACIFIC—Japan assures the U.S. that her troop movements in
French Indochina are only precautionary.
Carrier Lexington
(CV‑2) in TF 12 (Rear Admiral John H. Newton) sails for Midway to ferry
USMC SB2Us (VMSB231) to that atoll. Like Enterprise (CV‑6)'s deployment
to Wake, Lexington's to Midway is in response to the "War
Warning" of 27 November.
ATLANTIC—TU 4.1.3 (Commander George W. Johnson) assumes
escort duty for convoy HX 163 in North Atlantic.
Destroyer Babbitt
(DD‑128), in TU 4.1.5 escorting convoy ON 41, depth‑charges suspected
submarine contact without result.
US NAVY
PACIFIC—River gunboats Luzon (PR‑7) and Oahu (PR‑6)
(Rear Admiral William A. Glassford, Commander Yangtze Patrol, in Luzon),
followed later by submarine rescue vessel Pigeon (ASR‑6) and minesweeper
Finch (AM‑9), reach Manila.
River
gunboat Mindanao (PR‑8) (Captain Lester J. Hudson, Commander South China
Patrol, embarked) sails from Hong Kong, British Crown Colony, for Manila. She
is the last U.S. Navy ship to depart Chinese waters prior to war. Luzon
Stevedoring Company tug Ranger follows subsequently, carrying spare
parts and 800 3‑inch shells for Mindanao’s main battery (previously
stored ashore at Hong Kong). Only two U.S. naval vessels remain in Chinese
waters: river gunboat Wake (ex‑Guam) (PR‑3) at Shanghai to
maintain communications until a radio station is established at the Consulate
General with Navy equipment, and river gunboat Tutuila (PR‑4) at
Chungking, where she furnishes essential services to the U.S. Embassy. Wake had
received her new name on 23 January 1941 to clear the name Guam for a
new large cruiser (CB 2).
Carrier Enterprise
(CV‑6) ferries USMC F4Fs (VMF 211) to Wake Island; TF 8 (Vice Admiral
William F. Halsey, Jr.) then shapes a course to return to Pearl Harbor. TF 8 is
slated to reach Pearl on 6 December. Heavy weather on 5‑6December, however,
will result in a delay in fueling the force's destroyers and push back the time
of arrival in Pearl from the afternoon of the 6th to the morning of the 7th.
That same day, a routine scouting flight from the carrier sights Honolulu‑bound
tug Sonoma (AT‑12) with Pan American Airways barges PAB No. 2 and
PAB No. 4 in tow. Sonoma, armed with only two .30‑caliber machine
guns, will eventually reach Honolulu on 15 December 1941, with her tows.
Japanese
naval land attack plane (Chitose Kokutai) reconnoiters Wake Island
undetected.
ATLANTIC—TU 4.1.5 (Commander William K. Phillips) reaches
MOMP to escort convoy ON 41 which has been delayed by bad weather.
TU 4.1.6
(Commander Gilbert C. Hoover), encounters "mountainous" seas as it
continues to escort convoy HX 161; destroyer Roe (DD‑418) suffers two
sailors hurt when torpedo breaks loose atop her after deckhouse.
US NAVY
ATLANTIC—Unarmed U.S. freighter Sagadahoc is
torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U‑124 in South Atlantic,
21°50'S,07°50'W. One man of the 37‑man crew is lost.
Destroyer Mayo
(DD‑422), in TU 4.1.5 en route to MOMP and convoy ON 41, encounters two
British ships, HMS Tenacity and merchantman Meademere, burning
navigation lights south of Iceland; when they fail to answer challenge, Mayo
illuminates them with star shells, at which point they turn off lights and
answer challenge promptly.
PACIFIC—Yacht Isabel (PY‑10) sails for coast of
French Indochina, deployed in accordance with President Roosevelt's "defensive
information patrol" order.
Submarine Argonaut
(SS‑166) arrives off Midway Island on simulated war patrol.
US NAVY
UNITED STATES—U.S. freighter Dunboyne receives first
naval Armed Guard crew. By the end of World War II, the U.S. Navy will arm some
6,236 merchantmen; approximately 144,970 officers and enlisted men will defend
these merchant vessels in every theater of war.
ATLANTIC—German submarine U‑43 again attacks unarmed
U.S. tanker Astral and this time torpedoes and sinks her at
35°40'N,24°00'W. There are no survivors from the 37‑man merchant crew.
Weather
encountered by convoy ONS 39, being escorted by TU 4.1.4 (Captain Alan G. Kirk)
worsens to the extent that the watch on board destroyer Plunkett (DD‑431)
cannot be relieved because officers and men cannot safely traverse the weather
decks.
TU 4.1.5
(Commander William K. Phillips) clears Reykjavik, Iceland, to rendezvous with
convoy ON 41, which due to poor weather will be 48 hours late to the MOMP. Over
the ensuing period at sea, TU 4.1.5 battles "consistently severe"
weather conditions that will cause varying degrees of damage to all of the
ships in the task unit. Although ships of the unit carry out attacks (see 5, 9
and 11 December), there will be no U‑boat attacks on the merchantmen under
their protection.
TU 4.1.6
(Commander Gilbert C. Hoover), escorting convoy HX 161, encounters heavy
weather; destroyer Bernadou (DD‑153) suffers storm damage; destroyers Roe
(DD‑418) and Lea (DD‑118) each lose a man overboard. Neithersailor
is recovered (see 4 December).
PACIFIC—Submarine Trout (SS‑202) arrives off Midway
Island on simulated war patrol.
US NAVY
ATLANTIC—Patrol Wing 9 (Lieutenant Commander Thomas U.
Sisson) is established at Quonset Point, Rhode Island.
German
submarine U‑575 encounters and tracks unarmed U.S. tanker Astral,
the latter en route from Aruba, N.W.I., to Lisbon, Portugal, with a cargo of
78,200 barrels of gasoline and kerosene. After seeing that Astral is
unarmed and bears prominent neutrality markings, however, the U‑boat's
commanding officer, Kapitanleutnant Gunther Heydemann, allows the
American ship to pass unmolested. Subsequently, another submarine in the
vicinity, U‑43, encounters Astral and attacks her, but her
torpedoes miss their mark (see 2 December).
TU 4.1.2
(Commander Fred D. Kirtland), accompanied by salvage vessel Redwing (ARS‑4)
and oiler Sapelo (AO‑11), while escorting convoy HX 162, encounters
heavy weather that scatters 35 merchantmen. Destroyers Charles F. Hughes (DD‑428),
Madison (DD‑425), Lansdale (DD‑426), Wilkes (DD‑441) and Sturtevant
(DD‑240) all suffer storm damage of varying degrees (see 7 December).
Destroyer Livermore
(DD‑429), escorting convoy ONS 39, is dispatched to investigate darkened
merchantman steaming on opposite course. Livermore trails her and after
determining her to be Panamanian freighter Ramapo, enroute to join
convoy SC 56, allows her to continue her voyage after being warned not to radio
a report of contact with a convoy.
PACIFIC—President orders a "defensive information
patrol" of "three small ships" established off the coast of
French Indochina; he specifically designates yacht Isabel (PY‑10)
(reserve flagship for Commander in Chief Asiatic Fleet) as one of the trio of
vessels (see 3 and 6 December). Schooner Lanikai is acquired and
commissioned, but the start of the war results in her planned mission being
cancelled. The third vessel, schooner Molly Moore, is selected for the
mission but is never taken over. Lanikai's civilian career had seen her
used as a "prop" in the filming of motion picture “Hurricane"
that starred Dorothy Lamour and Jon Hall.
U.S.
passenger liner President Harrison arrives at Olongapo, P.I., with the
remaining elements of the 4th Marine Regiment (Colonel Samuel L. Howard, USMC)
withdrawn from Shanghai. President Harrison soon sails to bring out the
last marines from China (see 8 December).
As river
gunboats Luzon (PR‑7) and Oahu (PR‑6) (Rear Admiral William A.
Glassford, Commander Yangtze Patrol, in Luzon), submarine rescue vessel Pigeon
(ASR‑6) and minesweeper Finch (AM‑9) proceed toward Manila, they
become the object of curiosity by Japanese forces in the vicinity; first a
floatplane circles the formation, then seven Japanese warships of various
types.
US NAVY
PACIFIC—Japanese Foreign Minister Tojo rejects U.S.
proposals for settling Far East crisis.
Small
reconnaissance seaplane from Japanese submarine I 10 reconnoiters
Suva Bay, Fiji.
U.S.
passenger liner President Madison arrives at Olongapo, P.I., and
disembarks the 2d Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel Donald
Curtis, USMC). President Madison will then proceed on to Singapore.
River
gunboats Luzon (PR‑7) and Oahu (PR‑6) (Rear Admiral William A.
Glassford, Commander Yangtze Patrol, in Luzon) rendezvous with submarine
rescue vessel Pigeon (ASR‑6) and minesweeper Finch (AM‑9); they
will remain in company until 3 December.
ATLANTIC—Destroyer Decatur (DD‑341), in TU 4.1.4
(Captain Alan G. Kirk), escorting convoy ONS 39, carries out depth charge
attack on suspicious contact, 59°24'N, 27°03'W.
UNITED STATES—Army GHQ Maneuvers in North and South
Carolina conclude.
US MARINE CORPS
PACIFIC—Japanese Foreign Minister Tojo rejects CT. S.
proposals for settling Far East crisis.
