In the Month of December 1940

US NAVY

Sunday, 1 December 1940

            Headquarters for Alaskan units of Coast Guard is established at Ketchikan.

Tuesday, 3 December 1940

            President Roosevelt embarks in heavy cruiser Tuscaloosa (CA‑37) at Miami, Florida, to inspect base sites acquired from the British under the destroyers‑for‑bases agreement. During the cruise, he will broach the lend‑lease concept that he will implement upon his return to Washington (see 11 March 1941).

            Heavy cruiser Louisville (CA‑28) departs Rio Grande du Sol, Brazil, to pay a return call at Rio de Janeiro, as her goodwill cruise continues in Latin American waters.

Wednesday, 4 December 1940

            Admiral William D. Leahy, USN (Retired) tenders his resignation as Governor of Puerto Rico effective the following day (see 5 December).

Thursday, 5 December 1940

            Admiral Leahy takes oath of office as Ambassador to Vichy France (see 23 December).

            Seaplane tender (destroyer) George E. Badger (AVD‑3) runs aground in high winds off Hamilton, Bermuda, but is refloated without damage.

Friday, 6 December 1940

            Heavy cruiser Louisville (CA‑28) returns to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as she continues to "show the flag" in Latin American waters.

Sunday, 8 December 1940

            Destroyer Sturtevant (DD‑240) stands by while British light cruiser HMS Diomede intercepts German freighter Idarwald. Idarwald's crew, however, scuttles their ship near the Yucatan Channel to prevent her capture by the British.

Tuesday, 10 December 1940

            Naval Air Station, Tongue Point, Oregon, is established; although incomplete when placed in operation, it is being prepared for operation of patrol planes.

Wednesday, 11 December 1940

            German freighter Rhein, having been trailed by destroyer Simpson (DD‑221) and, later, MacLeish (DD‑220), is intercepted by Dutch destroyer leader Van Kinsbergen near the Florida Straits, and is scuttled by her own crew to avoid capture. MacLeish and McCormick (DD‑223) are present as the German ship's bid to escape fails.

Thursday, 12 December 1940

            Rear Admiral John M. Smeallie, Commandant Sixteenth Naval District and Commandant Cavite Navy Yard, is hospitalized at Caracao, P.I., after attempted suicide (see 27 December).

            Admiral Smeallie's worsening condition results in his being ordered to Naval Hospital, Mare Island, California, for further treatment, and ultimately to the naval hospital in Washington, D.C.

            Lord Lothian, British Ambassador to the United States, dies in Washington, D.C. President Roosevelt, at sea in heavy cruiser Tuscaloosa (CA‑37), sends telegram to King George VI of England expressing his regrets at Lord Lothian’s passing. "I am very certain," Roosevelt informs the King, "that if he had been allowed by Providence to leave us a last message, he would have told us that the greatest of all efforts to retain democracy in the world must and will succeed.

Sunday, 15 December 1940

            Headquarters, Eighth Naval District, closed at Charleston, South Carolina, and established at New Orleans, Louisiana; Captain Thaddeus A. Thomson, Jr., is Acting Commandant.

Monday, 16 December 1940

            Patrol Wing 10 is formed in Asiatic Fleet organization.

            Heavy cruiser Louisville (CA‑28) departs Rio de Janeiro, for Bahia, Brazil, as she continues her goodwill cruise in Latin American waters.

Tuesday, 17 December 1940

            Rear Admiral Ernest J. King relieves Rear Admiral Hayne Ellis as Commander Patrol Force, U.S. Fleet, on board battleship Texas (BB‑35).

Wednesday, 18 December 1940

            Heavy cruiser Louisville (CA‑28) arrives at Bahia, Brazil, as she continues to "show the flag" in Latin American waters.

Thursday, 19 December 1940

            Palmyra Island is placed under control of Secretary of the Navy.

Friday, 20 December 1940

            President Roosevelt names a four‑man defense board, to be headed by industrialist William A. Knudsen, to prepare defense measures and expedite aid to Great Britain.

Monday, 23 December 1940

            Admiral William D. Leahy (USN, Retired), newly appointed Ambassador to Vichy France, accompanied by his wife Louise, embarks in heavy cruiser Tuscaloosa (CA‑37) at Norfolk, Virginia, for the transatlantic passage to take up his diplomatic post "at a very critical time in the relations between the United States and France." Destroyers Madison (DD‑425) and Upshur (DD‑144) escort Tuscaloosa on the initial stage of her voyage.

            Naval Air Station, Key West, Florida, is established.

Friday, 27 December 1940

            Captain Eugene T. Oates assumes temporary duty as Commandant Sixteenth Naval District and Cavite Navy Yard (see11 January 1941).

Monday, 30 December 1940

            Heavy cruiser Tuscaloosa (CA‑37) arrives at Lisbon, Portugal, and disembarks Admiral and Mrs. Leahy, who will then proceed to Vichy via Madrid and Barcelona, Spain, and Montpellier, France (see 8 January 1941).