In the Month of September 1940

US NAVY

Tuesday, 2 September 1940

            Secretary of State Hull and British Ambassador Lord Lothian exchange notes concluding the agreement to trade destroyers for bases; the U.S. will provide, by executive agreement, 50 over‑age (World War I Emergency Program) destroyers in return for 99‑year leases on bases in the Bahamas, Antigua, St. Lucia, Trinidad, Jamaica, and British Guiana. The British provide bases at Newfoundland and Bermuda as outright gifts.

Wednesday, 3 September 1940

            President Roosevelt announces the "destroyers‑for‑bases" agreement; Commander Destroyers, Atlantic Squadron (Captain Ferdinand L. Reichmuth) is placed in charge of the transfer operation.

            Light cruiser St. Louis (CL‑49) sails from Norfolk, Virginia; embarked is the board, headed by Rear Admiral John F. Greenslade, which will evaluate base sites recently acquired from the British (see 5 September).

Sunday, 8 September 1940

            Light cruiser St. Louis (CL‑49) departs Hamilton, Bermuda, for Norfolk, with Greenslade Board embarked (see 10September).

Monday, 9 September 1940

            Germany warns that all ships in war zones prescribed by Axis are subject to attack regardless of nationality.

            First eight destroyers are transferred to Britain under destroyers‑for‑bases agreement at Halifax, Nova Scotia. Aaron Ward (DD‑132) becomes HMS Castleton, Buchanan (DD‑131) becomes HMS Campbeltown, Crowninshield (DD‑134) becomes HMS Chelsea, Hale (DD‑133) becomes HMS Caldwell, Abel P. Upshur (DD‑193) becomes HMS Clare, Welborn C. Wood (DD‑195) becomes HMS Chesterfield, Herndon (DD‑198) becomes HMS Churchill, Welles (DD‑257) becomes HMS Cameron.

            Navy awards contracts for 210 new construction ships including 12 aircraft carriers and 7 battleships.

            Aircraft carrier Yorktown (CV‑5) and submarine Shark (SS‑174) are damaged in collision, Hawaiian Operating Area.

            Secretary of the Navy Knox breaks his flag in carrier Enterprise (CV‑6) to observe operations; Enterprise is being used as fleet flagship for a trial period by Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet (Admiral J.O. Richardson). Knox will fly into Pearl Harbor in the Enterprise Air Group Commander's SBC to emphasize the rapid pace of modern naval operations.

Tuesday, 10 September 1940

            Light cruiser St. Louis (CL‑49) arrives at Norfolk, with Greenslade Board embarked (see 12 September).

Thursday, 12 September 1940

            Light cruiser St. Louis (CL‑49) departs Norfolk, with Greenslade Board embarked, bound for her ultimate destination on this leg of the voyage, St. John's, Newfoundland (see 16 September).

Monday, 16 September 1940

            President Roosevelt signs Selective Training and Service Act, thus establishing the first peacetime draft in the history of the United States.

            Light cruiser St. Louis (CL‑49), with Greenslade Board embarked, arrives at St. John's, Newfoundland (see 18September).

Tuesday, 17 September 1940

            Special Service Squadron (Rear Admiral H. Kent Hewitt), consisting of gunboats Erie (PG‑50) and Charleston (PG‑51) and destroyers J. Fred Talbott (DD‑156) and Tattnall (DD‑125), is disbanded.

Wednesday, 18 September 1940

            Second group of ships involved in the transfer to Britain‑‑Kalk (DD‑170), Maddox (DD‑168), Cowell (DD‑167), Foote (DD‑169), Hopewell (DD‑181), Abbot (DD‑184), Thomas (DD‑182) and Doran (DD‑185) ‑‑ arrive at Halifax, Nova Scotia (see 23 September).

            Light cruiser St. Louis (CL‑49), with Greenslade Board embarked, shifts from St. John's, Newfoundland, to Argentia (see 21 September).

Thursday, 19 September 1940

            Battleship Oklahoma (BB‑37) collides with U.S. tug Goliath, Puget Sound, Washington.

Friday, 20 September 1940

            Third group of ships involved in the destroyers‑for‑ bases agreement‑‑Mackenzie (DD‑175), Haraden (DD‑183), Williams (DD‑108), Thatcher (DD‑162), McCook (DD‑252) and Bancroft (DD‑256) ‑‑arrive at Halifax, Nova Scotia (see 24 September).

Saturday, 21 September 1940

            Rear Admiral H. Kent Hewitt hauls down his flag as Commander Special Service Squadron; gunboat Erie (PG‑50) is assigned to the Fifteenth Naval District and sistership Charleston (PG‑51) to the Thirteenth.

            Light cruiser St. Louis (CL‑49), with Greenslade Board embarked, departs Argentia for Boston (see 23 September).

Sunday, 22 September 1940

            Vichy France signs pact at Hanoi ceding airfields and agreeing to admit Japanese troops into northern Indochina.

Monday, 23 September 1940

            Second group of ships involved in the transfer to Britain is turned over to Royal Navy crews at Halifax, Nova Scotia. Kalk (DD‑170) becomes HMS Hamilton, Maddox (DD‑168) becomes HMS Georgetown, Cowell (DD‑167) becomes HMS Brighton, Foote (DD‑169) becomes HMS Roxborough, Hopewell (DD‑181) becomes HMS Bath, Abbot (DD‑184) becomes HMS Charlestown, Thomas (DD‑182) becomes HMS St. Albans, and Doran (DD‑185) becomes HMS St. Marys.

            Light cruiser St. Louis (CL‑49), with Greenslade Board embarked, arrives at Boston, but sails for Norfolk the someday (see 25 September).

Tuesday, 24 September 1940

            Defense Communication Board is established; membership includes Director of Naval Communications (Rear Admiral Leigh Noyes).

            Third group of ships involved in the destroyers‑for‑bases agreement are turned over to the Royal Canadian Navy at Halifax, Nova Scotia. Mackenzie (DD‑175) becomes HMCS Annapolis, Haraden (DD‑183) becomes HMCS Columbia, Williams (DD‑108) becomes HMCS St. Clair, Thatcher (DD‑162) becomes HMCS Niagara, McCook (DD‑252) becomes HMCS St. Croix and Bancroft (DD‑256) becomes HMCS St. Francis.

            Operation menace, the British‑Free French attempt to take Dakar, commences this day (see 25 September).

Wednesday, 25 September 1940

            Heavy cruiser Louisville (CA‑28) departs Colon, C.Z., for Recife, Brazil, on the first leg of her goodwill cruise to Latin American ports.

            Light cruiser St. Louis (CL‑49), with Greenslade Board embarked, arrives at Norfolk (see 29 September 1940).

            Operation menace, the British‑Free French attempt to take Dakar, is abandoned as Vichy French resistance proves surprisingly vigorous.

            French port of Nouméa, New Caledonia, sides with Free France.

Friday, 27 September 1940

            Germany, Italy, and Japan sign Tripartite Pact at Berlin, thus establishing the Berlin‑Rome‑Tokyo Axis.

Sunday, 29 September 1940

US NAVY

            Midway Detachment, Third Defense Battalion, Fleet Marine Force (Major Harold C. Roberts, USMC) arrives on Midway Island to begin construction of defenses. The marines are transported by cargo ship Sirius (AK‑15) and light minelayers Pruitt (DM‑22), Sicard (DM‑21), and Tracy (DM‑19).

            Light cruiser St. Louis (CL‑49), with Greenslade Board embarked, departs Norfolk for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (see 2 October).

US MARINE CORPS

            Midway Detachment, FMF arrives at Midway.