On The Week of 7 – 13 January 1940

US NAVY

Sunday, 7 January 1940

            U.S. freighter City of Flint departs Narvik for Baltimore, Maryland. For his "skill, fine judgement [sic], and devotion to duty" during City of Flint's ordeal, Captain Joseph A. Gainard, the freighter's master, will receive the Navy Cross.

            U.S. passenger liner Manhattan, detained at Gibraltar by British authorities the previous day, is released.

            German freighter Konsul Horn escapes from Aruba and, disguised as a Soviet merchantman, manages to deceive U.S. Navy patrol planes from the Neutrality Patrol and British light cruiser HMS Enterprise (see 6 February).

Tuesday, 9 January 1940

            U.S. freighter Western Queen is detained at Gibraltar for several hours by British authorities.

Wednesday, 10 January 1940

            U.S. steamship President Van Buren, bound for Genoa, Italy, and New York, is detained at Port Said, Egypt, and subsequently discharges items of cargo, deemed as contraband, at Alexandria, Egypt, before being allowed to proceed.

Thursday, 11 January 1940

            Fleet Landing Exercise (FLEX) No. 6 begins at Culebra, Puerto Rico. Lack of transports compels the Navy to substitute combatant ships in that role for purposes of the exercise; an important exception is the prototype high speed transport Manley (APD‑1), converted from a World War I‑emergency program "flush‑deck, four‑pipe" destroyer, which amply proves her worth.

            Gunboat Charleston (PG‑51) suffers damage when she runs aground at Colon, Canal Zone.

            U.S. freighter Tripp is detained at Gibraltar by British authorities (see 13 January).

Friday, 12 January 1940

            Interior Department motorship North Star (U.S. Antarctic Service) reaches Bay of Whales, Antarctica, and immediately begins discharging cargo to establish West Base. Ice conditions prohibit unloading at the original chosen site, King Edward VII Land.

Saturday, 13 January 1940

            U.S. freighter Narbo, bound for Italy, Yugoslavia, and Greece, is detained at Gibraltar by British authorities (see 14January). Freighter Tripp, detained at Gibraltar by the British since 11 January, is released, but not before some items of her cargo are seized as contraband.