Monday, 18 May 1942

US NAVY

GENERAL—Office of Naval Inspector General (Rear Admiral Charles P. Snyder) is established.

ARCTIC—U.S. freighter Deer Lodge, anchored in Kola Inlet, is bombed by German planes, and damaged by near-misses. There are no casualties among the 34 man merchant complement or among the 11 man Armed Guard sailors, and the ship is moved to another anchorage.

ATLANTIC—Brazilian steamship Commandante Lyra is torpedoed by Italian submarine Barbarigo at 02°59'S, 34°10'W; light cruisers Milwaukee (CL-5) and Cincinnati (CL-4) rescue survivors. Small seaplane tender Thrush (AVP-3) tows the damaged ship to Fortaleza, Brazil, while PBYs (VP 83) provide cover.

            Unarmed U.S. freighter Quaker City is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-156 approximately 300 miles east of Barbados, 15°47'N, 53°12'W; ten men perish (one man will subsequently die of wounds). The 30 survivors take to four lifeboats. U-156 surfaces and questions the survivors as to the name of the ship and her cargo and destination; the Germans then provide the Americans with directions to Barbados (see 22, 24 and 26 May).

            British steamship Hororata rescues raft with the last survivor from U.S. freighter Alcoa Guide, sunk by German submarine U-123 on 16 April. A total of six have perished from Alcoa Guide's 34 man complement.

            Rescue craft (not specified) recovers last survivor from torpedoed U.S. freighter Steel Maker, sunk by German submarine U-136 on 19 April. This man, the radio operator, had pooled the supplies from several rafts in his vicinity after the ship sank and "lived comfortably" until rescued.

            Lifeboat with 17 survivors of unarmed U.S. fishing trawler Foam, attacked by German submarine U-432 the previous day, reaches Sambro Light Ship, whence they are transported to Halifax by a Canadian patrol craft (see 19 May).

CARIBBEAN—Unarmed U.S. tanker Mercury Sun is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-125 at 20°02'N, 84°25'W, and abandoned; six merchant seamen perish in the attack (see 19 May).

            Unarmed U.S. freighter William J. Salman is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-125 at 20°08'N, 83°47'W, as the American ship proceeds to Antigua, B.W.I.; six men perish (see 19 May).

GULF OF MEXICO—U.S. tanker Benjamin Brewster rescues 19 survivors from U.S. tanker Gulfoil, sunk by U-506 on 16 May, and transports them to Galveston, Texas.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

INTERNATIONAL—US and Panama sign agreement concerning use of Panama defense areas by US forces.

FIFTH AF—B‑17’s bomb shipping in Koepang Bay.

SEVENTH AF—Seventh AF is placed on alert in anticipation of a possible attack on Midway. For next 10 days the old B‑18’s on hand are used on search to supplement the B‑17’s. VII Bomber Command receives influx of B‑17’s during this period, and the 72d Bomb Squadron is converted from B‑18’s to B‑17’s.

US ARMY

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA—U.S. Seventh Air Force is alerted for possible enemy attack on Midway or Hawaii.

BURMA—Chiang Kai-shek orders Chinese 5th Army, which now consists largely of Chinese 22d and 96th Divisions, to take up positions between Myitkyina and Fort Hertz. Chinese 22d Division survivors reach Ledo area in July and August. Chinese 96th eventually makes its way to China via Fort Hertz.

US MARINE CORPS

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