Sunday, 17 May 1942

US NAVY

PACIFIC—Submarine Grampus (SS-207) is damaged by gunfire of Japanese patrol craft off Truk, 08°02'N, 151°03'E.

            Submarine Silversides (SS-236) damages Japanese transport Tottori Maru and merchant cargo ship Thames Maru off Shionomisaki, southern Honshu, 33°28'N, 135°33'E.

            Submarine Skipjack (SS-184) sinks Japanese army transport Taizan Maru near the mouth of the Gulf of Siam,06°22'N, 108°36'E.

            Submarine Tautog (SS-199) torpedoes and sinks Japanese submarine I-28 north of Rabaul, 06°30'N, 152°00'E.

            Submarine Triton (SS-201) torpedoes and sinks Japanese submarine I-64 southeast of Kyushu, Japan, 29°25'N,134°06'E.

ATLANTIC—Destroyer Hambleton (DD-455) is damaged in collision with destroyer Ellyson (DD-454) while in TF 36, en route to the United States from the Gold Coast of Africa.

            U.S. freighter Challenger, en route to Trinidad for voyage repairs, is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-155at 12°11'N, 61°18'W; five merchant seamen, two Armed Guard sailors, and one passenger perish. Yacht Turquoise (PY-19) rescues the 36 merchant seamen, nine Armed Guard sailors, and 11 passengers who survive the loss of the ship, and transports them to Trinidad.

            Unarmed U.S. fishing trawler Foam is shelled by German submarine U-432 approximately 85 miles south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, 43°20'N, 63°08'W; and abandoned by her 21 man crew (one of whom dies of wounds) (see 18 and 19May).

            Twenty three survivors of U.S. tanker Esso Houston, torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-162 on 12 May1942 reach St. Vincent, British Windward Islands. One Armed Guard sailor perishes of wounds suffered in the attack five days previous; he is the only casualty.

CARIBBEAN—Norwegian motor vessel Somerville rescues 27 survivors (one of whom dies of his wounds after being picked up) from U.S. freighter Ruth Lykes, sunk by German submarine U-103 the previous day, and transports them to Key West, Florida.

US ARMY AIR FORCE

EIGHTH AF—Det, Eighth AF, with help of III Bomber Command staff, issues a directive defining its mission, which is the organization, training and supplying of units of ADVONs of Eighth AF to prepare for immediate operations upon arrival of tactical elements of the Eighth. 50 US intelligence officers arrive in UK for training by RAF Bomber Command.

US ARMY

USSR—Battle of Kharkov opens as Germans counterattack from Izyum area and in region E of Kharkov, bringing Soviet offensive to a halt.  

US MARINE CORPS

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