Wednesday, 13 May 1942

US NAVY

GENERAL—Bureau of Navigation is renamed Bureau of Naval Personnel.

PACIFIC—Submarine Drum (SS-228) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Shonan Maru northeast of Mikimoto, Honshu, 34°00'N, 139°00'E.

            RAAF Hudsons bomb Japanese shipping off Ambon, N.E.I., sinking auxiliary Taifoku Maru and damaging gunboat Taiko Maru.

            Japanese merchant cargo vessel Nagasaki Maru is sunk by Japanese mine off Nagasaki, Japan.

ATLANTIC—French agree to immobilize aircraft carrier Béarn, light cruiser Emile Bertin, and training cruiser Jeanne D'Arc at Martinique, French West Indies.

            Unarmed U.S. freighter Norlantic is shelled by German submarine U-69 while en route to Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, from Pensacola, Florida, 12°13'N, 66°30'W; U-69 continues to shell the freighter as the latter's crew abandon ship. U-69 then torpedoes Norlantic and sinks her. Six of the freighter's 29 man crew perish in the attack (two below in the engine room and four trying to launch boats under fire); one sailor will die of wounds (see 16 and 24 May, and 19 June)

GULF OF MEXICO—Unarmed U.S. tanker Gulfprince is attacked by German submarine U-506 approximately six miles south of the Ship Shoals (Louisiana) Sea Bouy, 28°32'N, 91°00'W, but Gulfprince is skillfully handled and evades the first two torpedoes. The second pair only strike a glancing blow and Gulfprince escapes to reach New Orleans without further incident. Later, U-506 torpedoes and sinks unarmed tanker Gulfpenn at 28°29'N, 89°12'W; 12 men die in the initial explosion or perish with the ship. Of the 26 survivors, one dies of his injuries. Coast Guard plane directs Honduran freighter Telde toward the position of the survivors, and the merchantman rescues them. Still later, U-506 torpedoes U.S. freighter David McKelvy approximately 35 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi, 28°30'N, 89°55'W; explosion ignites the ship's cargo of 81,000 barrels of crude oil and forces the crew to abandon ship. U-506 retires without expending further torpedoes, apparently thinking the freighter doomed. Coast Guard cutter Boutwell (WPC-130) rescues survivors (see 14 and 29 May).

US ARMY AIR FORCE

EIGHTH AF—Flying personnel of 15th Bomb Squadron, the first US bomb unit sent to UK, arrive at Newport, UK, without aircraft.

FIFTH AF—B‑17’s and B‑26’s hit shipping and airfield at Rabaul.

US ARMY

FIJI ISLANDS—Americans relieve New Zealand forces of responsibility for Fiji Islands. and prepare to reinforce positions there.

AUSTRALIA—Rear echelon of U.S. 41st Division arrives.

US MARINE CORPS

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