Saturday, July 22, 2017

And One Stowaway

WED 22 JUL 1942
Pacific
USAAF planes (B-17s, B-25s and B-26s are utilized in the attacks) attack Japanese shipping off Buna, New Guinea, damaging destroyer Uzuki and sinking army cargo ship Ayatosan Maru, 08°50'S, 148°50'E.

U.S. freighter William Dawes is torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-24 off the coast of Australia at 36°47'S, 150°16'E; four of the 15-man Armed Guard, and one (of five) Army passengers are killed in the attack, but there are no casualties among the 40 merchant seamen who make up the ship's complement. Survivors row toward the coast, where fishing boats tow them the remainder of the way. The burning William Dawes sinks the next day.

Atlantic
Unarmed U.S. freighter Honolulan is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-582 off the west coast of Africa at 08°41'N, 22°12'W. U-582 provides the Americans with cigarettes and question them briefly before departing. There are no casualties among the 39-man crew and one stowaway (see 28 July).

Norwegian freighter Triton rescues survivors from U.S. freighter William F. Humphrey, sunk by German auxiliary cruiser Michel (Schiffe 28) in the South Atlantic on 16 July.

Arctic
German submarine rescues last survivors from lifeboat from U.S. freighter Honomu, sunk on 5 July 1942. Nine of the 19 men in the lifeboat have perished of exposure during their ordeal.

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