MON 22 FEB 1943
Atlantic
Battleship Iowa (BB 61) is commissioned at New York, New York, the first of the four-ship Iowa class that will be the last American battleships built.
Battle to protect convoy ON 166 in the North Atlantic continues. British rescue ship Stockport rescues Empire Trader's survivors; German submarine U-92 torpedoes Norwegian motor tanker Nielson Alonso (which is again torpedoed by U-92 and then by U-753, but is eventually scuttled by Polish destroyer Burza); U-606 torpedoes a trio of merchantmen: U.S. freighters Chattanooga City at 46°54'N, 34°30'W, and Expositor at 46°52'N, 34°26'W, as well as British steamer Empire Redshank. Chattanooga City sinks. Canadian corvette HMCS Trillium rescues all hands (including the 21-man Armed Guard) from Chattanooga City as well as 34 of 41 merchant sailors (two of whom die of their wounds) and the entire 21-man Armed Guard from Expositor. Trillium scuttles Empire Redshank. U-606's opportunity to savor her triple play is short-lived, for Canadian corvette HMCS Chilliwack and Polish destroyer Burza depth charge U-606 and drive her to the surface, where Coast Guard cutter Campbell (WPG-32) rams and sinks her at 47°44'N, 33°43'W. Campbell, damaged in the encounter, is taken in tow by Burza.
German submarines locate Curacao, N.W.I.-bound convoy UC 1; four U.S. destroyers comprise part of the escort force (see 23 February).
Pacific
District patrol craft YP-72 sinks after grounding off Spruce Cape entrance to Kodiak, Alaska.
Japanese army cargo ship Kuwayama Maru sinks off Soembawa Island as the result of damage inflicted by submarine Thresher (SS-200) the previous day, 07°53'N, 119°13'E.
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Battleship Iowa (BB 61) Commissioned
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If memory serves, the Iowa is also the only U.S. battleship to come under torpedo attack by a U.S. destroyer in the history of the U.S. Navy. I think, that is, it was the ship on which FDR, Marshall, King, and other notables were on when a mid-Atlantic practice drill went bad. The Iowa dodged the torpedoes, and the brass was safely delivered on the North African shore. But Admiral King was more than a tad embarrassed, and immediately ordered the entire crew placed under arrest. Or maybe it was just the destroyer's captain he wanted thrown in irons, I forget. What's really great is knowing that FDR had a good laugh about it, as did Marshall and the army.
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