Sunday, January 5, 2020

More Poor Seamanship

FRI 5 JAN 1945
Pacific
Japanese air attacks continue against Lingayen Gulf-bound forces in the teeth of heavy antiaircraft fire and combat air patrol. Of the minesweeping group, infantry landing craft (gunboat) LCI(G)-70 is damaged by kamikaze, small seaplane tender Orca (AVP-49) and fleet tug Apache (ATF-67) are damaged by near-misses of suiciders, 15°36'N, 119°20'E and 15°53'N, 120°00'E, respectively. Kamikazes attacking the bombardment and escort carrier groups succeed in damaging heavy cruiser Louisville (CA-28) and destroyer Helm (DD-388), 15°00'N, 119°00'E, escort carriers Manila Bay (CVE-61), 14°50'N, 119°10'E, and Savo Island (CVE-78), 14°50'N, 119°00'E, and destroyer escort Stafford (DE-411), 14°00'N, 120°00'E. Suiciders also damage Australian heavy cruiser HMAS Australia and destroyer HMAS Arunta. Japanese escort destroyers approach minesweeping group but turn away at approach of destroyer Bennion (DD-662) and Australian frigate HMAS Gascoyne and sloop HMAS Warrego; subsequently, planes from TG 77.4 (escort carrier group) sink Momi 20 miles southwest of entrance to Manila Bay, 14°00'N, 120°20'E, and damage Hinoki and Sugi west of Manila Bay. TG 94.9 (Rear Admiral Allan E. Smith), three heavy cruisers and six destroyers, together with USAAF B-24s (escorted by P-38s) jointly pound Japanese shipping and installations on Chichi Jima, Haha Jima, and Iwo Jima, Bonins. Approaching Chichi Jima, Dunlap (DD-384), Fanning (DD-386) and Cummings (DD-365) damage landing ship T.107; Fanning sinks her, 26°27'N, 141°11'E. Off Chichi Jima, David W. Taylor (DD-551) is damaged by mine, 27°04'N, 142°06'E, destroyer Fanning by gunfire. Off Iwo Jima, Dunlap, Cummings, Ellet (DD-398) and Roe (DD-418) sink landing ship T.154, 24°27'N, 141°20'E.TF 92 (Rear Admiral John L. McCrea), three light cruisers and nine destroyers, bombards Japanese installations (airfield and fish canneries) at Suribachi Wan, Paramushiro, Kurils.

Destroyer escort Edwin A. Howard (DE-346) is damaged in collision with destroyer escort Leland E. Thomas (DE-420) off Mindanao, 09°48'N, 127°15'E.

Minelayer Monadnock (CM-9) is damaged by grounding off Ilin Island, Luzon, 12°22'N, 121°01'E.

Submarine Cavalla (SS-244) sinks Japanese auxiliary netlayers Kanko Maru and Shunsen Maru in Java Sea, 05°00'S, 112°16'E.

Destroyer escort Brackett (DE-41) shells Japanese installations on Taroa, Marshalls.

PB4Y-1s (VPB 111) sink Japanese midget submarine Ha.71 two miles southwest of Chichi Jima.

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