Yorktown Goes Down

SUN 7 JUN 1942
General
Command of naval forces is reallocated: Atlantic and Pacific Fleets, Sea Frontiers, and Special Task Forces are placed directly under Commander in Chief U.S. Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations; Naval Local Defense Forces, Naval Transportation Service, Special Duty Ships, and Naval District Craft are made responsible to Vice Chief of Naval Operations.

Pacific
Submarine tender Fulton (AS-11), sent from Pearl Harbor for the purpose, takes on board 2,015 Yorktown (CV-5) survivors at sea; light minelayer Breese (DM-18) embarks 84; destroyer Allen (DD-66) 94.

Carrier Yorktown (CV-5) sinks as the result of heavy damage incurred on 4 and 6 June, 30°36'N, 176°34'W.

Submarine Grouper (SS-214) is bombed (but not damaged) by USAAF B-17s.

Japanese Kiska Occupation Force (Captain Ono Takeji) occupies Kiska, Aleutians, without opposition.

U.S. freighter Coast Trader is torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-26 about 35 miles southwest of Cape Flattery, Washington, 48°19'N, 125°40'W. Coast Guard plane (V-206) guides Canadian corvette HMCS Edmundston to the scene; Edmundston and fishing boat Virginia I rescue survivors, who include the 37-man crew and 19-man Armed Guard. One crewman dies of exposure before the survivors can be picked up.

Damaged U.S. freighter George Cylmer, torpedoed the day before, is reboarded by her crew (see 8 June).

Atlantic
Small seaplane tender Gannet (AVP-8) is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-652 off Bermuda, 35°50'N, 65°38'W.

U.S. tanker Esso Montpelier rescues the six survivors from freighter Illinois, torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-172 on 1 June.

Caribbean
Unarmed U.S. freighter Edith is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-159, 14°33'N, 74°35'W. Two crewmen perish in the attack, the remainder (29 men) gather on board one lifeboat and two rafts. U-159 conducts a brief interrogation of the survivors, provide them with directions to the nearest land, and gather floating supplies before departing. Within a week's time, Edith's survivors reach Black River, Jamaica.

Unarmed U.S. freighter Suwied is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-107 southeast of the Yucatan Channel, 20°00'N, 84°48'W; 26 of the 32-man crew, and the ship's one passenger, survive the sinking (see 8 June).