W.A.V.E.S. Ahoy!

THU 30 JUL 1942
Women's Naval Reserve (WAVES) (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) is established (see 2 August).

Pacific
Submarine Grenadier (SS-210) torpedoes Japanese tanker San Clemente Maru off Truk, 07°02'N, 151°15'E.

Gulf of Mexico
German submarine U-166 attacks convoy TAW 7 about 25 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, and sinks U.S. passenger ship Robert E. Lee, 28°40'N, 88°30'W. Submarine chasers PC-566 and SC-519, and civilian tug Underwriter rescue survivors; none of the six-man Armed Guard are lost (see 1 August).

Atlantic
U.S. freighter Cranford is sunk by German submarine U-155 about 250 miles east-southeast of Barbados, 12°17'N, 55°11'W. U-155 treats two injured American sailors and then provides the survivors with navigational information, matches, a line, and water. Running short of provisions, U-155 can spare none. Cranford's surviving complement (including 6 of 8 Armed Guard sailors) are eventually picked up later the same day by Spanish tanker Castillo Alemenara.