SUN 17 OCT 1943
Pacific
Small reconnaissance seaplane from Japanese submarine I-36 reconnoiters Pearl Harbor.
Submarine Tarpon (SS-175) sinks German auxiliary cruiser Michel (Schiffe No.28) off Chichi Jima, Bonins, 33°42'N, 140°08'E. |
| Photo courtesy of Robert Hurst, via NavSource |
USAAF B-24s damage Japanese troopship Hakusan Maru 80 miles from Kavieng.
Added detail on the fate of the
Michel (Schiffe No.28),
per ... Note date discrepancy.
Almost within sight of Japan and only 50 miles (80 km) out from port,
Michel was spotted by the US submarine
Tarpon on 20 October 1943. In one of the few instances of American submarines attacking a German ship during World War II,
Tarpon fired a total of eight torpedoes in four successive strikes, of which four torpedoes struck home and also detonated - the
Mark 14 torpedo still had reliability problems.
Michel sank, taking down 290 of her crew, including the captain. The 116 survivors reached safety in Japan after a three-day journey in open boats. Scores of others had been left on rafts and floating wreckage, but the Japanese Navy search aircraft reported they had seen nothing. This caused some friction with the German Navy officers in Japan, who felt the Japanese seemed unconcerned about rescuing possible German survivors. The loss of the
Michel marked the end of the cruises of German auxiliary commerce raiders.
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