Action Everywhere But The Atlantic, W/ Bad Seamanship

WED 26 JAN 1944
Pacific
TG 74.2 (Rear Admiral Russell S. Berkey), consisting of two light cruisers and three destroyers, bombards Japanese installations in Madang-Alexischafen area of New Guinea.

Motor torpedo boat PT-110 is sunk by depth charge explosion following collision with motor torpedo boat PT-114,Ablingi Harbor, New Britain, 06°17'S, 150°09'E; PT-114 is damaged.

Escort carriers Suwanee (CVE-27) and Sangamon (CVE-26) are damaged in collision while en route to the Marshalls.

Submarine Crevalle (SS-291) sinks Japanese gunboat Busho Maru in South China Sea, about 175 miles southeast of Cape St. Jacques, French Indochina, 08°30'N, 109°10'E.

Submarine Hake (SS-256) sinks Japanese auxiliary netlayer Shuko Maru off Ambon, N.E.I., 05°50'N, 126°00'E.

Submarine Skipjack (SS-184) sinks Japanese destroyer Suzukaze 140 miles northwest of Ponape, Carolines, 09°00'N, 157°27'E, and transport Okitsu Maru 150 miles northwest of Ponape, 09°22'N, 157°26'E.

British submarine HMS Templar damages Japanese light cruiser Kitakami southwest of Penang, Malaya, 04°54'N, 98°28'E.

Mediterranean
Off Anzio, mines sink infantry landing craft LCI-32 and damage tank landing ship LST-422. During German air raid on shipping off the invasion beaches, U.S. freighter John Banyard is damaged by near-miss of aerial bomb. While there are no casualties to those on board (including the 27-man Armed Guard), the ship will later be written off as a total loss. Off Nettuno, a German fighter plane crashes into freighter Hilary A. Herbert shortly before the freighter is further damaged by the near-miss of a bomb. Beached to prevent her loss, Hilary A. Herbert is later repaired and returned to service.

Arctic
German submarines continue attacks against Murmansk- bound convoy JW 56A. U.S. freighter Andrew G. Curtin is torpedoed and sunk by U-716, 73°25'N, 25°16'E; two of the merchant crew and one Armed Guard sailor (of the 43-man merchant complement and the 28-man Armed Guard, respectively) perish. British destroyer HMS Inconstant rescues the survivors.

Indian Ocean
U.S. freighter Walter Camp is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-532 at 10°00'N, 71°40'E; all hands (40 merchant crew, 28 Armed Guards and one passenger) survive. British light cruiser HMS Danae rescues them four and a half days later.