Submarines Cause Total Losses

THU 29 JUN 1944
Pacific
Submarine Bang (SS-385) damages Japanese fleet tanker Miri Maru (see 15 January 1945), and merchant tanker Sarawak Maru west of Luzon, 17°13'N, 118°22'E.

Submarine Darter (SS-227) attacks Japanese convoy off northern tip of Halmahera Island, and sinks minelayer Tsugaru, 02°10'N, 128°05'E.

Submarine Flasher (SS-249) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking merchant cargo ship Niho Maru and damaging oiler Notoro about 125 miles southeast of Singapore, 00°44'N, 105°45'E.

Submarine Growler (SS-215), despite presence of three escort vessels, sinks Japanese transport Katori Maru in Luzon Strait, 19°00'N, 121°42'E.

Submarine Sturgeon (SS-187) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking army cargo ship Toyama Maru in the Nansei Shoto, off Taira Jima, 27°47'N, 129°05'E.

Atlantic
Coastal minesweeper Valor (AMc-108) is sunk in collision with destroyer escort Richard W. Suesens (DE-342) off Newport, R.I., 41°128'N, 70°57'W.

Europe
German submarine U-984 attacks Omaha Beach-bound convoy EMC 17 about 30 miles south of the Isle of Wight, torpedoing U.S. freighters Edward M. House, H.G. Blasdel and James A. Farrell at 50°07'N, 00°47'W, and John A. Treutlen at 50°11'50'N, 00°45'35'W. Edward M. House resumes her voyage and reaches the beachhead to discharge cargo and disembark troops; she suffers only two men injured (one of whom is from the 28-man Armed Guard). H.G. Blasdel suffers the loss of 76 of her embarked troops (180 are wounded) of the 436 on board; tank landing ship LST-326 takes off the surviving troops. The ship is later towed to Southampton where she is written off as a total loss. James A. Farrell is abandoned, survivors transferring to tank landing ship LST-50; four soldiers are killed and 45 wounded from among the 421 embarked on board. There are no casualties among the 42-man merchant complement or the 31-man Armed Guard, but the ship, towed to Spithead, is written off as a total loss. John A. Treutlen is abandoned save for a skeleton crew, the merchant complement and 31-man Armed Guard being picked up by Canadian corvette HMCS Buctouche and tank landing ship LST-336. John A. Treutlen is subsequently written off as a total loss.

Mediterranean
Motor torpedo boats PT-308 and PT-309 (Lieutenant John Newell, USNR), patrolling between Cape Falcone on the Italian mainland and the island of Elba, engage two Italian motor torpedo boats, damaging MAS 562 and forcing its abandonment (see 30 June).