No Day Off

TUE 4 JUL 1944
Pacific
Carrier-based aircraft and naval gunfire from two task groups (Rear Admiral Joseph J. Clark and Rear Admiral Ralph E. Davison) hit Japanese installations on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, and Chichi Jima and Haha Jima, Bonins.

Carrier planes sink submarine chaser Ch 16 at Chichi Jima; coastal minelayer Sarushima in the Bonins, 27°10'N, 140°10'E; landing ships T.103, 108 miles off Chichi Jima Retto, 27°05'N, 140°09'E; and T.130 off east coast of Iwo Jima, 24°47'N, 140°20'E; auxiliary netlayer Taiko Maru off Onagawa Retto; minesweeper W.25 [where°]28°35'N, 141°04'E; auxiliary minesweeper No.5 Toshi Maru off Haha Jima, 26°20'N, 141°50'E; transports Shozui Maru, Shima Maru, and Tatsuei Maru, 27°07'N, 142°12'E, and No.8 Un'yo Maru, 27°05'N, 142°09'E, in Takinoura Bay; planes damage landing ship T.153 and victualling stores ship Kaiko Maru off Ani Jima, and submarine chaser Ch 18 off Chichi Jima.

Destroyer David W. Taylor (DD-551) and destroyer escort Riddle (DE-185) sink Japanese submarine I-10, attempting an evacuation mission to Saipan, 100 miles east-northeast of her destination, 15°26'N, 147°48'E.

Submarine Guavina (SS-362), despite presence of four escort vessels, sinks Japanese transport Tama Maru 60 miles northwest of Palau, 07°44'N, 133°17'E.

Submarine Seahorse (SS-304) attacks Japanese convoy in South China Sea and sinks army cargo ship Gy_y_ Maru, cargo ship No.28 Ky_d_ Maru and merchant cargo ship Nitt_ Maru about 140 miles south of Hong Kong, 20°18'N, 115°02'E.

Submarine Tang (SS-306), operating in the Yellow Sea off the west coast of Korea, sinks Japanese merchant cargo ships Asukasan Maru at 35°22'N, 125°56'E, and Yamaoka Maru at 36°05'N, 125°48'E,

RAAF Mitchells damage Japanese cargo vessel No.1 K_sh_ Maru north of the Kai Islands, 05°05'S, 136°38'E.

Submarine S-28 (SS-133) is lost to unknown cause during training exercises off Oahu.

Indian Ocean
Indian Navy trawler Hoxa rescues survivors (10 of the freighter's merchant complement, ten Armed Guard sailors, and three passengers) of U.S. freighter Jean Nicolet, scourged by Japanese submarine I-8 on 2 July 1944; 18 of Jean Nicolet's 28-man Armed Guard perish in the atrocity wrought by the Japanese. Of the three Americans taken prisoner and retained on board I-8, only one, the passenger, will survive internment.

Caribbean
U.S. tanker Kittanning is torpedoed by German submarine U-539 while returning to Cristobal, Canal Zone, at 09°50'N, 79°40'W; there are no casualties among the 49-man merchant complement or the 25-man Armed Guard, who are rescued by Coast Guard cutter Marion (WPC-145) which, along with cutter Crawford (WPC-134), arrive to provide assistance. Crawford attempts, unsuccessfully, to tow the crippled ship (see 5 July).