Spycraft & Minecraft; Tunny Terminates Patrol; Krauts Scuttle Kehdingen

SEPTEMBER

FRI 1 SEP 1944
Pacific
Naval Operating Base, Saipan, is established.

Heavy cruiser New Orleans (CA-32), light cruiser Biloxi (CL-80), and four destroyers drawn from TG 38.4, bombard Japanese installations at Iwo Jima and Chichi Jima (the bombardment will be repeated the following day). The ships draw no return fire and U.S. gunfire damages landing ship T.105 off the latter place.

Submarine Narwhal (SS-167) lands men and supplies on east coast of Luzon.

Submarine Pilotfish (SS-386) sinks Japanese auxiliary vessel Ina Maru north-northwest of Chichi Jima, 30°32'N, 140°55'E.

Submarine Tunny (SS-282) is damaged by aerial bombs, Luzon Strait, 21°50'N, 119°18'E, and is forced to terminate her patrol.

Other Japanese casualties include merchant cargo ship Sekino Maru, sunk by aircraft in Celebes Sea, 01°06'N, 122°21'E; and merchant cargo ship Tientsin Maru, sunk by mine off Woosung, China.

Atlantic
Coast guard cutter Northland (WPG-49) locates German weather ship Kehdingen off Great Koldeyey Island, Greenland, and pursues her through the ice floes. Kehdingen, however, is scuttled by her crew to avoid capture. German submarine U-703's attack on Northland is thwarted by ice.

Mediterranean
Motor minesweeper YMS-21 is sunk by mine, Toulon, 43°06'N, 05°54'E.