Kamikaze Near-Miss

SAT 18 NOV 1944
Pacific
Destroyer escort Lawrence C. Taylor (DE-415) and TBM (VC 82) from escort carrier Anzio (CVE-57) sink Japanese submarine I-41 in Philippine Sea, 12°44'N, 130°42'E.

Submarine Pampanito (SS-383) sinks Japanese depot ship No.17 Banshu Maru and merchant cargo ship No.1 Shinko Maru, 19°12'N, 110°51'E.

Submarines Peto (SS-265), Spadefish (SS-411) and Sunfish (SS-281) operate against the same Japanese convoy attacked the previous day in the East China Sea west of Saishu Island, Peto sinks army cargo ships Aisakasan Maru, 33°50'N, 124°44'E, and Chinkai Maru, 33°39'N, 124°26'E; Spadefish sinks auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 156, 33°07'N, 123°19'E; Sunfish sinks army transport Seisho Maru, 33°36'N, 124°18'E.

Submarine Saury (SS-189) damages Japanese merchant cargo ship No.11 Asahi Maru, 30°50'N, 141°56'E.

Japanese planes raid U.S. shipping off Leyte; freighter Nicholas J. Sinnott is near-missed by a kamikaze, 11°15'45"N, 125°02'45"E. There are no casualties among the 40-man merchant complement, the 80 Army passengers or the 26-man Armed Guard. Off Tacloban, Armed Guard gunners on board freighter Gilbert Stuart shoot the tail off a kamikaze which nevertheless crashes their ship, triggering fires that are ultimately brought under control with the help of fleet tug Chickasaw (ATF-83). While 5 of the 39-man merchant complement perish in the attack, only 1 of the 29-man Armed Guard is killed in action. Freighter Cape Romano is damaged by near-miss of bomb.

PROJECT MIKE continues as USAAF B-24s (42d Bomb Squadron) lay 12 mines in effective locations in Futami Ko, Chichi Jima. B-24s sink auxiliary sailing vessel Sumiei Maru off Haha Jima.

Off Borneo, aircraft damage Japanese escort destroyer Okinawa off Labuan. Guardboats No.6 Kompira Maru, Benten Maru, and Eikoku Maru are sunk by U.S. aircraft off Tarakan.

Europe
Tank landing ship LST-6 is sunk by mine in Seine River, France.

Atlantic
Destroyer escort Camp (DE-251) is damaged in collision with tanker Santa Cecilia off coast of southern Ireland.

Mediterranean
Motor torpedo boat PT-311 is sunk by mine off Spezia, Italy, 43°41'N, 09°37'E.