Aussies Land On Borneo

SUN 10 JUN 1945
Pacific
TG 74.3 (Rear Admiral Russell S. Berkey) cruiser and destroyer gunfire and strikes by USAAF and RAAF planes support landing of Australian troops at Brunei Bay, Borneo.

Naval task group (Rear Admiral Joseph J. Clark) bombs and bombards enemy airfield and other installations on Minami Daito Jima, Ryukyus.

Off Okinawa, destroyer William D. Porter (DD-579) is sunk by kamikaze, 27°06'N, 127°38'E; despite the fires and exploding ammunition, Lieutenant Richard M. McCool, Jr. unhesitatingly places his ship, large support landing craft LCS(L)(3)-122 alongside the sinking warship to take off her survivors (see 11 June).

Also off Okinawa, destroyer escort Gendreau (DE-639) is damaged by shore battery, 26°03'N, 127°12'E.

Submarine< Crevalle (SS-291) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Daiki Maru in western approaches to Tsugaru Strait, 40°44'N, 139°48'E.

Submarine Dace (SS-247) attacks Japanese convoy, sinking merchant cargo ship Hakuyo Maru in Sea of Okhotsk, about 120 miles west of Shimushu Island 47°21'N, 149°07'E.

Submarine Flying Fish (SS-229) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Taga Maru off Seishin, northwestern Korea, 41°42'N, 129°34'E.

Submarine< Skate (SS-305) sinks Japanese submarine I 122 in Sea of Japan, six miles off Cape Rokugo lighthouse, 37°30'N, 137°24'E.

Submarine Spadefish (SS-411), attacking Japanese shipping off Hokkaido, sinks merchant cargo ship No.2 Taigen Maru off Otaru, 43°23'N, 140°39'E; transport No.8 Unkai Maru off Shakotan Mizaki, 43°55'N, 141°13'E; and cargo ship Jintsu Maru, 43°28'N, 140°28'E.

Submarine Tench (SS-417) sinks Japanese merchant tanker No.6 Shoei Maru 41°15'N, 141°31'E.

PB4Y-2s (VPB 118), flying from Okinawa, commence mining waters of the Korean archipelago. The intent is to drive Japanese shipping, forced by the work of PB4Ys and PBMs to carry out nocturnal operations (sheltering by day in small protected anchorages) out into the open sea to facilitate mast-head attacks. The mines thus planted could sink undiverted shipping and place an additional burden on the already overtaxed Japanese minesweeping force. On this initial mission, the first aerial mining using Privateers, however, the PB4Ys encounter intense antiaircraft fire from Japanese warships in Tsushima Strait during the run-in to the objective, Pusan harbor. The PB4Ys mine the waters along the Korean coast between Shinchi-To and Seigan-To instead (see 11 June-1 July).

Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 63 is sunk in collision west of Mokpo, Korea, 34°50'N, 126°10'E.

Mines damage Japanese escort destroyer Habuto, 2.6 kilometers north of Kannonzaki, and guardboat Choei Maru off Shinminato.

PB4Ys (VB 102°) sink Japanese merchant tanker Tado Maru off west coast of Korea, 36°00'N, 125°00'E.