Close Call For Attacking Privateer

MON 11 JUN 1945
Pacific
Off Okinawa, Japanese air attacks continue against ships on radar picket stations; large support landing craft LCS(L)(3)-122 is damaged when kamikaze crashes near her conning tower. Her commanding officer, Lieutenant Richard M. McCool, Jr., although wounded at the outset, releases men trapped in a burning compartment, suffering further injuries in so doing. For his courageously saving the lives of his men and inspiring his crew to save their ship, in addition to his actions the previous day in rescuing survivors of kamikazed destroyer William D. Porter (DD-579), McCool is awarded the Medal of Honor.

Elsewhere off Okinawa, a kamikaze crashes alongside U.S. freighter Walter Colton; the ship receives additional damage from friendly fire of nearby ships in the anchorage. Of the combined complement of 41 merchant sailors, 29 Armed Guards and 11 Construction Battalion men, only three men suffer injuries. Dock landing ship Lindenwald (LSD-6) is also damaged by friendly fire, 26°17'N, 127°53'E.

Cruisers and destroyers (Rear Admiral John H. Brown, Jr.) bombard Japanese installations on Matsuwa, Kurils.

Twenty-six USAAF B-29s mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Tsuruga, Japan. Japanese merchant cargo ship Hiwaka Maru is sunk by mine, 34°44'N, 125°52'E.

Okinawa-based PB4Y-2s (VPB 118) fly second aerial mining mission into the Korean archipelago, but fog, blanketing the entire objective, compels the Privateers to jettison the mines en route back to base.

Submarine Bowfin (SS-287) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship No.3 Shinyo Maru off Genzan, Korea, 39°24'N, 128°59'E.

Submarine Crevalle (SS-291) sinks Japanese gunboat No.5 Hakusan Maru off Henashi Zaki, Honshu, 40°43'N, 139°51'E.

Submarine Flying Fish (SS-229) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Meisei Maru near Rashin, Korea, 41°47'N, 131°44'E.

Submarine Sea Dog (SS-401) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Kofuku Maru, 40°28'N, 139°47'E.

Submarine Segundo (SS-398) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship No.2 Fukui Maru, in the Yellow Sea off the Shantung peninsula, 37°11'N, 123°23'E.

Submarine Tirante (SS-420) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Hakuju Maru at Ha Jima, southern Kyushu, 42°37'N, 129°45'E.

PB4Y-2 sinks Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 237 at entrance to Ise Bay, 34°30'N, 137°06'E; the explosion of the enemy patrol vessel, however, heavily damages the attacking Privateer.

Japanese guardboat No.5 Nichiei Maru is sunk by U.S. aircraft southwest of Paramushiro, Kurils, 50°00'N, 155°00'E.

Japanese cargo ship Kimi Maru is sunk by aircraft off west coast of Aomori prefecture.