Potsdam Declaration

FRI 27 JUL 1945
Pacific
Potsdam Declaration calling for unconditional surrender is delivered to the Japanese government. The Japanese, however, ignore the ultimatum, prompting President Truman to approve plans to drop atomic weapons on Japan.

Twenty-five USAAF B-29s (20th Air Force) mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Niigata, Miyazu, Maizuru and Senzaki, Japan. Mines laid by USAAF B-29s sink Japanese army cargo ship Unten Maru off Suo Nada, 33°56'N, 131°11'E ; merchant cargo ships Meiko Maru off Kokushi, Yamaguchi prefecture, 34°10'N, 130°55'E, and No.55 Banshu Maru, Odo Strait, Shimonoseki; and damage merchant cargo ships Jinstugawa Maru off Fushiki and Tatsumaki Maru off Wakamatsu signal station.

Cargo ship Ganymede (AK-104) is damaged in collision with Army barge BKP 42 (346th Harbor Craft Company), P.I., 11°11'N, 125°05'E.

U.S. freighter John A. Rawlins is damaged by Japanese aerial torpedo in Naha harbor, Okinawa; in addition to the 39-man merchant crew, 28 Armed Guards and 191 Construction Battalion men are on board at this time. Of those men, only three are injured; the ship, however, will ultimately be written off as a total loss.

U.S. freighter Pratt Victory is torpedoed by Japanese plane south of Ie Shima; the blast sinks tank landing craft LCT-1050 that lies moored alongside discharging cargo. There are no fatalities among the 27-man Armed Guard on board Pratt Victory, which offloads the remainder of her cargo without further incident.

Submarine Pargo (SS-264) is damaged by depth charges and aerial bombs off northern Celebes, 01°35'N, 125°20'E, but remains on patrol.

Submarine Pogy (SS-266) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Chikuzen Maru southwest of Kyogasaki, about 90 miles north of Tottori, Honshu, 37°00'N, 134°02'E.

British submarine HMS Tudor sinks Japanese fishing vessel at 06°15'S, 108°08'E.

USAAF planes (5th Air Force) sink Japanese landing ship T.176 off southern Kyushu, 31°00'N, 130°33'E.

Japanese transport Doshi Maru is sunk by aircraft off Nishitomari.

Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser No.40 Giso Maru is sunk by aircraft off Urajiri.

Aircraft sink/damage Japanese merchant cargo ships Rokuzan Maru off southeast coast of Korea, and Yushin Maru, 35°35'N, 129°33'E.

Aircraft damage Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser No.11 Shonan Maru inside Chefoo harbor, China; and damage merchant tanker No.2 Seiko Maru off Osaka.