FRI 31 AUG 1945
Pacific
Rear Admiral Francis E. M. Whiting accepts surrender of Marcus Island on board destroyer Bagley (DD-386).
Marines (Company "L," Third Battalion, Fourth Marines) land at Tateyama Naval Base, Honshu, on the northeast shore of Sagami Wan, and accept its surrender. They will reconnoiter the beach approaches and cover the landing of Army's 112th Cavalry.
Japanese submarine I 401 surrenders to submarine Segundo (SS-398) at entrance to Tokyo Bay.
U.S. freighter Joseph Carrigan is damaged by mine in Brunei Bay, Borneo.
Japanese merchant vessels sunk/damaged during August 1945 (exact dates indeterminate): refrigerated cargo ship Banshu Maru, agent unknown, location unspecified. Cargo ship Eito Maru, by aircraft, off Murozu. Cargo ship No.1 Taikai Maru, by aircraft, location unspecified.
Japanese merchant vessel damaged during August 1945 (exact date indeterminate): cargo ship Shincho Maru, by mine, off Ube.
Monday, August 31, 2020
Another Month Done
Sunday, August 30, 2020
Landings Begin
THU 30 AUG 1945
Pacific
Landings by the occupation forces begin in the Tokyo Bay area under cover of guns of the Third Fleet plus Naval and USAAF aircraft.
Rear Admiral Robert B. Carney and Rear Admiral Oscar C. Badger accept surrender of Yokosuka Naval Base. Headquarters of Commander Third Fleet is established there.
Conference is held on board destroyer Stack (DD-406) at Truk to discuss the surrender of that Japanese base. Brigadier General Leo D. Hermle, USMC, is the leader of U.S. representatives.
Four motor torpedo boats transport 50 Japanese troops from Miti Island to Morotai, to contact scattered units there to effect a complete surrender.
U.S. freighter Peter White is damaged by mine 50 miles from Mauban, Luzon, 14°37'N, 122°26'E; only four men of the ship's total complement (52 merchant sailors, one passenger, and 17 Armed Guards) are injured, and the ship reaches Leyte.
Another Wk. Passes Like Nothing
Biting The Hand That Doesn't Feed Me
Saturday, August 29, 2020
Nimitz Arrives
WED 29 AUG 1945
Pacific
Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief Pacific Fleet, arrives in Tokyo Bay on board PB2Y, and breaks his flag in battleship South Dakota (BB-57).
Submarine Segundo (SS-398) encounters Japanese submarine I 401 off northeast coast of Honshu, and "after considerable negotiation," places prize crew on board.
TG 30.6 (Commodore Rodger W. Simpson) arrives in Tokyo Bay to undertake emergency evacuation of Allied POWs in waterfront areas. Guided by TBMs from small carrier Cowpens (CVL-25) and taken to the scene by LCVPs from high speed transport Gosselin (APD-126), Commodore Simpson carries out his orders. The appearance of the LCVPs off the camp at Omori (the first liberated) triggers "an indescribable scene of jubilation and emotion" by the former captives, some of whom swim out to the approaching landing craft.
Japanese garrisons on Halmahera and Morotai surrender.
Centenary
Friday, August 28, 2020
First American Troops Land In Japan
TUE 28 AUG 1945
Pacific
USAAF technicians land at Atsugi Airdrome, near Tokyo; these are the first American troops to land in Japan.
Administrative and operational control of the Seventh Fleet (Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid) passes from Commander in Chief, Southwest Pacific Area (General of the Army Douglas MacArthur) to Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet (Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz).
Anthony Huber, Murdered Kenosha Protester: "He was a hero."
Friday Freak-Out:
On The Roads Again
Thursday, August 27, 2020
Submarine Surrender
MON 27 AUG 1945
Pacific
Third Fleet (Admiral William F. Halsey Jr.) stands into Sagami Wan, the outer bay to Tokyo, Japan.
Japanese submarine I 14 surrenders to destroyers Murray (DD-576) and Dashiell (DD-659) east of northern Honshu. Prize crew from destroyer escort Bangust (DE-739) boards I 14 about 450 miles east of Nojima Zaki.
Japanese submarine I 400 surrenders to destroyers Blue (DD-744) and Mansfield (DD-728) east of northern Honshu; destroyer escort Weaver (DE-741) places boarding party on board I 400.
PB4Y (FAW 18) lands at Atsugi Airdrome, 14 miles from Tokyo, because of mechanical difficulties. No Japanese approach the plane, which returns to Iwo Jima the same day.
Blame It On Becki?
Is Mrs. Falwell about to be hurled beneath a transit vehicle? Buckle up.Brandon Ambrosino / Politico:
‘She was the aggressor’: Former Liberty student alleges sexual encounter with Becki Falwell — A former student at the evangelical university opens up about a 2008 incident with the wife of the school's president. — A former Liberty University student says Becki Falwell, the wife of the university’s then-President Jerry Falwell Jr., jumped into bed with him and …
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
Nineteenth Amendment Takes Effect, Lucky Lindy Not So Lucky Any More
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Chumps Begging For A Yacht Tax
One attendee — who carried a handgun on his waist, in violation of state park rules — allegedly accosted another guest for wearing a mask. Another park-goer, who had a rainbow pride pin on their bag, was called a homophobic slur. Some attendees also threatened to tip over a park ranger’s truck.Healey said they received maybe one or two 911 calls during the event, but they were mostly about verbal incidents. He said the targeting of on-duty park rangers who are predominately teens and young adults is a trend the department has observed throughout the summer.“It stinks because basically our summertime employees are all like, you know, kids,” he said. “I think that if that happened today and they were targeting rangers, that’s really regrettable. But I would kind of chalk that up to the general level of ugliness that COVID has sort of brought out.”
Typhoon
SAT 25 AUG 1945
Pacific
Aircraft from carrier task groups begin daily flights over Japan to patrol airfields, shipping movements, and to locate and supply prisoner of war camps; operation continues until 2 September.
TG 95.4 (Captain Henry J. Armstrong, Jr.) returns to Buckner Bay having completed its mine clearance work in the East China Sea and destroyed 578 mines during eleven days of sweeping.
Carrier Wasp (CV-18) and destroyer Chauncey (DD-667) are damaged by typhoon.
Chief of Naval Operations accords Navy Petroleum Reserve 4 Expedition a "well done" for accomplishing its mission "in an expeditious and seamanlike manner in spite of fog and ice."
Tonight: Tiffany Trump!
Monday, August 24, 2020
Better In The Original Deutsch?
In The '30s It Was "Kinder, Küche, Kirche"
When was the last time two-faced animal-murdering sack of decayed genetic material DJTJ & his shrilly howling mistress were even near a damn church?"Kirche, Arbeit, Schule": Who writes this fucking horseshit?Serious Super-Schadenfreude
Fossil Fuel
FRI 24 AUG 1945
Pacific
U.S. freighters Jonathan Harrington and Enos A. Mills, of the Navy Petroleum Reserve 4 Expedition, are damaged by ice floes off Point Barrow, Alaska (see 25 August).
Sunday, August 23, 2020
No Violations
THU 23 AUG 1945
Pacific
Planes from TG 38.4 (Rear Admiral Arthur W. Radford) search for Japanese shipping between Hachijo Jima and the Bonins. Such movement would have been contrary to surrender instructions, but the searching aircraft report no violations.
Saturday, August 22, 2020
Capitulation
WED 22 AUG 1945
Pacific
Captain Harold B. Grow, Atoll Commander, Majuro, accepts surrender of Mille Atoll, Marshalls (the first Japanese garrison to capitulate in the Pacific) on board destroyer escort Levy (DE-162).
Navy Petroleum Reserve 4 Expedition, formed around cargo ship Spica (AK-16) and U.S. freighters Jonathan Harrington and Enos A. Mills, discharges remainder of tonnage at Point Barrow (see 24 and 25 August).
Japanese antiaircraft batteries near Hong Kong fire upon navy patrol planes over China Coast.
Japanese destroyer Asagao is damaged by mine in Shimonoseki Straits.
Sufferation
Friday, August 21, 2020
Probably "last surface action of World War II"
TUE 21 AUG 1945
Pacific
Two Chinese junks (Lieutenant Livingston Swentzel Jr., USNR) manned by 7 Americans and 20 Chinese guerrillas are attacked by Japanese junk (with a crew of 83 men) while en route from Haimen to Shanghai, China. In a 45-minute action, the Chinese craft, directed by Lieutenant Swentzel, engage the enemy with bazookas, machine guns, and grenades. Upon boarding the Japanese craft, the Allied force finds 45 dead and 35 wounded; the victory has been achieved at the cost of four Chinese killed, and one American and five Chinese wounded. For his heroism above and beyond the call of duty, Lieutenant Swentzel is awarded the Navy Cross in what probably proves to be the last surface action of World War II.
Japanese escort vessel Miyake is damaged by mine near Moji, Japan, 33°58'N, 131°00'E.
Tenth Army security patrols on Okinawa by this point have captured 69 Japanese and killed 218 since the island is declared secure.
Asiatic Wing, Naval Air Transport Service, is established at Oakland California.
Thursday, August 20, 2020
Last Ditch
MON 20 AUG 1945
Pacific
TF 31 (Rear Admiral Oscar C. Badger) is formed to assume responsibility for the occupation of Yokosuka naval base.
Navy patrol planes reconnoiter Indochina and south China coasts; Japanese fighters attempt to intercept them.
I Just Can't Believe ...
REPORTER: QAnon believes you are secretly saving the world from this cult of pedophiles and cannibals. Are you behind that?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 19, 2020
TRUMP: Is that supposed to be a bad thing? We are actually. We are saving the world. pic.twitter.com/rPYFU1B8WB
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
Mines: The Gift That Keeps On Giving
SUN 19 AUG 1945
Pacific
Formation of fleet Marine and bluejacket landing forces from officers and men afloat begins; these men are transferred, at sea, to transports for the impending occupation of Yokosuka under Commander, TF 31 (see 20 August). Japanese delegates arrive in Manila to receive surrender instructions.
Japanese escort vessel Oki is damaged by mine off Pusan, Korea.
Tuesday, August 18, 2020
Monday, August 17, 2020
Bureaucracy
FRI 17 AUG 1945
Pacific
General Prince Higashikuni becomes Prime Minister of Japan and forms a new cabinet.
Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.46 is sunk by mine off Mokpo, Korea, 34°51'N, 126°02'E.
Too Hot To Sleep, Too Hot To Move
Sunday, August 16, 2020
Last Throes
THU 16 AUG 1945
Pacific
Destroyer Healy (DD-672) makes sonar contact with underwater object about 100 miles east of Iwo Jima and carries out depth charge attack.
Submarine Piper (SS-409) is attacked in Japan Sea by unknown assailant.
Saturday, August 15, 2020
"pilots jettison their ordnance and return to their carriers"
WED 15 AUG 1945
Pacific
Before receiving the announcement of the end of hostilities, planes from fast carrier task force (Vice Admiral John S. McCain) raid airfields in the vicinity of Tokyo, encountering heavy aerial opposition. Second strike is cancelled while it is en route to objectives; pilots jettison their ordnance and return to their carriers.
TG 30.6 (Commodore Rodger W. Simpson) is formed to liberate, evacuate, and care for Allied POWs in Japan.
Japanese escort vessel Kanju is sunk by Russian aircraft off Wonsan, 39°10'N, 127°27'E.
Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 167 is sunk by accident, Kure.
Japanese merchant cargo ship No.12 Yamabishi Maru is damaged by aircraft, 34°41.5'N, 129°36'E.
Mediterranean
U.S. freighter William D. Byron is damaged by two mines off Savona, Italy, 44°00'N, 09°00'E; one of four Armed Guard sailors is injured.
Friday, August 14, 2020
Fri. Freak-Out: "SOME UNPLEASANT PREMONITIONS*"
"VJ Day"
TUE 14 AUG 1945
Pacific
Japan accepts the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration and agrees to surrender ("VJ Day"). General of the Army Douglas MacArthur is named Supreme Allied Commander to receive the enemy's capitulation and conduct the occupation of his homeland.
Thirty-five USAAF B-29s mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Nanao, Maizuru and Hamada, Japan, in the final B-29 minelaying operations of the war.
Submarine Spikefish (SS-404) sinks Japanese submarine I 373, then en route from Sasebo to Takao, 190 miles southeast of Shanghai, China, 29°00'N, 124°00'E.
in Sea of Japan, submarine Torsk (SS-423) sinks Coast Defense Vessel No.13 at 35°44'N, 134°38'E, and Coast Defense Vessel No.47 at 35°41'N, 134°38'E.
Mines laid by USAAF B-29s (20th Air Force) sink Japanese gunboat Hirota Maru off Mutsure, Japan, 33°59'N, 130°52'E, cargo ship Mikamasan Maru at 39°18'N, 126°28'E, and merchant cargo ships Yojo Maru in Osaka harbor, 34°38'N, 135°28'E; and Kashima Maru off coast of Korea, 35°10'N, 129°00'E.
Marine casualties account for damage to Japanese merchant tankers No.8 Nankai Maru at 36°54'N, 126°12.5'E and tanker Nanki Maru 300 miles off Bontensen.
Aircraft (nationality and type unidentified) sink Japanese merchant cargo ship No.6 Hatokama Maru off Tanoura, and damage merchant cargo ships No.5 Shinko Maru at 34°35'N, 131°23'E, and Tatsusugi Maru at 34°12'N, 129°46'E. Merchant cargo ship No.3 Takakawa Maru, damaged by aircraft, is beached north of Hirato Island.
"Kamala" Harris, The Ugandan Giant,
Dead At 70
MostMost people remember James “Kamala” Harris for his elaborate African-themed costume, mask, and body paint. But behind all that gimmickry was a working man who grew up the son of sharecroppers in Mississippi, a man who labored on farms, rooftops, behind the wheel of a truck, and, most famously, in the wrestling ring. He depended on his body to pay his bills, yet was rarely paid what he was worth. And in his later years, this massive, powerful body betrayed him, with diabetes costing him both legs by 2012, and a respiratory infection leading to cardiac arrest and death on Sunday at age 70.
Kamala’s performances as the “Ugandan Giant” lit up main event marquees throughout the 1980s, but he weathered life’s trials and tribulations as an African American man. He faced extreme poverty from the start. In his autobiography, Kamala Speaks, he recounts growing up in a small shack on a cotton plantation. His father, Jesse Harris, was killed after winning the pot in a dice game. Police in Mississippi did nothing, and the murder was unsolved. “A black man’s life in this time wasn’t worth the hassle,” Kamala wrote. “A black death didn’t matter … at this time, and it was even more unimportant when all the parties involved were black.”
Fuck The L.A.P.D., Part The Infinite
[Various sources.]LAPD Officer Accused of Sexually Abusing a Corpse
The family of 34-year-old Elizabeth Baggett is suing former Los Angeles Police Officer David Rojas after body cam footage caught him allegedly fondling her after she died.
Priest’s lawsuit alleges LAPD officer struck and kicked him in chest at protest
You May Already Be Dead ...
Denise Lu / New York Times:
The True Coronavirus Toll in the U.S. Has Already Surpassed 200,000 — Estimated deaths above normal, March 1 to July 25 — Note: Data is most likely an undercount for some states in recent weeks. — Nationwide, 200,000 more people have died than usual since March, according to a New York Times analysis of estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is about 60,000 higher than the number of deaths that have been directly linked to the coronavirus.
As the pandemic has moved south and west from its epicenter in New York City, so have the unusual patterns in deaths from all causes. That suggests that the official death counts may be substantially underestimating the overall effects of the virus, as people die from the virus as well as by other causes linked to the pandemic.
When the coronavirus took hold in the United States in March, the bulk of deaths above normal levels, or “excess deaths,” were in the Northeast, as New York and New Jersey saw huge surges.
The Northeast still makes up nearly half of all excess deaths in the country, though numbers in the region have drastically declined since the peak in April.
But as the number of hot spots expanded, so has the number of excess deaths across other parts of the country.Steven L. Taylor / Outside the Beltway: Back to the Question of Excess Death
Jamil Smith / Rolling Stone: White House Adviser Says Voting Rights ‘Not Our Game,’ Admits to Vote Suppression
Summer Meza / The Week: NYT: True coronavirus death toll is over 200,000
Thursday, August 13, 2020
Rescue First
MON 13 AUG 1945
Pacific
Aircraft from fast carrier task force (Vice Admiral John S. McCain) bomb targets in the vicinity of Tokyo.
USAAF OA-10A extracts TBM crew (VT 87) from Ticonderoga (CV-14) from the inner reaches of Tokyo Bay midway between Yokohama and Kizarazu, marking the first time that a U.S. plane has accomplished a rescue in those waters.
Attack transport Lagrange (APA-124) is crashed by suicide plane, Buckner Bay, Okinawa, 26°14'N, 127°52'E.
Submarine Atule (SS-403) sinks Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.6 and damages Coast Defense Vessel No.16 off Hokkaido, 42°16'N, 142°12'E.
Submarine Torsk (SS-423) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Kaiho Maru, 36°17'N, 136°09'E.
USAAF B-24s and/or B-25s operating against Japanese shipping in Korea Strait sink guardboat Ayanami Maru at 34°50'N, 131°10'E and damage merchant cargo ship Tatsukiri Maru at 34°35'N, 131°23'E.
Japanese merchant cargo ship No.11 Tosei Maru is damaged by aircraft off Hekata.
Japanese army tanker No.10 Nitto Maru is damaged by mine, 34°22'N, 130°54'E.
Today In Nut-Jobs Republicans
Eric Hananoki / Media Matters for America:GOP-backed House candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene: The Obama administration used MS-13 to assassinate Seth Rich — Greene's smear echoes a QAnon conspiracy theory post — Republican House candidate and right-wing commentator Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is a QAnon supporter and a 9/11 conspiracy theorist …RELATED:Eric Hananoki / Media Matters for America:QAnon candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene is a 9/11 conspiracy theorist who claimed that there's no evidence a plane crashed into the Pentagon — Greene also falsely claimed that Obama “is a Muslim” — Republican-backed congressional candidate and right-wing commentator Marjorie Taylor Greene …Discussion:Jim Newell / Slate: The Future of the House Republicans Is Fully UnhingedChris Mills Rodrigo / The Hill: QAnon-supporting congressional candidate embraced 9/11 conspiracy theorySky Palma / Raw Story: Trump praises GOP candidate as ‘a real winner’ - then she gets outed as a 9/11 trutherSteve M. / No More Mister Nice Blog: KEVIN McCARTHY DOESN'T THINK THE GOP HAS A MARJORIE GREENE PROBLEM. HE'S PROBABLY RIGHT.Jeff Singer / Daily Kos: Trump and his allies greet racist QAnon ally with warm embrace after her primary winKevin Roose / New York Times:
Think QAnon Is on the Fringe? So Was the Tea PartyDiscussion:Amanda Marcotte / Raw Story: Republicans embrace a new type of insanity as rabid right-wing Christians fade away
Wednesday, August 12, 2020
Pennsylvania (BB-38) Damaged
SUN 12 AUG 1945
Pacific
TF 92, comprising two light cruisers and 12 destroyers (Rear Admiral John H. Brown, Jr.) bombards Japanese installations on Matsuwa Island and at Kurabu Cape and Suribachi Bay, Paramushiro Island Kurils. A pre-bombardment sweep of the Sea of Okhotsk results in the destruction of ten trawlers.
Japanese submarine I 58 conducts unsuccessful kaiten attack on dock landing ship Oak Hill (LSD-7) while she is en route from Okinawa to Leyte Gulf accompanied by destroyer escort Thomas F. Nickel (DE-587).
Battleship Pennsylvania (BB-38) is damaged by aerial torpedo, Buckner Bay, Okinawa, 26°14'N, 127°50'E.
Aircraft sink Japanese auxiliary patrol vessel Pa 166 five miles southeast of Urasaki, Japan, and merchant cargo ship Hozugawa Maru off the east coast of Korea, 35°00'N, 126°00'E, and damage Kitanami Maru off Mishima light.
Mines sink Japanese merchant cargo ship No.1 Shinyo Maru north of Kyushu, and damage merchant cargo ship Yurakawa Maru eight kilometers off Wakamatsu light, and army cargo ship No.16 Tamon Maru in Koguchi Channel, Nanao, 37°07'N, 137°02'E.
"Cult Member Kooks"
Alex Jones is doing great! pic.twitter.com/vvXD9fjojf
— Barstool News Network (@BarstoolNewsN) August 12, 2020
Joe Kennedy Jr. Blows Up Real Good; Defeated Imperialist Troops Leave Vietnam; Kursk Blows Up Real Good ...
Fake News Fucks Faked Out Again
As the saying goes, you can't cheat an honest man. Apparently you can sure fool a buncha sucker-ass chumps, however.New York Times:
A Bible Burning, a Russian News Agency and a Story Too Good to Check Out — WASHINGTON — For some of President Trump's loudest cheerleaders, it was a story too good to check out: Black Lives Matters protesters in Portland, Ore., had burned a stack of Bibles, and then topped off the fire with American flags.
Marissa Higgins / Daily Kos: Remember that viral story of a Bible-burning in Portland, Oregon? Here's the bigger picture J. Edward Moreno / The Hill: Russian news agency pushed video of Portland protestors burning a Bible: report
more at Mediagazer »
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
Indian P.O.W. Freed By Commandos
SAT 11 AUG 1945
Pacific
TG 95.4 (Captain Henry J. Armstrong, Jr.) comprising four light minelayers (DM), 40 minesweepers (AM) and 10 motor minesweepers (YMS), and various supporting vessels, departs Buckner Bay, Okinawa, to proceed into the East China Sea to conduct minesweeping operations.
TF 38 planes damage Japanese destroyer Kaba and submarines I 36, I 159, and I 402 at Kure, Japan.
Destroyer McDermut (DD-677) is damaged by small-caliber naval gunfire in Kurils, 49°30'N, 155°01'E.
Submarine Chub (SS-329) sinks Japanese army auxiliary sailing vessel No.32 Sakura Maru, 06°40'S, 115°44'E.
Submarine Hawkbill (SS-366) puts landing party and Australian commandos ashore at Terampah Harbor, Matak Island Anambas Islands, that destroys a gasoline dump, captures intelligence documents, and rescues an Indian POW.
Submarine Jallao (SS-368) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Teihoku Maru, 38°03'N, 133°12'E.
Mines laid by USAAF B-29s (20th Air Force) sink Japanese merchant cargo ship No.2 Nisshin Maru eight kilometers off Wakamatsu light, 33°45'N, 131°30'E, and damage landing ship T.153 two miles east-northeast of Kanawaiwa, Japan.
Japanese merchant vessel Wajun Go is damaged by marine casualty near Funagawa.
Monday, August 10, 2020
Soviet Forces Enter Korea. Good Idea?
FRI 10 AUG 1945
Pacific
USN carrier-based planes from fast carrier task forces of the Third Fleet (Admiral William F. Halsey Jr.), pound Japanese shipping, airfields and railroads in northern Honshu. Planes from British TF 37 participate as well. TF 38 planes sink submarine chaser Ch 42 and minesweeper W.1 in Yamada Bay, 38°26'N, 141°30'E, auxiliary minesweeper No.2 Kongo Maru off Onagawa, 38°30'N, 141°29'E; merchant cargo ship Masayoshi Maru and tanker No.3 Nanki Maru in Sakata harbor, 38°55'N, 139°49'E; merchant cargo ship No.14 Horai Maru off east coast of Korea, 37°00'N, 130°24'E; merchant cargo ship No.5 Nishiki Maru off Hachinohe harbor; and cargo ship Chichibu Maru in Keelung harbor, Formosa, 42°20'N, 130°24'E. TF 37 or TF 38 planes sink auxiliary submarine chaser No.6 Takunan Maru off Onagawa. TF 38 planes damage auxiliary minelayer Koei Maru off Ominato, and merchant cargo ship Toyotama Maru off Sakata, 38°15'N, 139°22'E.
In addition, aircraft (service not specified) on antishipping missions against Japanese warships and merchantmen operating at or near Niigata, sink army cargo ship Ujina Maru, and merchant cargo ships Manei Maru and No.7 Hosei Maru, and damage auxiliary patrol vessel Pa No.84, army cargo ship Yorihime Maru, and merchant cargo ship No.7 Manei Maru, and in Tsugaru Strait damage liaison vessel Aniwa Maru; in antishipping sweeps off the Korean coast, planes sink cargo ships Taishun Maru and Awakawa Maru off Chongjin, 41°26'N, 129°49'E, and merchant cargo vessels Taiko Maru, Erimo Maru, and Kari Go in or off Najin harbor, army cargo ship Isshin Maru off Ulsan, and in Tsushima Strait, sink merchant cargo ship Shofuko Maru, 34°43'N, 129°50'E, and damage Coast Defense Vessel No. 194, Coast Defense Vessel No. 198 and army cargo ship Tairetsu Maru, 34°42'N, 130°13'E.
Thirty-one USAAF B-29s (20th Air Force) mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Hagi and Yuyawan, Japan, and Wonsan, Korea. Mines sink merchant cargo ship Shinjo Maru off Hime Jima, and damage Coast Defense Vessel No. 63 in Nanao Bay, 37°08'N, 136°50'E, and merchant cargo ships Harada Maru at 34°23'N,134°57'E, Tsushima Maru (location unspecified) and 12 Nissho Maru, 1.6 kilometers off Cape Echizen, and merchant tanker No.8 Kinyu Maru in Maizuru harbor.
Soviet forces enter Korea. Russian planes sink Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.82 north of Joshin, Korea, 41°21'N, 131°12'E, and merchant vessels Kasado Maru and No.2 Ryuho Maru off Kamchatka peninsula, in Sea of Okhotsk.
Submarine Hawkbill (SS-366) shells and destroys Japanese radio station on Djemadja Island 150 miles northeast of Singapore.
Navy Petroleum Reserve 4 Expedition, formed around cargo ship Spica (AK-16) and U.S. freighters Jonathan Harrington and Enos A. Mills, reaches Point Barrow and discharges some tonnage until ice and weather conditions force a halt in operations (see 22, 24 and 25 August).
U.S. freighter Jack Singer is torpedoed by Japanese plane off Naha, Okinawa. None of the 29-man Armed Guard are injured, and only one merchant seaman reports any injuries suffered in the incident. The ship is later written off as a total loss.
Japanese fast transport T.21 sinks as the result of damage suffered the previous day off Tsuwa Jima, 33°59'N, 132°31'E.
Sunday, August 9, 2020
Nagasaki's Turn
THU 9 AUG 1945
Pacific
USAAF B-29 "Bock's Car" (509th Composite Group) drops atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Kyushu; USN Commander Frederick W. Ashworth is the weaponeer on this mission. In the nuclear devastation unleashed upon that Japanese port city, merchant tanker Tsuruoka Maru is damaged.
USN carrier-based aircraft from TF 38 carriers (Admiral William F. Halsey Jr.) pound Japanese shipping and airfields, ranging from northern Honshu and Hokkaido to the coast of Korea, sinking auxiliary submarine chasers Shintohoku Maru and 2 Kongo Maru and 6 Takunan Maru, minesweepers W.1 and W.33, and fleet tanker Juko Maru, and merchant cargo ship No.36 Banshu Maru off Hamada, 39°30'N, 142°04'E. USN (TF 38) and British carrier aircraft (TF 37) sink escort vessels Amakusa and Inagi off Onagawa.
Off Honshu, retaliatory air strikes by Japanese planes result in friendly fire damage to destroyer John W. Weeks (DD-701), 35°00'N, 143°00'E; kamikaze damages destroyer Borie (DD-704) at 37°21'N, 143°45'E.
TU 12.5.6--battleship New Jersey (BB-62), light cruiser Biloxi (CL-80) and four destroyers--bombards Wake Island while en route from Pearl Harbor to Eniwetok.
TU 34.8.1, battleships and cruisers (Rear Admiral John F. Shafroth) shells industrial targets at Kamaishi, Honshu. Two British light cruisers participate in the bombardment as well.
Soviet forces enter Korea. Russian planes sink Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.82 north of Joshin, Korea, 41°21'N, 131°12'E, and merchant vessels Kasado Maru and No.2 Ryuho Maru off Kamchatka, Sea of Okhotsk.
Submarine Hawkbill (SS-366) shells Tambelan Island 230 miles east of Singapore, destroying Japanese radio station.
Destroyer escort Johnnie Hutchins (DE-360), carrying out an antisubmarine sweep on the convoy route between Leyte and Okinawa, sinks what may have been kaitens launched by I 58, known to have been in the area at that time.
USAAF B-25s on antishipping sweeps against Japanese shipping traffic off the coast of Korea sink auxiliary submarine chaser No.63 Hino Maru west of Koje-do, merchant cargo ship No.7 Yamabishi Maru off Tsushima, 35°09'N, 129°30'E, and army cargo ship Daito Maru, 15 miles off Chongjin, Korea.
Japanese merchant cargo ship Izu Maru is sunk by aircraft, Shiogama harbor.
Japanese merchant cargo ship No.7 Yamanami Maru is sunk by U.S. aircraft, 25°15'N, 138°44'E.
Japanese merchant cargo ship Kagoshima Maru and [type unspecified] Toyoshima Maru are sunk by aircraft off Pusan, Korea.
Japanese merchant cargo ship Senko Maru is sunk by aircraft off Chongjin, Korea, Tensho Maru is damaged.
Japanese merchant cargo ship No.2 Ryuho Maru is sunk by aircraft off Utka.
Japanese merchant cargo ships Edamitsu Maru and Sotsu Go, tanker Empo Maru are sunk by aircraft off Najin, Korea. Japanese merchant cargo ship Rakusan Maru is damaged by aircraft.
Japanese merchant cargo ship No.6 Banshu Maru is damaged by aircraft off Hamada, Japan.
Japanese destroyer Yanagi and minelayer Tokiwa are damaged by aircraft, Ominato, Japan.
Japanese escort vessel Yashiro and Coast Defense Vessel No.87, and army cargo ship Ryuwa Maru, and merchant cargo ship Meiyu Maru are damaged by aircraft off Unggi, Korea.
USAAF B-25s (5th Air Force) damage Japanese fast transport T.21 off Tsuwa Jima, 33°59'N, 132°31'E. Although T.21 is run aground to permit salvage, she never returns to active service (see 10 August).
Japanese transport Choun Maru is damaged by aircraft, location unspecified.
Mines damage Japanese merchant cargo ships Enoshima Maru in Oguchi channel, Nanao; Genyo Maru, 35°51'N, 131°15'E; Shinri Go, 34°06'N, 131°19'E; and damage merchant vessel Okita Maru near Sumoto.
None Dare Call It Murder
Elizabeth Dias / New York Times:‘Christianity Will Have Power’ — Donald Trump made a promise to white evangelical Christians, whose support can seem mystifying to the outside observer. — Photographs and Video by Jenn Ackerman and Tim Gruber — SIOUX CENTER, Iowa — They walked to the sanctuary in the frozen silence before dawn …I'll "terminate" you, you fat murdering false prophet thug.Social Security Works:Donald Trump: If Reelected, I will “Terminate” Social Security — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: — Contact: Linda Benesch, lbenesc[email protected] — (Washington, DC) — The following is a statement from Nancy Altman, President of Social Security Works, in response to Donald Trump's press conference …RELATED:Tony Romm / Washington Post:
Trump promises permanent cut to payroll tax funding Social Security and Medicare if he's reelectedDiscussion:Bob Brigham / Raw Story: Trump admitted on live TV he will ‘terminate’ Social Security and Medicare if reelected in NovemberBetty Cracker / Balloon Juice: Cash for Votes — House Democrats have made the decision to ride out the Trump crime spree until November.
Saturday, August 8, 2020
Pier 13, Manila, P.I.
WED 8 AUG 1945
Pacific
Destroyer Cassin (DD-372) boards Japanese hospital ship Kiku Maru, about 250 miles northwest of Marcus Island and after observing no violations, permits the vessel to proceed to Yokosuka.
Submarine Muskallunge (SS-262) is damaged by machine gun fire while engaging Japanese "sea trucks" off the Kurils, 46°41'N, 151°43'E, but remains on patrol.
Navy Petroleum Reserve 4 Expedition, formed around cargo ship Spica (AK-16) and U.S. freighters Jonathan Harrington and Enos A. Mills, departs Icy Cape, Alaska, for Point Barrow (see 10, 22, 24 and 25 August).
U.S. freighter Casimir Pulaski is damaged when nearby dredging operations detonate mine or bomb off the ship's port bow as she lies alongside Pier 13, Manila, P.I.; the blast injures 2 of the 28-man Armed Guard.
PB4Ys attack Japanese shipping off Pusan, Korea, sinking No.7 Yamabishi Maru and Kagoshima Maru off that port, and guardboat No.63 Hino Maru east of Kyosaitoo.
Japanese cargo vessel Shinten Maru is damaged by mine, a half mile off Wada Misaki light.
USAAF B-24s, B-25s, A-26s, P-51s and P-47s (Far East Air Force) carry out strikes against targets on Kyushu, and Japanese shipping between Kyushu and Korea, sinking merchant cargo ship Shokai Maru off Pusan and Megami Maru off Shodo Jima; Kainan Maru is damaged.
Japanese merchant cargo ship Tenzan Maru is damaged by marine casualty, northeast of Kamaishi, Japan.
Friday, August 7, 2020
Shakedown Flight
TUE 7 AUG 1945
Pacific
Submarine Pargo (SS-264), attacking Japanese convoy off northeastern Korea, sinks merchant cargo ship Rashin Maru, 41°15'N, 131°19'E.
Thirty USAAF B-29s mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Maizuru and Sakai, Japan, and Najin, Korea.
USAAF B-29s (20th Air Force) on shakedown flight bomb Japanese installations at Truk, sinking auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 66, 07°23'N, 151°53'E.
Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Rumoe Maru is sunk by aircraft near My Tho, French Indochina.
USAAF B-25s (5th Air Force) attack Japanese convoy off Fusan, Korea, sinking Coast Defense Vessel No.39 at 35°06'N, 129°03'E, and merchant tankers No.7 Kinyu Maru and No.9 Nanki Maru near Koje-Do, 34°55'N, 128°44'E.
Japanese army cargo ship Kibitsu Maru is sunk by mine 250 meters east of Hiraiso, 34°37'N, 135°03'E.
Japanese merchant ship Keizan Maru is damaged by aircraft 13 miles south-southwest of Hime Jima light. Japanese merchant cargo ships Daigen Maru and Chiyotama Maru are damaged when they collide four miles south of Funagawa pier.
Call In An Air Strike!
Brian Schwartz / CNBC:
Billionaire former hedge fund chief John Paulson to host big-money Hamptons fundraiser for Trump — President Trump is set to attend a big-money fundraiser Saturday at the home of one of his closest Wall Street allies. — Billionaire former hedge fund manager John Paulson will host Trump …J. Edward Moreno / The Hill: Billionaire John Paulson holding Trump fundraiser in Hamptons this weekend
Sad Baseball Round-Up
[From]Former Angels public relations director Eric Kay surrendered to federal authorities in Texas Friday on a drug-distribution charge stemming from the overdose death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs.
Kay, 45, was charged with conspiracy to distribute a mixture containing detectable amounts of fentanyl, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Dallas. Kay was taken into custody in Forth Worth, Texas, and made his initial appearance before a federal judge Friday morning.
The complaint was filed July 30 and unsealed Friday upon Kay’s arrest.
Skaggs, 27, was found dead in his hotel room at the Southlake Town Square Hilton on July 1 of last year. The Angels were staying at the hotel while in town to play the Texas Rangers.
Drug Enforcement Administration special agent Geoffrey Lindenberg wrote in court papers that Kay and others conspired to distribute fentanyl beginning in 2017.
Southlake police received a 911 call on July 1, 2019, when Skaggs’ body was found in room 469 of the hotel, Lindenberg said. Skaggs died from a mix of “ethanol, fentanyl and oxycodone intoxication with terminal aspiration of gastric content,” according to Lindenberg.
“It was later determined that but for the fentanyl in (Skaggs’) system, (he) would not have died,” Lindenberg wrote.
Police recovered “several pills” appearing to be prescription drugs and a cell phone in the room. The pills were later determined to be fentanyl, the agent said. Blue pills found in the room were counterfeit, he added. Five pink pills found were legitimately manufactured, he said, and they did not contain fentanyl but were marked as oxycodone.
Kay was not the source of the pink pills, Lindenberg said.
Court documents detail a text-message exchange between Kay and Skaggs:
Kay: “Hoe (sic) many?”
Skaggs: “Just a few like 5”
Kay: “Word”
Skaggs: “Don’t need many.”
“During the course of the investigation, I learned that (Skaggs) and Kay had a history of narcotic transactions, including several exchanges wherein Kay acquired oxycodone pills for (Skaggs) and others from Kay’s source(s) in the days leading up to and surrounding (Skaggs’) overdose death,” Lindenberg wrote in the affidavit.
“During the course of this investigation, I learned that several individuals who were associated with Kay and (Skaggs) knew that Kay provided pills to (Skaggs),” Lindenberg wrote. “These individuals confirmed that Kay would provide 30 milligram oxycodone pills to (Skaggs) and that at times, Kay, (Skaggs) and others would refer to these pills as `blues’ or `blue boys’ because they were blue in color. I also learned that Kay would distribute these pills to (Skaggs) and others in their place of employment and while they were working.”
According to Lindenberg’s affidavit, Kay initially denied knowledge of Skaggs’ drug use, saying he was unsure if the pitcher used any narcotics except possibly marijuana.
Kay surrendered to authorities in Texas. His attorney, Michael Molfetta, issued a statement saying what happened to his client was a “tragedy.”
Molfetta said, “Now he will patiently wait for his opportunity to make his story known,” and that his client would “wait for the appropriate time to address the allegation.”
He decried “those who have elected to leak information and publicize documents,” adding, “It serves to undermine the basic tenet of our system of justice, the dispassionate ascertainment of the truth.”
He said, “The courtroom is the best and only place to litigate this matter. Our defense team is working diligently to bring the truth to light, and we thank you for your anticipated patience going forward.”
The Angels released a statement following Kay’s arrest, saying the teams continues to grieve Skaggs’ death.
“The circumstances surrounding his death are a tragedy that has impacted countless individuals and families,” according to the team. “The Angels organization has fully cooperated with law enforcement and Major League Baseball. Additionally, in order to comprehensively understand the circumstances that led to his death, we hired a former federal prosecutor to conduct an independent investigation.
“We learned that there was unacceptable behavior inconsistent with our code of conduct, and we took steps to address it. Our investigation also confirmed that no one in management was aware, or informed, of any employee providing opioids to any player, nor that Tyler was using opioids.
“As we try to heal from the loss of Tyler, we continue to work with authorities as they complete their investigation.”
Kay could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.