January 25, 1942 - Sunday - 80 years ago today

Status - John Skinner - USS O'Brien:

On January 25, 1942, O'Brien was at sea, moving north through the Pacific toward San Francisco, in company with Idaho and Mustin. Arrival at San Francisco would be on January 31st.

Other Events

• January 22nd to 25th: Task Force 8 (Enterprise) and Task Force 17 (Yorktown) continue moving toward the Marshall and Gilbert Islands to raid Japanese occupied islands.
  
• January 22nd:  
• Task Force 11 (Lexington) sails from Pearl Harbor to conduct a raid at Wake Island.  The distance to be traveled will require the oiler Neches to accompany the task force for refueling.
• More Japanese troops land at Subic Bay, Philippines.  
• Towns of Lae and Salamaua in eastern New Guinea are evacuated by Allied forces, and will soon be occupied by the Japanese in preparation for an attack on Port Moresby, New Guinea.
•  Freighter sunk off US east coast.  Collier also sunk on the 23rd.
  
• January 23rd: 
• The sinking of the unescorted oiler Neches leads to the Task Force 11 raid on Wake Island being canceled.  Normally, a destroyer would be escorting Neches to protect against submarines, but there were no destroyers available.
•  Japanese forces land on the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines.  Bataan and Corregidor Island will be the focus of the fighting in the Philippines for the remaining US army troops.
• Japanese occupy Rabaul in New Britain.  Rabaul will become a key naval base from which the Japanese can attack allied forces in New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and the surrounding seas.  Japanese also land at Bougainville, Solomon Islands.
• The Roberts Commission, created December 18th to investigate the Pearl Harbor attack, delivers its report.  Main responsibility for not anticipating the attacks is laid on Admirals Kimmel and Short. There will be a number of other investigations in coming years.
  
• January 24th: 
• There are more invasion landings in Borneo, Celebes, New Ireland (across the strait from Rabaul), and the Philippines.
• A group of 4 US destroyers from the US Asiatic Fleet, attack the landing forces in Borneo.  The destroyers report sinking 3 transports, a cargo ship, and a patrol boat.  Allied bombers sink 2 more transports.  One US destroyer is damaged.  This slows but does not stop the Japanese invasion of Borneo.
• January 25th: 
• Midway Island is shelled.
• A collier is sunk and a tanker forced aground off US east coast.
  

NEXT POST: JANUARY 29TH