March 30, 1942 - Monday - 80 years ago today

 Status - John Skinner - USS O'Brien:

On the 30th, O'Brien and Curtiss were returning to Pearl Harbor from Midway Island with evacuees from the island.

Also on the 30th, the Pacific commands were reorganized to what they would be for most of the rest of the war.  Admiral Nimitz would command the Northern, Central, and South Pacific area.  General MacArthur would command the South West Pacific area, westward from about the center of the Solomon Islands.

U. S. Navy Task Forces:

• Task Force 17 (Yorktown) remained in the South Pacific area to continue raids and offensive operations.
• Task Force 11 (Lexington) arrived at Pearl Harbor on March 26th.
• Task Force 16 (Enterprise) remained at Pearl Harbor.
• USS Hornet had arrived on March 20 at Alameda, CA.  Preparations were ongoing for its first mission in the Pacific. This mission was a secret at the time.
  

More Information:

• Official Navy Chronology, pp. 173-174.
  
•  The First South Pacific Campaign, John B. Lundstrom, p.60.

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