Status - John Skinner - USS O'Brien:
On June 10th, O'Brien was based at Pago Pago, and would remain there until leaving for Pearl Harbor on June 19th.
=================
Part of the Japanese plan for the Midway operation was an attack on the Aleutian Islands. This was partly diversionary, but also was done to establish a presence in the North Pacific to block any attempt by the US to attack Japan from that direction. The US had a corresponding worry of Japanese attack through Alaska. Given the remoteness and hostile conditions, any major offensive either way would seem unlikely.
The US already had bases out to Dutch Harbor, on Unalaska Island. The Japanese force attacked this base, and then on June 6th and 7th, occupied Attu and Kiska Islands near the end of the Aleutian chain. The Aleutians would remain a minor theater of the war for more than another year.
=================
On June 6th, the Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands landed troops on Guadalcanal, an island in the lower part of the island chain. With all the other activity elsewhere, this probably went unnoticed. A few weeks later, however, when construction was started on an airfield, Guadalcanal became the focus of the war in the South Pacific.
U. S. Navy Task Forces:
- Task Force 17 (re-formed due to loss of Yorktown) would soon be formed around Hornet.
- Task Force 16 (Enterprise) would then have Enterprise as the only carrier.
- Task Force 11 (Saratoga) - On June 10th, the Saratoga group had a rendezvous with Hornet and Enterprise, and transferred replacement airplanes to both carriers.
- Task Force 18 (Wasp) was still in the Atlantic, having left Norfolk on June 6th to transit to the Pacific, first destination San Diego.
More Information:
- Official Navy Chronology, pp. 213-215.
- The First South Pacific Campaign, John B. Lundstrom, pp. 182-190
- The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign, John B. Lundstrom, pp 3-10.
NEXT POST: JUNE 14TH
No comments:
Post a Comment