June 6, 1942 - Saturday - 80 years ago today

Status - John Skinner - USS O'Brien:

On June 6th, O'Brien was based at Pago Pago, and would remain there until leaving for Pearl Harbor on June 19th.

Battle of Midway

The story of the Battle of Midway has been told in detail elsewhere.  Synopsis:. On June 4th, after Admiral Nagumo had sent his first carrier attack to Midway, he became aware of the US carriers to his northeast.  Indecision between a second Midway attack and an attack on the US carriers led to his own carriers being vulnerable, at which point the US dive bombers arrived and sank the Akagi, Kaga, and Soryu.  The remaining Japanese carrier, Hiryu, badly damaged the newly repaired Yorktown; Hiryu was itself sunk in a return strike.  Here is where  the Battle of the Coral Sea mattered, as the two Japanese carriers in that battle (Shokaku and Zuikaku) could not participate at Midway.

Yorktown was under tow, and destroyer Hamann (sister-ship of O'Brien) was alongside, when torpedoes from Japanese submarine I-168 hit, sinking Hamann and damaging Yorktown so much that salvage could not continue.  Yorktown capsized and sank the next day.

Japanese losses at Midway blunted their offensive plans.  In New Guinea, the Japanese offensive switched to an overland attempt at Port Moresby; the terrain and weather proved to be too difficult, and Port Moresby was not captured.  Naval attacks on New Caledonia, Fiji and Samoa were first postponed, and then canceled.  A push southwest through the Solomons would continue, and that would lead to the next phase of the naval war in the Pacific.

U. S. Navy Task Forces:

• Task Force 17 (Yorktown) fought at Midway.  Yorktown and Hamann were sunk.
  
• Task Force 16 (Enterprise and Hornet) fought at Midway.
  
• Task Force 11 (Saratoga) - On June 6th, the Saratoga group arrived at Pearl Harbor.  Saratoga brought replacement airplanes for Enterprise and Hornet, to replace losses from Midway.
  

 

More Information:

• Official Navy Chronology, pp. 207-209.
  
•  The First South Pacific Campaign, John B. Lundstrom, pp. 180-182.
  

 

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