03/01 Mon. Naval Auxiliary Air Facility, Annette Island, Alaska, is established. 03/02 Tue. Battle of the Bismarck Sea (2-5 March) opens as United States Army and Australian aircraft bomb 8 Japanese transports escorted by 8 destroyers in Bismarck Sea en route to Lae, New Guinea. Aircraft and motor torpedo boast attacks continue until all transports and four destroyers are sunk. United States naval vessel sunk: Submarine chaser SC-1024, by collision, off North Carolina. 03/03 Wed. Japanese naval vessels sunk, Battle of the Bismarck Sea: Destroyers ASAHIO, ARASHIO, TOKITSUKAZE, and SHIRAYUKI, by United State Army and Australian aircraft. 03/05 Fri. Escort carrier BOGUE (CVE-9) commences escort of convoy duty; this is the first time an escort carrier is assigned anti- submarine operations as primary duty. Submarine TAMBOR (SS-198) lands personnel, ammunition, and currency at Pagadian Bay, Mindanao, P. I. 03/06 Sat. Three cruisers and seven destroyers (Read Adm. A. S. Merrill) bombard Vila and Munda, Solomon Islands; two Japanese destroyers are engaged and sunk. Submarine TAUTOG (SS-199) lays mines off southeast coast of Borneo. Japanese naval vessels sunk: Destroyers MINEGUMO and MURASAME, by naval gunfire and torpedoes, Kula Gulf, Solomon Islands area, 08 d. 05' S., 157 d. 15' E. 03/08 Mon. German submarine sunk: U-156, by naval land-based aircraft (VP-53), West Indies area, 12 d. 38' N., 54 d. 39' W. 03/09 Tue. Naval aircraft bomb Japanese installations at Munda, Solomon Islands. Bombing of this area becomes a regular occurrence. 03/12 Fri. German submarine sunk: U-130, by destroyer CHAMPLIN (DD-601), North Atlantic area, 37 d. 10' N., 40 d.21' W. 03/14 Sun. Fleet Operational Training Command, Atlantic Fleet (Rear Adm. D. B. Beary) is established. 03/15 Mon. Commander in Chief United States Fleet (Adm. E. J. King) establishes numbered fleet system; all fleets in the Pacific to have odd numbers and those in the Atlantic even numbers. Naval Auxiliary Air Facility, French Frigate Shoals, T. H., is established. 03/16 Tue. Vice Adm. H. K. Hewitt becomes Commander Naval Forces Northwest African Waters. (See 3 February 1943.) 03/17 Wed. United States naval vessels sunk: PT-67 andPY-119, by fire, eastern New Guinea area, 09 d. 02' S., 149 d. 20' E. 03/22 Mon. United States naval vessel sunk: Submarine GRAMPUS (SS-207) and AMBERJACK (SS-219), Pacific Ocean area, reported as presumed lost. German submarine sunk: U-524, by Army aircraft, north of Canary Islands, 30 d. 15' N., 18 d. 13' W. 03/23 Tue. United States Naval Station and Naval Air Facility are established at Arzeu, Algeria. United States Advanced Amphibious Training Bases are established at Port Lyautey, Morocco, and at Nemours, Tenes, Beni Saf, and Mostagenem in Algeria. 03/25 Thu. Naval and Army aircraft bomb Nauru Island, South Pacific. 03/26 Fri. Battle of the Komandorski Islands is fought between a task group comprising 2 cruisers and 4 destroyers (Rear Adm. C. H. McMorris) and a Japanese force of 4 cruisers and 4 destroyers escorting reinforcements to Attu, Aleutian Islands. In this day light action 1 United States cruiser and 1 destroyer are damaged. One enemy cruiser is damaged. Japanese reinforcements fail to reach Attu. United States Naval Operating Facility, Belem, Brazil, is established. United States naval vessel damaged, Battle of Komandorski Islands: Heavy cruiser SALT LAKE CITY (CA-25), by naval gunfire, 52 d. 47 N., 172 d. 45' e. Destroyer BAILEY (DD-492), by naval gunfire, 53 d. 20' N., 168 d. 36' E. 03/27 Sat. United States Naval Air Facility, Natal, Brazil, and Naval Operating Facilities at Victoria, Florianopolis, Fortaleza, Maceio, Recife, Rio Grande do Sul, Santos, and Sa~o Luiz, Brazil, are established. United States Coast Guard vessel sunk: Cutter No, 85006, by explosion, off Long Island, N. Y. 03/29 Mon. Submarine GATO (Ss-212) evacuates certain military and civilian personnel from Teop Island, Solomon Islands.