10/01 Fri. United States Naval Air Facility, Recife, Brazil, is
established.
United States naval forces under Commander Naval Forces
Europe (Adm. H. R. Stark) are designated the Twelfth Fleet.
United States naval vessels damaged:
Destroyer SAUFLEY (DD-465), by horizontal bomber,
Solomon Islands area,
07 d. 42' S., 160 d. 14' E.
LST 448, by horizontal bomber, Solomon Islands area,
07 d. 45' S., 156 d. 30' E.
Japanese submarine sunk:
I-20, by destroyer EATON (DD-510), Solomon Islands area,
07 d. 40' S., 157 d. 10' E.
10/02 Sat. Submarine KINGFISH (SS-234) lays mines of southern Celebes,
Netherlands East Indies.
United States naval vessel damaged:
LST 203, by grounding, near Nanumea, Ellice Islands.
10/03 Sun. Japanese complete evacuation of Kolombangara, Solomon
Islands.
United States naval vessel sunk:
Destroyer HENLEY (DD-391), by submarine torpedo,
eastern New Guinea area,
07 d. 40' S., 148 d. 06' E.
10/04 Mon. Aircraft from carrier RANGER (CV-4) attack enemy shipping
along the coast of Norway.
German submarines sunk:
U-336, by naval land-based aircraft (VB-128),
North Atlantic area,
60 d. 40' N., 26 d. 30' W.
U-422, by aircraft (VC-9) from escort carrier CARD
(CVE-11), north of Azores Islands,
43 d. 18' N., 28 d. 58' W.
U-460, by aircraft (VC-9) from escort carrier CARD
(CVE-11), north of Azores Islands,
43 d. 13' N., 28 d. 58' W.
10/05 Tue. Task force including 6 carriers, 7 cruisers and 24 destroyers
(Rear Adm. A. E. Montgomery) bombs and bombards Wake Island;
attack is repeated on 6 October.
United States naval vessel sunk:
LST 448, from damage received on 1 October,
Solomon Islands area,
08 d. 03' S., 156 d. 43' E.
10/06 Wed. Battle of Vella Lavella take place at night when 3 destroyers
(Capt. F. R. Walker) intercept and attack 9 Japanese
destroyers evacuating troops from Vella Lavella, Solomon
Islands.
Submarine KINGFISH (SS-234) lands personnel and supplies on
northeast coast of Borneo.
United States naval vessel sunk:
Destroyer CHEVALIER (DD-451), damaged by destroyer torpedo,
Battle of Vella Lavella,
07 d. 30' S., 156 d. 14' E.;
sunk by United States forces.
United States naval vessels damaged, Battle of Vella
Lavella, Solomon Islands:
Destroyer O'BANNON (DD-450), by collision with destroyer
CHEVALIER (DD-451),
07 d. 30' S., 156 d. 15'
Destroyer SELFRIDGE (DD-357), by destroyer torpedo,
07 d. 27' S., 156 d. 13' E.
Japanese naval vessel sunk:
Destroyer YUGUMO, by destroyer torpedo,
Battle of Vella Lavella, Solomon Islands.
10/07 Thu. Japanese complete evacuation of Vella Lavella, Solomon
Islands.
United States naval vessel sunk:
Submarine S-44, by Japanese surface craft,
Kurile Islands area.
10/08 Fri. United States Air Facility, Dakar, French West Africa, is
established.
10/09 Sat. United States naval vessel sunk:
Destroyer BUCK (DD-420), by submarine torpedo,
Italian area,
39 d. 48' N., 14 d. 36' E.
10/10 Sun. German submarine lays mines off Atlantic entrance to Panama
Canal.
10/11 Mon. United States Advanced Amphibious Training Base, Falmouth,
Cornwall, England, is established.
10/13 Wed. Italy declares war on Germany.
United States naval vessel sunk:
Destroyer BRISTOL (DD-453), by submarine torpedo,
Mediterranean area,
37 d. 19' N., 06 d. 19' E.
German submarine sunk:
U-402,by aircraft (VC-9) from escort carrier CARD (CVE-11),
North Atlantic area,
48 d. 56' N., 29 d. 41' W.
10/14 Thu. United States Naval Air Facility, Igarape Assu, Brazil, is
established.
United States Coast Guard vessel lost:
Cutter DOW (YP-353), grounded, off Mayaguez, P. R.,
and abandoned.
10/15 Fri. United States Advanced Amphibious Training Base, Fowey,
Cornwall, England, is established.
United States naval vessel sunk:
Submarine POMPANO (SS-181), Pacific Ocean area,
reported as presumed lost.
10/16 Sat. Japanese naval vessel sunk:
Auxiliary submarine chaser No. 31, by Army aircraft,
off New Britain
10/17 Sun. German raider sunk:
Schiff No. 28 (MICHEL), by submarine TARPON (SS-175),
off Chichi Jima, Bonin Islands.
10/19 Tue. Moscow Conference, attended by the Secretary of State and
British and Russian foreign ministers, convenes and continues
until the end of October.
10/20 Wed. German submarine sunk:
U-378, by aircraft (VC-13) from escort carrier CORE
(CVE-13), North Atlantic area,
47 d. 40' N., 28 d. 27' W.
10/24 Sun. United States naval vessel sunk:
Submarine DORADO (SS-248), Atlantic Ocean area,
reported as presumed lost.
Japanese naval vessel sunk:
Destroyer MOCHIZUKI, by naval land-based aircraft,
east of New Britain.
10/27 Wed. Troops land on Mono and Stirling Islands in the Treasury
Island Group, Solomon Islands; pre-invasion bombardment and
covering for the landings are provided by United States naval
vessels and aircraft.
United States naval vessels damaged:
Destroyer CONY (DD-508), by horizontal bomber,
off Treasury Islands,
07 d. 23' S., 155 d. 27 ' E.
LST 399 and LST 485, by coastal mortar,
Solomon Islands area,
07 d. 25' S., 155 d. 34' E.
10/28 Thu. German submarine sunk:
U-220, by aircraft (VC-1) from escort carrier BLOCK ISLAND
(CVE-21), North Atlantic area,
48 d. 53' N., 33 d. 30' W.
10/31 Sun. German submarine sunk:
U-584, by aircraft (VC-9) from escort carrier CARD
(CVE-11), North Atlantic area,
49 d. 14' N., 31 d. 55' W.