No. 65 APRIL 3, 1942
The Navy Department issued the following communiqué today:
Southwest Pacific.
1. The United States aircraft tender Langley, the naval tanker Pecos and the destroyer Peary were sunk by the enemy in the vicinity of Northern Australia and in waters south of Java in late February an March.
2 A number of survivors from these ships were rescued and 1 port safely. The next of kin of all personnel lost in the Pecos have notified. The next of kin of those lost in the Langley and Peary already have been notified or will be notified as soon as information available.
3. Official reports from Tokyo claimed the sinking of the Langley, least three times during the first month of the war, during which period
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the Langley was not damaged. She was sunk after a prolonged attack by the enemy south of Java in late February. Except for about a dozen men, all Langley personnel survived the attack and were transferred to the Pecos which was itself sunk a few days later.
4. The Pecos, a small tanker, employed in supplying fuel to units of our fleet in the Far East, was sunk in early March.
5. The Peary, a World War destroyer which received minor damage in the Japanese bombing attacks on Cavite immediately after the outbreak of the war, was sunk in the harbor at Darwin about February 19th. The Peary had participated in many of the offensive actions of our destroyers in the Far East. Observers who witnessed the last engagement of the Peary described the conduct of her crew as beyond all praise. Gun crews remained at their battle stations continuing the fire until they were forced by rising water to leave their stations. No officer or man left the ship until it sank under him. A number of survivors were later rescued.
6. War conditions in the Southwest Pacific have greatly complicated and delayed reports of casualties, and the public is urged to refrain from initiating individual inquiries regarding casualties. The next of kin of all casualties are always notified by telegram as soon as possible.
7. There is nothing to report from other areas.
No. 66 APRIL 4, 1942
The Navy Department issued the following communiqué today:
Southwest Pacific Area.
1. Recent reports indicate that the following damage has been inflicted on enemy ships by United States submarines operating in waters of the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean:
(a) One light cruiser was sunk in the vicinity of Christmas Island, south of Java.
(b) One light cruiser was damaged, in the vicinity of Christmas Island, by a direct torpedo hit and on the following day another direct hit was scored which is believed to haveresulted in her sinking.
(c) Two seaplane tenders were damaged near the island of Bali.
(d) One supply ship was damaged in waters near Lombok Island.
(e) In the vicinity of Bali, one barge transport and one unidentified ship were damaged by one torpedo hit each.
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2. The above damage to the enemy has not been reported in any previous Navy Department communiqué.
3. There is nothing to report from other areas.
No. 67 APRIL 6, 1942
The Navy Department issued the following communiqué today:
Far East.
1. A U. S. submarine has reported the sinking of an enemy freighter in Japanese waters while on extended patrol in that area.
Southwest Pacific Area.
2. A U. S. submarine has reported that it sank two heavily laden Japanese tankers in waters near the Caroline Islands while on extended patrol in that area. The submarine was fired upon by one of the tankers but escaped without damage.
3. These sinkings have not been reported in any previous Navy Department communiqué.
4. There is nothing to report from other areas.
No. 68 APRIL 7, 1942
The Navy Department issued the following communiqué today:
China Sea.
1. Information has just been received that a U. S. submarine while on an extended patrol in the China Sea has sunk two Japanese merchant vessels.
2. One of these ships was a combination passenger and cargo vessel of approximately 10,000 tons. The second was a cargo ship of about 5,000 tons.
3. These sinkings have not been reported in any previous Navy Department communiqué.
4. There is nothing to report from other areas.
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No. 69 APRIL 10, 1942
The Navy Department issued the following communiqué today:
Philippine Area.
Capt. K. M. Hoeffel, U. S. N., the senior U. S. naval officer in the forces defending Bataan Peninsula and Corregidor, acting under the orders of Lt. Gen. Wainwright, U. S. A., ordered the complete destruction of the previously damaged U. S. submarine tender Canopus, the Dewey Drydock, the mine sweeper Bitern and the tug Napa in order to prevent their being of use to the enemy in the event of capture, the Navy Department has been informed. The destruction was ordered when it became apparent that the increasing weight of enemy numbers, combined with the fatigue and exhaustion of our forces, made imminent the fall of Bataan.
These ships and the Dewey Drydock were used at and near Corregidor and Bataan Peninsula by the Army, Navy, and Marine forces serving under General MacArthur and later under Lt. Gen. Wainwright in the valiant defense of these vital positions which control the entrance to Manila Bay.
Southwest Pacific.
A report has just been received that a U. S. submarine while on patrol in the vicinity of the Celebes Sea sank a large, heavily armed, Japanese vessel.
Three torpedo hits were scored on the enemy ship which is classed either as an auxiliary cruiser or a large tender. This sinking has not been reported in any previous Navy Department communiqué.
There is nothing to report from other areas.
No. 70 APRIL 11, 1942
The Navy Department today issued the following communiqué based on reports received up to 10:30 a. m.:
Southwest Pacific.
1. The U. S. submarine Perch has been overdue for more than a month and must be presumed to be lost.
2. The Perch was one of the U. S. submarines operating in the vicinity of Java and her last position report placed her in the Java Sea.
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3. The next of kin have been notified.
4. There is nothing to report from other areas.
No. 71 APRIL 11, 1942
The Navy Department today issued the following communiqué, based on reports received up to 4 p. m.
Southwest Pacific and Indian Ocean.
1. Recent detailed reports reveal that the damage inflicted on enemy ships by U. S. submarines as announced in Navy Department Communiqué No. 66, paragraph 1 (a) to (e), inclusive, should be corrected to read as
follows:
(a) One light cruiser was sunk in the vicinity of Christmas Island, South of Java.
(b) One light cruiser was damaged and is believed to have sunk and a third cruiser was damaged in the vicinity of Christmas Island.
(c) One large transport was damaged near Bali.
(d) One supply ship was damaged in waters near Lombok Island.
(e) One destroyer and one large transport were sunk in the vicinity of Bali and an unidentified vessel was damaged.
Further, it is now known that all the results except that noted in item (d) above were achieved by one submarine on a single patrol.
Far East.
2. A U. S. submarine returning from an extended patrol in enemy waters has just reported the sinking of one 7,000-ton merchant vessel and one small naval vessel of the submarine chaser class.
3. This same submarine further reports that on the same patrol it damaged and possibly sank a 4,000-ton freighter.
4. Except as noted in paragraph 1 the above sinkings and damage have not been reported in any previous Navy Department communiqué.
5. There is nothing to report from other areas.
No. 72 APRIL 16, 1942
The Navy Department today issued the following communiqué on reports received up to 11 a. m.:
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Far East.
1. The U. S. mine sweeper Finch has been sunk as a result of enemy bombing attacks on Corregidor during the past few days.
2. There were no casualties to personnel.
3. There is nothing to report from other areas.
No. 73 APRIL 21, 1942
The Navy Department today issued the following communiqué, based on reports received up to 4 p. m.:
Far East.
1. During recent operations near the island of Cebu in the Philippine Archipelago, units of a United States motor torpedo boat squadron made a night attack on a Japanese cruiser which was protected by four destroyers.
2. Enemy counteraction finally forced the retirement of the attacking PT boats after they had seriously damaged one enemy light cruiser and left it in a sinking condition.
3. The PT-41 and PT-34 participated in the attack. The PT-34 was forced ashore on the island of Cebu, but the PT-41 made good its escape. It is believed that the PT-35 was destroyed in order to prevent capture by the enemy during the invasion of the city of Cebu.
4. The above action has not been mentioned in any previous Navy Department communiqué.
5. There is nothing to report from other areas.
No. 74 APRIL 27, 1942
The Navy Department issued the following communiqué, based upon reports received up to 12 noon:
Atlantic Coast.
1. The World War U. S. destroyer Sturtevant has been sunk off the coast of Florida by an underwater explosion.
2. Loss of life was small and most of the crew reached port safely.
3. The next of kin of those lost are being notified.
4. There is nothing to report from other areas,
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