The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II. Robert J. Cressman
27 Wednesday
Department of State dispatches “vigorous protest” to British Foreign Office concerning the British practice of removing and censoring U.S. mail from British and U.S. and neutral ships (see 2 January 1940).
U.S. Consul General in Hamburg Wilbur Keblinger reports that German prize control authorities have released all but seven neutral vessels detained in German ports for the evaluation of cargo deemed contraband.
U.S. freighter Oakwood, en route from Gibraltar to Genoa, is intercepted by French naval vessel and diverted to Villefranche after boarding officer mistakes notation in log as an order to proceed to Marseilles. Once the mistake is realized, the ship is released to proceed on her way within a few hours.
28 Thursday
Rear Admiral William L. Calhoun assumes duty as Commander Base Force and breaks his flag in auxiliary Argonne (AG 31).
Rear Admiral Julius C. Townsend, Commandant Fourth Naval District and Commandant Philadelphia Navy Yard, dies of bronchial cancer at U.S. Naval Hospital, Brooklyn, New York.
U.S. freighter Exilona is detained at Gibraltar by British authorities.
29 Friday
U.S. steamship President Adams is detained at Port Said, Egypt, by British authorities. Cargo suspected of being contraband is discharged at Alexandria, Egypt.
30 Saturday
Uruguayan government gives German freighter Tacoma 24 hours to leave the port of Montevideo, deeming the ship an auxiliary war vessel since she had assisted various maneuvers of armored ship Admiral Graf Spee and embarked her crew when that warship was scuttled (see 1 January 1940).
31 Sunday
U.S. freighter Excalibur, detained at Gibraltar by British authorities since 17 December, is released.
JANUARY
1 Monday
Tenth Naval District with headquarters at San Juan, Puerto Rico, is established; Commander Reuben L. Walker is the first commandant (see 26 February).
U.S. freighter City of Flint, her odyssey almost at an end, is damaged in collision with British steamship Baron Blytheswood. Repairs to City of Flint will keep her at Narvik, Norway, for another six days (see 7 January).
U.S. freighter Exeter is detained at Gibraltar by British authorities.
Uruguayan government interns German freighter Tacoma at Montevideo, Uruguay, as an auxiliary war vessel.
2 Tuesday
Charles Edison of New Jersey becomes Secretary of the Navy; he had been Acting Secretary since the death of Claude A. Swanson on 7 July 1939.
Department of State releases statement to the press telling of the delivery of “vigorous protest” (dated 27 December 1939) to the British Foreign Office concerning the British removal and censorship of U.S. mail from British, U.S., and neutral ships.
3 Wednesday
U.S. freighter Mormacsun is intercepted by British naval vessel and diverted to Kirkwall, Scotland, into the zone designated as a combat area. Freighter Nashaba is detained by British authorities at Gibraltar; freighter Executive, detained at Gibraltar since 20 December 1939, is released to proceed on her voyage to Greece, Turkey, and Romania.
4 Thursday
U.S. freighter Exiria is detained at Gibraltar by British authorities.
5 Friday
German tanker Nordmeer reaches Vigo, Spain, after her voyage from the Netherlands West Indies.
6 Saturday
Admiral James O. Richardson relieves Admiral Claude C. Bloch as Commander in Chief U.S. Fleet on board battleship Pennsylvania (BB 38) at Pearl Harbor, T.H.
Admiral Charles P. Snyder hoists flag as Commander Battle Force on board battleship California (BB 44).
U.S. passenger liner Manhattan is detained at Gibraltar by British authorities (see 7 January).
7 Sunday
U.S. freighter City of Flint departs Narvik, Norway, for Baltimore, Maryland. For his “skill, fine judgement [sic], and devotion to duty” during City of Flint’s unscheduled voyage, Captain Joseph A. Gainard, the merchantman’s master, will receive the Navy Cross.
U.S. passenger liner Manhattan, detained at Gibraltar by British authorities the previous day, is released.
German freighter Konsul Horn escapes from Aruba, N.W.I., and, disguised as a Soviet merchantman, manages to deceive U.S. Navy patrol planes from the Neutrality Patrol and British light cruiser HMS Enterprise (see 6 February).
9 Tuesday
U.S. freighter Western Queen is detained at Gibraltar for several hours by British authorities.
10 Wednesday
U.S. steamship President Van Buren, bound for Genoa, Italy, and New York, is detained at Port Said, Egypt, and subsequently discharges items of cargo, deemed as contraband, at Alexandria, Egypt, before being allowed to proceed.
11 Thursday
Fleet Landing Exercise (FLEX) No. 6 begins at Culebra, Puerto Rico (see 13 March). Lack of transports compels the Navy to substitute combatant ships in that role for purposes of the exercise; an important exception is the prototype high speed transport Manley (APD 1), converted from a World War I-emergency program “flush-deck, four-pipe” destroyer, which amply proves her worth.
Gunboat Charleston (PG 51) suffers damage when she runs aground at Colon, C.Z.
U.S. freighter Tripp is detained at Gibraltar by British authorities (see 13 January).
12 Friday
Interior Department motorship North Star (U.S. Antarctic Service) reaches Bay of Whales, Antarctica, and immediately begins discharging cargo to establish West Base. Ice conditions prohibit unloading at the original chosen site, King Edward VII Land.
13 Saturday
U.S. freighter Narbo, bound for Italy, Yugoslavia, and Greece, is detained at Gibraltar by British authorities (see 14 January). Freighter Tripp, detained at Gibraltar by the British since 11 January, is released, but not before some items of her cargo are seized as contraband.
14 Sunday
Auxiliary Bear (AG 29) reaches Bay of Whales, Antarctica. Along with Interior Department motorship North Star, Bear will establish the two bases to be used in the U.S. Antarctic Service’s 1939–1941 expedition under Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, USN (Retired) (see 19 January).
British Minister in Panama Charles Dodd transmits response of British government to note sent by the President of Panama on behalf of the 21 American Republics concerning the violation of American neutrality that occurred in the Battle of the River Plate, between Uruguay and Argentina. The British “reserve their full belligerent rights in order to fight the menace presented by German action and policy and to defend that conception of law and that way of life, which they believe to be as dear to the peoples and Governments of America as they are to the peoples and Governments of the British Commonwealth of Nations.” The British demonstrate their determination to assert “their full belligerant rights” less than one month later (see 12 February and 8 March).
U.S. freighter Narbo, detained at Gibraltar by British authorities the previous day, is released to continue her voyage to Italy, Yugoslavia, and Greece, but not before some items from her cargo are removed as contraband.
15 Monday
Joint amphibious exercise