23 May 1942

UNITED KINGDOM: Corvette FS Commandant d'Estienne d'Orves (ex-HMS Lotus) commissioned.

U-222 commissioned.

U-425 laid down.

U-267 and U-448 launched.

INDIA: Lieutenant-General Joseph Stilwell and his men arrive at Dimapur, having retreated 150 miles through the Burmese jungle. "We have taken a hell of a beating," he says.

AUSTRALIA: The Japanese submarine HIJMS I-29 launches a Yokosuka E14Y1, Navy Type 0 Small Reconnaissance Seaplane, Allied Code Name "Glen," to fly a reconnaissance mission over Sydney.

TERRITORY OF HAWAII: Cdr Joseph Rochefort of the Combat Intelligence Unit, Pearl Harbor (a.k.a. HYPO), personally attends Admiral Nimitz's morning staff meeting to deliver the final version of Admiral Yamamoto's OpOrder for the attack and occupation of Midway. (RADM D. M. (Mac) Showers)

"The Roundtable Forum, official newsletter of the Battle of Midway Roundtable, <www.midway42.org>."

Tankers HMCS Dundalk and Dundurn ordered.

Minesweeper HMCS Port Arthur laid down Port Arthur, Ontario.

Corvette HMCS Woodstock arrived Halifax from builder Montreal, Province of Quebec.

Minesweeper HMCS Portage laid down.

U.S.A.: Washington: The USA today signed an accord with Brazil aimed at boosting the defence of the American continent. The possibility of an Axis attempt to gain a toehold in the Americas has worried the Americans ever since the attack on Pearl Harbor. The long Atlantic seaboard of Brazil, which broke off relations with the Axis powers on 28 January this year, could be a prime target.

Under the pact Brazilian air and naval forces in the north-east of the country would be under the command of the US South Atlantic Force, responsible for sea defence. Land operations will come under the aegis of the Brazilian army.

Another unarmed U.S. merchant tanker is sunk in the Caribbean south of the Yucatan Channel by a German submarine (U-103).

A production order is placed for F6F-3 fighters with the R-2800 engine. (Will O'Neil)

ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-333 encountered an enemy submarine in the North Atlantic, but neither boat attacked.

At 0926, the unescorted Samuel Q Brown was hit by one torpedo from U-103 about 100 miles south of Cape Corrientes, Cuba. The ship had been spotted at 0139 and was missed by a spread of two torpedoes at 0402. The torpedo struck on the port side at the bulkhead between the #9 tank and the after fuel tanks and set the vessel on fire immediately. The engines were stopped and the master ordered the boats to be launched, but the eight officers, 31 crewmen and 16 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, four 20mm and two .30cal guns) were forced to jump overboard and swam to two lifeboats and two rafts that were cut loose. Two crewmembers were lost. The survivors were questioned by the U-boat that surfaced 20 minutes after the hit and then left the area after hitting the tanker with a coup de grâce at 1035. On 23 May, the survivors, now together in the two lifeboats, were spotted by a USN patrol plane Upham, Canal Zone. The plane took five injured men on board and brought them to a hospital at Key West, Florida. The remaining survivors were picked up the next day by USS Goff and taken to Cristobal after the hulk was scuttled by gunfire from the destroyer on 25 May.

SS Watsonville sunk by U-155 at 13.12N, 61.20W.

SS Zurichmoor sunk by U-432 at 39.30N, 66.00W.

Steam tanker William Boyce Thompson damaged by U-558 at 04.05S, 35.58W.

At 2203, the unescorted Margot was hit by one torpedo from U-588 SE of Philadelphia. After 2205, the ship was attacked with gunfire until she sunk at 0020 on 24 May in grid CB 4720. One crewmember was lost. The officers of the U-boat questioned the survivors and a bottle of rum was given to them. The master, 38 crewmembers and five gunners were picked up four days later by the Swedish merchantman Sagoland and landed at New York.