March 26th, 1943 - The Battle of the Komandorski Islands

Conflict: World War II

Combatants: Americans vs. Japanese

Location: Bering Sea

Outcome: American victory

On this day in 1943, two American cruisers and four destroyers under the command of Rear Admiral Charles H. McMorris engaged a Japanese fleet of similar size attempting to resupply bases in the Aleutians. Although the USS Salt Lake City was crippled in the engagement, the Japanese commander, Vice Admiral Hosogaya Boshiro, was forced to turn away from a torpedo salvo before completing the destruction of the American fleet. Hosogaya then withdrew fearing his warships would come under air attacks from a nearby American airbase.

USS Salt Lake City and USS Markab at Dutch Harbor on March 29th, 1943 (US Navy Archives)

Points of Interest:

• Vice Admiral Hosoyaga Boshiro was relieved of his command after his failure to destroy the American fleet.

• After this engagement, the Japanese resupplied the Aleutians only by submarine.

Admiral Charles Horatio McMorris by an unknown photographer

Vice Admiral Hosogaya Boshiro by an unknown photographer

 __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sources:

Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, & Bongard, David L. (1992). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: Castle Books (HarperCollins).

Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.

Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.

Gailey, Harry A.. (1995). The War in the Pacific. Novato, CA: Presidio Press.