Celebes Sea in WW2 History | World War II Database

12 Jan 1942

Pacific Ocean

USS S-41 patrolled waters in the western Celebes Sea. ww2dbase [S-41 | Celebes Sea | CPC]

16 Jan 1942

Pacific Ocean

S-36 neared the coast of Celebes (Sulawesi), Dutch East Indies in the morning. At noon, she suffered a fire in the main motor auxiliary circulating pump. By the evening, she had entered the Makassar Strait west of Celebes. ww2dbase [S-36 | Celebes Sea | CPC]

21 Sep 1943

Pacific Ocean

USS Bluefish attacked a Japanese ship in the Celebes Sea; all four torpedoes missed. ww2dbase [Bluefish | Celebes Sea | CPC]

5 Nov 1943

Pacific Ocean

Patrol Boat No. 102 made rendezvous with auxiliary oiler Akebono Maru in the Celebes Sea, near the northern end of the Makassar Strait, for escort duty. ww2dbase [Stewart | Celebes Sea | CPC]

18 Nov 1943

Pacific Ocean

USS Bluefish sank Japanese destroyer Sanae and damaged an oiler in the Celebes Sea, hitting Sanae with 3 of 3 torpedoes fired and the oil with 1 of 3 torpedoes fired. ww2dbase [Bluefish | Celebes Sea | CPC]

6 May 1944

Pacific Ocean

USS Gurnard spotted a large Japanese convoy in the Celebes Sea at about 0800 hours. At about 1400 hours Japan Time, fired two 3-torpedo spreads. Destroyer Fujinami observed the wakes and reported to other escorts. The torpedoes hit Tajima Maru (sank, killing 58 soldiers, 3 crewmen, and 9 gunners), Aden Maru (sank, killing 499 soldiers, 12 crewmen, and 4 gunners), and Amatsusan Maru (started fire); the Americans claimed all six torpedoes hit. The Japanese escorts (Patrol Boat No. 102 (former USS Stewart), Patrol Boat No. 104, netlayer Korei Maru, Submarine Chaser No. 38, minelayer Shirataka, destroyer Fujinami, and destroyer Shiratsuyu) dropped 98 depth charges, but USS Gurnard survived this counterattack. At midnight, USS Gurnard attacked the burning Aden Maru with her 4-inch deck gun; still unable to sink the transport, the submarine fired a torpedo to finally sink her; 95 soldiers were killed in this sinking. ww2dbase [Gurnard | Stewart | Celebes Sea | CPC]

6 Jun 1944

Pacific Ocean

USS Harder attempted to attack a Japanese convoy in the Sibutu Passage between Tawi-Tawi of Philippine Islands and Borneo, but was in turn targeted by two destroyers. Submerging and sailing away from the convoy, Harder fired three torpedoes out of her stern torpedo tubes, hitting destroyer Minazuki twice, sinking her. She fired another spread of torpedoes at the second destroyer shortly after; all six torpedoes missed. ww2dbase [Harder | Sibutu Passage, Celebes Sea | CPC]

7 Jun 1944

Pacific Ocean

USS Harder was detected by a Japanese aircraft in the Celebes Sea, which called in destroyer Hayanami to attack. Harder fired three torpedoes at Hayanami, two of which hit, sinking her. ww2dbase [Harder | Celebes Sea | CPC]

10 Jun 1944

Pacific Ocean

USS Harder detected a Japanese fleet in the Celebes Sea consisted of three battleships, four cruisers, and a number of destroyers, but was in turn spotted by a Japanese aircraft. As destroyers approached her position, she moved forward and fired three torpedoes before diving, hitting one destroyer with 2 hits. She survived a two-hour depth charge attack. ww2dbase [Harder | Celebes Sea | CPC]

14 Jun 1944

Pacific Ocean

USS Rasher attacked a Japanese convoy with 5 torpedoes in the Celebes Sea at 1003 hours, claiming 5 hits, 1 sinking, and 2 ships damaged. The ship that sank was Koan Maru, whose captain remained on the bridge and went down with the ship. ww2dbase [Rasher | Stewart | Celebes Sea | CPC]

15 Jun 1944

Pacific Ocean

USS Bluefish attacked a Japanese transport in the Celebes Sea; all 5 torpedoes missed., ww2dbase [Bluefish | Celebes Sea | CPC]

16 Jun 1944

Pacific Ocean

USS Bluefish sank a Japanese transport in the Celebes Sea, hitting her with 1 of 3 torpedoes fired. ww2dbase [Bluefish | Celebes Sea | CPC]

27 Jul 1944

Pacific Ocean

USS Dace (SS-247) attacked a Japanese convoy and sank the 1,192-ton fleet tanker Kyoei Maru No. 2 in the Celebes Sea 90 miles south of Zamboanga, Philippines. 10 torpedoes were expended; 5 hit. ww2dbase [Dace | Celebes Sea | HM]

26 Jul 1945

Pacific Ocean

USS Bailey responded to a report of downed airmen 130 miles west of Morotai. With the assistance of search aircraft, Bailey rescued five crew members of a downed USAAF B-24 Liberator bomber of the 868th Bombardment Squadron. The men were transferred to another ship in the convoy before Bailey was detached and redirected to Subic Bay, Philippines. ww2dbase [Bailey | Celebes Sea | DS]

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis

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