World War II Database

• Home
• » Events
• » WW2 Timeline
• » 11 Oct 1942

• USS Copahee launched its cargo of 20 US Marine Corps aircraft for Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Copahee | CPC]
• Battle of Cape Esperance off Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands brought an overnight victory to the US Navy. ww2dbase [Guadalcanal Campaign | TH]
• ShCh-307 attacked an Axis convoy south of the Åland Islands in the Gulf of Finland; both torpedoes missed. ww2dbase [ShCh-307 | CPC]

• Leonardo da Vinci sighted an aircraft in the Atlantic Ocean at 1310 hours and submerged for cover. ww2dbase [Leonardo da Vinci | CPC]

• USS Helena assumed position west of Savo Island, Solomon Islands in darkness, awaiting an incoming Japanese task force. ww2dbase [Guadalcanal Campaign | Helena (St. Louis-class) | CPC]

• Shokaku departed Truk, Caroline Islands for Guadalcanal operations. ww2dbase [Shokaku | Truk | CPC]

• About 700 miles off the Washington coast, Japanese submarine I-25 observed two submarines running on the surface, apparently on a course toward San Francisco. I-25 fired the last of her compliment of 17 torpedoes and an explosion was heard 30 seconds later, followed by several more heavy explosions. The lead submarine began sinking quickly by the stern with its bow section raised above the water at 45 degrees. Although I-25’s commander had identified the submarines as American boats, they were, in fact, the Soviet minelaying submarines L-15 and L-16. The two were transiting from Petropavlovsk, Russia on the Kamchatka Peninsula to the United Kingdom by way of Dutch Harbor, San Francisco, Panama Canal, and Canada. It had been L-16 that was sunk and all 56 aboard were lost. L-15 returned fire with five rounds from her deck gun but I-25 continued toward Japan without damage. ww2dbase [Japanese Attacks on the Continental United States | DS]

• Radio Patrick, a black radio station operated by the propaganda section (S01) of SOE, began broadcasting from Britain, though claiming to be from France. ww2dbase [Special Operations Executive | CPC]

• USS Haddock departed Midway for her second war patrol. ww2dbase [Midway Bases | Haddock | Midway | CPC]

11 Oct 1942 Interactive Map