16 Jun 1942


- The US Congress authorized the funding to increase the US Navy blimp fleet to 200 blimps. ww2dbase [CPC]
- Tatsuta Maru arrived at Jaluit, Marshall islands, and departed for and arrived at Emidji on the same day. ww2dbase [Tatsuta Maru | CPC]
- The Royal Canadian Air Force began operating Ventura aircraft. ww2dbase [Ventura | CPC]
- German submarine U-87 attacked Allied convoy XB-25 25 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States at 0417 hours, sinking British ship Port Nicholson (2 were killed, 85 survived) and US passenger liner Cherokee (86 were killed, 83 survived). ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | CPC]
- German submarine U-126 sank US ship Arkansan at 0230 hours (4 were killed, 36 survived) and US ship Kahuku at 0320 hours (17 were killed, 46 survived) 70 miles west of Grenada. At 0400 hours, U-67 sank Nicaraguan ship Managua 50 miles north of Matanzas, Cuba; all 25 aboard survived. Elsewhere in the Caribbean Sea, U-161 stopped Dominican sailing boat Nueva Altagracia at 1410 hours, capturing her crew of 8 and her cargo of fruit, and scuttled the boat with charges. ww2dbase [Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico Campaigns | CPC]
- Japanese Imperial Palace envoys visited Isoroku Yamamoto aboard battleship Yamato, bringing him the news that Emperor Showa understood losses (in regards to the devastation suffered at the Battle of Midway) were expected at a time of war and that the emperor was not overly concerned. ww2dbase [Battle of Midway and the Aleutian Islands | CPC]
- ShCh-317 sank Finnish merchant ship Argo east of Stockholm, Sweden. Later on the same day, ShCh-317 attacked Swedish merchant ship Ulla (carrying survivors of Argo) but failed to cause any damage. ww2dbase [ShCh-317 | CPC]
- ShCh-320 fired two torpedoes at German minesweeper depot ship MRS 12 west of Porkkala, Finland; both torpedoes missed. ww2dbase [ShCh-320 | CPC]
- U-576 departed Saint-Nazaire, France, starting her fifth war patrol. ww2dbase [U-576 | Maizuru Naval Arsenal | Saint-Nazaire, Pays de la Loire | CPC]
- An Australia PBY Catalina aircraft arrived at Simberi, New Ireland to pick up coast watcher Cornelius Page, not knowing that Page had gone into hiding eight days prior in response to a Japanese raid. ww2dbase [Simberi, New Ireland | CPC]
- 106 British bombers (40 Wellington, 39 Halifax, 15 Lancaster, and 12 Stirling) were launched to bomb Germany; 16 attacked Essen, 45 attacked Bonn, and others attacked other targets; 8 British bombers were lost on this night. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | CPC]
- USS Pollack arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her third war patrol. ww2dbase [Pollack | Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station | Honolulu, Oahu | CPC]
- Shokaku entered drydock for battle damage repairs. ww2dbase [Shokaku | CPC]
- Destroyer Yuzuki completed her overhaul at Sasebo, Japan and departed for Truk, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Yuzuki | Sasebo Naval Arsenal | Sasebo, Nagasaki | CPC]
- Axis troops attacked El Adem and Sidi Rezegh near Tobruk, Libya. ww2dbase [Battle of Gazala | El Adem | CPC]
- Hans-Joachim Marseille shot down four P-40 fighters over El Adem, Libya between 1802 and 1813 hours, increasing his score to 95 kills. ww2dbase [Hans-Joachim Marseille | El Adem | CPC]
- German submarine U-205 sank British cruiser HMS Hermione, returning to Egypt from her duty escorting the Allied Vigorous convoy, 115 miles north of Sidi Barrani, Egypt at 0019 hours; 87 were killed, 440 survived. ww2dbase [Malta Campaign | CPC]
- While at sea, after sundown, USS S-27 received orders to sail to Kiska, US Territory of Alaska. ww2dbase [S-27 | CPC]
- German aircraft and artillery pieces bombarded Fort Maxim Gorky at Sevastopol, Russia, silencing the fort's 12-inch guns. ww2dbase [Battle of Sevastopol | Sevastopol | CPC]
- Winston Churchill departed England, United Kingdom aboard a transport aircraft for the United States. ww2dbase [Second Washington Conference | England | CPC]



16 Jun 1942 Interactive Map
Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis
Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Share this article with your friends: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
Search WW2DB & Partner Sites
News
- » Detonation of a WW2-Era Naval Mine (21 Mar 2023)
- » Wreck of USS Albacore Found (23 Feb 2023)
- » Accidental Detonation of a WW2-Era Bomb in Great Yarmouth (10 Feb 2023)
- » Joseph Eskenazi honored at US National World War II Museum (16 Jan 2023)
- » Beethoven Original Manuscript to be Returned to Heirs of its Pre-WW2 Owner (13 Jan 2023)
- » See all news
Random Photograph
Current Site Statistics
- » 1,128 biographies
- » 336 events
- » 41,285 timeline entries
- » 1,206 ships
- » 346 aircraft models
- » 206 vehicle models
- » 370 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 248 facilities
- » 468 book reviews
- » 28,884 photos
- » 401 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"Since peace is now beyond hope, we can but fight to the end."Chiang Kaishek, 31 Jul 1937
Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!