Remember, this information is for your enjoyment only, so please don’t send the answers here – they’ll be in KTB #169 next month.

286. The first American battleship launched after the war began in Europe was USS WASHINGTON, launched on 1 June 1940. She was the first battleship added to the U.S. Navy since the early 1920’s.
287. When USS QUEENFISH sank the Japanese ship AWA MARU on 1 April 1945, she was reportedly carrying more than $5 billion in booty that high ranking Japanese officers had collected during their occupation in the Far East. The Skipper of QUEENFISH was not aware of the special arrangement the Japanese had with the Americans for this ship to pass safely, since she was officially a ‘mercy ship’, that is carrying medical and humanitarian supplies. The area was shrouded in fog and AWA MARU was large enough and traveling fast enough to be perceived as a cruiser, so QUEENFISH sank her. Only one man of the more than 2,000 aboard lived through the sinking.
288. The first American Liberty Ship was named PATRICK HENRY. Perhaps his speech of “Give me liberty or give me death!” had something to do with the selection.
289. The two Japanese warships sunk on 11 December 1941 during the invasion of Wake Island were the destroyer HAYATE, which was sunk by fire from shore batteries, and the destroyer KISARAGI, sunk by fire from U.S. Marine Corps fighter planes.
290. The only American aerial photos of the attack on Pearl Harbor were taken by Staff Sergeant Lee Embree who was aboard one of the twelve unarmed B-17 bombers coming in from California. The Japanese fighter planes believed that the big camera sticking out of the hatch was a gun, so they stayed away from that aircraft.

For KTB #169 next month, do you know:

291. Who was ComInCh of the German Navy in 1939?
292. What was the first Japanese ship captured by the US?
293. Who was the Japanese Admiral who led a squadron of Kamikazes against the American ships at Okinawa?
294. What does CinCLant stand for?
295. What does CinCPac stand for?

Remember, answers will be in KTB #169 next month, but this will test your memory of World War II history.