Many Americans know of the terrible loss the United States Navy suffered at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked the Navy base there on December 7, 1941, but few know of the heavy losses suffered by those sailors serving in what at the time was the ”United States Asiatic Fleet”, which was headquartered in the Philippines at Manila. In 1939 in addition to a few surface ships, the Asiatic Fleet had six elderly S-class submarines and seven Porpoises. With Japanese war actions increasing, in October 1941 (two months prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor), 12 Salmons or Sargos submarines along with the USS Holland (a submarine tender), were added to the fleet. The fleet’s defensive plan had been to rely heavily on the submarines to interdict the Japanese and whittle down their forces so that the fleet’s surface ships had a chance at survival; however, the plan had little time for preparation and the fleet’s assets were insufficient to carry out major engagements. Ultimately, they were no match no matter how valiant their efforts were to defend against the powerful Japanese Navy. Many lives in the U.S. Asiatic Fleet were lost in those early stages of America’s entry into World War II.
Historical timeline –
1854 East India Squadron Formation – The United States creates the ‘East India Squadron’ to represent American interests in the Pacific; the roots of the future Asiatic Fleet.
1902 Asiatic Fleet Established – U.S. Navy formally establishes the Asiatic Fleet to protect American lives and property in China and throughout the Pacific.
1941 World War II Deployment – Asiatic Fleet fights in the opening months of the Pacific War, suffering heavy losses in the Philippines and Dutch East Indies.
1976 First Asiatic Fleet Memorial Day – The state of Florida commemorates the first Asiatic Fleet Memorial Day to honor lost servicemen on March 1, 1976.
2001 Presidential Proclamation – President George W. Bush proclaimed March 1, 2002 as the U.S. Asiatic Fleet Memorial Day.
2024 Annual Commemoration Continues – Asiatic Fleet Memorial Day is still observed every March 1, remembering the sacrifice and service of the sailors and marines of the Asiatic Fleet.
From President Bush’s proclamation –
“When the attack on Pearl Harbor thrust the United States into World War II, the Asiatic Fleet played a key role in the defense of the Philippines. Outnumbered and outgunned at sea and in the air, the Fleet was joined by ships of the British, Dutch, and Australian navies to oppose the Japanese advance through what is now Indonesia. The Fleet’s destroyers hit the Japanese at Balikpapan and Badung Strait, and the cruiser Marblehead fought her way through massive air attacks off Bali while submarines, short of fuel and torpedoes, struck Japanese supply lines. The battle for the “Malay Barrier” reached its climax in the Java Sea. In the opening hours of March 1, 1942, the American cruiser Houston and the Australian cruiser Perth, outnumbered and outgunned by the Japanese, fought to the last in the Sunda Strait. They went down with their guns still firing and were followed hours later by the British cruiser Exeter. The remaining Allied ships were then ordered to make their way to Australia.”
Although the United States Asiatic Fleet became part of the U.S. Seventh Fleet in 1943, today we honor those heroes who made up the proud, and never to be forgotten, Asiatic Fleet. Below is a picture of the USS Houston, whose crew fought to the death on March 1, 1942, in defense of our nation.
