http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/26.htm
May 26th, 1941
UNITED KINGDOM:
Corvette FS Commandant d’Estienne d’Orves (ex-HMS Lotus) laid down.
Minesweeper HMS Eastbourne commissioned.
Corvette KNM Andenes (ex-HMS Acanthus) launched.
Gate vessels HMC GV 5 and CV 6 ordered. (Dave Shirlaw)
GREECE: CRETE: Carrier HMS Formidable, accompanied by HMS Barham and HMS Queen Elizabeth, flies off aircraft from a position well to the south for an attack on the Scarpanto Island airfields. In the counter-attack HMS Formidable and destroyer HMS Nubian are damaged, by Stukas flying from Scarpanto.
General Freyberg raises the question of evacuation from Crete. Withdrawal from their positions in Galetas will begin tonight.
British commandos under Brigadier Robert Laycock land at Suda Bay to cover the evacuation.
GOLD COAST: Night of 26/27 May 1941 U-69 (Jost Metzler) entered Takoradi travelling on the surface between the heavily fortified moles and laid seven mines. She escaped undetected. (Dave Shirlaw)
JAPAN: The Kayaba Ka-1, Army Model 1 Observation Autogyro makes its maiden flight.
In 1939, the Japanese Army purchased a Kellet KD-1A single-engine two-seat autogyro from the U.S. (The USAAC purchased nine KD-1s and designated them YG-1s.) Unfortunately for the Japanese, the machine was damaged beyond repair in a crash during flight tests at low altitude. The wreck was delivered to the Kayaba Industrial Co. Ltd.
(K.K. Kayaba Seisakusho) and they were told to develop a similar machine. A two-seat observation machine was built based on the KD-1A but modified to Japanese production standards. This machine makes its first flight today. About 240 Ka-1s were built. (Jack McKillop)
CANADA: Minesweeper HMCS Bayfield launched North Vancouver, British Columbia. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.A.: America’s first experimental blackout takes place at Newark, New Jersey.
Heavy cruiser USS Baltimore laid down.
Destroyer USS Doyle laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: After a 30 hour interval a Catalina flying boat of RAF Coastal Command 209 Squadron discovers the BISMARK about 700 nm from Brest, its port of destination. The Catalina was fitted with a recently improved ASV radar device.
The copilot on this Catalina was Ensign Leonard B. Smith, USNR. Another Catalina of RAF No 240 Squadron with Lieutenant James E. Johnson, USN, aboard begins shadowing the German ship. (Jack McKillop)
Later in the afternoon a Swordfish strike from Force H’s Ark Royal attacks the Sheffield in error. She is not hit. A second strike takes place in the evening by 810, 818 and 820 squadrons with 15 Swordfish led by Lt-Cdr Coode. They torpedo BISMARK twice and one hit damages her propellers and jams the rudders. As BISMARK circles, destroyers of the 4th Flotilla (Capt Vian) come up around midnight, and make a series of torpedo and gun attacks but with uncertain results.
HMSs Cossack, Maori, Sikh, Zulu and Polish Piorun have been detached from troop convoy WS8B, an indication of the seriousness of the BISMARK’s threat.
By this time Adm Tovey’s force of heavy ships has lost the Repulse to refuel, but been joined by HMS Rodney. They now come up from the west but do not attack just yet.
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 634 May 26, 1941
In 30 hours since her last sighting by the British, German battleship Bismarck travels 750 miles Southeast towards France. At 10.30 AM, a Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boat piloted by British Flying Officer Dennis Briggs and US Navy ensign Tuck Smith (from Lough Erne, Northern Ireland) locates Bismarck 700 miles West of Land’s End, England. British Admiral Tovey orders Royal Navy ships to the area, including Force H from Gibraltar with aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal. At 4 PM, 15 Swordfish launch from Ark Royal but attack British cruiser HMS Sheffield in error (no damage done) and return to Ark Royal to reload torpedoes. At 8.55 PM, the Swordfish attack Bismarck and return to Ark Royal safely. 1 torpedo hits the armour belt causing little damage but the other jams her rudder hard to port, causing Bismarck to steam in circles. Tovey sends 6 destroyers to harry Bismarck and maintain contact overnight while the capital ships converge.
From your post:
“U.S.A.: America’s first experimental blackout takes place at Newark, New Jersey.”
Article title in this thread’s newspaper image:
“Newark, Gay in ‘Blackout’, is far from totally dark.”