British troopship HMT Queen Mary returning US troops from Europe, New York, NY, 20 June 1945 (US National Archives)
75 Years Ago—Oct. 2, 1942: Off Northern Ireland, troopship HMT Queen Mary (carrying US 29th Infantry Division to Britain) collides with light cruiser HMS Curacoa, cutting it in half (337/364 killed).
US Marines occupy Funafuti in the Ellice Islands in the Pacific to build an airfield.
