SeaWaves Today in History April 30, 2010 1745 - William Pepperell 1696-1759 anchors main body of the attacking British fleet at Flat Point Cove in Gabarus Bay off Louisbourg; the fortress is defended by 560 regular French soldiers and 1,400 militiamen 1770 - David Thompson 1770-1857 explorer, geographer, and fur trader, was born in London, England in 1770; dies Feb. 10, 1857 at Longeuil, near Montreal. Thompson was the first European to explore the Columbia River from source to mouth 1789 - George Washington is inaugurated as the first president of the United States of America 1798 - Congress establishes Department of the Navy 1803 - Napoleon Bonaparte sells Louisiana to the US for $27 million; territories between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains. The Louisiana Territory, covering more than 800,000 square miles, was sold to the US for 60 million French francs, then equivalent to $15 million. The transfer treaty was in three parts, two covering the money. Of that $15 million, $11,250,000 was to be direct payment, the balance being an assumption of French debts to US citizens. This latter included cancellation of certain earlier French debts to the US Napoleon had acquired the region in a secret treaty with Spain. His intent was to use Hispaniola as a military stepping-stone into New Orleans, thence straight up the Mississippi into what would become Canada -- a move that would provide his troops with sustenance en route, cut off the fledgling United States from any further westward expansion, and strike the almost defenseless English portion of Canada from the lower rear, then moving east to retake Quebec. When Toussaint L'Overture led a slave rebellion against the Royalist French and succeeded, Napoleon was impelled him to take it back, which he did, using 35,000 veteran troops from the Peninsular Campaigns to do it, taking along large numbers of French settlers as well. Their harshly oppressive acts against the recently re-enslaved blacks did not go over at all (one woman settler pushed her black cook into her own oven because of a supposedly poor cake), and they rose up a second time -- this time, under the leadership of Henri Christophe. French Gen. LeClerc thought he would have an easy time of it, but learned very differently. Christophe, who'd had no compunction about burning his own mansion after telling the arriving French that he would burn everything if they landed, not only reorganized the blacks, but had them rearm at French expense as they slowly began killing off any they could easily get to, while conducting a scorched-earth campaign. In due course Christophe had a whole army of bitterly angry people intent on ridding the island of all French -- men and women alike -- and en fin, drove survivors, thousands of them, to the Atlantic beach at Cap Paris (now called Cap Haitien). There, he told them that any who had skills, be they trade, professional or academic, would be allowed to live if they agreed to mix in as citizens, settle quietly, and also teach the blacks their skills. Those who did not agree fast enough were shot on the spot -- thousands of them. Needless to note, this put the kibosh on Napoleon's grand plans for invading North America -- hence his quick and cheap sale of the vast Louisiana Territory 1812 - Louisiana became the 18th state of the Union 1900 - Hawaii was organized as a US territory 1904 - Battleship FS Liberté launched 1915 - Australian submarine AE2 sank near Gallipoli 1915 - During the night, a small team of men from the Royal Naval Division set out across some 400-500 yards of open ground to carry supplies to troops isolated in the Gallipoli bridgehead. Raked by heavy fire, only one man, Lance Corporal Parker, a stretcher-bearer from the Royal Marine Light Infantry, reached the other side, the rest having been killed or wounded. Parker then worked ceaselessly to aid the wounded amongst the men in the isolated trench. It having been decided to withdraw from an unsustainable position, he then helped carry casualties back across the open ground, despite by now being wounded himself. He was awarded the Victoria Cross 1917 - In the Atlantic, a German U-boat closed on a three-masted schooner, and opening fire, badly damaged her. As the crew took to the boats, U-93 closed for the kill. However, at only yards, the crippled schooner ran up the White Ensign and opened fire with concealed guns. She was HMS Prize, one of the Q or "Mystery" ships introduced to help combat the submarine menace. The U-boat was sunk, and Prize survived to be towed home. Her captain, Lieutenant Sanders, received the Victoria Cross. Sanders and the entire crew of Prize were lost in August of the same year, when another U-boat failed to be deceived 1917 - Submarine USS R-15 laid down 1917 - Submarine HMS K15 completed 1918 - Minesweeper USS Turkey launched 1918 - Two miles off St Ives Head, whilst on a voyage from Glasgow to St Nazaire the St Chamond was torpedoed by the German U-Boat U-60 and sank quickly due to her cargo of five railway locomotives complete of 75 tons each. The wreck now lies in 27m of water and the railway locomotives are still easily identifiable as they rise 6m above the sea bed 1919 - Battleship USS Tennessee launched 1919 - Destroyers USS Barker & Borie laid down 1919 - Destroyers USS Du Pont & McCook commissioned 1920 - Destroyers USS Tillman & Gilmer commissioned 1923 - Submarine USS S-12 commissioned 1923 - Submarine USS S-42 launched 1930 - Heavy cruiser HMS Norfolk commissioned 1934 - Submarine HMS Salmon launched 1935 - Soviet submarines SC-121, SC-122 & SC-123 commissioned 1936 - Soviet submarine S-3 launched 1937 - Submarine USS Seal commissioned 1937 - Soviet submarine K-54 laid down 1940 - Destroyer FS Maille Breeze sunk by a two of her own torpedoes at Greenock, Scotland. Two live torpedoes were accidentally discharged into her own forward section causing a terrific explosion with flames shooting 50 feet high into the air. Some of her crewmembers tried to squeeze themselves through the portholes to safety. There were 25 dead and 48 wounded among her crew 1940 - Minesweeper HMS Dundoon mined & sunk off Yarmouth 1940 - ASW trawler HMS Jardine scuttled after being damaged by German aircraft off Norway the previous day 1940 - ASW trawler HMS Warwickshire sunk by German aircraft off Trondheim, Norway. Raised by the Germans on 1 June 1940 and commissioned by them as NKi09/Alane. She was sunk on 19 July 1943 near Narvik, northern Norway by the Soviet submarine S-56 1940 - Submarines HMS Uproar & P-32 laid down 1940 - Monitor HMS Roberts laid down 1940 - Destroyer HMS Cowdray laid down 1940 - Corvettes HMS Celandine & Lavender laid down 1940 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Fir commissioned 1940 - The British begin evacuations at Andalsnes, Norway 1940 - Sloop HMS Bittern is sunk by Ju87 dive-bombers off Namsos 1940 - HMS Glasgow evacuates King Haakon and his government from Molde to Tromso, as German forces from Oslo and Trondheim link up 1940 - HMS Furious is turned over to dockyard hands at Greenock 1940 - At 0630, HMS Glorious, accompanied by the destroyers HMS Acheron, Antelope, Beagle & Volunteer depart Scapa Flow, flies on her remaining detachment of 803 Squadron and the Swordfish of 823 Squadron, and then steams to rejoin HMS Ark Royal and the Home Fleet off Norway 1940 - Submarine FS Archimede departs Halifax escort for convoy HX 39 1940 - Submarine HMS Uproar laid down 1941 - The first four of the ten Lake-class US Coast Guard cutters are transferred to the Royal Navy. USCGC Pontchartrain becomes HMS Harland; USCGC Tahoe becomes HMS Fishguard; USCGC Mendota becomes HMS Culver; and USCGC Itasca becomes HMS Gorleston. USCGC Itasca was the ship at Howland Island during the Amelia Earhart flight in 1937 1941 - British and Commonwealth forces completed their evacuation - Operation Demon - from the Greek mainland 1941 - Corvette HMCS Trail commissioned 1941 - SS Nerissa sunk by German U-boat, off Ireland, 73 Canadian Army personnel & 6 RCN personnel lost 1941 - Destroyers USS Chevalier & Strong laid down 1941 - Frigates HMS Mourne & Barle commissioned 1941 - Corvette HMS Celandine commissioned 1941 - U-453, U-454, U-575, and U-576 launched 1941 - U-501 commissioned 1941 - Tug HMS Peuplier sunk off Plymouth 1941 - At 2155, the Lassell was hit by one torpedo from U-107 and sank about 300 miles SW of the Cape Verde Islands. The ship had been in Convoy OB-309, which was dispersed on 19 April in 50°00N/23°50W. 17 crewmembers were lost. The master, second officer, 22 crewmembers and one passenger were picked up on 9 May by the Benvrackie, which was herself sunk four days later by U-105. 15 survivors from Lassell were lost. The master, nine others and the survivors of Benvrackie were rescued after 13 days in lifeboats by HMHS Oxfordshire and landed at Freetown. The chief officer, W.H. Underhill, four officers, 13 crewmembers and eight gunners were picked up on 10 May in 10°57N/29°13W by the British merchantman Egba and landed at Freetown five days later 1942 - Japanese carriers, Shokaku, Zuikaku and Shoho sail from Truk. They are part of Operation "MO" an amphibious assault of Port Morseby, New Guinea 1942 - Two USN Consolidated PBY-4 Catalinas of VP-101 based at Perth, Western Australia, fly a circuitous route back to the Philippines and rescue 30 nurses from Corregidor Island 1942 - Minesweeper HMCS Hespeler ordered 1942 - Trawler HMS Cailiff launched Collingwood ON 1942 - Destroyer escorts USS Harold C Thomas & Wileman laid down 1942 - Destroyer USS McCook launched 1942 - Submarine USS Peto launched 1942 - Battleship USS Indiana commissioned 1942 - Corvette USS Saucy commissioned 1942 - Frigate HMS Waveney launched 1942 - Destroyers HMS Tantaskide & Obedient launched 1942 - Destroyer USS Bancroft & Woodworth commissioned 1942 - U-464, U-620 commissioned 1942 - U-358, U-447, U-524 launched 1942 - At 0152, the Athelempress, dispersed from Convoy OS-25 was torpedoed and sunk by gunfire by U-162 180 miles east of Barbados. Two crewmembers and one gunner were lost. The master and 18 crewmembers landed at Gros Inlet Bay, St Lucia. The chief officer and 27 crewmembers were picked up by the Norwegian tanker Atlantic and landed at Trinidad. 1942 - At 0336, the Ashkhabad was torpedoed by U-402 south of Cape Hatteras and was abandoned. On 3 May 1942, the wreck had to be scuttled with gunfire by a US warship. 1942 - The unescorted and unarmed Federal proceeded on a zigzag course at 8 knots for Cuba to obtain a cargo of molasses, when a lookout spotted U-507 three miles away on the horizon. The tanker changed course for land and the U-boat submerged. At 1810, U-507 surfaced about 450 yards away and began shelling the ship about five miles north of Gibara, Cuba. The first shell went through the quarters of the crew, killing the chief cook and wounding the third mate. After approximately 30 rounds at the rate of three to four rounds per minute the crew of eight officers and 25 men abandoned ship in one lifeboat and two rafts. The shellfire had destroyed the #3 and #4 lifeboat and made it impossible to launch the #2 boat. U-507 approached the tanker close to the port side and put more than 100 rounds into her. The wooden bridge was set on fire and three men were killed. The Federal settled on even keel, then listed to port, capsized and sank stern first an hour after the first shot was fired. A US Navy aircraft arrived at the scene one hour after the ship sank followed by a second aircraft 20 minutes later. They unsuccessfully searched for the U-boat and other survivors. At 2115, USAT Yarmouth circled the survivors several times and steamed away, due the danger of being torpedoed. Fishing craft from Gibara two and a half hours after the attack picked up the 15 survivors on the rafts. The 14 survivors in the boat followed the craft to shore. The third mate died from wounds after reaching shore 1942 - SS Taborfjell sunk by sunk by U-576 at 41.52N, 67.43W 1942 - U-280, U-741 laid down 1942 - U-456 torpedoed cruiser HMS Edinburgh heavily damaging her. She was then put into tow and was thus helpless when caught by 3 German destroyers and had to be scuttled to prevent possible capture 1943 - Under Operation Mincemeat, the submarine HMS Seraph planted a dead body, ostensibly that of "Major Martin, Royal Marines" in the sea off the Spanish coast, carrying fake planning documents to mislead German intelligence as to the Allies intentions prior to the invasion of Sicily 1943 - The US Navy turns over responsibility for convoys sailing between Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and the UK to the Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy 1943 - Corvettes HMCS Algoma & Calgary returned St. John's from UK with Convoy ON-179, (51-ship convoy from Liverpool to in New York which arrived safely on 6 May 43) & from support of Operation Torch, North African Landings 1943 - Minesweeper HMCS Bayfield arrived Halifax from Esquimalt via refit Baltimore MD 1943 - Minesweepers HMCS Ingonish, Lockeport & Guysborough arrived Halifax from Esquimalt 1943 - Minesweeper HMAS Cootamundra commissioned 1943 - Frigates HMS Lossie & Parret launched 1943 - Submarine USS Bang laid down 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Savage & Vance laid down 1943 - Destroyer USS Baldwin commissioned 1943 - Destroyer escort USS Buckley commissioned 1943 - Minesweeper USS Pursuit commissioned 1943 - U-1020, U-1170 laid down 1943 - At 2256, U-515 fired two stern torpedoes at Convoy TS-37 about 130 miles SW of Freetown and observed hits after 58 & 59 seconds. The first ship was seen sinking fast and another broke in two after being hit under the bridge. At 2257, one torpedo was fired, which struck a freighter amidships after 52 seconds. A fourth torpedo fired one minute later struck another freighter amidships, which exploded. At 2259, a fifth torpedo was fired and struck after 1 minute a ship, which immediately sank. A sixth torpedo fired at 2301 hit a freighter after 1 minute 30 seconds, but the sinking could not be observed. Henke claimed five ships of 31,000 tons sunk and another of 6,000 tons probably sunk. However, only four ships were hit and sunk, the Corabella, Bandar Shahpour, Kota Tjandi and Nagina. One passenger from the Bandar Shahpour was lost. The master, 61 crewmembers, eight gunners and seven passengers were picked up by trawler HMS Birdlip & landed at Freetown the next day. Nine crewmembers from Corabella were lost. The master, 30 crewmembers and eight gunners were picked up by Birdlip & landed at Freetown the next day. The third officer Aarts and five crewmembers from the Kota Tjandi were lost. Two crewmembers from the Nagina were lost. The master, 100 crewmembers and ten gunners were picked up by Birdlip & landed at Freetown 1943 - German RA.10 (captured MTB 314) sunk by the RAF in the Mediterranean 1943 - HMS Rorqual lays 50 mines off Isola Marettimo, to the west of Sicily 1944 - USN Task Force 58 continues air strikes against Japanese installations in the Caroline Islands especially Truk Atoll. During this two-day attack that began yesterday, only three small ships are found in the harbor that once teemed with ships; all three are sunk. An IJN submarine is also sunk 20 miles south of Truk by aircraft and destroyers. In the afternoon, nine heavy cruisers and eight destroyers begin a two-hour bombardment of an airfield on Satawan Island. During this two-day raid, 65 Japanese aircraft are destroyed on the ground 1944 - Submarine USS Kraken launched 1944 - U-955 landed espionage agents Ernst Fresenius, Sigurður Juliusson and Hjalti Björnsson in Iceland 1944 - Liberty Ship SS William S Thayer sunk by U-711 at 73.46N, 19.10E 1944 - U-2322 launched 1945 - Minesweeper USS Delegate commissioned 1945 - Submarine USS Mapiro commissioned 1945 - Repair ship HMS Fife Ness launched 1945 - Tug HMCS Glenkeen commissioned 1945 - Conversion of HMS City of Paris conversion to accommodation ship ordered from United Shipyards Montreal PQ. Cancelled after VJ Day 1945 - Frigate HMCS St Thomas arrived Halifax NS for refit 1945 - Corvette HMCS North Bay departed St John's to escort Convoy SC-174 to Londonderry 1945 - Grossadmiral Karl Doenitz proclaims himself the head of Germany 1945 - Off Okinawa, the light minelayer USS J. William Ditter is damaged during an air raid while kamikazes damage minelayer USS Terror and the US freighter SS S. Hall Young 1945 - At the same time, as Hitler died in Berlin, U-2511 set out from Bergen for her first & last patrol. The crew served under very experienced U-boat officers like Oak-Leaves owner Korvkpt. Adalbert Schnee, the former very successful commander of U-201 and then two years one of closest staff members of Donitz. The destination for that patrol was to be the Caribbean, where the boat had should be tested under all conditions. On 1 May, U-2511 had the first enemy contacts. Three days later, on 4 May 1945 Adalbert Schnee received the ceasefire orders. A few hours later U-2511 made a contact with cruiser HMS Norfolk among some other British warships. The boat approached to within 500 meters of the British warship without any sonar contact from the enemy destroyers. Schnee had here the possibility for an absolute deadly attack against the cruiser, but then he left the scene without attacking and headed back to base. U-2511 reached Bergen on the 5 May 1945. There the commander a few days later had a talk with officers of the HMS Norfolk and they could not believe the fact that U-2511 was able to get so close without any sonar contact 1945 - Submarine HMS Astute launched 1945 - HMS Torbay sinks two Japanese sailing vessels with scuttling charges in the Strait of Malacca 1946 - U-511 (then called RO-500 by Japanese) is scuttled by US Navy at Maizuru 1946 - Destroyer escort USS Solar exploded at her berth at the Naval Ammunition Depot in Earle, New Jersey while unloading ammunition. 165 members of her crew and dockworkers were killed in the explosion and 65 were injured. Decommissioned 21 May 1946. Stricken 5 June 1946. Her hulk was towed 100 miles out to sea and scuttled in 700 fathoms of water on 9 June 1946 1947 - President Truman signed a measure officially changing the name of Boulder Dam to Hoover Dam 1948 - Organization of American States held its first meeting, in Bogota, Colombia 1951 - Destroyer HMCS Sioux arrived Korean War area of operations 1953 - Destroyer HMCS Gatineau laid down Lauzon PQ 1956 - Patrol craft HMCS Mallard launched Penetanguishene ON 1957 - Submarine HMS Grampus launched 1966 - USS Kitty Hawk port call Subic Bay 1967 - USS Kitty Hawk port call Subic Bay 1968 - USS Ranger port call Subic Bay 1969 - USS Ticonderoga port call Subic Bay 1970 - First computer-controlled CP Rail coal train reaches Roberts Bank 1973 - USS Coral Sea port call Manila 1975 - Saigon falls to North Vietnamese forces 1986 - Order announced by Secretary of State for Defense Procurement Norman Lamount for first Trident SSBN for Royal Navy 1988 - Frigate HMCS Halifax launched Saint John NB 1994 - Destroyer HMCS Saskatchewan paid off Esquimalt BC 1997 - French netlayer La Fidelle sank after explosion while transporting ammunition five miles off Cherbourg 2003 - Bethlehem Steel closes. Firm had 300,000 employees during World War II 2004 - Frigate HMAS Ballarat delivered 2004 - Eight PLAN warships (2 destroyers, 4 frigates & 2 submarines) arrived in Hong Kong as a show of force 2004 - USN VS 38 Red Griffins and VS 29 Screaming Dragonflies decommissioned 2005 - Efforts are continuing to protect the wreck of the Australian submarine AE2 which sank near Gallipoli 90 years ago today. New South Wales Assistant Planning Minister, Dianne Beamer, has praised the work being done by maritime archaeologist Tim Smith from the state's Heritage office. She says his team hopes to visit Turkey again next year to continue site mapping and to initiate 3D imaging of the underwater terrain at Anzac Cove. Ms Beamer says the project is aimed at protecting remains such as beach jetties, breakwaters and Army stores that form part of Gallipoli's battlefield heritage 2005 - Hospital ship USNS Mercy left Indonesia's quake-hit Nias Island, marking a final farewell by US personnel involved in Indonesian disaster relief work, the US embassy said. The 270-metre (890-ft) Mercy arrived in Indonesia with the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln after the Dec 26 Indian Ocean tsunami that left more than 160,000 Indonesians dead or missing. The ship ended in March a one-month mission in Aceh province, the region hardest hit by the tsunami, and was on a humanitarian operation off Indonesia's eastern island of Alor when a deadly earthquake struck Nias on March 28. Since arriving on April 5, doctors in the 1,000-bed ship performed 123 surgeries and conducted more than 19,000 medical procedures at Nias, the embassy said in a statement on Friday. The US military contributed one of the largest troop contingents, numbering in the thousands, to relief efforts in Aceh following the tsunami 2005 - USS Robert G. Bradley conducted its second significant drug interdiction operation in the first month of its deployment to the US Naval Forces Southern Command area of responsibility, disrupting the smuggling of 4.6 metric tons of narcotics from the fishing vessel Salomon. The Mayport-based frigate Bradley was just pulling in for its first port visit in three weeks, when it was tasked by the Joint Inter-Agency Task Force (JIATF) South, which has tactical control of surface ships for counter-drug operations, with locating, following and possibly boarding a fishing vessel suspected of carrying a large quantity of narcotics. While monitoring the fishing vessel Salomon, a black column of smoke was seen on the horizon. Bradley immediately went to flank speed and raced toward the burning vessel. As the ship approached the fishing vessel, the ship’s firefighting teams began to fight the fire. Once the damage control teams had control of the situation, the vessel was boarded by the Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET), while Bradley pursued suspects who had fled in their motorboat and were about 30 nautical miles away. Maritime patrol aircraft directed Bradley to the motorboat’s location, and the LEDET team was able to escort the suspects to Bradley 2005 - Landing ship HMAS Kanimbla arrives Sydney after Indonesian disaster relief operations 2005 - US and German warships rescued 89 people when a vessel capsized 25 miles off Somalia's coast but five others were killed, the US military said. The warships, on anti-terrorism operations, found the vessel did not appear to be seaworthy and was taking on water when they investigated it on Friday after it failed to respond to routine queries, the military said in a statement. "In the process of providing assistance to the passengers, the vessel capsized and sank," said the military, adding the ship appeared to be a dhow. "The master of the vessel claims that there were 135 people on board and coalition maritime forces, including SH-60 Seahawk helicopter aerial reconnaissance support, are conducting a search for the unaccounted for personnel." Three US warships and one German frigate were involved in the rescue operation. The military said the incident was being investigated 2005 - A 40-foot motor boat ran aground early this morning in poor visibility with four persons (two male and two female adults) aboard off St Margaret's Bay, near Dover. The motor boat was on passage from Ramsgate to Dover. Dover Coastguard received a VHF call from the vessel Maral at 1016 informing them that they were aground and needed assistance as they were taking in water. Langdon and Deal Coastguard rescue teams were sent to assist and Dover and Walmer RNLI lifeboats were requested to launch by the Coastguard. A mayday relay broadcast was put out and two vessels in the area came to assistance 2005 - The fishing vessel Lovey Joann grounded seven miles south of Kake. None of her four occupants sustained any injuries and the boat's captain intended to refloat the vessel at high tide 2006 - At 0320 Cumbria Police contacted Liverpool Coastguard, after a speedboat, with eight persons onboard, crashed into rocks near Friars Crag on Derwent water. The initial report stated that one of the persons had suffered serious head and chest injuries, and four others were also injured extent unknown. Liverpool Coastguard tasked Maryport and Derwent Coastguard Rescue Teams, along with units from Cumbria Police and ambulance service, and also requested that Keswick Mountain Rescue Team be alerted. The RAF helicopter from Boulmer, R131 was also scrambled. Arriving on scene, the casualties were assessed by a doctor and paramedics on the Mountain Rescue Team and kept stable until the rescue helicopter arrived. Seven casualties were taken to shore and tended to by waiting ambulance crews, three who have been taken to hospital by ambulance, the remaining one, who is suffering from head injuries has been airlifted to Carlisle Hospital for further treatment 2006 - Leading up to the commemoration the Battle of the Atlantic, Albert Moses, Consul General of the Netherlands and Peter Stoffer MP, will join members of the Dutch and military community at a remembrance ceremony and monument unveiling at Pier 21 in Halifax at 2 p.m. The unveiling honors the 5700 Canadian soldiers, sailors and air personnel who lost their lives during the Liberation of the Netherlands 2006 - Station Saginaw Bay found a 17-foot bass boat unmanned adrift in Wigwam Bay west of Saginaw Bay around 1230. The case has changed to a search for three missing persons in the water. The Coast Guard would like to remind prospective boaters to wear a life jacket and carry a marine radio or cellular phone at all times 2007 - Vice Admiral Raman P Suthan, AVSM VSM assumed command of Eastern Naval Command, one of the two operational commands of the Indian Navy. VAdm Suthan takes over from Vice Admiral A K Singh, who retires that day 2007 - Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz launched the Karachi Port Trust's new dredger. He termed this as an important day for the KPT because of the commissioning of a new dredger and two hopper barges. He said that the very purpose of this dredger to upkeep the KPT channel and to ease the flow of traffic. It will also help maintain the draft which is very essential for the port 2007 - First Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, being built for the US Navy by prime contractor Northrop Grumman rollout ceremony at St Augustine FL 2007 - Authorities in Guinea-Bissau detained 112 African illegal migrants who were preparing to leave for Spain in a boat from the small West African nation. Interior Minister Baciro Dabo said the 112 people rounded up by coastguards at dawn 2007 - The Navy says there's no immediate threat to the public or to drinking water supplies, but it still has a big environmental cleanup ahead after a massive underground fuel spill at Pearl Harbor. The Navy says 359,000 gallons of marine diesel fuel leaked out of a tank and into the ground last week. The Navy has since begun removing fuel from monitoring wells in the area using vacuum trucks and monitoring to make sure no fuel makes it into harbor waters. For now, booms are in place as a temporary block 2007 - Colombian Navy made the largest drug seizure in the nation’s history when it uncovered up to 27 tons of cocaine buried along the Pacific coast 2007 - CO of USCGC Alex Haley relieved of his duties for “loss of confidence.” Cmdr. Karl Gabrielsen was relieved temporarily by PacArea commander Vice Adm. Charles Wurster because the flag officer has lost confidence “in [Gabrielsen’s] ability to command” 2008 - Vice Admiral Raman Prem Suthan took over as Vice-Chief of the Naval Staff in Delhi. He replaces Vice Admiral Nirmal Verma, who has been appointed Flag officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command 2008 - Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead announced the following flag officer assignments: Capt. Douglass T. Biesel, who has been selected to the rank of rear admiral (lower half), assigned as commander, Navy Region Midwest, Great Lakes, Ill. Capt. Jerry K. Burroughs, who has been selected to the rank of rear admiral (lower half), assigned as chief engineer directorate, Code 05, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, San Diego. Capt. James D. Cloyd, who has been selected to the rank of rear admiral (lower half), assigned as director, assessment division, N81D, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington. Capt. Thomas A. Cropper, who has been selected to the rank of rear admiral (lower half), assigned as deputy commander, US Naval Forces, US Central Command, Manama, Bahrain. Capt. Michael T. Franken, who has been selected to the rank of rear admiral (lower half), assigned as deputy director, plans and policy, J5B, US Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. Capt. Paul A. Grosklags, who has been selected to rear admiral (lower half), assigned as commander, fleet readiness centers, Patuxent River, Md. Capt. Sinclair M. Harris, who has been selected to the rank of rear admiral (lower half), assigned as deputy director, expeditionary warfare, N85B, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. Capt. Margaret D. Klein, who has been selected to the rank of rear admiral (lower half), assigned as operations officer, N3, naval network warfare command, Norfolk. Capt. Patrick J. Lorge, who has been selected to the rank of rear admiral (lower half), assigned as commandant, Naval District Washington, Washington, D.C. Capt. Michael E. McLaughlin, who has been selected to the rank of rear admiral (lower half), assigned as chief of staff for navy enterprise, N09X, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington. Capt. William F. Moran, who has been selected to the rank of rear admiral (lower half), assigned as commander, patrol and reconnaissance group, Norfolk. Capt. Dixon R. Smith, who has been selected to the rank of rear admiral (lower half), assigned as commander, Navy Region Hawaii/commander, Naval Surface Group, MIDPAC, Pearl Harbor 2009 - Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler J. Trahan, 22, of East Freetown, Mass., died while conducting combat operations in Fallujah, Iraq. Trahan was assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit Twelve in Norfolk and was deployed with an East Coast based Navy SEAL team 2009 - British forces withdraw from Iraq 2009 - With the words “You have the Fleet”, Commodore Tony Parr relinquished command and in response, “I have the Fleet”, Captain (to be promoted to Commodore) Ross Smith assumed command as RNZN Maritime Component Commander Copyright 2010 Shirlaw News Group ISSN 1710-6966 To contact us: 418-145 West Keith Rd North Vancouver BC V7M 1L3 Canada Phone: 778-968-7447