SeaWaves Today in History August 31, 2010 1527 - John Rut writes to English King Henry VIII from St John's noting that there are 14 French and Portuguese fishing vessels in the harbor; also describes Labrador; the first recorded letter written from Canada 1578 - Martin Frobisher c1539-1594 sets out for England from Frobisher Bay; other 13 ships leave three days later 1583 - Two remaining ships of Humphrey Gilbert c1537-1583 return to Cape Race and head for England; Gilbert and the 'Squirrel' lost in mid-ocean 1591 - Revenge, commanded by Sir Richard Grenville, fought her epic fight against the Spanish at the Azores. An English squadron was at Flores when a large Spanish fleet under Don Alonzo de Bazan was sighted. The rest of the squadron escaped, but Revenge, which was Sir Francis Drake's flagship against the Armada in 1588, found herself facing 53 Spanish ships on her own. In an action that lasted fifteen hours, Revenge sank 4 Spanish ships and repelled boarders at least five, perhaps as many as 15, times. Finally, with Sir Richard Grenville grievously wounded and most of her crew dead, she was forced to surrender. Grenville received the best medical attention Bazan could offer, but died two days later. The Spanish did not long enjoy possession of Revenge. Badly damaged, she was wrecked in a violent storm a fortnight later 1604 - Poutrincourt sails for France leaving de Monts, Champlain and 77 others to spend the winter on St. Croix 1696 - English recapture Port Nelson on the shores of Hudson Bay. La Forest, commander of the post, surrenders to an overwhelming Royal Navy fleet of five ships 1772 - Hurricane destroy ships off Dominica 1814 - John Sherbrooke 1764-1830 captures Castine ME with a force from Halifax; War of 1812 1819- USRC Alabama and Louisiana captured Mexican privateer Bravo in Gulf of Mexico. Later they destroyed Patterson's Town on Breton Island, a notorious pirate's den, putting an end to organized piracy on the Gulf Coast 1842 - Congress replaces the Board of Navy Commissioners, a group of senior officer who oversaw naval technical affairs, with the five technical Bureaus, ancestors of the Systems Commands. One of the 1842 Bureau, the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, continues to serve under its original name 1842 - US Naval Observatory authorized by an act of Congress 1852 - The Lighthouse Board was created and charged with administering the Lighthouse Service, as the Revenue Cutter Service was again decentralized. The board was comprised of Army and Navy officers, and civilian scientists. Channel marking and light operation acquired scientific precision and engineering. Classical lenses and lateral buoy systems were introduced 1855 - A small Royal Navy landing party of five men were put ashore on the Crimean coast to destroy Russian boats and supplies. However, they walked into an ambush. Despite being outnumbered ten-to-one, they were on the verge of escape when one man fell. Bosun Kellaway immediately turned back to help him, and fought desperately with the Russians as they closed in. Despite his efforts, both men were captured. Kellaway's disregard for his own safety was recognized by the award of the Victoria Cross 1855 - Captain of the warship “Varyag” Vsevolod Rudnev born. Died 20.07.1913 1886 - An earthquake rocked Charleston, S.C., killing up to 110 people 1896 - A Japanese shipping firm begins regular run between Seattle and Japan 1905 - Negotiations on the dissolution of the union commence in Karlstad 1906 - Roald Amundsen's ship Gjoa reaches Alaska; first ship to sail the NW Passage 1911 - Battleship USS Utah commissioned 1914 - St. Petersburg renamed Petrograd by a decree of Nicholas II. The renaming of the city was due to the beginning of the war with Germany 1916 - Submarine HMS G14 completed 1918 - Minesweeper USS Peacock laid down 1918 - Minesweeper HMC TR 20 commissioned Collingwood ON 1918 - Lt Robert Donahue USN commission US NAS North Sydney NS 1918 - Destroyer USS Thatcher launched 1928 - Submarine HMS Otus launched 1935 - U-5 commissioned 1938 - Soviet submarines M-31, M-32 & SC-137 laid down 1939 - HMCS Fraser & St Laurent, both River-class destroyers, sailed from Vancouver for Halifax via the Panama Canal, for war duty in the Atlantic 1939 - Large crowds gather to admire and gawk at the pre-Dreadnought battleship Schleswig-Holstein in port for a visit at Danzig 1939 - Three Polish destroyers stand out of the narrow straits between the Baltic and the North Sea and shape course towards the British Isles 1940 - Corvette HMCS Prescott laid down 1940 - U-38 sank SS Har Zion in Convoy OB-205 1940 - U-46 sank SS Ville de Hasselt 1940 - U-60 damaged SS Volendham in Convoy OB-205 1940 - The minelayers were from the 20th Destroyer Flotilla consisting of the destroyers HMS Express, HMS Esk, HMS Icarus, HMS Intrepid and HMS Ivanhoe sailed from Immingham on a minelaying mission off the Dutch coast. The minelayers were escorted by the 5th Destroyer Flotilla consisted of the destroyers HMS Kelvin, HMS Jupiter and HMS Vortigern. Aireal reconnaissance detected a German force and the ships of the 20th and 5th DF were ordered to intercept, believing wrongly that the German ships were part of an invasion force. HMS Express struck a mine and was badly damaged, HMS Esk went to her assistance and hit mine and sank immediately, HMS Ivanhoe also went to her assistance and hit a mine and was badly damaged, so much so she had to be sunk by HMS Kelvin. HMS Express was towed back to hull and took 13 months to repair 1940 - Corvette HMCS Napanee launched 1940 - U-74 & U-98 launched 1940 - U-579 & U-580 laid down 1940 - U-95 commissioned 1940 - An Anglo-Free French task force under Admiral Cunningham and General DeGaulle departs Liverpool for Dakar, French West Africa 1940 - The French colonies of French Equatorial Africa, Cameroon, and Tahiti join with Free France 1940 - Brushing aside the misgivings of his generals and admirals, Hitler has given orders for Operation Sealion, the invasion of England, to go ahead. Göring has promised to destroy the fighter defenses in the south of England in four days and the rest of the RAF in two or three weeks. So the Fuhrer says that he will decide on the invasion date in the next fortnight. The transfer of shipping to the Channel ports is beginning, and plans for a feint attack against the East Coast of Britain have been made. But Hitler has still not resolved a bitter dispute between the army and navy over the deployment of the invasion force. The army has planned a landing on a 200-mile front from Ramsgate to Lyme Regis, throwing into action 1,722 barges, 1,161 motor boats, 470 tugs and 155 transports. Grand Admiral Erich Raeder says that it is quite impossible for his navy to protect such a vast and widely dispersed force. He has told Hitler that the navy would risk having all its ships sunk by the British. Raeder, who was made a Grand Admiral by Hitler on 1 April 1939, says that the army should concentrate on a narrow front between Folkestone and Eastbourne, "Complete suicide," General Halder, the chief of staff, responded furiously. The British would hit them with overwhelming force. "I might just as well put the troops through a sausage machine." During a strategy meeting at Hitler's Obersalzburg retreat, Hitler asked Raeder to give his opinion. "All things considered," Raeder said, "the best time for the operation would be May 1941." This certainly was not the answer the Fuhrer wanted. By next year the British would have had even longer to prepare plans to counter an invasion, the British Army would have recovered from its Dunkirk defeat, and the German Kriegsmarine would still not be able to challenge the Royal Navy 1940 - RN codes are changed and for the first time operational signals are secure from German interception and decoding. It will be three years before the convoy codes are made safe from the German B-Service 1941 - Admiral Hart has advised British Vice-Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton, Commander of the RN's East Asia Squadron that Washington was refusing to endorse proposed British plans for Allied cooperation should war come 1941 - Corvette HMCS Prescott arrives St John's to join NEF 1941 - HMS Upholder fires torpedoes from long range against the Italian troop transports Oceania and Neptunia off the Tunisian coast. All torpedoes missed 1942 - Corvette HMCS Lunenburg arrived Sydney NS to join Gulf Escort Force 1942 - The Japanese Type-B1 fleet submarine I-26, LCdr. M. Yokota, CO, damaged the Lexington-class fleet aircraft carrier USS Saratoga with one torpedo hit (out of six launched). ‘SARA’ was dead in the water due to damage to her turbo-electric drive system and was taken under tow by the New Orleans-class heavy cruiser USS Minneapolis. There were no fatal casualties in this incident. Battle repairs were conducted in a few hours that allowed the carrier to make 10 knots. Further temporary repairs were carried out at a forward base at Tongatabu from 06 to 12 Sep. Saratoga arrived at Pearl Harbor on 21 Sep for permanent repairs that kept her out of action until 10 Nov. The damage inflicted by I-26 removed Saratoga from the Guadalcanal Campaign at a critical time, when other fleet carriers were also damaged or engaged elsewhere, permitting more aggressive action by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Japanese fleet doctrine for the employment of submarines has been severely criticized for lacking an anti-shipping focus, versus the emphasis it received in German plans. However, there was never any question of the German navy fighting a set-piece fleet engagement against any of the enemy naval forces arrayed against her. On the other hand, Japanese naval strategy definitely envisioned a fleet engagement against the USN, but only after the American numerical superiority had been substantially reduced to relative parity. Then, by use of superior tactics, weaponry, training, operational concepts, and surprise, if possible, they would win a decisive victory. The role of the fleet submarine was to cause attrition to the enemy battle fleet to help redress their numerical inferiority. They accomplished this quite well and, on occasion, scored some spectacular successes that had major implications for the conduct of the war 1942 - Sloop HMIS Hind laid down 1942 - Light fleet carrier USS Bataan laid down 1942 - Destroyer USS Walker laid down 1942 - Minesweeper HMS Arcturus launched 1942 - Destroyer USS Sproston launched 1942 - Destroyer HMS Porcupine commissioned 1942 - Destroyer USS Parker commissioned 1942 - U-609 sank SS Bronxville & SS Capira in Convoy SC-97 1942 - U-516 sank SS Jack Carnes 1942 - U-66 sank SS Winamac 1942 - SS Sande sunk by unknown causes 1942 - A PBY-5A Catalina of USN Patrol Squadron Forty Two (VP-42) based at NAS Kodiak, Territory of Alaska, and a PBY of VP-43 based on Nazan Bay, Atka Island, catch the Japanese submarine HIJMS RO-61 on the surface 5 miles north of Cape Shaw, Atka Island. The crew of the VP-42 PBY-5A depth charge the sub and heavily damage it. At 1915 hours local, the sub is located by the destroyer USS Reid which sinks it with gunfire in position 52.36N, 173.57W. Five survivors are rescued from the frigid waters 1942 - Submarine USS Growler sinks a Japanese merchant cargo ship in position 25.43N, 122.38E 1942 - Submarine USS Silversides, on her second war patrol, sinks a 300 ton trawler by gunfire at 33-51N, 149.39E 1943 - Soviet submarine "Sch-130" of the Pacific Fleet is lost when it collides with "Shc-128" at America Gulf. (Later raised and went into service) 1943 - Frigate HMS Parret commissioned 1943 - LCT(5)-154 sunk 1943 - Light cruiser USS Biloxi commissioned 1943 - Escort carrier USS Corregidor commissioned 1943 - Light fleet carrier USS Langley commissioned 1943 - Submarine USS Redfin commissioned 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Swasey, Amesbury & Harmon commissioned 1943 - Destroyers USS Haggard, Miller & Ingersoll commissioned 1943 - Submarine HMS Terrapin launched 1943 - Destroyer escort USS Kretchmer launched 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Forster, John J Van Buren, Stockdale, Cockrill, Edward H Allen & Tweedy laid down 1943 - Frigate HMCS Loch Alvie (ex HMS Loch Alvie) laid down 1943 - Destroyer USS Gregory laid down 1943 - Commissioning of USS Harmon, first Navy ship named for an African American sailor 1943 - Submarine USS Seawolf sinks a Japanese army cargo ship and a merchant cargo ship NW of Okinawa in position 28.30N, 123.05E 1943 - Japanese submarine I-8 reaches Brest from Singapore 1943 - The USN's Task Force 15, consisting of the aircraft carriers USS Essex with Carrier Air Group Nine (CVG-9), USS Independence with Light Carrier Air Group Twenty Two (CVLG-22), and USS Yorktown (CV-10) with CVG-5 with a battleship, 2 light cruisers and 11 destroyers, attack Marcus Island located about 725 miles NW of Wake Island. A total of 275 sorties are flown against the Japanese and several IJN "Betty" bombers (Mitsubishi G4M, Navy Type 1 Attack Bombers) are destroyed and ground facilities are heavily damaged. This strike marks the combat debut of the Grumman F6F Hellcat. The fighting squadrons on all three aircraft carriers are equipped with F6F-3s, i.e., Fighting Squadron Five in Yorktown, VF-9 in Essex and detachments of VF-6 and VF-22 in USS Independence. The Hellcats destroy four aircraft on the ground and later in the day, an F6F pilot shoots down a Japanese aircraft 1943 - HMS Torbay sinks Italian sailing vessel Columbo with gunfire 15 miles west of Kos, Greece 1944 - US Naval TG 38.4 begin a 3-day bombardment of Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands and Chichi Jima in the Bonins, 600 miles from Japan. Under Admiral Davison, these attacks are part of the preparation for upcoming operations against the Palau Islands. During the next two days, gunnery bombardment will supplement the air strikes. This is a diversion for the upcoming invasions of the Palau Islands and Morotai 1944 - RN Fairey Swordfish crashes at Gormanstown Camp, the Irish Army Air Corps base in County Meath 1944 - US submarines attack a Japanese convoy bound for Manila, Philippine Islands. In Luzon Strait south of Formosa, USS Barb sinks an auxiliary minesweeper in position 21.21N, 121.11E; and an army cargo ship in position 21.14N, 121.22E. USS Queenfish sinks an army tanker in position 21.21N, 121.06E. USS Sealion sinks a minelayer in position 21.05N, 121.26E 1944 - USN PBY Catalinas sink small Japanese cargo vessels off Ceram, Netherlands East Indies (NEI); (2) RAAF Mitchells sink small Japanese cargo vessel off north coast of Alor Island, NEI; (3) US aircraft sink a guardboat off Halmahera Island, NEI; and (4) US aircraft sink a merchant cargo ship off Iwo Jima in position 24.46N, 141.19E 1944 - Frigates HMS Start Bay & Tremadoc Bay laid down 1944 - Aircraft carrier USS Enterprise conducted air raids against Japanese installations at Iwo - Jima and Chchi -Jima islands 1944 - Submarine USS Redfish lands supplies and evacuates people from Palawan Island 1944 - Submarine HMS Anchorite launched 1944 - HMS Tantalus sinks a Siamese sailing vessel with gunfire in the Strait of Malacca and damages another 1944 - HMS Vox sinks a sailing vessel with gunfire off Crete 1944 - Submarine USS Surfbird launched 1944 - Frigate HMS Montserrat commissioned 1944 - AA cruiser USS Flint commissioned 1944 - Destroyer minelayer USS Henry A Wiley commissioned 1944 - U-1109 & U-2506 commissioned 1944 - U-2343 & U-2521 laid down 1944 - U-2335 launched 1944 - Minesweeper HMS Courier commissioned 1944 - Frigate HMCS Lasalle arrives Bermuda for workups 1944 - Patrol vessel HMCS San Tomas paid off & returned to owner 1944 - Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-181 was commissioned. Her first commanding officer was LT K.M. Baker, USCGR. He was succeeded by LTJG L. Treatman, USCGR on 17 September 1945, and he by LT Martin S. Hanson, Jr. USCGR, on 1 November 1945. She was assigned to and operated in the Southwest Pacific area, including Biak 1945 - Minesweepers HMCS Suderoy IV & Suderoy VI (ex Norwegian whalers) paid off 1945 - Destroyer USS Wiltsie launched 1945 - Minesweepers HMS Graylag & Harlequin commissioned 1945 - Submarine HIJMS I 401 surrenders to submarine USS Segundo at the entrance to Tokyo 1950 - The ferry Leschi makes its last run, ending ferry service on Lake Washington 1950 - HMS Kenya, HMCS Sioux and Cayuga shell small island of Te bu Somu 1950 - Frigate HMCS St Stephen transferred to Dept of Transport for weather ship duties 1954 - Hurricane Carol hit the NE United States, resulting in nearly 70 deaths and millions of dollars in damage 1962 - Last flight of Navy airship made at NAS Lakehurst NJ 1962 - The Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago became independent within the British Commonwealth 1963 - Submarine HMS Onslaught arrived Halifax for ASW training 1966 - Frigate HMCS Stettler paid off 1974 - USS Constellation port call Subic Bay 1986 - The biggest passenger vessel “Admiral Nakhimov” of the Black Sea Shipping Lines collided with the cargo ship “Pyotr Vasev” while leaving the port of Novorossiysk. The passenger ship sank within several minutes, and hundreds of passengers died as a result of the crash. The grave errors of both captains were the cause of the tragedy 1990 - USS Biddle intercepted and boarded the Iraqi merchant vessel Al Karamah. The tanker was the first Iraqi ship to be boarded since the intercept operations began on 16 August. The tanker was empty and allowed to continue on to Aqaba, Jordan. MARG 3-90, consisting of USS Inchon, USS Nashville, USS Fairfax County and USS Newport, with the 26th MEU embarked, arrive Rota en route Mediterranean Sea. Navy's Fleet Hospital Five announced to be deploying to the Middle East 1993 - The withdrawal of all Soviet troops from the territory of Lithuania was completed 1993 - Government slaps a ban on cod fishing after stocks dwindle 1994 - Russia officially ended its military presence in the former East Germany and the Baltics after a half-century. A solemn ceremony was held in Berlin to mark the withdrawal of the Russian troops from the territory of the former German Democratic Republic. The event was also remembered by the attempt of Russian President B.N. Yeltsin to conduct the brass band of the Berlin police 1997 - Diana, the Princess of Wales, was killed in an automobile accident in a tunnel in Paris 1998 - MCDV HMCS Saskatoon departed Halifax for Esquimalt 1998 - The last anti-missile installation of Russia, a radar monitoring centre at Skrunde, Latvia, was closed. There were about twenty such centers in the world and some 12 on the territory of the USSR. It was commissioned in 1969 and stood near a population centre 2004 - Assault ship USS Guadalcanal sunk as a target 2005 - At approximately 0100 an RAAF AP-3C Orion and its crew assisted in the rescue of two sailors from their stricken craft in the Great Australian Bight approximately 230 kilometers west of the Eyre Peninsula. Launching from RAAF Base Edinburgh, the AP-3C crew from 92 Wing responded to a request for assistance from Australian Search and Rescue (AusSAR). The RAAF crew made contact with the 12-metre yacht and the rescue vessel. The AP-3C also provided assistance to the rescue vessel in locating the yacht by dropping a flare to illuminate the area around the vessel in distress. The RAAF aircraft remained overhead the yacht until a rescue vessel was able to secure alongside the stricken craft. After a total of two hours airborne, the AP-3C returned to RAAF Edinburgh 2005 - Retirement of Vice Admiral P Jaitly PVSM AVSM VSM, Vice Admiral DSP Verma AVSM VSM, will take over as the Chief of Material of the Indian Navy 2005 - A C-130 search crew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater assisted in the rescue of more than 500 people early this morning and saved more than 10 lives while providing support to New Orleans communities affected by Hurricane Katrina. Air Station Clearwater launched the search plane at about 0130 and they arrived in New Orleans at about 0300. The crew acted as the on-scene coordinator for search and rescue missions in the area. The Coast Guard crew was responsible for harmonizing efforts of 23 military aircraft, scheduling refueling, logging the positions of survivors in need of rescue, prioritizing recoveries and tasking rescue aircraft 2005 - The Fisheries Administration under the Council of Agriculture is making efforts to make it clearer to fishermen the extent of the territorial waters of Taiwan. In an effort to help fishermen better understand the boundaries of the economically viable waters, the administration has printed up and distributed a colored map that shows to what areas the fishing boats are allowed to catch fish. Given the high quality printing, which makes the map a pleasure to look at, fishermen have been quite happy to accept the guidelines. However, a number of fishermen said that they have long been aware of where the boundaries for territorial waters stand. They simply say that the nation's Coast Guard could be more active in carrying out their duties to protect the movement of fishermen in those zones, enabling the fishing boats to carry out their activities in safety 2005 - The Coast Guard and Department of Ecology are investigating an early morning boat fire at the Harborview Marina in Gig Harbor, Wash. The Coast Guard received a call from a Coast Guard Auxilalrists at 0730 reporting a boat fire at the Harborview Marina. Coast Guard Sector Seattle and the Washington State Department of Ecology are on scene at the marina. The National Response Corp. has been hired to clean up any oil spills that may be discharged as a result of the burning vessels. The Coast Guard launched a 41-foot utility boat from Coast Guard Station Seattle, and the Everett, Wash., based Coast Guard Cutter Blue Shark was also diverted. The Harborview marina deployed boom to contain any oil or hazardous debris that may have entered the water. It is not known at this time how much oil or hazardous debris has entered the water 2005 - Coast Guard Cutter Spencer, a 270-foot medium endurance cutter based in Boston, is en route to New Orleans to assist in disaster relief efforts in the Gulf Coast region today. The cutter was diverted from a patrol in the Caribbean and will serve as a fully operational command and control platform. They are expected to arrive in New Orleans Thursday morning. In addition to extensive communications systems on board for coordinating disaster relief and search and rescue efforts, Spencer has a fully operational helicopter deck capable of landing helicopters and refueling the aircraft. Local New England Coast Guard crewmembers continue to assist in search and rescue efforts as Hurricane Katrina has left thousands stranded and many fighting for survival in the Gulf Coast region 2005 - Trico Marine Services, Inc. announced that based on a preliminary inspection of its vessels in the Gulf of Mexico, all vessels have been located and none have sustained any damage. Vessels in the Gulf are operational at 100% utilization levels 2005 - Trico Marine Services, Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Trevor Turbidy to serve as its President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Turbidy replaces Mr. Joseph S. Compofelice who served as Interim Chief Executive Officer since March 31, 2005. Mr. Compofelice will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board of Trico. Mr. Turbidy was also elected to the Company's Board of Directors for a term expiring in 2006 to fill a vacancy. Trico also announced the promotion of Geoff Jones, currently Treasurer, to Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Turbidy has been Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since joining Trico in August 2003. Prior to joining Trico, Mr. Turbidy was employed by Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and Credit Suisse First Boston in their Investment Banking Departments serving in a variety of positions ultimately attaining the level of Director 2005 - Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. announced that it has taken delivery of its eleventh vessel, the Osprey I, a 50,206 dwt Supramax dry bulk carrier built 2002. The vessel, which is the seventh Supramax bulk carrier to join the Eagle fleet, will immediately begin service under a time charter at the rate of $21,000 per day, expiring between July 2008 and November 2008 2005 - Cal Dive International, Inc. announced that it has closed an asset purchase agreement with Torch Offshore, Inc. following early termination of the second review of the transaction by the Department of Justice. Under the terms of the purchase agreement Cal Dive paid a consideration of $85 million for two shelf pipelay barges; four shelf diving vessels; the deepwater pipelay vessel Midnight Express; and a portable saturation diving system, together with all equipment, inventory, intellectual property and other assets related to the operations of the vessels 2005 - Kerr-McGee Corp. announced that it has completed an initial assessment of its Gulf of Mexico facilities and all of its major operated facilities are intact, with no structural damage from Hurricane Katrina observed. The company has begun returning workers to the gulf to further assess facilities and is restarting production and drilling activities 2005 - Atwood Oceanics, Inc. (a Houston based International Offshore Drilling Contractor) announced it has entered into an agreement with a Norwegian company to sell the Seascout, subject to US Maritime Administration (MARAD) approval, for $10 million (net after certain expenses), which will result in a gain of approximately $1 million ($.06 per diluted share after tax effect). The Seascout has been cold-stack since its purchase in 2000. Subject to MARAD approval, the sale is expected to be closed in September, 2005 2005 - The Delta Queen Steamboat Company announced today that its three authentic paddlewheel steamboats weathered the hurricane safe and sound in their various up river ports and have continued on their scheduled itineraries 2005 - The Maritime and Coastguard Agency prosecuted Rederi AB Engship, owners of the Borden in South Tyneside Magistrates Court for a breach of the UK Maritime Pollution legislation. Rederi AB Engship pleaded guilty and were fined £5,000 and ordered to pay the MCA's full costs of £4,379.70 after the incident of the entrance to the River Tyne during the night of 14th / 15th September 2004. On that night the Finnish registered Ro-Ro vessel Borden was approaching the River Tyne. A crewman had been sent down to meet the Pilot. On his way down he noticed black oil overflowing on to the deck. The crewman reported his sighting to the bridge who contacted the Engine Room. It transpired a fuel transfer was in progress which was stopped immediately. It was noticed that the black oil had trickled down the side of the ship and a small quantity entered the water. The ship reported the spill to Port of Tyne Authorities (PTA) who then informed the MCA. It transpired that fuel was being transferred from a bunker tank into a settling tank. The high level alarm activated but was acknowledged and cancelled. The alarm re-activated but the response was the same. The engine room staff believed that the alarm was for a high bilge level alarm, which was sited next to the high settling tank alarm. The Borden was boarded by inspectors from the MCA on arrival and subjected to a Port State Control Inspection. They found numerous faults and detained the vessel. After immediate problems were rectified the Borden was released from detention and allowed to return to Finland 2005 - Naval Facilities Engineering Command’s (NAVFAC) Mobile Utilities Support Equipment (MUSE) technicians deployed to Gulfport, Miss., where they will assess damage and urgent utility needs for Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport 2005 - A dive team has found a Navy plane that crashed into Clear Lake in California more than 60 years ago. After a search that lasted for two years, several pieces of the torpedo bomber from World War-Two were pulled from the lake. The TBF Avenger crashed into Clear Lake during a training mission in December of 1944, killing the pilot and radioman on board. The cause of the crash was never determined. During the search, crews combed the area where witnesses to the crash said the plane had sunk and located a debris field that's about two thousand feet wide 2005 - Supported by local merchants’ donations, Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City (NSWC PC) rallied personnel Aug. 31 to load Landing Craft, Air Cushion, (LCAC) with food and fresh water for transport to residents devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Currently, three LCACs from NSWC PC are participating in the relief effort. They are being crewed by NSWC PC civilian and navy personnel and by Navy personnel from Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 4 from Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base 2005 - Following the recent announcement of Austal being awarded six 16 meter aluminum monohull boats for the Water Police in the Australian state of New South Wales the proven design has found favor with the Bermuda Marine Police Service who has ordered a further vessel. To be based in Hamilton for general patrol, search and rescue, dive operations and general assistance to Police departments and Government agencies in Bermuda Territorial Waters, the new boat offers a significant range increase over the current vessel that is soon to be retired 2005 - Australia announces plans to order a further two members of the Armidale-class patrol boats 2006 - Dr Prabhakarn Paleri, Director General Coast Guard will relinquish his office tomorrow after 36 years of service. Dr. Paleri who took over as DG Coast Guard on Feb 28 this year, has been with the Coast Guard since its formative years. The important assignments held by him over the years include the Deputy Director General, Regional Commander coast Guard Region (West), Commander Coast Guard District (Kerala & Lakshadweep) and (West Bengal) besides commanding Offshore Patrol Vessel ICGS Samar and training ship ICGS Varuna 2006 - US Postal Service issued a special pictorial postmark in tribute to the commissioning of USS Texas. The commissioning of the nuclear submarine is scheduled for 10 a.m. Sept. 9 on Pier 10 in Galveston. The special stamp, also called a cancellation, depicts a submarine inside the outline of the state of Texas, with a star marking Galveston Island. It also includes the sub’s name, USS Texas SSN-775, and the date of the commissioning. The Postal Service will have a temporary station available on the pier for access to the cancellation following the commissioning 2006 - Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering clinched an order worth 1.22 trillion won (US$1.27 billion) to build an oil drilling and production platform from the Angolan unit of energy giant Chevron Corp 2006 - Russian scientific research vessel Akademik Aleksander Karpinsky arrived in St. Petersburg from Germany after a record-long Antarctic mission 2006 - At least 30 people drowned when a crowded boat capsized in the rain-swollen Ganges River in the eastern Indian state of Bihar 2006 - Indonesian cargo vessel MV Layar Sentosa, which had been detained by the Mercantile Marine Department (MMD) for over 20 days on the grounds that it was not seaworthy, was cleared for sailing after repairs 2006 - Russian nationals from the ship that ran aground off the Japanese coast brought to the Japanese port of Wakkanai on Hokkaido and accommodated at a hotel. None of the 14 crew from the ship Pacific No 3 were injured. The ship flying Cambodian flag set out from Korsakov to the South Korean port of Pusan on the 30th carrying 25 tons of Kamchatka crabs. At night, it ran aground west of Hokkaido. Japanese coast guard at first airlifted the crew to the nearby island of Rebun, from where they were transported on a ferry to Hokkaido. The ship was damaged. There was a leakage of fuel, and the scope of the damage is being specified. The Pacific No 3 has the displacement of 220 tonnes. According to Russian experts, tankers of such vessels may hold up to 30 tonnes of oil products 2006 - Governor-General Michaelle Jean awarded a rare bravery decoration to a First Officer with the Canadian Coast Guard in B.C. Leslie Palmer, 45, is only the 20th Canadian to receive the Cross of Valour since its creation in 1972 2006 - The Government has formed a committee to oversee the privatization of Container Terminal at Mombasa 2006 - At just after 1600 Stornoway Coastguard received a 999 emergency call from a member of the public advising them that a female swimmer was missing at Mangersta Beach on the West Coast of Lewis. After losing sight of his wife, the first informant had driven over 2 miles to raise the alarm even though he had also got into earlier difficulties and had suffered lacerations to his leg. The Coastguard Helicopter 'Mike Uniform' was immediately scrambled and Coastguard Teams from Miavaig, Breasclete and Stornoway were tasked. Soon after arriving on scene the Coastguard Helicopter located the casualty, clinging precariously to the rocks, which were under constant swamping by the Atlantic swell. The casualty was airlifted, suffering from hypothermia, to the Western Isles Hospital, Stornoway. The casualty's husband was also taken to Western Isles Hospital for treatment to his injuries 2006 - BP America Inc., announced an oil discovery on an exploration well which tested the Kaskida prospect in the Gulf of Mexico. The well, located on Keathley Canyon block 292, is in about 5,860 feet of water, and is about 250 miles southwest of New Orleans. Kaskida was drilled to a total depth of approximately 32,500 feet in the lower tertiary, and encountered 800 net feet of hydrocarbon-bearing sands 2006 - Super Typhoon Ioke, a Category 5 storm and the strongest to hit the Pacific in more than a decade, slammed into tiny Wake Island Thursday, threatening to submerge the US territory, US Navy weather forecasters said. The storm, packing sustained winds of more than 165 mph, with some gusts topping 190 mph, came ashore at about 1000 EDT, and was slowly tracking west, gaining strength over the warm tropical waters, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center reported. Wake Island is located about 2,300 miles west of Honolulu. The US Navy evacuated the island's 188 residents on Monday, flying the mostly military personnel and their families to Honolulu. Wake Island is home to a US Air Force base and a scientific outpost, roughly midway between Hawaii and Japan, and serves as a key refueling stop for US military aircraft in the Pacific. Forecasters expect the monster storm to destroy everything on the 2.5-square-mile island that is not made of concrete. Air Force officials said they plan to send planes over the island after the storm passes 2006 - Noble Corporation's semisubmersible drilling unit Noble Amos Runner established a new world record for the deepest "conventionally moored rig" by mooring in 7,650 feet of water in Green Canyon Block 955. Noble will be drilling at this location, which is approximately 200 miles south of Houma off the Louisiana coast, for Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anadarko Petroleum 2006 - Virginia-class submarine North Carolina (SSN-777) reached a milestone with the completion of its pressure hull at Northrop Grumman Newport News. The final welds joined sections of the cigar-shaped hull into a single unit, protecting the crew and equipment from extreme sea pressure 2006 - One of two men who fell from a boom lift died of his injuries hours later at Naval Hospital. The two civilian mariners were conducting maintenance work on the USNS San Jose at the Guam Shipyard when the boom lift they were in overturned Secretary Of Defense Robert M. Gates announced the President has nominated Navy Vice Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert for appointment to the grade of admiral and assignment as commander, US Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk 2008 - The German company MAN Ferrostaal flew its chairperson and senior officials to South Africa after reports that claimed that the company had paid president Thabo Mbeki R30-million to secure the submarine contract that formed part of the multibillion-rand arms deal 2009 - Vice Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma, who once commanded India's sole aircraft carrier INS Viraat, took over as the new Navy chief 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