SeaWaves Today in History April 9, 2009 1682 - Rene-Robert Cavalier de La Salle 1643-1687 erects a cross and proclaims the Mississippi delta the property of Louis XIV; calls it Louisiana and the Mississippi River la Rivière Colbert after the administrator of France; he and Tonty had arrived at the Gulf on April 6 with 22 other French explorers 1806 - Isambard Kingdom Brunel, railway and marine engineer whose works include the Clifton suspension bridge and steamship Great Western, is born in Portsmouth 1861 - Second relief convoy for Fort Sumter left New York 1865 - Confederate General Robert E Lee surrenders to General Grant in Virginia, bringing the American Civil War to an end 1867 - U S Senate ratifies purchase of Alaska from Russia 1869 - HBC shareholders accept terms of Rupert's Land Act of 1868; Hudson Bay Company cedes its territory to Canada 1912 - White Star liner Titanic leaves Queenstown for NY; to pass the coast of Newfoundland in four days 1915 - Submarines HMS J5 & J6 launched 1915 - Submarine HMS G13 laid down 1918 - Destroyer USS Herbert laid down 1918 - Destroyer USS Dorsey launched 1918 - Submarine HMS R12 launched 1918 - Submarine HMS L16 launched 1919 - Minesweeper USS Chewlink commissioned 1927 - Destroyer HMS Ambuscade commissioned 1929 - Canadian Ambassador Vincent Massey 1887-1967 protests against sinking of Canadian schooner I'm Alone; crew released; case of rum-runner to go to arbitration 1931 - Destroyer HMS Beagle commissioned 1940 - U-653 laid down 1940 - Battleship HMS Howe launched 1940 - Destroyer HMS Mendip launched 1940 - Submarine HMS Torbay launched 1940 - Germany invades Norway and Denmark. At Narvik, the 40-year old ironclads "Eidsvold" and "Norge" are ordered to resist any attack by force, but torpedoes sink both from destroyer "Wilhelm Heidekamp". "Ægir" and "Tor" are sunk at Frederikstad. German Cruiser Königsberg is damaged near Bergen by coastal batteries. German Navy forces, committed to the Norwegian Campaign, include a pocket battleship, six cruisers and 14 destroyers for the landings at the five Norwegian ports, with battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau covering the two most northerly ones. Thirty U-boats patrol off Norway and British bases, but throughout the campaign they suffer from major torpedo defects. Early in the morning HMS Renown is in action with the two battlecruisers to the west of Vestfjord. Gneisenau is damaged and HMS Renown slightly. The Germans withdraw. Trawlers escorted by E-boats then brought troops into all Denmark's ports and major islands, giving them control of the vital sea passages, the Skagerrak and the Kattegat, between Denmark and Norway. Airborne troops land at Aalborg airfield and motorized troops cross Denmark's land frontier at Flensburg and Tondern. At Gjedser a ferry came in ferrying troops and an armored train. 1940 - Clarence Decatur C. D. Howe 1886-1960 appointed Minister of Munitions and Supply; phases out War Supply Board 1940 - Destroyer HMS Gurkha participated in the very first moves of the Norwegian Campaign sailing with Afridi and a force of cruisers and destroyers from Rosyth, England on 7/8th April 1940. On the 9th April at 1400, the force was attacked by Ju88 and He111 bombers. One bomb hit her aft end and blew a 40-foot hole in the starboard side. The stern caught fire and the after magazine had to be flooded. Soon the stern was awash and Gurkha had a 45-degree list to starboard. All the lights were out but the wounded were brought up and laid on the forecastle. Many were blinded by fuel oil and everyone had to cling to the guardrails or anchor chains to keep from falling overboard. Some made it to the boats and Carley floats. It was now getting dark and cold. Useable guns fired air bursts to attract anyone's attention. Aurora arrived on the scene. She stopped 200 yards away and lowered her boats. Gurkha heeled over onto her side. Those men who had not lost their hold on the forecastle clambered through the guardrails and sat on the port side. At 1900, she rolled right over and sank. Aurora managed to pick up 190 survivors. They were treated and eventually ended up in Devonport, England and given survivors leave. Gurkha was the first Tribal and first British destroyer to be sunk by air attack 1940 - HMS Sunfish torpedoes and sinks the German merchant Amasis in the Kattegat 1940 - HMS Thistle missed U-4 with a spread of four torpedoes southwest off Stavanger 1941 - Boom defense vessel HMS Barbour launched 1941 - Corvette HMS Aster commissioned 1941 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Leartes commissioned 1941 - U-445, U-446 laid down 1941 - United States-Danish agreement on defense of Greenland by the United States signed 1941 - The battleship North Carolina is commissioned at the New York Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York, the first new US Navy battleship to enter the fleet since USS West Virginia was commissioned in 1923 1941 - Corvette HMCS Moose Jaw launched Collingwood ON 1941 - Submarine HMS Talisman departed Halifax to escort Convoy SC-18 1941 - At 1920, the Duffield, dispersed from Convoy OG-57, was torpedoed and sunk by U-107 WSW of Madeira. 25 crewmembers were lost. The master, 25 crewmembers and two gunners landed at Hierro Island, Canary Islands 1941 - At 0037, the Harparthian, dispersed from Convoy OG-57, was hit by two torpedoes from U-107 and sank southeast of the Azores. Three crewmembers and one gunner were lost. The master, 36 crewmembers and two gunners landed at Hierro, Canary Islands. U-107 misidentified this ship as the British merchant Malancha (8124 tons) 1941 - At 0216, the Prins Willem II was hit amidships by one torpedo from U-98 and sank by the stern within three minutes. The ship was straggling from Convoy HX-117 since the night of 7/8 April due to thick mist and heavy weather. Three crewmembers were lost. The survivors abandoned ship in both lifeboats and were questioned by the Germans, but this proved to be difficult due to the strong winds. They apparently misunderstood the name of the vessel and reported their victim as Dutch merchant Willemsplein (5500 GRT). The master and 12 men in the first boat were picked up the same day by the Swedish steam merchant Klipparen, which unsuccessfully searched for the other boat and landed them at Thorshavn on 11 April. The survivors in the second boat were rescued by Tuscan Star 1942 - U-675 laid down 1942 - U-617, U-662 commissioned 1942 - Minesweeper HMAS Launceston commissioned 1942 - ASW trawler HMS Bonito commissioned 1942 - Submarine HMS Unruffled commissioned 1942 - Following its raid on Colombo on 5 April, and the sinking of Dorsetshire and Cornwall, Admiral Nagumo's Carrier Fleet attacked Trincomalee. Once again, a handful of RAF and Fleet Air Arm Hurricanes and Fulmars took to the air. They inflicted somewhat heavier losses on the Japanese on this occasion, scoring perhaps 15 victories for the loss of some 11 British aircraft. RAF Blenheims also attempted to bomb the Japanese fleet. Unfortunately, the Japanese once again enjoyed success in finding some of Admiral Somerville's dispersed ships, catching the small and elderly aircraft carrier HMS Hermes and her escort, the Australian destroyer HMAS Vampire. Both were sunk 1942 - USS PT-34 sunk by Japanese aircraft strafing attack off Cauit Island Cebu Philippines 1942 - Major General Edward P. King Jr. surrenders at Bataan, Philippines--against General Douglas MacArthur's orders--and 78,000 troops (66,000 Filipinos and 12,000 Americans), the largest contingent of US soldiers ever to surrender, are taken captive by the Japanese. The prisoners were at once led 55 miles from Mariveles, on the southern end of the Bataan Peninsula, to San Fernando, on what became known as the "Bataan Death March." At least 600 Americans and 5,000 Filipinos died because of the extreme brutality of their captors, who starved, beat, and kicked them on the way; those who became too weak to walk were bayoneted. Those who survived were taken by rail from San Fernando to POW camps, where another 16,000 Filipinos and at least 1,000 Americans died from disease, mistreatment, and starvation 1942 - Motor torpedo boat PT-59, on a practice run in upper Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, accidentally torpedoes cargo ship USS Capella; tugs are on the scene immediately and anchor the damaged auxiliary in shoal water 1942 - USN facilities at Mariveles are demolished to prevent enemy use - Navy forces scuttle submarine tender USS Canopus, minesweeper USS Bittern, tug USS Napa and drydock Dewey. Ferry launches San Felipe, Camia & Dap Dap and Canopus motor launches, evacuate men and equipment to Corregidor. The submarine USS Snapper delivers food to Corregidor. Motor torpedo boats PT-34 and PT-41 engage the Japanese light cruiser HIJMS Kuma and torpedo boat Kiji in a running fight off Cape Tanon, the southern tip of Cebu Island; a dud torpedo and machine gun fire hits Kuma. Later that same day, PT-34 is bombed and strafed by floatplanes from Japanese seaplane carrier HIJMS Sanuki Maruand and is beached off Cauit Island. A second bombing and strafing attack by Sanuki Maru's planes destroys PT-34, which suffers two dead and three wounded from her six-man crew in the action 1942 - At 0716, the unescorted and unarmed Esparta was hit by one G7e torpedo from U-123 about 14 miles south of Brunswick, Georgia. The torpedo struck the starboard side at the #4 hatch, blew off the #3 and #4 hatch covers, damaged both sides of the ship and released ammonia gas used in the refrigerating system of the ship. A small fire burned at the point of impact and the fumes forced several men to jump overboard, one of them drowned. The vessel quickly listed 15° to starboard and began to sink rapidly by the stern. Distress signals were sent and acknowledgments were received. Ten minutes after the hit most of the crew of eleven officers and 29 men abandoned ship in two lifeboats and one raft, the master and radio operator left last by jumping overboard onto the raft. The bow of the ship remained afloat and finally sank two hours later. The survivors were picked up by patrol boat USCGC Tyrer seven hours later 1942 - At 0758, the unescorted and unarmed Malchace was torpedoed by U-160 about 25 miles off Cape Lookout, while steaming a nonevasive course at 10.7 knots. One torpedo struck on the port side forward of the #4 hatch and just below the waterline. The cargo of soda ash cushioned the blast and this lessened the effect of the explosion. The U-boat surfaced and circled the ship slowly, waiting until the crew had abandoned ship and fired at 0816 a coup de grâce that struck on the port side aft of the #3 hold. A hole was blown in the bulkhead and the engine room flooded, causing the ship to sink in shallow waters about two hours after the first hit. The eight officers and 21 crewmen abandoned ship in one lifeboat and a raft after the second torpedo hit. This explosion blew four men off the poop deck into the water, one crewman drowned. The survivors were picked up by the Faja de Oro (enroute from Tampico to Baltimore) seven hours after the attack, transferred to a US Coast Guard patrol boat inside Cape Henry and landed in Norfolk. The master, Arnt Magnusdal, experienced another sinking when his next ship, the Jeremiah Wadsworth was sunk by U-178 on 27 Nov 1942 1942 - The Fanefjeld was reported missing with a crew of 18 Norwegians, two Canadians, one British and one Swede. On board were also the Icelandic pilot and a passenger (Sigurdur Oddsson and Meardal Petursey). It was assumed that an aircraft or mine sank her. On 10 April, an unidentifiable body and a life buoy marked Fanefjeld were found at Ørnundafjord. At 1004, U-252 reported the sinking of a steamer of 2000 tons off the NW tip of Iceland. This must have been the Fanefjeld 1942 - The unescorted and unarmed Atlas steered a nonevasive course off Cape Lookout, but after hearing a diesel engine swung her stern toward the sound. With the moon rising, U-552 fired a torpedo at 2000 meters that struck the starboard side amidships at the #6 tank. The explosion threw up a cloud of smoke and water but did not ignite the cargo. The engines were stopped and the crew of eight officers and 26 men abandoned ship in three lifeboats. The U-boat came closer and fired a second torpedo that created a fireball and caused the ship to burn from stem to stern. One lifeboat drifted into the burning gasoline on the water and the master ordered the men overboard as the fire swept over them. The third mate and an ordinary seaman drowned trying to escape the flames. The master was severely burned and the others from that boat all suffered various degrees of burns. A aircraft sighted the lifeboats at daylight and directed a US Coast Guard cutter to them, which picked up the survivors and took them to Morehead City, North Carolina 1942 - Destroyer HMAS Vampire Sunk by Japanese aircraft bombs east of Ceylon while escorting HMS Hermes 1942 - An RAF Catalina reported the sighting of a Japanese Carrier Fleet approaching Trincomalee. The British ships then received orders to withdraw, however the following day, 91 high level bombers and dive bombers with 38 fighters from the carriers Akagi, Hiryu and Soryu attacked the British ships, 80 dive bombers with fighter escort diverged on Hermes (Capt. R.F.J. Onslow, R.N., MVO, DSC) and she and her escorting Australian destroyer HMAS Vampire were sunk south-east of Trincomalee. Fortunately the attack had been witnessed by the hospital ship Vita that immediately set about rescuing and treating the survivors. The aircraft carrier’s badge can still be seen proudly displayed on the side of the Selborne drydock wall 1942 - Corvette HMS Hollyhock was bombed and sunk by Japanese carrier aircraft east of Ceylon on 9th April 1942 1942 - Destroyer HMS Lance Sunk by aircraft bombs at Malta. Later salvaged 1942 - Soviet submarine SC-421 She was undermined on minefield Ursula on April 8,1942 and heavily damaged with failure of all power supply near enemy shores. The crew made a sail of canvas cover and managed to leave the hazardous area. All crew was taken to K-22 on April 9,1942 and after this K-22 sank SC-421 by torpedo. No casualties 1942 - HMS Torbay sinks Italian auxiliary patrol vessel R 113/Avanguardista with gunfire off Patras, Greece 1942 - HMS Thrasher torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Gala about 20 nautical miles west-south-west of Bengasi, Libya 1943 - Submarine USS Parche laid down 1943 - Submarine HMS Stoic launched 1943 - Submarine HMS Tiara laid down 1943 - Escort carriers USS Prince William & Croatan commissioned 1943 - Destroyer USS Bullard commissioned 1943 - ASW trawler HMS Coldstream commissioned 1943 - Escort carrier HMS Chaser commissioned 1943 - MS Bamako sunk by U-515 at 14.57N, 17.15W 1943 - U-300, U-1169 laid down 1943 - US submarines sink four Japanese ships. - USS Drum attacks a Japanese convoy, sinking an army cargo ship about 180 miles NNW of Kavieng, New Ireland Island, Bismarck Archipelago. USS Grayling in an attack on a Japanese convoy off Mindoro, Philippine Islands, sinks an army cargo ship about 10 miles east of Dumali Point. USS Tautog attacks a Japanese convoy in Buton Passage, off SE Celebes Island, Netherlands East Indies, sinking an army cargo ship. Tautog then sinks destroyer HIJMS Isonami as the enemy warship attempts to rescue survivors 1943 - Re-establishment of Commodore rank in USN 1943 - HMS Safari sinks the Italian auxiliary minesweeper No. 295/Bella Italia with gunfire off Cape Carbonara, Sardinia 1943 - HMS Trident fires two torpedoes against an Italian submarine off Corsica. Both torpedoes missed their target 1944 - USS SC-984 grounded off New Hebrides 1944 - 2 Fourteenth Air Force B-25s sink a Japanese merchant vessel off the southern tip of Hainan Island claim 3 fighters shot down over Yulinkan Bay 1944 - US Submarines sink 2 Japanese ships - - USS Seahorse attacks a Japanese convoy sinks a transport about 40 miles west of Saipan, Mariana Islands. - USS Whale sinks a Japanese army cargo ship off the NW coast of Kyushu, Japan 1944 - Japanese hospital ship Takasago Maru is damaged by a mine off the Palau Islands 1944 - Destroyer USS James C Owens laid down 1944 - Escort carrier USS Cape Esperance commissioned 1944 - Submarines USS Blenny & Kete launched 1944 - Destroyer minelayer USS Gwin launched 1944 - U-515 sunk at 1510 in the mid-Atlantic north of Madeira, Portugal, in position 34.35N, 19.18W, by rockets from 4 Avenger and Wildcat aircraft (VC-58) of escort carrier USS Guadalcanal and depth charges from the destroyer escorts USS Pope, Pillsbury, Chatelain & Flaherty. 16 dead and 44 survivors 1945 - RAF attack on Kiel. Kriegsmarine cruisers Scheer, Hipper and Emden are damaged beyond repair 1945 - Destroyers USS Mertz & Monssen sink Japanese submarine HIJMS RO 56, 45 miles east of Okinawa 1945 - USN submarines sink 3 Japanese ships. - USS Parche sinks a minesweeper as she is escorting transport (ex-AMC) NE of Sendai, Honshu, Japan. - USS Spadefish damages a merchant cargo ship off the West Coast of Korea. The cargo ship attempts to run aground to facilitate salvage, but sinks before she can accomplish her goal. - USS Tirante attacks convoy TAMO-53 in Yellow Sea, sinking an army tanker and damages a coast defense vessel 1945 - Corvette HMCS Guelph departed Belfast for Halifax 1945 - HMCS Capilano, a River-class frigate (1943-44 Program) was attacked by U-1023, OLtzS Wolfgang Strenger, CO, in the North Channel. No damage resulted and there was no further contact. Yarrows Ltd at Esquimalt BC built Capilano. She was commissioned on 25 Aug 44 in Esquimalt and arrived in Halifax on 20 Oct. Following workups in Nova Scotia and Bermuda, Capilano was assigned to Escort Group C-2, based out of Newfoundland. She was employed continuously in the North Atlantic on escort duty until 10 Jun 45 when she began a refit to prepare her for duty in the Pacific. The refit was completed on 13 Oct, when the ship was paid off and put into reserve. She was sold for mercantile use and served and served under Jamaican registry as the Irving Francis M. She foundered of the Cuban coast while under tow from Jamaica to Miami by the Bess Barry M, the former HMCS St Boniface, an Algerine-class minesweeper. U-1023 was a Type VIIC U-boat built by Blohm and Voss at Hamburg. She was commissioned on 15 Jun 44. U-1023 conducted one patrol and compiled a record of two ships sunk for a total of 7,680 tons. U-1023 survived the war and was surrendered on 10 May 45 in Weymouth, England by Kptlt Heinrich-Andreas Schroeteler, Knight's Cross, CO. The boat was scuttled during Operation Deadlight. Wolfgang Strenger was born in 1919, at Steinau in Oder. He joined the navy in 1937. He was seconded to the Luftwaffe until Aug 41, when he was transferred to the Eastern Region Naval Headquarters, where he served until Oct 41. He was placed in a crewing holding division until Mar 42 when he transferred to the U-boat force. After his conversion training, Strenger was assigned in Oct 42 as the First Watch Officer in the Type VIIC boat U-553, Kptlt. Karl Thurmann, Knight's Cross, CO (13 ships sunk for 64,612 tons). He was quickly selected for command and underwent his U-boat Commander's Course between Jan and Feb 43. Strenger was appointed to command the Type IIB training boat U-10 from Feb 43 to Feb 43. This was followed by a tour as the senior officer-in-charge of R-boats attached to the 21st U-boat Flotillas until May 44. On 15 Jun 44 he was appointed to command U-1023, at the age of 25. Strenger was assigned as a staff officer with the 5th U-flotilla on 09 May 45. There is no record of Wolfgang Strenger having been made a POW or of his being detained after the war 1945 - U-245 sailed from Heligoland on her final patrol 1945 - While enroute from Norway to Kiel U-804 and U-1065 were attacked by a Banff Strike Wing of 34 Mosquitos under the Wing Leader Sqn. Ldr. H. H. K. Gunnis, DFC. Both boats exploded during this attack leaving no survivors. Mosquito DZ592 was possibly lost to flying debris 1945 - U-843 sunk in the Kattegat west of Gothenburg, in position 57.58N, 11.15E, by rockets from RAF 143, 235, 248 Sqn Mosquitos. 44 dead and 12 survivors 1945 - U-2516 sunk at Kiel by bombs. Wreck broken up 1945 - Destroyer USS Fiske laid down 1945 - Escort carrier USS Vella Gulf commissioned 1945 - U-2548 commissioned 1946 - Oiler HMCS Dundurn paid off 1949 - Submarine USS Pickerel commissioned 1951? - HMCS Montcalm RCNR unit Quebec City assigned a Swordfish, Expeditor & Harvard a/c for training purposes 1953 - HMCS Fraser proceeding under tow of Pacific Salvage Tugs Salvage King and Squamish Queen to Victoria for completion of fitting out 1953 - RCN VU 32, Avenger A/S.3 a/c #91421, & 31 SAG, Sea Fury FB.11 a/c #WG566, Avenger a/c, Lt(P) Robert Christie O’Neil RCN & Lt(P) Frederick "Fred" George Rice RCN, VF 870 Sea Fury pilot on first night familiarization flight flew into cloud just after becoming disorientated, & quickly descended in order to regain visual contact with the ground. Two Avengers were flying in formation just under the overcast when the Sea Fury came out of the cloud & collided. The Avenger crashed into Bedford Basin & The Sea Fury into a nearby hill. Both pilots lost 1954 - Destroyer HMCS Cayuga arrived Hong Kong 1959 - Selection of first 7 Mercury astronauts, include 4 naval aviators 1963 - British statesman Winston Churchill was made an honorary US citizen 1968 - AB Howard Alexander Sheppard was awarded the Queen's Commendation (Bravery). In September of the previous year, while on deployment with VS 880 at Kindley Air Force Base, Bermuda, AB Sheppard, without hesitation and with complete disregard for his own safety, dove into shark-infested waters and rescued a fellow squadron member 1970 - USS Bon Homme Richard port call Pearl Harbor 1971 - Destroyer HMCS Huron launched Sorel PQ 1973 - Canada and US agree on contingency plan to clean up potential off-shore oil spills 1982 - Haig arrives in Buenos Aires. In Buenos Aires US Ambassador Haig is met by large crowds demonstrating the strength of public support for the junta's move. Canberra is ready to sail following a two-day refit at Southampton. During the Conflict almost 70 ships were taken up from trade. These were used as hospital ships and to transport troops and equipment, and included the QE2 and Canberra. Canberra, having arrived and landed passengers in Southampton on 7 April, was fitted with two helicopter pads and had general alterations made to suit her to the coming task. The massive task of preparing ships fell to the dock yard workers, the unsung heroes who worked round the clock to get them ready for their new roles. Canberra embarked 48 hours after landing her cruise passengers, this time with 2000 troops from 3 PARA, 40 Commando and 42 Commando aboard 1983 - VU 33 received its Squadron Colors in recognition of more than 25 years of meritorious service to the RCN and CF 1991 - UN Security Council approves Resolution 689 establishing a United Nations-lraq-Kuwait Observer Mission (UNIKOM) to monitor permanent cease-fire. Naval forces continue counter air-defensive, combat air patrols, minesweeping and maritime interception operations 2003 - SPS Galicia arrives at Umm Qasr, Iraq with humanitarian aid 2004 - RFA Mounts Bay launched at BAE Govan. After entering water, ship rammed an adjacent pier causing extensive damage to the structure 2004 - MV Cape Henry activated 2005 - Submarine USS Texas launched Electric Boat Groton CT 2005 - Pirates armed with parang attacked and robbed a Singapore-registered tanker in the Straits of Malacca near here last night, escaping with an assortment of cash in foreign currency belonging to the crew. The tanker Kyoseimaru was about eight kilometers off the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) when 10 pirates wearing ski masks slipped aboard the vessel at 1120. The pirates, believed to be Indonesians, used a speedboat to get to the tanker. They fled with US$5,000 (RM18,966) and the crew's handphones after tying up everyone on board. The captain, an Indonesian, and his 10-member crew, all Indonesians and a Singaporean later managed to free themselves. No one was reported injured. A shipping agent lodged a report at the Tanjung Kupang police station near here at 0430. It is learnt that the tanker has since returned to Singapore. Police said investigations were under way. The Malacca Straits has been the scene of three pirate attacks since January. However, this is the first time an attack has occurred near the waters off PTP 2005 - RFA Cardigan Bay launched as the £400m project to replace the aged ‘Knights of the Round Table’ class begins to bear fruit. The 16,160-ton Largs Bay, Lyme Bay, Mounts Bay and Cardigan Bay take over from Sirs Bedivere, Tristram, Percivale and Geraint - which have served on just about every amphibious operation since the late 1960s - plus Sir Galahad, which replaced the ship of the same name which was lost in the Falklands conflict. Construction of the Bay class is split between Swan Hunter - building ‘Larger and Lyme’ on the Tyne - and BAE Systems, constructing their two sisters on the Clyde 2005 - Midshipman Second Class Jay Michael Dixon, 21, of Destrehan, La. Midshipman Dixon's body was discovered shortly before 1300 outside and adjacent to the Fourth Wing of Bancroft Hall. Naval Academy emergency and medical personnel were immediately notified when the body was discovered and responded to the scene within minutes. Dixon was pronounced dead at the scene. Initial indications are that he suffered a fall. Dixon majored in Physics and was an active member of the Brigade 2005 - A US Coast Guard cutter transported two people to San Diego who suffered injuries on a cruise ship 22 miles out at sea, an officer said Sunday. The Coast Guard in San Diego received a call at 1842 from the cruise ship Oosterdam. A 78-year-old man had fallen, breaking his hip and hurting his head. As the man was being transferred to the cutter, the ship's medical staff told the crew that a 64-year-old woman had suffered a tear in her esophagus and also had to be taken off the ship. Both patients were taken to a waiting ambulance for transport to Scripps Mercy Hospital 2005 - Northrop Grumman reached a construction milestone by launching the second Virginia-class submarine Texas. This was the company's first submarine launching in nearly a decade 2005 - A Review of security has been carried out at Portsmouth Naval Base after a man stole on to the USS Harry S Truman. The man was found aboard the American nuclear aircraft carrier, anchored off Stokes Bay, Gosport. He had evaded security and boarded a liberty boat taking sailors back to the ship after leave. He was discovered during routine checks. Royal Navy spokesman Anton Hanney said: “We are taking it very seriously, as we would any security breach. Our main focus is to put everything right and to improve our arrangements.” It is thought the stowaway crept on to the vessel by blending in with a large group of US sailors returning from shore leave. He entered the naval base through the city's Historic Dockyard 2007 - Port of Detroit will welcome MV Sandviken to inaugurate the 2007 shipping season 2007 - End of Operation Taconite brings USCG icebreaking season to a close in western Great Lakes 2007 - United Nations World Food Program (WFP) hailed the release of a hijacked ship used for carrying food aid. It was hijacked in February off the coast of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in Somalia. MV Rozen and its 12-member crew, comprising six Kenyans and six Sri Lankans, had completed its contract with WFP on 22 February when it dropped off 1,800 metric tons of food from Mombassa in Kenya to Bossaso in Somalia when it was hijacked on 25 February 2007 - In a fitting setting aboard the top deck of the Cherry Blossom paddle boat -- the largest member of the Potomac Riverboat Company's fleet -- the shared vision for a new water-taxi service that will link Old Town Alexandria to National Harbor will be unveiled. National Harbor is the mile-and-a-quarter-long waterfront development under construction just south of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Prince George's County, Md., and expected to open in spring 2008 2007 - Cape Breton man presumed dead after falling overboard during a shrimp fishing trip off Newfoundland's Northern Peninsula. The 25-year-old man was a resident of Pleasant Bay 2008 - HRH The Princess Royal will open Project Armada at HMNB Devonport 2008 - President Bush today posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Mansoor, a Navy SEAL whose mortal sacrifice in Iraq saved the lives of two fellow SEALs and several Iraqi soldiers 2008 - Deputy Assistant Secretary, Air Programs Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition William Balderson, Deputy Chief of Staff for Air, Space and Information Operations, Plans and Requirements, Lt.. Gen. Daniel J. Darnell, Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition Lt. Gen. Donald J. Hoffman, Deputy Commandant for Aviation Lt. Gen. George J. Trautman III and Director, Air Warfare Division, Rear Adm. Allen G. Myers testify at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Air Force and Navy aviation programs in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2009 and the future years defense program 2008 - Naval Oceanography Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW) Center held a change of command ceremony during a ceremony at Stennis Space Center (SSC). Cmdr. Tony Miller relieved Cmdr. John Van Gurley as commanding officer Copyright 2009 Shirlaw News Group ISSN 1710-6966 Today in History Archives This information is licensed to the recipient only. Images may be subject to copyright. Ask before you right-click. Royal Navy photos are Courtesy of www.oldships.org.uk unless otherwise indicated. To contact us: 418-145 West Keith Rd North Vancouver BC V7M 1L3 Canada Phone: 778-968-7447