SeaWaves Today in History April 11, 2008 ********************************************************************* April 11 1689, William III and Mary II were crowned as joint sovereigns of Britain 1713 - Treaty of Utrecht ends War of Spanish Succession; France cedes Acadia and Newfoundland to Britain, but keeps fishing rights; recognizes British title to Hudson Bay 1783 - Congress declares end of war with Great Britain 1814 - Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated as emperor of France and was banished to Elba 1897 - USS Oregon is first battleship to dock at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton 1898 - President McKinley asked Congress for a declaration of war against Spain. 1899 - The treaty ending the Spanish-American War was declared in effect 1900 - Navy accepted its first submarine, USS Holland 1919 - Submarine USS S-27 laid down 1919 - Destroyer USS Aulick launched 1919 - Destroyer HMS Saladin commissioned 1929 - Popeye the Sailor makes his first appearance as a supporting character in a cartoon strip 1929 - Submarine FS Argo launched 1934 - Sloop HMS Lowestoft launched 1936 - U-23 laid down 1939 - Submarine USS Seadragon launched 1940 - Shipping in the Kattegat is bombed by RAF squadrons 10 Sqn. Six a/c. One returned U/S, one bombed ship without result. 51 Sqn Five a/c. One bombed ship without result. 77 Sqn. Six a/c. One returned U/S. No ships sighted. One FTR. 102 Sqn. Six a/c. One bombed and destroyed an 8,000 ton ammunition ship 1940 - Returning from the Oslo landings, pocket battleship Lutzow is torpedoed and badly damaged by submarine HMS Spearfish in the Skagerrak 1940 - HMS Penelope is damaged when she runs aground in Vestfjord on her way into Narvik 1940 - Both HMS Ark Royal and HMS Glorious arrive independently at Malta, and then depart for Gibraltar escorted by the destroyers HMAS Stuart, HMS Bulldog, Westcott & Wishard 1940 - RAF reconnaissance reports having placed Admiral Hipper in Trondheim on 10 April, plans were drawn up for HMS Furious' squadrons to make a dawn torpedo attack on Trondheim and sink the foe. This was to be the first aerial torpedo attack of the war to date. All 18 aircraft were to participate, 816 Squadron being led by Lieutenant-Commander Henry Horace Gardner, RN and 818 Squadron by Lieutenant-Commander Patrick George Osric Sydney-Turner, RN. Takeoff commenced at 0400, with the entire force taking its departure at 0419, the squadrons proceeding independently to attack from different directions. Climbing to 8,000 feet enroute, 816 Squadron sighted Trondheim Fjord at 0514, the roads being entirely obscured in cloud. Hoping to surprise the foe, the formation commenced a diving attack at 0519. Emerging from the clouds at 3,000 feet, the cruiser was nowhere to be seen, having "flown the coup" the prior evening. Flying towards Skjoren Fjord, the Squadron sighted a destroyer that appeared to be at anchor and opted for her. In actuality the target was Theodore Riedel, which had run fast aground the day before. 816's attack commencing at 0522, all nine aircraft making good drops on the stationary target. But to their horror, about 500 yards from the target, all the torpedo tracks ended, four of the nine exploding. Not equipped with proper maps, the attackers had not realized that the target was aground in shoal water. Meanwhile, 818 Squadron sighted another Maass-class destroyer in Trondheimfjord heading towards the harbor. Unknown to the British, this was Friedrich Eckholdt, returning after her unsuccessful attempt to sortie home with the Hipper. In any case, eight of the nine attackers were able to release their "kippers" on her. Two exploded prematurely, the other six being skillfully avoided. It was a very disheartened band that returned to the ship at 0630. Later that morning, Furious dispatched a two Swordfish of 816 Squadron on an armed reconnaissance over Trondheim harbor. After completing the main task, they opted to dive bomb Reidel, apparently still aground in Skjoren Fjord at 1220. Unfortunately, all the six bombs dropped fell wide of the mark. Both aircraft returned safely at 1345 1940 - Corvette HMS Arrowhead laid down Sorel PQ 1940 - Corvette HMCS Wetaskiwin (ex-Banff) laid down Vancouver BC 1940 - U-435 laid down 1940 - U-5 encountered a British submarine & fired one torpedo without success 1940 - U-7 set out a landing party to occupy the Norwegian lighthouse Marstein 1940 - Submarine HMS Spearfish torpedoes & damages German pocket battleship Lützow putting her out of action for about a year 1940 - On her way into Narvik to support the attack of British destroyers, Light cruiser HMS Penelope ran aground off Fleinver in the Vestfjord and was badly damaged. She was towed clear by the HMS Eskimo 1941 - President Roosevelt tells Churchill that the US Navy will extend the American Defensive Zone to 26 degrees West. The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are no longer war zones. This means that US ships can now dock in Egypt 1941 - Under American pressure Admiral Darlan agrees not to move the battlecruiser Dunkerque from Oran to dry dock in Toulon lest it should fall into German hands 1941 - The German Navy investigates and concludes that none of their submarines are in the vicinity at the time of USS Niblack's attack. The US Navy's conclusion is that Niblack has depth-charged a false contact 1941 - Bangor-class minesweepers HMCS Kenora, For William, Milltown, Kentville, Mulgrave ordered 1941 - Destroyer HMS Blankney commissioned 1941 - Corvette FS Commandant Drogou (ex-HMS Chrysanthemum) launched 1941 - SS Aegeon sunk by U-124 at 06.55N, 15.38W 1942 - USS Trout torpedoes a Japanese fleet tanker west of Shionomisaki, Japan 1942 - Escort carrier HMS Ravager laid down 1942 - Destroyer HMAS Quickmatch launched 1942 - Minesweeper USS Bond laid down 1942 - Destroyers USS Hailey & Hazelwood laid down 1942 - Light fleet carrier USS Langley laid down 1942 - Minesweeper USS Finch sunk by Japanese aircraft off Corregidor 1942 - Submarine USS Grunion commissioned 1942 - Destroyers USS Chevalier & Gansevoort launched 1942 - Minesweeper USS Starling launched 1942 - Destroyer HMS Kingston damaged by aircraft in Valletta at Malta while in dry dock. She rolled over and became a constructive total loss. 1942 - ASW trawler HMS St Cathan lent to the United States Navy in February 1942. Sunk in a collision with the Dutch merchantman Hebe off Little River, South Carolina 1942 - U-446 launched 1942 - At 0422, the unescorted Gulfamerica on her maiden voyage was hit by one torpedo from U-123 about five miles off Jacksonville, Florida. Illuminated by the lights of the Jacksonville Beach resort, the tanker had stopped steaming a zigzag course only 20 minutes before the attack. The torpedo struck at the #7 tank on the starboard side and caused a tremendous explosion and fire. The master ordered the engines stopped and the ship abandoned as the radio operator sent distress calls. The armed guards manned the 4in after gun (the ship was also armed with two .50cal guns), but did not fire on the U-boat. The eight officers, 33 crewmen and seven armed guards began abandon ship in an orderly manner, but then U-123 tried to bring down the radio antenna with the AA gun and fired about 12 shells from the deck gun into the engine room on the port side. In the resulting confusion, a lifeboat capsized, while another with the master and ten crewmen got away in ten minutes. Ten minutes later another boat with only three men left and three others abandoned ship on a liferaft, later they picked up two men from the water. Five men had been killed by the torpedo blast or the machine gun fire and 14 men drowned after jumping overboard. A total of two officers, two armed guards and 15 crewmen perished. The survivors were all rescued by US Coast Guard patrol boats and taken to Mayport FL. The tanker settled by the stern with about a 40° list to starboard but did not sink until 16 April 1942 - At 1855, the unescorted Grenanger was torpedoed and sunk by gunfire by U-130 1942 - SS Ulysses sunk by U-160 at 34.23N, 75.35W 1942 - At 1320, the unarmed Harry F Sinclair Jr was torpedoed by U-203 7 miles south of Cape Lookout, while steaming on a zigzag course at 13.5 knots with USS Herbert & a USCG boat as escort off the port quarter. A torpedo struck on the port side under the pump room between the #4 and #5 tanks. The explosion immediately created a blazing inferno amidships and the crew of eight officers and 28 crewmen left the ship in three lifeboats and one raft, but the men in one of the lifeboats perished in the flames. Neither the radio operator nor any of the deck officers survived, a total of four officers (including the master) and six crewmen died. The survivors in the lifeboats were picked up about two hours later by armed trawler HMS Hertfordshire & the destroyer rescued the two men on the raft. All survivors landed in Morehead City, North Carolina. On 15 April, armed trawler HMS Senateur Durhamel towed the burned out Harry F Sinclair Jr into Morehead City. She was eventually towed to Baltimore, arriving on 24 June, where the ship was repaired and returned to service in 1943 as Annibal 1943 - HMAS Pirie, a minesweeper, and the British vessel Hanyang bound from Milne Bay to Oro Bay were attacked by a large force of enemy planes. Pirie fought back and brought down one of the attacking planes. She sustained a direct hit from a bomb, which tore through the bridge structure and exploded near the forward gun. Seven crewmembers were killed. The Hanyang was also damaged during the attack and had three fatal causalities 1943 - USS Branch, commissioned as HMS Beverley on 8 Oct. 1940, part of the destroyers-for-bases deal, is sunk. Beverley was torpedoed by U-188 was sunk with the loss of all but four of the ship's company of 152 1943 - Two US armed freighters are sunk by German submarines U-195 and U-615 in the North Atlantic 1943 - Corvette HMCS Summerside arrived Saint John NB for refit 1943 - U-615 was slightly damaged by debris, when the Liberty ship Edward B. Dudley exploded after being hit by a coup de grâce from a distance of 800 meters. The commander was wounded and the U-boat was forced to return to base 1943 - At 0549, U-188 fired a torpedo at Convoy ON-176 SW of Iceland and observed a hit on a tanker after 1 minute 34 seconds, which finally sank after 45 minutes with a broken back. At 0550, two torpedoes were fired and after 1 minute 58 seconds and 2 minutes 11 seconds hits on two ships were heard. At 0552 again two torpedoes were fired, which hit a fourth ship after 1 minute 58 seconds and began to settle by the bow. However, Allied records indicate that only destroyer HMS Beverley was hit and sunk at that time. There were only 4 survivors out of a crew of 155 1943 - The new 37mm anti-aircraft cannon on U-181 exploded in action while on patrol in the South Atlantic killing one man and wounding two more. [Matrosengefreiter Wilhelm Williger] 1943 - At 1540, the Matt W. Ransom on her maiden voyage in station #32 of Convoy UGS-6A was struck under the #1 hold by two mines laid on 10 April by U-117 off Casablanca. The explosions threw water 100 feet in the air, causing holds #1 and #3 to flood within one hour. The keel was broken, steam lines were severed and other equipment was damaged. The crew of eight officers, 26 crewmen, 28 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) and two passengers abandoned ship in six lifeboats after 25 minutes because they misinterpreted the order of the master to go for their abandon ship stations. One boat swamped because the men mishandled the falls. The men in the lifeboats were picked up by the American submarine chasers USS PC-481 and USS PC-471 and landed at Casablanca. The master and six men later reboarded the ship, got her under way and took her into Casablanca six hours later, where temporary repairs were made until 20 September. Then she left for Gibraltar for further repairs, arriving the next day. On 7 November, the Liberty ship left with convoy GUS-20 for New York, arriving there on 25 November 1943 - The unescorted Empire Whimbrel was torpedoed & sunk by U-181 about 420 miles SW of Freetown. The U-boat reported the vessel under her old name Monasses. The master, 45 crewmembers and seven gunners were picked up by destroyers HMS Wolverine & Witch and landed at Freetown 1943 - At 2041, the James W. Denver was hit by one of three torpedoes fired by U-195 about 475 miles west of Las Palmas, Canary Islands. The ship straggled on her maiden voyage from the convoy UGS-7 due to overheated engine bearings and was proceeding alone on a straggler route at 11 knots. The torpedo was spotted by the coxswain when it was 40 yards from the ship, but it struck on the starboard side between the #2 and #3 holds before evasive maneuvers were taken. The engines were secured and the ship took a heavy list and settled by the head, bringing the propeller out of the water. 20 minutes after the hit the eight officers, 34 crewmen, 26 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in and nine 20mm guns) and one passenger (US Army security officer) abandoned ship in five lifeboats. A motorboat capsized during launching and threw 18 men into the sea, but they all get into other boats. The master stayed on board for an hour and later stayed with his lifeboat in the vicinity of the sinking until the next morning. The other four boats set together sail for the African coast, but became separated during the second night. The U-boat fired hours a coup de grâce at 2207, which missed. The vessel was sunk by another coup de grâce at 0120on 12 April. Six crewmembers and five armed guards in a boat were picked up after seven days by the Spanish SS Cabo Huertas and landed at Las Palmas on 21 April. Another boat with 15 survivors was picked up in 22°42N/35°05W by the Spanish steam merchant Campana after 13 days and landed at Aruba on 3 May. On 6 May, the master and 13 men landed about 90 miles north of Port Etienne, Rio de Oro. These men might have died there on the desert, but a British patrol aircraft spotted them after three days, which dropped food and medical supplies to them. They were picked up the following day by submarine chasers PC-2040 & PC-1041 and landed at Port Etienne on 11 May. After 23 days at sea, another eleven survivors were rescued by the Portuguese steam fishing trawler Albufeira in 21°55N/17°10W and landed at Lisbon on 10 May, but the second engineer died of exposure and was buried at sea. The remaining 18 survivors in the last boat were rescued after 35 days by the Spanish sailing vessel Juan near Belle Nassent and taken to La Aguerrio, Rio de Oro, but an oiler later died in a hospital at Gibraltar 1943 - At 0022 & 0024, U-593 fired four single torpedoes at two ships in a small convoy consisting of four steamers and three escorts about 60 miles northeast of Bardia and observed a hit amidships on the first ship which broke in two and sank and saw a hit on the second. However, the only ship hit was the Runo. 16 crewmembers were lost. The master, 15 crewmembers and five gunners were rescued and landed at Alexandria on 13 April 1943 - At 2228, the Ingerfire was torpedoed by U-613 and sank within one minute about 400 miles east of Newfoundland. The ship had lost Convoy ONS-2 in stormy weather and was proceeding as romper ahead of the convoy. Six Norwegian and two British crewmembers were lost. The survivors were picked up by HMCS St Croix & Camrose early in the afternoon of 12 April 1944 - A USN PB4Y-1 Liberator of VB-108 based on Eniwetok attacks an enemy submarine while on patrol, claiming a sinking. This was undoubtedly HIJMS I-174, which departed on 3 April 1944 from the Inland Sea of Japan for the Marshall Islands. It failed to answer when called 11 Apr 44 1944 - USS Redfin sinks Japanese destroyer HIJMS Akigumo in the eastern entrance to Basilan Strait in the Philippines 1944 - Destroyer escort USS Pratt laid down 1944 - Minesweeper HMAS Junee commissioned 1944 - Destroyer Escort USS Holder scrapped after torpedoing by German aircraft off Algiers 1944 - Sloop INS Hind commissioned 1944 - Destroyer escort USS Fieberling commissioned 1944 - Destroyer escorts USS Delbert W Halsey & Mack launched 1944 - Escort carrier USS Lunga Point launched 1944 - Boom defense vessels HMS Precapt & Baron launched 1944 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Hermetray launched 1944 - During an air raid on Stettin 5 men from U-803 were killed 1944 - Destroyer escort USS Holder irreparably damaged by German Aircraft off Algiers 11 April 1944. Stricken 23 September 23 1944. Parts used to repair USS Menges. Hulk sold on 20 June 1947 and broken up for scrap 1944 - U-2323 laid down 1944 - U-362 was attacked by an RN Martlet aircraft in the Arctic Sea, and damaged so badly that she had to return to base 1944 - On U-802, an accident required the amputation of a crewmember's finger 1944 - On U-1061 a lookout broke his leg during heavy weather 1944 - U-108 sunk at Stettin, by bombs; raised; taken out of service at Stettin 17 Jul, 1944; scuttled there 24 Apr 1945 1944 - Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-310 was commissioned at Camden NJ with LTJG Orville E. Cummings, USCGR, as commanding officer. Departing the Delaware River on the same day, she arrived at New York on 18 April 1944 and on 8 June 1944 she departed New York, towing the QS-8, headed for the West Coast. Her final destination was the Southwest Pacific. Here she operated during the war at Leyte and elsewhere 1945 - Sabang in the Indian Ocean is shelled by Admiral Walker's British Eastern Fleet. Battleships HMS Queen Elizabeth and FS Richelieu are part of this fleet 1945 - USS Missouri & Enterprise are damaged by Kamikaze attacks off Okinawa along with USS Kidd, Samuel S. Miles and an LCS(L). Bombs damage Essex & Hale. Strafing damages USS Black & Hank 1945 - USS Parche sinks an auxiliary minesweeper off Todogasaki, Japan 1945 - USS Spadefish sinks an auxiliary minesweeper off Tokckok-Kundo, Japan 1945 - RAF Liberator G.R. Mk VIs of No. 203 Squadron based at Kankesanturai, Ceylon, sink a submarine chaser and an auxiliary netlayer in the Andaman Sea in the Bay of Bengal 1945 - A mine sinks an auxiliary submarine chaser off Futaoi-Jima, Shimonoseki, Japan 1945 - Six crewmembers of frigate HMCS Strathadam killed after premature Hedgehog explosion 1945 - Frigate HMCS St Thomas departed Londonderry to refit Halifax NS 1945 - U-2368 commissioned 1945 - U-486 had to abort patrol when her Schnorchel failed 1946 - Frigate HMS Mounts Bay commissioned 1946 - Aircraft carrier USS Leyte commissioned 1946 - Submarine USS Tusk commissioned 1951 - UN Supreme Commander General MacArthur relieved of duties in Korea and Japan 1956 - Coastal escort (ex-minesweeper) HMCS Oshawa commissioned 1966 - Frigate HMCS Outremont arrived La Spezia under tow for scrapping 1967 - Canadian Bower Edward Featherstone convicted under the Official Secrets Act of acquiring confidential naval charts; federal civil servant sentenced on April 24 to 2 1/2 years in prison 1970 - Launch of Apollo 13, commanded by CAPT James A. Lovell, Jr., USN. Former naval aviator Fred W. Haise, Jr. was the Lunar Module Pilot. While 200,000 miles from Earth there was an explosion on board that forced Apollo 13 to circle the moon without landing. Mission duration was 5 days, 22 hours, and 54 minutes. Recovery was by HS-4 helicopters from USS Iwo Jima 1971 - USS Hancock port call Subic Bay 1972 - USS Saratoga commenced her only Vietnam deployment 1982 - Haig returns to London to discuss Argentina's stated position 1991 - Naval forces continue counter air-defensive, combat air patrols, minesweeping and maritime intercept operations. To-date, 553 mines have been discovered and destroyed. To-date, 8,770 merchantmen have been intercepted, 1,117 boarded, and 61 diverted. The Navy has conducted 590 boardings. There are 41 Navy ships in the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and Northern Arabian Sea, including USS Ranger. There are 8 Navy ships in the Red Sea, including USS Theodore Roosevelt. There are 10 Navy ships in the Mediterranean 1991 - To date, 2,386 Naval Reservists have been demobilized; 16,733 Naval and 25,578 Marine Reservists are on active duty. 1991 - To-date, 41 MSC ships have loaded out or have turned around and are underway to CONUS (totaling 168,000 tons of cargo and equipment). 36 ships are loading or waiting to load 1991 - USS Leftwich with Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 3 Detachment 5 embarked, arrives at NAVSTA Pearl Harbor homeport. During a five-and-a-half month deployment, the destroyer conducted 200 + merchant ship interceptions and one boarding, was one of the first ships to fire Tomahawk cruise missiles, was the first combatant to conduct a wartime reload of Tomahawks for continued operations, with embarked helos and SEALs captured the first Iraqi territory repatriated in the war and enemy prisoners of war, and conducted 16 combat search and rescue cases 1991 - UN Security Council declares formal cease-fire ending Persian Gulf War 1992 - USS Midway decommissioned at NAS North Island 2001 - China agreed to free the 24 crewmembers of an American spy plane after President George W. Bush said he was "very sorry" for the death of a Chinese fighter pilot whose plane had collided with the American aircraft 2003 - Cuba executed three men convicted of hijacking a passenger ferry to sail to the US 2005 - First steel cut for the air defense ship (aircraft carrier) for the Indian Navy at Cohcin 2005 - An Indonesian warship collided with a Malaysian navy ship it was trying to drive away from the disputed oil-rich maritime area off East Kalimantan, Navy Chief Adm. Slamet Soebijanto said. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono instructed the Indonesian Military to refrain from taking action against Malaysia as the two governments were currently seeking a peaceful way to resolve the territorial dispute. Susilo immediately held a closed-door meeting with top military officials and ministers to discuss the incident at the Halim Perdakusumah Airbase upon his arrival from a three-nation overseas visit on Saturday. "The President said that such an incident should not happen again in the future as we (Indonesia and Malaysia) have agreed to find the best way in settling the (territorial) dispute," Slamet said after the meeting. The incident involved the Indonesia Navy ship KRI Tedung Naga Malaysia's KD Rencong. According to the Indonesian Navy, the left side of the Indonesian ship's hull was damaged while the Malaysian ship's front was also damaged. The navy claimed the Malaysians hit its ship 2005 - CP Ships division Canada Maritime, along with OOCL, its long-term partner in the St Lawrence Coordinated Service (SLCS), has agreed to charter a fixed number of container slots to CMA-CGM on one of its Montreal-North Europe services. The agreement is expected to take effect in late April after CMA-CGM has withdrawn its existing tonnage from this route. The slot-charter is in addition to the existing agreement between Canada Maritime, OOCL and the Canex consortium that began in January 2003 2005 - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in South Korea will operate a task force soon in preparation for the implementation next year of a Voluntary International Maritime Organization (IMO) Member State Audit Scheme. The scheme adopted at the IMO’s 23rd session in 2003 was designed to help promote maritime safety and environmental protection by assessing how effectively member states enforce relevant IMO Convention standards, and by providing them with feedback and advice on their current performance. It will be a key tool in the battle against substandard ships. A working-level IMO meeting held last month in London formulated documents on the scheme’s principles, criteria and procedures, which will be submitted for approval by the 24th IMO Assembly to be held in November. Based on the documents, the IMO will conduct an audit for its members beginning 2006. As part of the audit preparation, the ministry will conduct a “pre-diagnosis research service” to check maritime safety management systems between April and October in addition to prior examination of administrative and legal, and technical systems 2005 - TOP Tankers Inc. announced today that it took delivery of the M/T Faultless, a 154,970 DWT double-hull Suezmax tanker built in 1992 by Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., of the Republic of Korea. The vessel has been financed with the proceeds of the Company's follow-on offering of common stock announced on November 5, 2004 and long-term debt. The vessel will be immediately deployed in the spot market 2005 - An ambitious attempt is being made to preserve Red Sand Fort, a cluster of seven towers rising on concrete legs from the seabed in the Thames Estuary. It was one of several identical structures erected in haste to defend London from German bombing raids and to help fight off a sea-borne invasion from occupied France 2005 - A Scottish trawler owner has gone on trial at a court on the Isle of Man, accused of the manslaughter of seven crewmen who drowned in the Solway Harvester disaster in the Irish Sea five years ago. Richard Gidney, 41, the sole director of Jack Robinson Trawlers, the company which owned the Solway Harvester, is accused of causing the deaths of all seven members of the crew, who perished when the Kirkcudbright-registered scallop dredger sank in heavy seas off the Manx coast on 11 January, 2000, while attempting to head for shelter at Ramsey Bay in the Isle of Man. The disaster, the worst tragedy in the Scottish fishing industry for more than a decade, claimed the lives of two brothers and one of their cousins and completely devastated the tiny fishing hamlets of Garlieston, Whithorn and the Isle of Whithorn in the remote Machars area of the Solway coast. Drowned in the tragedy were the skipper, Craig Mills, 29, his brother Robin, 33, their cousin David Mills, 18, and Martin Milligan, 26, David Lyons, 17, John Murphy, 22, and Wesley Jolly, 17. Robin Mills, whose wife Karen was pregnant with their second child at the time of the tragedy, stepped in to make up the crew’s full complement after another member of the crew, James Gorman, missed the fateful trip through illness. And Wesley Jolly and David Lyons had left school only shortly before the tragedy 2005 - Port of Detroit welcomed the ocean-going vessel, Olympic Monitor, to inaugurate the 2005 shipping season. The Olympic Monitor, a Greek flagged vessel, was officially the first ship to arrive at Nicholson Terminal & Dock Company 2005 - The Indian government will soon announce a comprehensive maritime policy with an investment of Rs 1 lakh crore of which Rs 60,000 crore will be for ports and the rest for the shipping sector, according to Union shipping minister TR Baalu 2005 - Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31 (VX-31), China Lake, California, has received the Chief of Naval Operations 2003 Naval Aviation Safety Award for outstanding safety achievement during aircraft operations in the United States Naval Air Systems Command. Rear Admiral Mark Skinner, Commander, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division presented the award plaque and citation to an “all hands” squadron assembly 2006 - MS Norilskiy Nickel, an arctic container vessel built under NB 505 at Aker Yards in Helsinki, was delivered to the Russian MMC Norilsk Nickel. The vessel is intended for traffic on the Northern Sea Route. The vessel left Helsinki on March 3 for ice trials in real arctic conditions in Northern Russia 2006 - Rodriquez Cantieri Navali on April 11 signed a contract for the supply of five catamarans for the Sultanate of Oman. Rodriquez Cantieri Navali will build five fast ferries inside the yards of Messina and the times of realization and delivery are foreseen by the end of 2008 2006 - Lawmakers have reached agreement on a law authorizing $8.7b spending by the US Coast Guard this year. The bill, H.R. 889, the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006, was approved by a House-Senate conference committee on April 7. The law includes provisions that will, its authors say, increase the Coast Guard's capacity for its homeland security, illegal drug and migrant interdiction 2006 - ABG Shipyard Ltd has bagged a repeat order for construction projects from Sea Tankers Management Company Ltd. The company would construct six anchor handling tug vessels each for a price of $9.99m aggregating $59.94m, for Sea Tankers, a part of John Fredriksen's Group. The six vessels will be delivered at an interval of three months each beginning from December 2007, and ending March 2009 2006 - Tsakos Energy Navigation Limited (TEN) announced the delivery of the 2005- built 53,000 dwt double-hull Medium Range (MR) product tanker, Artemis. This vessel is the first delivery from the nine-vessel fleet acquired from Western Petroleum S.A. earlier this year. The fleet consists of six 2005-built MR product tankers and three 2006-built Long Range (LR) Aframax product tankers, all with 1A ice-class designations. Upon delivery, the Artemis will operate in the spot market The remaining five MR tankers are scheduled to be delivered to the Company later this month and the three LR Aframaxes are expected to be delivered during May and June of this year 2006 - Union Drilling, Inc. announced that it will exercise its option with National Oilwell Varco, LP to acquire three new 1,500 horsepower SCR IDEAL(TM) rigs for $25.2 million. Union paid $1 million for this option, which will be applied against the purchase price. With the addition of drill pipe, handling tools and other items not supplied by National Oilwell Varco, the company estimates the total price per rig will be approximately $10 million 2006 - According to reports, three sailors are confirmed dead after a ship collision at Wusong, the mouth of the Yangtze River in China, the Shanghai Morning Post reported. After more than 30 hours of searching, Wangang 428, the sunken tugboat was found and pulled from the water. Search members found three bodies in its cabin; one sailor is still missing. Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration contacted their families to identify the bodies. The responsibility of the collision is still under investigation 2006 - USCG Station Toledo rescued two middle aged men in Maumee bay, Ohio at 1443. US Coast Guard Sector Detroit Command Center received notification from a man reporting that his vessel was taking on water in Maumee Bay North East of Toledo, Ohio and needed assistance. Communications were difficult due to the vessel sinking and the men being extremely cold. A 23-foot small boat from Station Toledo was already underway and was able to quickly divert to the sinking vessel. A HH-65 Dolphin Helicopter from Air Station Detroit was also launched to assist. After fifteen minutes of searching the vessel was spotted almost fully submerged. Two persons were rescued and pulled to safety. The rescued men were in good condition and were taken to Collin's Park in Toledo, OH where the owner's vehicle and trailer were located 2006 - HNLMS Amsterdam provided assistance to a man suffering from a possible heart attack aboard a German merchant vessel in the Arabian Sea 2007 - Cmdr. Peter Mongilardi Jr., of Haledon NJ buried at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington DC. The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced Jan. 31 that the remains of a US serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors 2007 - USCG Sector San Francisco investigating the grounding of the 602-foot Norwegian bulk carrier SPAR LYRA in the San Joaquin River. SPAR LYRA was fully loaded with petroleum coke when it broke free from its moorings at the Pittsburg Tesoro Refinery pier at approximately 2:00 p.m. today. The vessel is now soft aground on Brown's Island in New York Slough of the San Joaquin River ============================================================= Sources: Colton Shipping Report, NOAA, MARAD, Marine Digest, Leo Pettipas, Kommersant, Samuel Loring Morison, Frank Pierce Young, Navy Times, Naval Institute Proceedings, www.uboat.net, Andrew Etherington, John Nicholas, US Naval Historical Center, Ministry of Defense, US Coast Guard, Thomas N. Carlson, Jack Arrowsmith, Allan Snowie, Ken Hansen, Andy Barber, John Weiss, Jack McKillop, Bernard de Neumann, Sympatico Today in History, Washington History Link, Lloyds List, Fairplay, New York Times, I-Newswire and other news sources in the public domain. Additions, submissions and corrections are always welcomed. ============================================================= Today in History Archives at: http://www.seawaves.com/newsletters/today_in_history_archive.htm Copyright 2008 Shirlaw News Group ISSN 1710-6966 Photos courtesy of US Naval Historical Center, US Coast Guard Historical Center, Wikipedia Encyclopedia or Naval Museum of Manitoba unless otherwise noted. Images may be subject to copyright. Ask before you right-click.