SeaWaves Today in History April 18, 2009

 


1775 - Paul Revere began his famous ride from Charlestown to Lexington, Mass., warning American colonists that the British were coming
1814 - The Royal Navy transport Lord Somers arrives in Halifax, having been separated from its convoy in a thick fog and fought a brief engagement with an American privateer
1848 - US Navy expedition to explore the Dead Sea and the River Jordan, commanded by LT William F. Lynch, reaches the Dead Sea
1905 - Submarine HMS A13 launched
1906 - Navy assists in relief operations during San Francisco earthquake and fire
1916 - Battleship HMS Royal Sovereign commissioned
1916 - Submarine HMS E33 launched
1918 - Destroyer HMS Westminster commissioned
1919 - Destroyer USS Crane commissioned
1921 - Destroyer USS Lawrence commissioned
1922 - Submarine USS S-33 commissioned
1923 - Submarine HMS L69 completed. 1923 - From 18th April to 8th May L69 (also known as Lucia) went on sea trials
1931 - Submarine HNLMS O-13 launched
1934 - Minesweeper HMS Halcyon commissioned
1934 - Soviet submarine SC-109 commissioned
1935 - Torpedo boat FS L'Iphigenie launched
1935 - Minesweeper HMS Salamander laid down
1936 - Destroyers USS Dunlap & Selfridge launched
1938 - Submarine USS Seadragon laid down
1939 - Sloop HMS Flamingo launched
1939 - Patrol vessel HMS Shearwater launched
1940 - Submarine HMS Sterlet was sunk in the Skaggerak in approximate position 58.00N, 10.00E by German ASW trawlers UJ-125, UJ-126 & UJ-128
1940 - U-99 commissioned
1940 - U-87 laid down
1940 - Submarine HMS Seawolf sank the German merchant Hamm (5874 BRT) in the Skagerrak
1940 - Destroyer HMS Basilisk involved in the rescue of a Whitley bomber crew that had been forced to ditch in the North Sea during operations to Trondheim. The aircraft in question was Whitley V N1352 KN-B of 77 Squadron, operating from a forward base at Kinloss, taking off at 1735 to bomb the airfield at Trondheim. At 2207 a distress call from the aircraft was received and further calls were monitored over the next half-hour or so. Shortly after 2234, the crew ditched. At around 0200 the following morning, HMS Basilisk came on the scene and picked up four survivors, F/O Chance, Sgt Tindall, Lac O'Brien and AC1 Douglas. The body of the pilot, P/O R Hall (43151) was also recovered, and this officer now rests in Lerwick New Cemetery, though his home was in Yorkshire
1940 - U-34 fired two torpedoes on the British cruiser HMS Southampton, but both missed
1940 - 77 Sqn (RAF) - Three aircraft attack shipping in Trondheim Fjord
1940 - HMS Ark Royal in company with the destroyers HMS Westcott & Bulldog are enroute to the Clyde. HMS Glorious, now in company with the destroyers HMS Walker & Walpole arrive in the Clyde after nightfall
1940 - HMS Furious, after refueling at Tromsø, is transiting the most narrow party of Grotsund fjord when she is surprised by a single Fw-200 of I/KG 40 which drops two 250 kg bombs. One lands very close, badly whipping the hull, and stripping some turbine blades. Although the ship continues operations, this damage will eventually force her home for repairs
1941 - Minesweeper HMAS Colac laid down
1941 - HMC ML 056 & ML 059 ordered
1941 - HMS Urge torpedoes and sinks the Italian tanker Franco Martelli in the Bay of Biscay
1941 - Takao (Kaohsiung) - A Mitsubishi G3M2 bearing no national emblems but belonging to No. 3 "Kukutai" Corps of the Japanese navy, takes off and sets a course for the US base at Legaspi on the Philippine Island of Luzon. Keeping just outside the territorial waters 15 miles from shore they photograph the island of Luzon from 28,000 feet
1942 - U-538 laid down
1942 - U-443 commissioned
1942 - U-377 encountered a Soviet submarine in the Arctic Ocean, but neither boat attacked
1942 - U-505 was attacked by an aircraft in the mid-Atlantic and suffered a small amount of damage
1942 - Motor tanker Victoria damaged by U-201 at 36.41N, 68.48W 
1942 - Aircraft carrier USS Hornet launches 16 B-25 bombers, the first to take off from a carrier in history, to some 400 miles off Japan to take place in the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo. Due to infiltration by an enemy patrol boat, the Hornet launched the planes 12 hours ahead of schedule. The patrol boat was sunk. 
1942 - Boom defense vessel HMS Barflake launched
1942 - Minesweeper USS Speed launched
1942 - Destroyer USS Shubrick launched
1942 - Submarine USS Blackfish launched
1942 - HMC ML 062 commissioned
1942 - USS Searaven, which arrived off Japanese-held Timor Island, Netherlands East Indies (8.35S, 126.00E) yesterday evening, rescues 32 Royal Australian Air Force airmen from the island
1942 - HMS Torbay torpedoes and sinks the German army cargo ship Bellona in the Ionian Sea about 50 nautical miles east-south-east of Capo Colonna, Italy
1942 - HMS Umbra attacks the Italian merchant Nino Bixio about 40 nautical miles south-west of Pantelleria Island. All torpedoes missed
1943 - HMS Unseen torpedoes and sinks the German auxiliary submarine chaser UJ-2205 north-north-west of Isola di Femmine, Sicily
1943 - Submarines USS Dragonet & Escolar launched
1943 - Destroyer USS Clarence K Bronson launched
1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Osterhaus & Parks launched
1943 - Submarine HMS Regent sailed from Malta on 12 April 1943 to patrol in the southern Adriatic & was mined north of Monopoli. That evening a large explosion was heard in that area, which is believed to have been HMS Regent striking a mine. HMS Regent was reported overdue at Beirut on 1 May 1943. All 53 crew are lost. Post mortem on some bodies wearing British uniforms which were washed ashore between Brindisi and Otranto during April and May 1943 gave indication of a sinking three weeks earlier, hence between 18 and 25 April
1943 - U-1201 laid down
1943 - U-382 had to return to base due to technical problems
1943 - At 1239, the unescorted Empire Bruce was hit in the stern by one torpedo from U-123 and sank capsized after being hit by two coups de grâce at 1351 & 1419 about 100 miles SW of Freetown. The master, 41 crewmembers and seven gunners were picked up by minesweeper HM MMS-107 and landed at Freetown on 19 April
1943 - Submarine HMS P-615 left Freetown under escort by minesweeper HMS MMS-107 on passage to the South Atlantic Command to provide ASW escort training. During the night they lost contact but found each other the next morning. U-123 spotted both vessels at 0344 and missed them with two spreads of two torpedoes at 0534 & 0647, one of the torpedo tracks was sighted by the escort, but was put down to a porpoise. At 1101, a merchant vessel was sighted and at 1153 the U-boat fired one torpedo at the minesweeper on station about 300 yards off the submarine’s starboard quarter, but missed. At 1154, a spread of two torpedoes was fired at the submarine, which was hit by one of them on the starboard side, exploded and sank immediately about 100 miles SW of Freetown. U-123 then torpedoed at 1239 hours Empire Bruce and left the area after sinking her with two coup de grâce. The minesweeper picked up the survivors from the merchantman and returned to Freetown
1943 - At 0126, the unescorted Corbis was torpedoed & sunk by U-180 about 500 miles ESE of Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The master, 47 crewmembers and two gunners were lost. Four crewmembers and six gunners were rescued after drifting 13 days in an open boat by a SAAF crash launch and landed at East London
1943 - Corvette HMCS Camrose returned Halifax from UK with Convoy ONS-.2 & support of Operation Torch, the North African landings
1943 - An Imperial Japanese Navy Mitsubshi G-4M bomber is shot down over southern Bougainville, Solomon Islands. One of the passengers is Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku, Chief of the Combined Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy. He is flying to Bougainville to inspect Japanese positions there. The aircraft involved are P-38s of the USAAF 339th Squadron flying from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal
1943 - Lighter Covered (Non Self-Propelled) YC-891 lost off Key West Florida 
1944 - Submarine USS Gudgeon missing off the Marianas Islands
1944 - Destroyer USS Soley laid down
1944 - Submarines HMS Thor & Tiara launched
1944 - Destroyer escort USS Damon M Cummings launched
1944 - U-546 was attacked in the North Atlantic by a British aircraft, but the boat's AA gunners were able to beat back the attack
1944 - Submarine USS Hardhead commissioned
1944 - Frigate USS Sandusky commissioned
1944 - Frigate HMCS Orkney commissioned
1944 - Corvette HMCS Humberstone (ex-HMS Norham Castle) commissioned
1944 - Corvette HMCS Mimico arrived Oban, Scotland & assigned to Western Approaches Command
1944 - Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-163 was commissioned with LTJG Don K. Townsend, USCGR, as first commanding officer. She was assigned to and operated in the Southwest Pacific area. He was succeeded by LTJG C. M. Fish, USCG, on 2 September 1945
1944 - HMS Taurus lays mines off Penang
1945 - Off Okinawa, the battleship USS New York is damaged by a kamikaze
1945 - The Japanese submarine I-56 is sunk by five USN destroyers and a TBM 
Avenger of Torpedo Squadron Forty Seven (VT-47) in the light aircraft carrier USS Bataan 150 miles east of Okinawa at 26.42N, 130.38E
1945 - Minesweeper HMCS St Boniface collided with SS Empire Chamois in the Halifax Approaches. The collision occurred as the 17-ship Convoy SC-173 formed up for passage to Liverpool, St Boniface suffered extensive damage to her bows but was able to make Halifax under her own power. St Boniface, following her collision, which took place only 3 days after LCdr Watson assumed command. St Boniface was built by the Port Arthur Shipbuilding Company at Port Arthur, Ontario. She was commissioned on 10 Sep 43. Following her transit to Halifax and workups, she was assigned to Escort Group W-5 and, later, W-4 of the Western Escort Force, both times as the Senior Officer’s flagship. In Dec 44, she was refitted and again worked up before being assigned to Escort Group W-4. Following her collision, which took place only three days after LCdr. Watson assumed command, she was under repair in Halifax for three months before being assigned to HMCS Cornwallis as a training ship. She was paid off on 25 Sep 46 and sold for mercantile service under Panamanian registry as Bess Barry M. While under this name, she was engaged in the towing of the former HMCS Capilano, a River-class frigate (1943-44 Program), under Jamaican registry as Irving Francis M Capilano, which foundered off the Cuban coast while en route from Jamaica to Miami. The final fate of the former St Boniface is unknown, although she it is likely she was broken up for scrap sometime in the 1950s
1945 - U-218 laid 14 mines off the Clyde estuary, resulting in a sinking on the same day
1945 - U-1301 collided with the German submarine chaser Brake in very misty weather and sustained some damage
1945 - At 1015, U-1107 attacked Convoy HX-348 about 70 miles west of Brest and torpedoed two ships, the Cyrus H. McCormick and Empire Gold. Cyrus H. McCormick in station #101 was hit by one torpedo on the starboard side between the #1 and #2 holds. Both holds flooded rapidly, the ship settled by the head and sank in less than four minutes. The most of her crew of eight officers, 32 men, 12 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 3in and nine 20mm guns) and one US Army security officer abandoned ship on two of four rafts or jumped overboard. One officer, three men and two armed guards died. An hour later they were picked up by the British rescue ship Gothland and were taken to Gourock. The master, 37 crewmembers & five gunners from the Empire Gold were lost. Four crewmembers were picked up by the British rescue ship Gothland and landed at Greenock on 21 April
1945 - At 0555, U-245 attacked Convoy TAM-142 10 miles ESE of North Foreland and claimed the sinking of two steamers. The U-boat also fired a Gnat at a corvette and heard an end-of-run detonation after 16 minutes. The xB-Dienst suggested a success. However, only the Karmt and Filleigh were hit and sunk. The master, 37 crewmembers, ten gunners and the Belgian pilot from the Filleigh were picked up by a British escort vessel and landed at Dover. Five crewmembers were lost. Karmt sank 207° two miles from South Falls Buoy. Four crewmembers were lost. 37 crewmembers and the Belgian pilot, who had embarked at The Downs, were rescued. Karmt also carried valuable minerals, including gold and tin concentrate, which was salvaged after the war by Risdon Breazley
1945 - Steam tanker Swiftscout sunk by U-857 at 37.30N, 73.03W 
1945 - U-2369 commissioned
1945 - U-2371 launched
1945 - Submarine HMS Tireless commissioned
1946 - The League of Nations is formally dissolved, its assets passing to the United Nations
1946 - Japanese sub chaser Cha 81 CTL after grounding at Matsushita
1946 - Japanese patrol craft Pa 137 sank after running aground near Yoshimi
1946 - Japanese patrol craft Pa 176 wrecked after grounding in rough weather near Yoshimi
1957 - The Hawker Sea Fury FB 11 was officially struck off strength from the Royal Canadian Navy. The following commemorative statement was penned by Stu Soward - "The initial years the Furies were in RCN service were hardly a success due to the rash of accidents, many of which were caused by engine failure. By 1952, however, the flying rate had increased dramatically, with a simultaneous, significant lowering of the accident rate. Indicative of the improved flying statistics, the Safe Flying Trophy had been awarded twice to Sea Fury squadrons. The Fury was a beautiful aircraft to fly and performed splendidly in the intercept fighter and fighter-bomber role. It truly was the ultimate development of the long line of piston engine fighter aircraft, and all those who flew it will remember its smooth handling characteristics and rugged beauty" 
1958 - Burmese minesweeper Van Myo Aung (ex-HMS Mariner, ex-HMCS Kincardine) commissioned
1968 - London Bridge is sold for £1 million to oil tycoon Robert McCullough. He has it rebuilt at Lake Havasu in the United States
1968 - USS Ticonderoga port call Subic Bay
1968 - USS Coral Sea completed Vietnam deployment
1978 - US Senate voted 68-32 to turnover Panama Canal to Panamanian control Dec 31, 1999
1979 - China-US trade resumes as MV Liulinhai docks at Port of Seattle 
1987 - US Navy destroys 2 Iranian drilling platforms and frigate in retaliation for attack on USS Samuel B Roberts
1998 - MCDV HMCS Yellowknife commissioned
2003 - Ocean surveillance ship USNS Prevail transferred to Naval Sea Systems Command for further service. Renamed Prevail TSV-1 as a training support vessel replacing Gosport 
2004 - Two sailors from USS Kitty Hawk, one suffering from pneumonia and one with a broken arm, have been evacuated from a warship off the far north coast of Western Australia. A Defense Department spokesman said the two sailors, believed to be aged in their 20s, were yesterday lifted from the aircraft carrier near Exmouth, 1200-km north of Perth. The male sailors were flown in a navy aircraft to Pearce Airbase and were then taken by ambulance to Royal Perth Hospital, where the man suffering from pneumonia is now in intensive care
2005 - British Ministry of Defense has flatly rejected a French magazine claim that British nuclear submarine HMS Turbulent could have been responsible for the mysterious sinking of French trawler Bugaled Breizhin broad daylight off Cornwall in January last year. The sinking, in which the five crew lost their lives, was originally thought to have been caused by a collision with a merchant ship. This theory has seemed improbable, however, since the vessel, which was lifted from the seabed last sum-mer, was found to have impact marks on either side of its keel rather than on its hull. A recent French report, commissioned by relatives and former colleagues of the dead trawlermen, concluded that the sinking was probably caused by a submarine "hooking" one of the vessel's trawl cables. Suspicion to date, however, has been focused on Dutch submarine Dolfijn despite the insistence of the Dutch authorities that it was 15-20 km away from the trawler at the time of the sinking. Now, however, journalists working for the French newsmagazine Le Point and a television documentary program have suggested that HMS Turbulent could have been responsible for the sinking. They claim, in particular, that Turbulent returned to Devonport the day after the sinking for repairs to damage it had apparently suffered at sea. Citing French trawler skippers present in the area at the time of the sinking and British sources, they say that submarines from a number of European countries were taking part in an exercise in the area on January 15, as was proved by warnings to shipping broadcast by the British coastguard. They say that two British submarines had been due to participate. One, HMS Torbay, did so but the other, apparently, did not. They suggest that the second submarine may have been HMS Turbulent, prevented from taking part in the exercise by the incident, which forced it to return to port for repair. A British Ministry of Defense spokesman dismissed the French report as "complete nonsense" yesterday. It accused its instigator of failing to check their facts, which he said had already been detailed in parliamentary questions on the subject
2005 - Mr. Nils Smedegaard Andersen was elected as new member of the Board of A.P. Møller - Mærsk A/S. Nils Smedegaard Andersen is the President, Chief Executive Officer of Carlsberg A/S and member of the Board in a number of subsidiaries in the Carlsberg Group, William Demant Holding A/S and Oticon A/S
2005 - Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre announced the appointment of Captain Louis Rheaume of Sillery, Quebec as a member of the Laurentian Pilotage Authority
2005 - Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre announced the appointment of Mr. Douglas A. Tilley as a member of the Atlantic Pilotage Authority. Mr. Tilley graduated from Memorial University with a bachelor of commerce degree. He began his extensive career with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans working on a costs and earnings study on various fishing vessel enterprises. He then became the fisheries wartime emergency planning officer for the Newfoundland Region. Before leaving the public service, he was the director of operations for the Northern Cod Assistance and Recovery Program. Mr. Tilley was also a naval officer in the Canadian Naval Reserve Unit for 20 years. He is currently a member of the Naval Officers Association of Canada and the Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador
2005 - A Coast Guard helicopter rescue crew from Air Station Kodiak airlifted a 55-year-old Port Lions woman and transported her to Kodiak for medical care. An official at the Kodiak Public Health Services contacted the Coast Guard for assistance after the unidentified woman suffered from pneumonia and respiratory arrest. A Coast Guard helicopter crew landed in Port Lions, took the patient aboard and transported her to a medical facility in Kodiak for treatment about 0830
2005 - Coast Guard Station Portland OR received the Sumner I. Kimball Award for having a high level of operational readiness. The award was presented by the 13th Coast Guard District Commander, Rear Adm. Jeffrey Garrett, during an all-hands ceremony at the unit. The Kimball Award is designed to recognize high readiness by shore units where motor lifeboats, utility boats, response boats and stern loading buoy boats are stationed. This award recognizes excellence in crew proficiency, boat and personal protective equipment condition and compliance with established training documentation requirements as essential readiness components. The award was named for Sumner I. Kimball; the General Superintendent of the US Lifesaving Service from 1878 - 1915. He became head of the revenue marine service of the Treasury Dept., and his investigations into shipwrecks along the Atlantic coast led to a reorganization of lifesaving methods. Kimball commanded the Life-Saving Service from its inception in 1878 until it became part of the US Coast Guard in 1915. Station Portland is responsible for search and rescue efforts on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers
2005 - Tsakos Energy Navigation Limited (TEN) announced that it has taken delivery of a 164,608 dwt 1C ice-class double- hull crude oil tanker, built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea. The vessel, named Eurochampion 2004 in honor of Greece winning the EURO 2004(TM) soccer tournament last summer, is suited to operate in most of the major ice-bound trade routes. Management plans to employ the vessel in the spot market, for the foreseeable future, in order to take full advantage of the current strength in freight rates
2005 - Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre today announced the appointments of Mr. Paul-E. Barbeau of Saint-Nicolas, Quebec, Mr. Jean Chiasson of Charlesbourg, Quebec, and Mr. Louis Rochette of Sillery, Quebec to the board of directors of the Quebec Port Authority. Mr. Barbeau is currently the president and founder of both NWC-EducExpert Inc. and Aquaroute Inc. He studied naval architecture at the Institut maritime du Quebec before receiving his bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering and naval architecture at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. He was a professor at the Institut de technologie maritime du Quebec, an engineer for the National Harbors Board (today known as Canada Ports Corporation) at the Port of Quebec and director of Enerchem Inc. Mr. Barbeau has also been president of various boards of directors and vice-president of the Fondation les enfants d’amour. Mr. Chiasson, a chartered accountant, is an associate with Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton & Co. He received his bachelor of business administration degree from the University of Moncton and specialized in accounting at Universite Laval. He began his career as an auditor with Ernst & Young before joining Corbeil Boudreau as an auditor and financial consultant. He is a member of the Turnaround Management Association, l’Ordre des comptables agrees du Quebec and the Canadian Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Professionals. Mr. Rochette graduated from Universite Laval with a bachelor of law degree. He is a member of the Bar Association of Quebec, the Bar Association of Canada, the International Union of Lawyers, the Licensing Executives Society, and the Regional Chamber of Commerce of Entrepreneurs of Quebec. Mr. Rochette is currently chief executive officer at the Quebec office of the law firm Lavery, de Billy
2005 - North Korea returned a South Korean fisherman in what appears to be a conciliatory gesture to improve soured relations with South Korea. A North Korean vessel handed over the fisherman, Hwang Hong-ryon, and his 3.9-ton ship to two South Korean maritime police patrol boats at the eastern sea border at around 1500 five days after he crossed the sensitive border aboard a vessel
2005 - The crew of a Coast Guard HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Group/Air Station Astoria OR was recognized for heroic actions performed during a long distance rescue off the Washington coast. Commander Karl Baldessari, Ens. Amy Sandbothe, Petty Officer 2nd Class Stephanie Sera and Petty Officer 3rd Class Gabriel Sage will be awarded the Air Medal for heroic achievement in aerial flight. On Oct. 19, 2004, the crew responded to a distress call from the 55-foot sailing vessel Kamaa, nearly 200-miles off the coast of Washington, after the vessel was caught in a storm that threatened the lives of the two men aboard. Robert Wallace, a 59-year-old man from Massachusetts, and Joe Dubose, a 33-year-old man from Hawaii, were safely lifted into the helicopter despite 50-knot winds and 20-30-foot seas. The Kamaa's engine was disabled, the foc'sle was split and several portholes were blown out
2005 - USCGC Liberty escorted the new "Polar" tanker Alaskan Explorer into Juneau during the tanker's two-day visit to the state capital
2005 - Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre today announced the appointment of Mr. François Massicotte of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, to the board of directors of the Trois-Rivieres Port Authority. Mr. Massicotte graduated with a law degree from Universite Laval in 1992. He is currently president of Groupe SFP resources humaines inc. Trois-Rivieres. He is also the president of Regroupement des jeunes gens d’affaires du Quebec, a member of the board of directors of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Quebec and a past member of the board of directors of the Chambre de commerce et d’industries de Trois-Rivieres
2005 - Innovation Maritime will receive $200,000 to evaluate the use of B20 on a ship’s auxiliary power units while in the Port of Montreal. In addition to demonstrating the use of B20 in a marine environment, this project will address a vital industry need for information on how ships’ engines will respond to biodiesel fuel in terms of maintenance costs and fuel-efficiency, and will assess the possibility of larger-scale use
2005 - Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre today announced the appointments of Mr. Wayne H. Stoilen of South Delta, British Columbia, and Ms. Susanne Stushnoff of Prince Rupert, British Columbia, to the board of directors of Ridley Terminals Inc. Mr. Stoilen retired in 1999 after serving 28 years as executive vice-president of the Canadian Stevedoring Company Limited and Casco Terminals Limited, which provide stevedoring and terminal services at British Columbia ports. He is past president and member of the board of directors of the BC Wharf Operators Association. Mr. Stoilen is a chartered accountant and currently provides consulting services to a variety of marine industry clients. Ms. Stushnoff is a past member of the board of directors of the Prince Rupert Port Authority where she served as member of the Audit Committee and chair of the Code of Conduct and Human Resources Committees. Prior to this position, Ms. Stushnoff was responsible for the management of human resources personnel for the North Coast Community Health Council. She is currently a member of the Law Society of British Columbia and the British Columbia Mediator Roster Society. Ms. Stushnoff has lived in Prince Rupert since 1991 and has operated a law firm in the area since 1993
2005 - Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre today announced the appointment of Mr. Andre Rioux of Sept-Iles, Quebec, to the board of directors of the Sept-Iles Port Authority. Mr. Rioux received his bachelor of business administration degree and his license in accounting from the University of Laval. He was a professor of accounting and taxation and department head of administrative sciences at the University of Quebec at Rimouski. Mr. Rioux was named Fellow by the Ordre des comptables agrees du Quebec and is an associate for Mallette, an accounting firm. He is also on the board of directors of the Corporation de development economique de Sept-Iles
2005 - Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre today proposed the reappointment of Mr. Brian Charles Ducharme as chair of the Great Lakes Pilotage Authority. The proposed appointment will be referred to the Standing Committee on Transport for review. 
"I am very pleased to recommend that Mr. Ducharme continue to serve in this leadership role with the Great Lakes Pilotage Authority,” said Mr. Lapierre. “His extensive experience in law and his commitment to local organizations will be a tremendous asset for the authority." 
Brian Charles Ducharme received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Windsor in 1972 and then his bachelor of laws in 1977. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1978 and is currently a partner in the law firm Monforton, Robitaille, Ducharme & Skipper. Mr. Ducharme has been the director of the University of Windsor Alumni Association; vice-president of the Windsor Club; member and president of the board of directors of Hiatus House, a home for battered women and children in the Windsor region; and the founding president of the Windsor Essex Bilingual Legal Clinic
2005 - Former prime minister Jean Chretien's government took too long to purchase four used British submarines, a decision that may have contributed to the deterioration of the vessels, a parliamentary committee has found. "There's no question there was … unacceptable political delay in this," said Liberal MP Pat O'Brien, chair of the Commons defense committee. "The process, the decision-making, becomes very political and very complicated and it causes unacceptable delays from the point of view of getting the Canadian Forces the equipment they need in a timely fashion," he said. The committee, which released its report Monday, launched its investigation of Canada's submarine program after a fire broke out aboard submarine HMCS Chicoutimi, killing one sailor. The committee reported that Ottawa began looking at the British subs in the mid-1990s. But at the time, the government was slashing programs to eradicate the federal deficit and new military spending was not a high priority. The committee pointed out that as early as April 1995 most of the submarines had been tied to a wharf for many months. "Both the prime minister and the navy should have been concerned at this time about the effects of long periods of inactivity on the machinery aboard complex vessels like submarines," the committee reported. The government didn't finally decide to buy the four subs until 1998. By that time, the boats had been sitting at dockside for four years
2005 - The US Naval Academy family was deeply saddened when a naval officer assigned to the Academy died the afternoon of April 18. The identity of the junior officer is being withheld pending notification of the next of kin. Initial indications are that the officer collapsed near one of the Academy's athletic fields around 1300 after completing a routine physical readiness test. Emergency personnel were immediately notified and responded to the scene within minutes. The officer was taken to Anne Arundel Medical Center where he was pronounced dead later in the afternoon
2005 - At 2045 Brixham Coastguard received an emergency 999 call on a mobile phone from a lone yachtsman who had suffered engine failure, and was being harassed by a pod of whales. The yachtsman called Brixham Coastguard after suffering an engine and total power failure and being unsure of his position. His situation was further exacerbated by the fact his vessel was being harassed by a pod of whales. Upon receiving the phone call from this gentleman, who was unsure of his position due to his lack of power and not being in sight of land, he was asked to use his handheld VHF radio that he had on board. This enabled the Rescue coordination center to obtain a bearing on his signal using their directional finding equipment Prawle point Coastguard rescue team, Salcombe RNLI lifeboat and R193 from RNAS Culdrose who had just completed another mission were all called to assist in the search. Brixham Coastguard were able to pick up his signal from another aerial which then gave them a cross bearing to enable them to direct the search units to find him. When the search units were close to his position, he was also able to assist the units by firing a red flare. He was eventually found in a position 8 miles south east of Start Point. Hope Cove Coastguard met the vessel on arrival at Salcombe
2005 - Xtreme Companies, Inc.,  the exclusive marketer and distributor of the Challenger Offshore marine line of boats, announced today the sale of an additional five Challenger boats to Missouri-based Lifeline Marine, Inc., a newly signed addition to the expanding dealer network offering the Challenger line
2005 - Coast Guard Air Station Sitka responded to the grounded fishing vessel Karen Jean. Two other Good Samaritan vessels and crews also responded and proceeded to the scene. The Karen Jean began its journey in Wrangell, transiting to Ketchikan when the grounding occurred, and the four persons on board did not sustain any injuries. The vessel did not take on water, and the operator did not observe any significant damage to his vessel. The crewmembers aboard Karen Jean rigged lines from the stern of the vessel to the shore to hold the vessel in place and transferred personal belongings to its sister ship, the Little Lady. Karen Jean's crew remained on board the Little Lady overnight and floated the vessel at high tide
2005 - The crew of USS Carl Vinson was awarded the 2004 Battle Efficiency Award (Battle "E") for West Coast carriers. The hard-earned award was announced to the crew in a naval message from Vice Adm. James Zortman, commander of Naval Air Forces. This award marks the “Gold Eagle’s” fourth in 25 years of honorable service. Vinson received its last Battle E in 2002
2005 - USS Harry S. Truman won the 2004 East Coast Battle Efficiency (Battle 'E') Award for the second consecutive year. Crewmembers learned of the win as the ship pulled into its homeport of Norfolk from her six-month deployment to the Persian Gulf
2006 - North American Conference on Shortsea Shipping held in Vancouver from April 18 to April 20, 2006. The Conference is the result of collaboration between Canada, the United States, and Mexico following the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation on Shortsea Shipping in 2003. The Conference also represents a commitment between the three nations under the Security and Prosperity Partnership, a trilateral action plan designed to increase the security, prosperity, and quality of life in North America. The Conference is intended to promote shortsea shipping and to facilitate discussion of the contribution from the marine mode within an integrated North American transportation system. Through the exchange of knowledge and ideas, the three nations will endeavor to enhance the understanding of the advantages and challenges associated with shortsea shipping. By facilitating new discussions and building upon previous efforts, the conference is designed to lay the foundation for all participants to begin developing a shared shortsea shipping strategy
2006 - More than 700 Sailors on two surface ships “surged” as part of the Global War on Terrorism Surface Strike Group (GWOT SSG) 06-2. The amphibious transport dock USS Trenton, homeported at Naval Station Norfolk and the guided-missile cruiser USS Hue City homeported at Naval Station Mayport deployed. The guided-missile destroyer USS James E Williams homeported at Naval Station Norfolk will depart at a later date to join the group
2006 - Conrad Industries, Inc. has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the US Army Engineer District, Philadelphia for the issuance of a modification for $4.3m to increase the contract price of the contract entered into in September 2002 to design, construct, test and deliver four towboats. In addition, the agreement provides for time extensions to complete certain aspects of the contract
2006 - Russia's Pacific Fleet were involved in week-long naval and air exercises off the Kamchatka Peninsula. The military's press service said more than 30 ships and submarines and more than 10 aircraft began practicing interoperability in simulated combat operations with coastal defense troops. The exercises include direct artillery firing practices, missile and torpedo launches, troop transport and beach landings, the Novosti news agency said. Anti-submarine ships will also have to identify and destroy an "enemy" submarine, with backup from anti-submarine aircraft and helicopters. The Norwegian environmental group Bellona says Russia's Pacific fleet operates about 20 nuclear submarines based near Vladivostok and on the Kamchatka Peninsula
2006 - At Fincantieri’s Muggiano shipyard, there was the christening ceremony of the fast ferry “Gotlandia II”, ordered in June 2004 by the Swedish owner Rederi A.B. Gotland for its Destination Gotland subsidiary. The ship, which was built at Fincantieri’s Riva Trigoso shipyard and fitted out at Muggiano, was completed in just 14 months from keel laying to delivery. Present at the ceremony were, for the ship owner, Jan-Eric Nilsson, Company Chairman, and the Honorary Chairman, Eric D. Nilsson, and, for Fincantieri, Alberto Maestrini, Executive Senior Vice President, Head of the Naval Vessel Business Unit. Staffan Wrigstad, Swedish Ambassador in Italy, also attended the event. Acting as godmother to “Gotlandia II” was Mrs. Marianne Nilsson, wife of Rederi A.B. Gotland’s Honorary Chairman
2007 - USCG Head of Acquisitions Rear Admiral Gary Blore testified to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
2007 - USCG Commandant Admiral Thad Allen testified to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard 
2007 - A senator sees it as a fair trade: a Korean battle flag captured in the 19th century for USS Pueblo, taken in 1968. Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., reintroduced a resolution demanding that North Korea return Pueblo, and he sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice suggesting she look into his proposed exchange
2007 - LT Jonathon Clarkson relinquished command of HMNZS Kahu and LT Iain Bradley assumed command. Deputy Chief of Navy, Commodore Tony Parr, reviewed the ceremony
2008 - Head Commander of the Russian Navy, Vladimir Vysotskii promises to give
“psychological support” to the Russian trawlers operating in the waters outside Spitsbergen
2008 - Colombian Navy destroyed a shipyard belonging to the country's largest insurgency group in Valle Province, Spain's EFE news agency reported
2008 - Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates attends retirement ceremony of Adm. William J. Fallon aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt at Pier 14, Naval Station Norfolk
2008 - Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 43 "Battlecats" held a change of command ceremony April 15 at Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI). Cmdr. Richard F. O'Connell succeeded Cmdr. Matthew F. Coughlin as commanding officer
2008 - Five high-ranking retired navy officers indicted for the abduction, torture and killing a British-Chilean priest and other dissidents on floating detention centres in the days following Chile's 1973 military coup
2008 - The US Navy raided a local museum and confiscated one of its prized possession -- an F-14 jet fighter cockpit. Agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) went to the DeLand Naval Air Station Museum and took the cockpit without telling the museum president, Pete Lowenstein, why. According to Lowenstein, the cockpit was purchased from a salvage dealer for approximately $3,000
2008 - Former Chilean frigate Almirante Condell recommissioned as Ecuadorian Presidente Eloy Alfao




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Today in History Archives 
 
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