SeaWaves Today in History April 21, 2008 ********************************************************************* April 21 1861 - USS Saratoga captures slaver, Nightingale 1898 - US at war against Spain 1906 - Commander Robert Peary discovered supposed Arctic Continent did not exist 1910 - Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, died in Redding, Conn 1913 - Battleship FS Bretagne launched 1919 - Destroyer USS Aaron Ward commissioned 1920 - Destroyer HMS Thracian commissioned 1931 - Colonial sloop FS Bouganville launched 1931 - Submarine FS Orion launched 1936 - U-24 laid down 1936 - Submarine HMS Spearfish launched 1936 - Sloop HMS Stork launched 1938 - Light cruiser HMS Trinidad laid down 1940 - U-51 was attacked by submarine FS Orphee with two torpedoes, but both missed 1940 - Submarine HMS Upright launched 1940 - Soviet submarine SC-135 launched 1940 - At 0749, the unescorted Cedarbank was torpedoed and sunk by U-26 NW of Bergen. 14 crewmembers & one gunner were lost. The master and 29 crewmembers were picked up by HMS Javelin & landed at Aalesund 1940 - Singapore Conference between UK, US and Dutch. (Air Vice-Marshall Sir Robert Brooke-Popham chaired meeting, US naval representative was Captain 'Spec' Purnell, Chief of Staff to ADM Hart, Commander of the Asiatic Fleet); "ADB" Plan was developed but both US War and Navy Departments recommended it be rejected as they felt it was defeatist and compromised US interests by insisting on defense of trade routes over offensive actions against Japanese 1940 - HMS Glorious departs Greenock in company with the destroyers HMS Hyperion, Hereward & Hasty to fly on her air group consisting of 802 Squadron (Sea Gladiators), 812 Squadron (Swordfish), 823 Squadron (Swordfish), and 825 Squadron (Swordfish). That afternoon, as she rounds Northern Scotland, she commences flying aircraft off and on. First, the Swordfish of 812 and 825 Squadrons depart for Prestwick, carrying the pilots of 802 Squadron ashore so that they can ferry the RAF Gladiator IIs of 263 Squadron to Hatston in preparation for flying them out to the ship. In the flurry of aerial activity that follows, one of these aircraft, N5624, crashes killing the pilot, Petty Officer Cornelius Desmond Gordon-Wilson 1940 - HMS Furious, with only ten Swordfish remaining, continued to cruise off Northern Norway, now in company with HMS Isis, Ilex & Imogen. The days only activity occurs at 1340, when the German trawler Rhein (254 BRT) is sighted and, facing overwhelming force, surrenders to Imogen 1941 - U-612 laid down 1941 - U-154 launched 1941 - Submarine USS Gudgeon commissioned 1941 - Submarine USS Albacore laid down 1941 - Corvette HMS Spikenard completed South Shields, Tyne & left for workups 1941 - At 1420, the unescorted Calchas was sunk by two torpedoes from U-107 about 550 miles north of the Cape Verde Islands. The master, 21 crewmembers, one gunner and one of the nine passengers were lost. 33 survivors landed at Sal Maria Island, Cape Verde on 4 May. 23 survivors landed at Boavista Island, Cape Verde and 33 survivors landed at St Louis, Senegal after sailing 650 miles in 16 days in the #5 lifeboat 1941 - The Luftwaffe raid Plymouth and continue for the next 8 nights. Decoy fires help to save the dockyards but at the expense of the city 1941 - Royal Navy Battleships Barham, Valiant and Warspite bombard Tripoli on their return to Alexandria. Other ships shell Benghazi 1941 - US President Roosevelt and the Canadian Prime Minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King, today agreed at the President's family home, in Hyde Park, New York, on an unprecedented measure of collaboration ultimately aimed at helping the British war effort. Canada is to sell the US arms, raw material and ships. There are also unconfirmed reports that the US is prepared to take over a role in the defense of Canada to release more Canadian troops for service overseas 1942 - Corvette HMCS Prescott completed refit Liverpool NS 1942 - Minesweeper HMS Wedgeport commissioned 1942 - U-238, U-365, U-843 laid down 1942 - ASW trawler HMS Jade bombed & sunk at Malta 1942 - U-576 gave some provisions to the shipwrecked survivors of the sunken American ship Pipestone County 1942 - At 0236, the Bris was torpedoed & sunk by U-201. The survivors abandoned ship in two lifeboats and some jumped overboard, three of them were caught in the swirl of the screw and were killed. The next day they found an overturned lifeboat that was righted and the master and eight men transferred into it. The boats were separated in bad weather and the boat of the master capsized three times, causing the loss of food and equipment, but they managed to right it each time. On 3 May, they were picked up by the American motor tanker Chester D. Swain five nautical miles off Cape Fear, after having been spotted by two aircraft the day before which dropped supplies. The third engineer died the same day and the others were brought to the USCG base at Charleston. On 4 May, the 13 men in the other lifeboat were picked up by YT-132, attached to the Parris Island Marine Base and were landed there 1942 - At 1854, the unescorted Pipestone County was hit by one torpedo from U-576 about 475 miles east of Cape Henry, Virginia. The torpedo struck in the #1 hold, which was flooded but the engine room was still intact and the ship was still moving. At 1914, a coup de grâce was fired that struck in the #2 hold and caused the ship to sink after six minutes. The nine officers, 28 crewmen and nine armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, four .50cal and four .30cal guns) abandoned ship in four lifeboats and one raft. They were questioned by the U-boat, which also gave provisions to the men in one of the boats. The survivors on the raft were transferred into the boats, which were later separated because of rain and moderate seas. The 23 men in two of the boats were picked up by the British steam merchantman Tropic Star on 24 April and landed at Boston the next day. The eleven crewmembers and two armed guards in a third boat were picked up by USCGC Calypso on 7 May and taken to Norfolk, Virginia. The ten men in the last boat were rescued on 8 May by the American fishing vessel Irene and May and landed at Cape May, after they were spotted by an USCG aircraft from Elizabeth City, North Carolina 1942 - SS West Imboden sunk by U-752 at 41.14N, 65.55W 1942 - At 0030, the unescorted and unarmed Chenango was struck by one torpedo from U-84 on the port side between #4 and #5 hatches blasting a huge hole in the hull. The cargo caused the ship to sink within one minute 60 miles southeast of Cape Henry. One boat was launched but it capsized, the other boat went down with the ship, like all the regulation rafts on the ship, because they were improperly stowed on deck instead of in quick release racks. Two men managed to reach a raft, which had floated free when the ship sank. This raft had been condemned in New York and the only supplies on the raft were water and a fishing line. Twelve days later the raft was sighted by an US Army aircraft in position 34.30N/74.25W. Six hours later they were picked up by a USCG PBY Catalina and were taken to the Marine Hospital in Norfolk, but one of the rescued men died two days later. The crew of 32 men was made up of 12 different nations, there were Americans, Danes, Norwegians, Estonians, Swedes, Chileans, French, Portuguese, Canadians, Colombians, Belgians and Irish. Only one Irish Fireman survived 1942 - Louise Leahy, wife of Admiral William D. Leahy, USN (Retired), Ambassador to France, dies of an embolism in Vichy. Her death, on the eve of their departure from Vichy, is a "crushing emotional shock" to the admiral, "beyond the understanding of anyone who has not had an identical experience." 1942 - The federal government decides to build the "Big Inch" oil pipeline from Texas to New York so Allied tankers won't have to run the German submarine gauntlet along the East Coast 1942 - Germans shoot 20 French hostages "for complicity" during the raid on St. Nazaire 1942 - Germans request the assistance of the Italian Navy to deal with the ramshackle Soviet flotilla on Lake Ladoga (estimated at 6 gunboats, 2 large and 5 small torpedo boats, 32 armed minesweepers, 9 armed transport ships, 17 armed tugboats and 1 submarine, plus another 25 other boats). The Italian Navy promptly agreed and sent the four torpedo boats (MAS 526 to 529) of 12th MAS Flotilla, commanded by Capitano di Corvetta Bianchini, with four officers, 19 NCOs, and 63 other ranks 1943 - Escort carrier HMS Shah launched 1943 - Destroyer escort USS Chatelain launched 1943 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Proctor commissioned 1943 - Destroyer escort USS Wyfells commissioned 1943 - Frigate HMCS Port Colborne launched Esquimalt BC 1943 - Submarine HMS Votary laid down 1943 - Submarines USS Moray & Roncador laid down 1943 - Light cruiser USS Topeka laid down 1943 - Frigate USS Uniontown laid down 1943 - Submarine HMS Unison sinks the Italian merchant Marco Foscarini (6405 BRT) 1943 - Submarine HMS Splendid sunk south of Capri in position 40.30N, 14.15E by depth charges from German destroyer ZG-3/Hermes. The destroyer picked up five officers and 25 ratings, 18 men were lost with the ship 1943 - U-286 launched 1943 - U-312, U-425, U-543 commissioned 1943 - At 1830, the Scebeli in station #41 of Convoy ON-178 was hit in the bow on the port side by one torpedo from U-191 and quickly developed a heavy list to port. The crew abandoned ship in three lifeboats and stayed near the ship to search for survivors in the water. One man had been killed in the explosion & another drowned. HMS Hurricane & Kale unsuccessfully chased the attacker and after two hours returned to the slowly sinking ship. The frigate picked up the survivors and landed them at Argentia, Newfoundland on 26 April 1943 - SS Wanstead sunk by U-413 at 55.46N, 45.14W. She was hit earlier in the night by U-415 1943 - At 0807, U-415 attacked Convoy ONS-3 NE of St John's and claimed two ships with 12,000 tons sunk. The Ashantian was hit and sank, while the Wanstead was only damaged, but was later sunk by U-413. Ashantian was the ship of the convoy commodore Vice-Admiral J. Elliot CBE RN. The master, the commodore, 13 crewmembers and one gunner were lost. 40 crewmembers, nine gunners, six naval staff members and three passengers were picked up by armed trawler HMS Northern Gift & landed at St John's 1943 - Admiral Koga succeeds Admiral Yamamoto as Commander in Chief of the Combined Fleet, IJN 1943 - IJN bombers from Nauru Island, staging through Tarawa Atoll in the Gilberts, attack the airfield on Funafuti Atoll. One Seventh Air Force B-24 Liberator is destroyed and five others damaged 1943 - US freighter is torpedoed by the Italian submarine Leonardo da Vinci off the coast of South Africa and abandoned. Leonardo da Vinci then surfaces, finishes off the freighter with gunfire, and temporarily detains a member of the crew on board for questioning before returning him to his shipmates 1943 - USS Stingray mines the waters off Wenchow, China 1943 - USS Grenadier, CO John A. Fitzgerald is scuttled after damage by an enemy aircraft off Penang Malaya. All hands taken prisoner and 4 died in POW camp 1944 - Harbor Tug YT-247 sunk 5 April 1944 stricken from the Navy List 21 April 1944 - Barge, Fuel Oil (Self-Propelled) YO-64 lost due to enemy action in the Philippines January 1942 stricken from the Navy List 1944 - Destroyer USS Frank E Evans laid down 1944 - Frigate HMCS Poundmaker launched Montreal PQ 1944 - Destroyer minelayer USS Henry A Wiley launched 1944 - Destroyer HMS Hogue launched 1944 - Frigate HMS Awe commissioned 1944 - Destroyer escort USS Conklin commissioned 1944 - Submarine USS Croaker commissioned 1944 - Minesweeper USS Mainstay commissioned 1944 - Escort carrier USS Thetis Bay commissioned 1944 - Corvette HMCS Mayflower completed work ups & departed for Greenock to join Western Approaches Command for invasion duties. As was the case before Operation TORCH, the concentration of naval power before Operation NEPTUNE required adjustments in convoy scheduling & escort arrangements. The average size of the ONS convoys for 1944 was 38 ships. In the period between Apr & Sep 44, the average ONS convoy size was 92 ships, with seven that numbered over 100 ships. This included the 'monster' convoy ON-249 of 153 merchant ships. Only one ship was lost to enemy action during this period 1944 - 2 men died when they were stranded topside during an emergency dive by U-860 to avoid an incoming aircraft. [Matrosengefreiter Alfons Robalewsky, Bootsmaat Rudolf Versic] 1944 - U-875 commissioned 1944 - U-2324 laid down 1944 - US TF 58 attacks Wadke Island, Sawar, Sarmi and Hollandia during daylight. Accompanying cruisers bombard at night 1944 - HMCS Hespeler departed Londonderry, to join the escort for the 111-ship Liverpool to New York City Convoy ONS-233. The convoy arrived safely in New York on 09 May 44 1944 - Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-146 was commissioned at Los Angeles. Her commanding officers have been LDCR William Moss, USCGR, LTJG Fred S. Pillsbury, USCGR and LTJG Charles C. Sears, USCG (26 September 1945). She was assigned to the Southwest Pacific area and operated in Hawaii 1944 - Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-149 was commissioned at Los Angeles. Her first commanding officer was LT Jack V. Lum, USCGR. He was succeeded by LT Montford F. Gallagher, USCGR, and LTJG Richard A. Gall, USCG on 2 November 1945. She was assigned and operated in the Southwest Pacific area 1944 - Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-154 was commissioned at Los Angeles with LCDR DH Williams, USCGR, as first commanding officer from 21 April 12, 1944. He was succeeded by LT JD Lee, USCGR, and on 19 September 1945, LT W.A. DeVine, USCG, took command. On 26 June 26, 1944, she reported in the Southwest Pacific area where she continued to operate throughout the war 1944 - Lighter Covered (Non Self-Propelled) YC-718 lost enemy action Guam December 1941 stricken from Navy List 1945 - LCT(6)-995 sunk at Guam 1945 - Coast Guard-manned Army transport FS-164 was commissioned. She was turned over to W. Ingram, Master, Army Transport Service by LT N. Hanson, Jr. USCG on 10 February 1946. She was assigned to and operated in the Southwest Pacific area including Hollandia, Manus, Lingayen, Tacloban, Tawitawi, etc 1945 - Off Okinawa, the destroyer USS Ammen is damaged by bomb that misses 1945 - During an air raid on Kiel, U-2539 commander Oblt Erich Jewinski was killed 1945 - Frigate HMCS Royalmount & corvette HMCS Orangeville departed UK with escort for Convoy ONS-48 1945 - Frigate HMCS St Pierre arrived Londonderry with convoy SC-172 1945 - U-183 sailed from Surabaya on her final patrol 1945 - In the Arctic Sea, an Allied U-boat hunter group attacked U-997 with depth charges. Due to some damage to the periscope, the boat had to return to base 1945 - U-2511 put in to Bergen with diesel engine trouble 1945 - Minesweeper USS Wheatear launched 1945 - U-636 sunk in the North Atlantic west of Ireland, in position 55.50N, 10.31W, by depth charges from frigates HMS Bazely, Drury & Bentinck. 42 dead (all hands lost) 1945 - U-2552 commissioned 1952 - Destroyer HMCS Iroquois departed Halifax for Korean War 1954 - Destroyer HMCS Cayuga crew photograph taken at Hong Kong 1965 - USS Bon Homme Richard commences Vietnam deployment with CVW-19 1968 - USS Yorktown port call Yokosuka 1972 - Moonwalk in the Descartes Highlands by CAPT John W. Young, USN Commander of Apollo 16. He was the ninth man to walk on the moon. LCDR Thomas K. Mattingly II, USN was the Command Module Pilot. During the 11 day, 1 hour and 51 minute mission, 213 lbs. of lunar material was collected. Recovery by HC-1 helicopters from USS Ticonderoga 2003 - As part of the tourism development plan to further upgrade the Eco Tourism and Dive product the Royal Oman Navy has made its contribution by sinking the 84 meter ship, Al Munnassir. The 3,000 tonne ship was sunk in 30 meters of water in the turquoise waters of Bandar Khairan close to the country’s capital, Muscat. Within a few weeks the wreck will become home to fish and other marine life and by next year coral will start to grow making the Al Munnassir an important part of the ecosystem 2004 - VT Halter Marine Inc., a subsidiary of Vision Technologies Systems Inc., launched the US Army Tank-automotive and Armament Command’s (TACOM) newest Logistic Support Vessel (LSV) the “MGen Robert Smalls” at Gulfport MS 2004 - In Lisbon, the German Submarine Consortium GSC signed a contract for the construction and delivery of two Class 209 PN submarines and an option for a third for the Portuguese Navy 2004 - USNS Algol laid up New Orleans RRF 2005 - The North Korean passenger ship Mangyongbong-92 has given up on trying to enter the port of Niigata. The state-owned NHK TV said the Mangyongbong-92 had taken out an insurance policy with a China-based insurer, but the company was not registered as one of the 38 firms that Tokyo said it would recognize as having the means to pay for shipping-related damages 2005 - Regina Maria, the second of two ex-Royal Navy Type 22 frigates being regenerated and modernized by a BAE Systems-led team for the Romanian Navy, is officially named and commissioned at Portsmouth. Mr Ioan Ion, Secretary of State for Armaments of Romania, and Britain’s Minister for Defense Procurement Lord Bach will attend the ceremony. The handover of Regina Maria (formerly HMS London) follows the commissioning of the Regele Ferdinand (formerly HMS Coventry) on 9 September 2004. The two ships became available for sale in 2001. Agreement was reached for their acquisition following discussions between the UK and Romanian Governments in December 2002. The reactivation of the ships to operational condition and NATO standards is being undertaken through the MOD's Defense Logistics Organization, which placed a £116m contract with BAE Systems Customer Solutions & Support (CS&S) for the work. CS&S has led the reactivation and upgrade project, which has included a wide span of UK industry 2005 - Boeing debuted the F/A-18E/F Block II Super Hornet equipped with the revolutionary APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar system at a ceremony at Boeing's St. Louis facilities. The AESA radar will provide Super Hornets with significantly improved reliability, situational awareness, target detection and tracking range 2005 - Gus Martinez posthumously received the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Environmental Hero Award today in Minneapolis, Minn. Scott Rayder, NOAA chief of staff, presented the award during a ceremony with many of Gus’ friends, family and classmates at the Underwater Adventures Aquarium. Though Gus was only seven years old, his heroic battle with chronic granulomatous disease, a rare genetic autoimmune disease, and his insatiable appetite for learning-about animals of all kind — inspired nearly everyone he came in contact with. Gus’ legacy now lives on in the form of Gus the Shark who lives at Underwater Adventures and hopes to remind kids of Gus’ story and inspire them to learn more about the oceans 2005 - Brigadier General John “Jack” Kelly, US Air Force (Ret.), deputy under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere received the David O. Cooke Leadership in Federal Service Award from the National Capital Area Chapter (Washington, D.C.) of the American Society for Public Administration. Kelly is credited with spearheading technological and managerial changes that have made NOAA’s National Weather Service one of the most respected agencies in the federal government. The award is presented annually to a federal career employee for their leadership in achieving public policy, breaking down barriers between political appointees and civil service executives, between the executive and legislative branches, and improving the public’s regard for government 2005 - Dusan Zrnic, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration senior scientist working at the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Okla., has received the Presidential Rank Award for exceptional long-term accomplishments. He was among a group of federal senior executives recently honored at a ceremony in Washington DC. Development of weather radar during the past 20 years, and its applications in the national interest, have clearly and profoundly benefited from Zrnic’s work and study. His outstanding contributions to meteorological Doppler radar signal processing theory and practice became benchmarks for conceptual designs of the national networks of Doppler weather radars, the Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) used by the National Weather Service, Federal Aviation Administration and Air Weather Service for protection of lives and property, and the Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR) deployed for protection of airport terminals. The Presidential Rank Award is a prestigious award given to a select group of senior federal executives who have provided exceptional service to the American people over an extended period of time. Executives who have demonstrated strength, integrity, industry and commitment to public trust are nominated for the award by the head of their agency. A panel of private citizens evaluates the candidates, selecting only those who through their personal conduct and results-oriented leadership qualify for referral to the president who makes the final designation 2005 - NOAA's National Weather Service today announced the implementation of a new Heat/Health Watch Warning System in the Seattle area. Seattle joins 14 other metropolitan areas using the Heat/Health Watch Warning System as guidance for issuing Excessive Heat Watches, Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories. NOAA is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Heat/Health Watch Warning System is a collaborative tool that measures oppressive air affecting health and is part of a national focus addressing the special hazards excessive heat has on urban centers. When unseasonably hot conditions do arise, the Seattle National Weather Service office will issue a Heat/Health Watch Warning System message, alerting people in the region that precautions need to be taken against the hot weather 2005 - Chad Pregracke, founder of the Living Lands & Waters environmental group, has been recognized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as an Environmental Hero for his long-standing commitment to clean and preserve the nation’s major rivers. Pregracke started a personal quest to clear trash from area rivers while working as a commercial shell diver, fisherman and barge hand during high school and college. His efforts to clean up the Mississippi River near his home caught local attention and expanded to community wide projects to clean waterways across the nation. While still in college, he established the Living Lands & Waters 501(c) (3) environmental organization in East Moline, Ill., in 1998. Today, there are ten paid staff members, a fleet of several barges and workboats and thousands of volunteers. Established in 1996, the Environmental Hero Award is presented to individuals and organizations that volunteer their time and energy to help NOAA carry out its mission 2005 - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration presented its Environmental Hero Award to 34 individuals and three organizations this year from across the United States. Given in conjunction with Earth Day celebrations, the award honors NOAA volunteers for their “tireless efforts to preserve and protect our nation's environment.” There are a total of 37 winners—34 individuals (three posthumous) and three organizations. Recipients of the 2005 NOAA Environmental Heroes Award are: Gus Martinez (posthumous) Brooklyn Park, Minn Robert "Stubby" Knowles (posthumous) Gloucester MA, Ronnie M. Pierce (posthumous) Hoopa CA, Darin Zarbnisky Boise, Idaho Mike Jani Calpella, Calif. Dean Martinelli Windsor CA, Cam Parry Windsor CA, Michael McHenry Port Angeles WA, Michael O'Reilly Dartmouth MA, James Kirkley Gloucester Point VA, Patrick M. Burchfield Brownsville TX, William D. Ruckelshaus Seattle WA, Grant W. Goodge Asheville NC, Capt. Scott Fowler Key Largo FL, Carol Keiper Benicia CA, Linda Feix Huron OH, Howard Eugene Wright Huron OH, Janet Lamont Port Angeles, Wash. Judith Stillion Alpena MI, Paul "Pete" McLain Toms River NJ, Peter de Jung San Rafael CA, Richard Littleton Seattle WA, William Reay Gloucester Point VA, Leslie Chapman-Henderson Tallahassee FL, Charles T. Byars Wichita Falls TX, Bethany Lovette Slidell LA, Chad Pregracke East Moline IL, Paul Toth Seminole FL, Bob Stanhope Valrico FL, Sean Fleeman New Port Richey FL, Maria Falcon Hato Rey PR, Billy Frank Jr Olympia WA, Mary Cook Batesville AR, Diane Stanitski Shippensburg PA, National Aquarium in Baltimore, Aquarium Conservation Team Baltimore MD, Tennessee Valley Authority Knoxville TN, Wichita County Amateur Radio Emergency Services Wichita Falls TX 2005 - New York Container Terminal (NYCT) today announced that Hamburg Sud, one of the world's premiere container shipping companies will move its operation from New Jersey to the northwest shore of Staten Island in the first quarter of 2006. The move will result in an additional 25-30 high-quality longshore and maritime support jobs -- the majority of which will go to New York City residents. These will be represented by the International Longshoremen's Association Local 920 Staten Island and Local 1814 Brooklyn 2005 - At 1500 this afternoon the Master of the Danish registered cargo vessel reported to Humber Coastguard that one of their engineers was missing. The master reported that the man was last seen at 1330. A search has been made of the vessel, but nobody has been found. The 24,000 Danish registered vessel 'Tor Brittania' was on passage from Denmark to the Port of Humber. The missing man is a Danish national. Withernsea and Easington Coastguard rescue teams, a rescue helicopter R125 from Wattisham, Humber and Cleethorpes RNLI Lifeboats, and Humber and Cleethorpes independent rescue craft are all involved in the search being coordinated by Humber Coastguard 2005 - Adm. Thomas H. Collins, commandant of the Coast Guard, gave the annual State of the Coast Guard address at Bolling Air Force Base 2005 - The former Soviet Foxtrot-class submarine that had previously been on display in New Westminster, Victoria and Seattle, the diesel-electric sub is the latest addition to the Maritime Museum of San Diego, and will be open to visitors beginning Memorial Day weekend. Owned by Legacy Cobra San Diego, the warship will be at the museum for at least a year. Many of the internal fittings are from the former destroyer escort HMCS Saskatchewan 2005 - Surrounded by his loving family, Jack Arrowsmith of Fort Saskatchewan, formerly of St. Albert, passed away peacefully after a brief illness. He will be lovingly remembered by Cecile, his wife of 53 years; daughter Kim, her husband Miles and their children Matthew and Heather of Fort Saskatchewan; son Ross, his wife Jennifer and their children Samantha and Georgia of Calgary; sister-in-law Lil Johnson of Lethbridge; and sister-in-law Gabrielle Gregory of Red Deer. Jack served 31 years in the Royal Canadian Navy attaining the rank of Captain before retiring in 1977. He then began his second career with the Department of Justice and eventually retired in 1992. He has dedicated his retirement years to restoring the naval records of fellow sailors and the ships of Canada's Naval forces. He will be forever remembered for his sense of humor, bright blue eyes and love of his grandchildren 2005 - Chinese scientists aboard the research vessel "Dayang No. One" have been conducting the exploration of pollymetallic nodules and in the west Pacific waters since leaving Qingdao port, in north China's Shandong Province, 19 days ago for the country's first round-the-world scientific research cruise. According to sources with the China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association (COMRA), organizer of the global cruise, the ship crew also threw four drift bottles carrying good wishes from the Chinese people into the vast oceans. COMRA Secretary-General Mao Bin told Xinhua that the 300-day oceanic voyage would also cover the Atlantic and Indian oceans and feature a series of scientific activities. The research vessel is expected to return to the port city of Qingdao in January 2006. There are 31 crewmembers and 41 researchers currently aboard the ship. The cruise was launched as part of a grand nationwide celebration of the 600th anniversary of prestigious ancient Chinese navigator Zheng He's seven great naval voyages undertaken between 1405 and 1433 into southeast Asia and westward to India, Persia, Arabia and Africa 2006 - The new Margate Coastguard Station covers the area from Reculver Towers to the River Stour (North Side) officially opened by retired District Controller Lawrence F.J. Fear. Lawrence (Larry) served as the District Controller of Dover Coastguard from 1979 until his retirement in 1999. There has been a Coastguard presence on the Isle of Thanet since records began. Originally, the Coastguard Headquarter Station was based at Ramsgate. The station is the base of the Margate Coastguard Rescue Team, which operates out of the premises. Margate Coastguard Rescue Team is one of the busiest teams in the South East. Last year the Coastguard in Margate dealt with over 100 incidents. In more recent years the Coastguard station was based at Foreness Point sharing the building with Southern Water Pumping Station. This new prominent station will not only be more accessible to the public but will greatly assist with our incident prevention work. It will also ensure that the Coastguard presence will remain on the island for many years to come 2006 - Warships moored at Devonport Naval Base commemorate the 80th birthday of HM The Queen by ‘dress ship’ – flying flags across their decks while the Portsmouth-based frigate HMS Kent fires a 21-gun salute while at anchor in Plymouth Sound. The Lord-Lieutenant of Devon Mr Eric Dancer CBE JP will acknowledge the salute on behalf of Her Majesty and will be joined by Commander of the Naval Base, Commodore Simon Lister to witness the spectacle at twelve noon. Ten sea cadets will also be getting the chance to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event close at hand. Foreign ships from the Standing Naval Maritime Group One (flagship HMCS Athabaskan) are also taking part. This is a squadron of eight to ten destroyers and frigates from across NATO countries that patrols mainly in the eastern Atlantic conducting joint training exercises. The group are currently taking part in Flag Officer Sea Training at Devonport. Portuguese frigate NRP Vasco Da Gama and the German frigate FGS Mecklenburg-Vorpommern will be flying flags from their decks while they take part in disaster relief training at the Distex site at Bull Point, the Polish frigate ORP General Kazimierz Pulaski will fly flags from her masthead in the Sound. Devonport ships HMS Bulwark and HMS Montrose who are away on deployment will also mark the day by flying flags from their mastheads 2006 - Sector Hampton Roads Change of Command Captain Patrick B. Trapp will relieve Captain Robert R. O'Brien, Jr. as Commander of Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads at Nauticus 2006 - The Department of National Defense and the Royal Netherlands Navy award a contract to DRS Technologies of Kanata ON to supply the SIRIUS Long Range Infrared Search and Track System for installation on the Canadian Navy's Halifax Class Frigates, and the Netherlands Navy's LCF Class ships 2006 - After years of delays and a long legal battle, South Korea put the finishing touches on a gigantic seawall on the nation's southwest coast on April 21, laying the groundwork for creating vast areas of farmland. The last truckload of dirt and rocks for the project was dumped into the sea, completing the 33-kilometer-long seawall that links two headlands about 270 kilometers southwest of Seoul 2006 - HMAS Armidale has come to the assistance of 17 stranded Australian and United States citizens on the remote Islands of Tofua and Kao, in Tonga. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade contacted the Navy late on the 19th and relayed a request from the Tongan Government for Armidale to provide assistance in locating and repatriating the stranded group. The group had been unable to leave the island of Tofua for several days due to severe weather conditions. Armidale safely recovered 12 people from Tofua Island while a United States Peace Corps contracted vessel, Pacific Sunrise, recovered 5 people from Kao Island, then transferred them to HMAS Armidale. The seven Australians, including three Youth Ambassadors and a volunteer from Australian Volunteers International, and ten Americans are in good health and arrived in Nuku Alofa late on the 21st 2006 - DHL today announced the launch of its first Disaster Response Team (DRT), called the DHL DRT Asia Pacific, to be based in Singapore. DHL is a brand of Deutsche Post World Net, the world's leading express and logistics company. The DRT is the first visible product of DHL's strategic partnership with the UN System in the field of Disaster Management. The task of the DRT is to ensure that relief reaches people quickly and effectively by reducing bottlenecks at airports close to the scene of major natural disasters 2006 - The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration and DoD Chief Information Officer John G. Grimes has directed the director of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to establish the Defense Spectrum Organization as a center of excellence for radio frequency spectrum analysis, planning and support 2006 - A Navy dive team in Alabama is trying to rescue a retired Coast Guard ship that once served as the training ship for Maine Maritime Academy. The State of Maine and a former Navy ship USS Shadwell collided during a 12-ft. storm surge during Hurricane Katrina. The Shadwell was deposited on dry ground while the State of Maine was stuck in shallow water. A 13-man Navy diving crew is in Mobile to reposition the ships before a dredging crew can dig the ships out. The current State of Maine is a former Navy oceanographic research vessel. It was built in 1990 and turned over to Maine Maritime Academy in 1997. It serves as a teaching platform and has the capacity to carry 302 people 2006 - At 0800 Clyde Coastguard received a call from fishing vessel 'Kiareen', reporting that they had sighted another fishing vessel going round and round in circles, in a position half a mile from them. The fishing vessel was identified as Morvern OB37. The 'Kiareen' was unable to ascertain whether there was any sign of life aboard. Investigations with other fishing vessels ascertained that Morvern OB37 had left Oban that morning. Clyde Coastguard requested the launch of the Oban RNLI lifeboat to investigate. A rescue helicopter was also requested to scramble and placed on standby. Oban lifeboat upon arriving at the fishing vessel Morvern placed a crewmember aboard whom found the skipper who appeared to have been asleep at the wheel. They then returned to station after rousing the skipper 2006 - A man who was discovered floating on a crude raft in the Skagerrak strait between Sweden and Norway says he has been at sea for three days. The Berge Odin, a Norwegian gas tanker which was on its way to Sweden from the UK, plucked the man out of the sea. He will be handed over to the Swedish authorities in Stenungsund 2006 - ONYX Special Services, soon to be Veolia Environmental Services, will be adding a DP2 ROV support vessel to its fleet, servicing the Gulf of Mexico. The RSV Toisa Vigilant will be supporting the 150 hp Triton XLS17 and the 100 hp Triton XL ROV. The Toisa Vigilant will be mobilizing the ROV's as well as a 35 ton knuckle boom crane during the last week in April 2006. We will be ready for service early May 06. There will also be a stern launched 50 ton heave compensated winch / A-frame installed at a later date. The Toisa Vigilant joins the DP2 Dive / ROV vessel Kingfisher, as well as the dive support vessels, Sir Lancelot and the Shinnichi Maru 2006 - The Department of Defense announced the death of a sailor who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Petty Officer 3rd Class Marcques J. Nettles, 22, of Beaverton OR died April 2 when the truck he was riding in rolled over in a flash flood near Al Asad, Iraq. Nettles was previously listed as Duty Status - Whereabouts Unknown. His body was recovered April 16. He was assigned to 1st Combat Logistics Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California 2006 - The Lloyd’s Register Group unveiled outline plans to move its London marine operations to a specially developed site at the University of Southampton. The move, which is planned for 2009, will see the transformation of the University’s Boldrewood Campus to accommodate a state-of-the-art building for Lloyd’s Register, a training facility jointly-owned by Lloyd’s Register and the University, and the University’s School of Management 2006 - USS Reuben James rendered medical assistance to a Sri Lankan fisherman while conducting maritime security operations (MSO) as part of a Dutch-led task force in the Arabian Sea. During a routine visit to a Sri Lankan fishing vessel, the Deuedu Pietro, sailors from Reuben James discovered that one of the vessel’s crewmembers had sustained a knee injury five days earlier that had become infected. The sailors radioed back for medical assistance from Reuben James’s independent duty corpsman, Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (FMF/PJ) Matthew Breske. Breske joined the boarding team aboard the vessel and immediately treated the crewmember’s knee to ensure the infection didn’t spread any further 2006 - P&O Nedlloyd Mondriaan: SvitzerWijsmuller Salvage completed operations to recover 40 container targets spread over an area of 2.5 by five nautical miles from water depths up to 20-25 meters. On top of that three further targets, reported by fishermen in the meantime, were cleared while a number of side-scan-sonar survey runs were made off the surf zone of Terschelling to try and locate further targets in view of the oncoming bathing season. The targets were located partly in the east-going main shipping route off the islands north of The Netherlands as well as the inshore traffic routes and fishing area's. This made close co-ordination with the local coastguard station and the coastguard headquarters a necessity. The operations were started, using remote controlled lifting gear, on Mar 14 and completed in 39 days, of which 13 days were unworkable due to weather (sea and swell conditions). This thus leaves 26 working days. The operations were completed to the full satisfaction of the owners/underwriters of the vessel, the Dutch Coastguard and the Ministry of Transport and Public Works 2007 - Cosco Group, China's leading shipping and logistics service provider, Saturday signed contracts with four domestic shipyards to build 66 ships ============================================================= 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.