SeaWaves Today in History April 23, 2009 1348 - King Edward III of England established the Order of the Garter 1605 - Russian Tsar Boris Gudunov (Born 1552) who ascended the throne on 17 Feb 1589 died 1827 - Digging starts on the Shubenacadie Canal, to connect Halifax with the Bay of Fundy 1851 - Admiral Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev (Born 14 Nov 1788) who sailed around the world three times and explored Antarctica with F.F. Bellinsgauz died 1914 - Submarine HMS E11 launched 1914 - Submarine HMS E15 launched 1914 - Suquamish, first diesel-powered ship to be built on Puget Sound is launched 1916 - HMCS Rainbow captured the German merchant vessel Oregon off the West Coast of the USA 1918 - USS Stewart damages German submarine U-108 off France. Although the Stewart was officially credited with the sinking of the U-108, it was later learned that the submarine escaped. On 28 April U-108 was attacked by USS Porter but once again escaped destruction to later surrender at the end of the war. Despite this information, some sources continue to credit the Stewart with the sinking of the U-108 1918 Submarine HMS C18, filled with dynamite and scheduled to be blown up at Zeebrugge Mole, but was spared 1919 - Destroyer USS Schenck launched 1919 - eg Vladimirovich Penkovsky, Internal intelligence colonel who became an agent for Great Britain and the United States, born 1920 - Destroyer HMS Keppel launched 1920 - Destroyer USS Whipple commissioned 1934 - In first Navy movement through Panama Canal over 100 ships transited 1936 - Destroyer USS Preston launched 1937 - Submarine SC-214 launched 1938 - Destroyer USS Roe laid down 1939 - Soviet submarines SC-407 & SC-408 laid down 1940 - ASW trawler HMS Foxtrot launched 1940 - Minelayer HMS Abdiel launched 1940 - Minesweeping trawlers HMS Mangrove & El Malenza commissioned 1940 - Corvettes HMS Coreopsis & Geranium launched 1940 - At 0800 HMS Ark Royal, in company with the destroyers HMS Sikh, Mashona & Juno, having flown off the Swordfish of 821 Squadron to Hatston enroute, arrived at Scapa Flow and commenced refueling. At 1230, Vice-Admiral Air Wells, flying his flag on Ark Royal, in company with HMS Glorious, the heavy cruiser HMS Berwick, the anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Curlew, and the destroyers HMS Fearless, Fury, Hasty, Hereward, Hyperion & Juno, departs Scapa Flow. Immediately afterwards, Ark flies aboard the Skua and Roc fighters of 800 and 801 Squadrons. Meanwhile, severe snowstorms prevent any air operations from HMS Furious, which steams for Harstad and anchors in Bygden Fjord 1940 - HMS Tetrarch torpedoes and sinks the German submarine chaser UJ B/Treff V in the Skaggerak 1941 - U-101 encountered a British submarine in the North Atlantic, which fired two torpedoes, but both missed 1941 - Minesweeper HMCS Ganonoque launched Toronto ON 1941 - MV Kipawo departed Sydney NS for refit Montreal to become HMCS Kipawa 1942 - U-237 laid down 1942 - U-265 launched 1942 - U-619 commissioned 1942 - At 2053, the unescorted Lammot Du Pont was torpedoed by U-125, while proceeding on a nonevasive course at 9.5 knots about 500 miles SE of Bermuda. The torpedo struck on the port side between the #4 hatch and the engine room. The explosion blew the booms at the #4 and #5 hatches onto the deck and threw a large column of water and linseed in the air. The ship rapidly listed to port and within five minutes rolled completely on her side. The nine officers, 36 crewmen and nine armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in and two .30cal guns) began to abandon ship in one lifeboat and three rafts. Four men went down with the ship and two left on a broken raft. The other survivors tried to reach these men in the heavy seas, but they drifted away and were never found. Eight crewmembers and seven armed guards on two rafts were picked up after two days by the Swedish MS Astri and were transferred on 8 May to light cruiser USS Omaha, which brought them to Recife on 11 May. The 31 crewmembers and two armed guards in the lifeboat drifted for 23 days before being rescued by destroyer USS Tarbell after being spotted by an aircraft about 40 miles from San Juan, but seven crewmembers and one armed guards already died of fever and three other crewmembers later died in a San Juan hospital 1942 - At 0255, U-565 fired a spread of two torpedoes at Convoy TA-36 about 35 miles east-northeast of Sidi Barrani and observed a hit in the stern of a freighter after 4 minutes 5 seconds. The ship developed a list and stopped. At 03.01 hours, another spread of two torpedoes was fired and a detonation was heard after 4 minutes 15 seconds, followed by a heavier explosion. U-565 reported two ships sunk, but only the Kirkland was hit and sunk. One crewmember was lost. The master, 15 crewmembers and six gunners were picked up by armed trawler HMS Falk & landed at Mersa Matruh 1942 - At 1120, the unescorted Reinholt (Master Hans Nielsen) was attacked by U-752 with gunfire for about 20 minutes. The U-boat fired about 40 rounds of which 20-25 hit, but had then to break off the attack because two destroyers were spotted. Reinholt had returned fire with 14 rounds from the stern gun without success. One man was killed and two were injured, which were transferred after about seven hours to a destroyer and were brought to a hospital in Brooklyn. The Reinholt had caught fire, which was brought under control by the crew after 20 minutes and reached New York the next day. She was repaired and returned to service after 17 days. The master was awarded the Krigskorset, the highest Norwegian war medal. 15 other men received Krigsmedaljen 1942 - Minesweeper HMS Brave laid down 1942 - Minesweeper HMS Bootle commissioned 1942 - Frigate HMS Gould laid down 1942 - Trawler HMS Manitoulin launched Midland ON 1942 - U-565 was attacked in the Mediterranean by a British aircraft with three bombs. The boat suffered slight damage 1942 - Soviet submarine SC-401 mined & sunk 1942 - Corvette HMCS Sorel joins escort for Convoy ON-88 1942 - The Union of South Africa severed diplomatic relations with France 1943 - District patrol craft YP-422 founders after grounding on Tumbo Reef, three miles southeast of entrance to North Bulari Passage, New Caledonia. USS YP-422 was a yard patrol (YP) boat that was created by converting the existing fishing trawler "Mist." The conversion was completed in July 1942 at the Navy Yard located in Boston, Massachusetts. YP-422 was briefly commanded by L. Ron Hubbard, the controversial founder of Scientology 1943 - Submarine HMS Syrtis commissioned 1943 - Submarine HMS Vagabond laid down 1943 - Destroyers USS Abbot, Kidd & Mullany commissioned 1943 - At 1510, U-306 fired a spread of four torpedoes at Convoy HX-234 SW of Iceland and heard two detonations. The Silvermaple enroute from Matadi to Liverpool via Halifax with general cargo and military stores was hit in 59°05N/35°40W, but managed to reach port safely without casualties among her crew of 55 men and was repaired 1943 - Destroyer escort USS Reeves launched 1943 - Frigate HMS Grindall laid down 1943 - Submarine HMS Vagabond laid down 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Laning & Loy laid down 1943 - U-237 was damaged in a collision with the German minesweeper M 403 off Hela in the Baltic Sea 1943 - The milkcow U-461 was attacked in the North Atlantic by an RCAF Wellington with three bombs. The boat suffered slight damage and as a result left an oil trace 1943 - U-453 fired at an RAF 500 Sqn Hudson, killing Pilot R Obee & heavily damaging the aircraft. It was flown home but crew bailed out and the aircraft crashed. 1943 - Armed yacht HMCS Lynx paid off 1943 - U-189 sunk east of Cape Farewell, Greenland, in position 59.50N, 34.43W, by depth charges from an RAF 120 Sqn Liberator. 54 dead (all hands lost) 1943 - U-191 sunk SE of Cape Farewell, Greenland, in position 56.45N, 34.25W, by depth charges from destroyer HMS Hesperus. 55 dead (all hands lost) 1943 - Corvette HMCS Battleford arrived Halifax with Convoy ONS-2 1943 - HMS Sickle fires two torpedoes against the Italian merchant Mauro Croce off Sagunto, Spain. The torpedoes ran under the target and Sickle fired 19 rounds with her deck gun but failed to hit the target 1944 - Corvettes HMCS Trentonian, Lindsay & Louisburg departed Halifax to join Western Approaches Command 1944 - Destroyer USS Keppler laid down 1944 - Submarine USS Blower launched 1944 - U-307 met U-703 in the Arctic Sea and provided them with a needed spare part 1944 - Destroyers USS Mannert L Abele & Strong launched 1944 - U-193 listed as missing in the Bay of Biscay. No explanation exists for its loss. 59 dead (all hands lost) 1944 - Destroyer escort USS Charles E Brannon launched 1944 - Destroyer HS Salamis (ex-HMS Boreas) lost a gun mount in heavy weather in Atlantic Ocean 1944 - During the Baltic exercises U-1169 lost one man off Pillau. [Matrosengefreiter Alfred Friedl] 1944 - Alexandria - Greek officers board three striking warships, with the loss of 50 lives 1945 - At 1535, U-1023 fired a spread of two LUT torpedoes at Convoy TBC-135 and heard one detonation and sinking noises. In fact, the Riverton was only damaged 1945 - USS Eagle 56 sank after a heavy explosion off Portland ME. U-853 was operating in the area, but did not report her success, because she was herself lost some days later. The survivors reported the sighting of a conning tower and saw the colors of the emblem on U-853. In June 2001 the US Navy finally changed its assessment of the loss of USS Eagle 56. The original assessment claimed that the ship had been sunk by a boiler explosion - in stark contrast to what the survivors of the ship reported 1945 - The unescorted Katy was torpedoed & damaged by U-857 east of Kitty Hawk. She was towed to Lynnhaven, Hampton Roads on 26 April and repaired. It is also possible that U-879 torpedoed this ship, but both U-boats were lost during April 1945 in that area and this success cannot be definitely assigned to one of the boats 1945 - U-183 sunk at 1300 in the Java Sea, in position 04.50S, 112.52E, by a torpedo from submarine USS Besugo. 54 dead and 1 survivor 1945 - U-396 reported missing from weather-reporting duties. No explanation exists for its loss. 45 dead (all hands lost) 1945 - U-1055 reported missing in the North Atlantic or the English Channel. No explanation exists for its loss. 49 dead (all hands lost) 1945 - Destroyer USS Vesole commissioned 1945 - Frigate HMCS Carlplace arrived Londonderry 1945 - HMC ML 081 of 79th ML Flotilla completed refit 1945 - Minesweeper HMCS Vegreville damaged by mines off French coast & headed for Devonport for repairs. The damage to her port engine was considered to be beyond economical repair and was declared a constructive total loss 6 Jun 45 1945 - Frigate HMCS Meon paid off & returned to RN at Southampton. Retained in postwar RN 1945 - Destroyers USS Holder, Theodore E Chandler & Warrington laid down 1945 - Submarine HMS Seneschal launched 1945 - U-716 depth charged in the Arctic by a hunter-killer group. Due to the damage incurred the boat had to return to base 1945 - The US Navy's Patrol Bombing Squadron One Hundred Nine (VPB-109) based at Puerto Princessa, Palawan, Philippine Islands, launches the Special Weapons Ordnance Device (SWOD) Mk. 9 for the first time against an enemy target. The SWOD Mk. 9, or "Bat" missile, is a glide bomb consisting of a 1,000-pound bomb casing equipped with wings, twin tail and internal radar to guide it. Two Bats are launched by a VPB-109 Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer against Japanese shipping in Balikpapan, Borneo but both are defective and do not hit any targets 1945 - HMCS Vegreville damaged by mine off coast of France. Heads to Devonport for repair 1952 - RCN Anson aircraft replaced by Beech C-45 Expeditors 1952 - Canadian cabinet approves purchase of never completed aircraft carrier HMS Powerful for completion by Harland & Wolff Belfast as HMCS Bonaventure 1953 - Destroyer HMCS Cayuga compass calibration at Parry Bay 1954 - The Soviet Union breaks off ties with Australia after it gives political asylum to the Russian diplomat Petrov. Ties are restored only after five years 1955 - Coastal escort (ex-minesweeper) HMCS Portage commissioned 1956 - Project Vanguard, earth satellite launching program, assigned to DCNO (Air) 1965 - Molnya 1, the first Soviet communications satellite, is launched 1966 - USS Ticonderoga port call Subic Bay 1971 - Destroyer HMCS Algonquin launched Lauzon PQ 1972 - USNS Cowaneque sank after grounding Kin Bay, Okinawa 1973 - USS Constellation port call Subic Bay 1973 - Cruiser BAP Almirante Grau (ex-HNLMS De Ruyter) commissioned 1974 - USS Kitty Hawk port call Singapore 1979 - Destroyer HMCS Assiniboine commended DELEX refit Canadian Vickers Montreal PQ 1982 - Argentine submarine Santa Fe attacked and badly damaged by helicopters off South Georgia. The crippled submarine landed on South Georgia and the crew surrendered 1982 - Petty Officer B Casey became the first British causality of the Falklands War, killed in a Sea King helicopter crash 1994 - Frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec relieved HMCS Annapolis on Haiti Blockade 2003 - Endeavour River becomes the largest ship ever drydocked at Garden Island in Sydney. The first ever ship was the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious in 1945 2004 - Ceremony held at Falmouth onboard HMS Cornwall to mark the withdrawal of the Sea King helicopter from frontline ASW service 2004 - USN announces DDG 100 will be named USS Kidd. Construction later delayed by Hurricane Katrina 2005 - Northrop Grumman hosts a ceremony to mark the completion of the first major subassembly of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter 2005 - The Maritime Ship Modelers Guild annual model show at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax April 23 & 24 2005 - The Coast Guard airlifted a 47-year old man from a 42-foot vessel today five miles off the coast of Grays Harbor WA. Coast Guard Group/Air Station Astoria OR received a call on VHF-FM channel 16 from the master of the 42-foot vessel Slammer requesting medical assistance for a 47-year old passenger. An HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Astoria was launched to medevac the man. The helicopter lowered a rescue swimmer to the Slammer who then hoisted the man into the helicopter. The weather conditions at the time of the medevac were 29 mph winds and eight-foot waves. He was then flown to the airport in Hoquiam, Wash., where an awaiting ambulance transported him to Grays Harbor Community Hospital in Aberdeen, Wash., for further medical treatment 2005 - The Coast Guard rescued seven people stranded on a jetty near Oceanside OR. One of the people called the Tillamook County OR 911 dispatcher on his cell phone requesting help after they were stranded by incoming tides. The dispatcher called Coast Guard Group/Air Station Astoria, Ore., to report the seven on Three Arch Rock near Oceanside about 1315. An HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Group/Air Station Astoria was diverted and a 47-foot motor lifeboat from Coast Guard Station Tillamook was launched to assist. The Jayhawk was able to hoist all seven and transported them to Tillamook Airport. All seven were evaluated by emergency medical technicians and released 2005 - Ten sailors from HMCS Toronto are in the Canadian navy frigate's namesake town this weekend, helping to spruce the city up for a visit by the warship this summer. Sub-Lieutenant Terry Moore and his crew joined volunteers across the city yesterday in the 20-Minute Toronto Makeover, picking up rubbish along the waterfront. "We had about 10 bags all told," Sub-Lieut. Moore said with a laugh. "But we covered about two kilometers, so that wasn't too bad I guess." The frigate is at sea off the coast of Newfoundland, but sent the 10 sailors ashore as an advance party for its port visit this July 2005 - Two Virginia-based sailors took top honors as the sea-based and shore-based sailors of the year for the US Fleet Forces Command in competition from throughout the Atlantic Fleet. Petty Officer 1st Class Richard Rainer, an aerographer’s mate assigned to the Naval Surface Force, Atlantic, took the sea-based honors, with Petty Officer 1st Class Thomas J. Bumpass, an aviation ordnanceman, named the shore sailor of the year 2006 - Coast Guard Group/Air Station Port Angeles responded to a distress call from a 36-foot fishing vessel in danger of sinking, 28 miles west southwest of Cape Alava, Wash. Group Port Angeles received a call on VHF channel 16 from the vessel in distress stating that they were taking on water and in need of assistance. Group Port Angeles issued an urgent marine information broadcast and launched an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter with two dewatering pumps. A 47-foot motor lifeboat from Coast Guard Station Neah Bay, Wash., and Coast Guard Station Quillayute River, Wash., were dispatched to assist. A fishing vessel responded to the call for help and stood by to assist the crew if the vessel sunk. The Dolphin arrived and lowered a pump to the sinking vessel. The vessel was dewatered and safely escorted back to Neah Bay by the motor lifeboat from Station Quillayute River 2006 - The Israeli Navy has become a quiet participant in the military’s attempt to defend the south of Israel from Gaza-based Kassam rocket attacks, according to Defense News. The Navy is using phased array radar, which can spot a can of Coke at up to 20 nautical miles, among other anti-terrorist technologies. The report said that the Navy recently used sea and land-based support systems in military retaliatory attacks on Gaza rocket launch sites, including firing 25-mm and 76-mm cannons. It is also expected that the Navy will expand its participation in military ground and air force operations in Gaza, a significant change from its previous support role 2007 - USCG Pacific Area Commander Vice Admiral Charles Wurster and Department of Homeland Security Director of Counter Narcotics Enforcement Uttam Dhillon attend a 40,000-pound drug-offload from Coast Guard cutter Sherman at Alameda. This is from three separate cocaine busts, including cocaine seized during the largest bust in maritime history 2007 - USCG Admiral Brian Salerno & Capt Brian Kelly testify before the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Subcommittee on Coast Guard & Maritime Transportation on the safety and security of liquefied natural gas at Maryland School of Law Ceremonial Courtroom Baltimore 2007 - First democratically elected Russian President, Boris Yeltsin, dies of heart failure 2007 - Bharati Shipyard Ltd has announced that the Company has signed a contract with UP OFFSHORE (BAHAMAS) LTD, for construction and supply of two Platform Supply Vessels 2007 - Disney Cruise Line finalized a contract with Meyer Werft Shipyard to build two new ships 2007 - Dozens of ships carrying commercial seal hunters have been rescued from crushing ice off the coast of Newfoundland. Most of the fleet remains adrift or trapped. Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers and helicopters were dispatched a week ago to try to help more than 100 ships carrying hundreds of mariners taking part in Canada's annual seal cull 2008 - The nuclear powered missile cruiser Pyotr Velikiy of Russia's Northern Fleet has completed a missile firing exercise in the Barents Sea 2008 - HDMS Brigaden and Hvidsten decommissioned Copyright 2009 Shirlaw News Group ISSN 1710-6966 Today in History Archives This information is licensed to the recipient only. Images may be subject to copyright. Ask before you right-click. Royal Navy photos are Courtesy of www.oldships.org.uk unless otherwise indicated. To contact us: 418-145 West Keith Rd North Vancouver BC V7M 1L3 Canada Phone: 778-968-7447