SeaWaves Today in History April 28, 2009 1610 - Samuel de Champlain c1570-1635 arrives at Quebec 1631 - Luke Foxe 1586-c1635 sails from London on the Charles to find the NW Passage; skirts the western shore of Hudson Bay; finds relics of Button's expedition 1754 - Russian Admiral Count Nikolay Semenovich Mordvinov member of the State Council born. Died April 11, 1845 1758 - Fifth president of the United States, James Monroe, born in Westmoreland County VA 1770 - Capt Cook lands in Botany Bay 1789 - Three weeks into a journey from Tahiti to the West Indies, the HMS Bounty is seized in a mutiny led by Fletcher Christian, the master's mate. Captain William Bligh and 18 of his loyal supporters were set adrift in a small, open boat, and the Bounty set course for Tubuai south of Tahiti 1792 - Captains Robert Gray and George Vancouver meet off the Washington coast 1850 - 38 died when side-wheel steamship Gen. Anthony Wayne sank north of Vermilion, Ohio 1862 - Naval forces capture Forts Jackson and St. Philip, LA 1865 - Death of Sir Samuel Cunard, Canadian founder of the company that now bears his name 1906 - Submarine HMS B9 completed 1918 - U-108 was attacked by USS Porter but escaped 1919 - Destroyer USS King laid down 1919 - Minesweeper USS Sandpiper launched 1919 - Destroyer USS Belknap commissioned 1920 - Destroyer USS Simpson launched 1927 - Destroyer HNLMS Kortenaer launched 1933 - Soviet submarine SC-308 launched 1934 - Heavy cruiser USS Astoria commissioned 1936 - U-16 launched 1939 - Soviet submarine K-23 launched 1939 - Destroyer HMS Jersey commissioned 1939 - Light cruiser HMS Jamaica laid down 1940 - Off Greenock, Scotland, the 2,400 ton French destroyer Maille Breze, is a victim of its own weaponry when one of its own torpedoes accidentally fired and slithered along the main deck exploding under the bridge structure and completely wrecking the forepart of the ship. The British destroyer HMS Firedrake rushed to the scene and rescued fifteen men who had slid down the hawse pipe. Other mangled bodies were recovered but those on the mess deck were doomed as the ship slowly sank taking with her 38 of her crew still trapped below 1940 - At 0129, the Scottish American was hit by one torpedo from U-13 and caught fire. The U-boat had fired the last torpedo and left the tanker down by the bows, but the ship was salvaged and returned to service after being repaired 1941 - The Channel Stop campaign starts with the Royal Navy and RAF working to deny use of the English Channel to enemy shipping. On the first day a Blenheim of 101 Sqn is shot down by flak ships trying to attack trawlers off Calais 1941 - U-65 is sunk by HMS Gladiolus while escorting fast Convoy HX-121, but four ships are lost. The action takes place to the south of Iceland 1941 - Corvette HMCS Port Arthur laid down Port Arthur ON 1941 - At 1925, U-96 fired three single torpedoes at three tankers in Convoy HX-121 south of Iceland and reported the sinking of two tankers with 18,000 tons and damaging another with 6,000 tons after observing three hits. The tankers Oilfield & Caledonia were sunk and freighter Port Hardy was hit and sunk after the torpedo had missed the intended target. Seven crewmen of the 35 men & two gunners aboard the Caledonia died in the engine room. Five others jumped overboard and tried to get to the only launched lifeboat, but they drifted into the burning inferno around the nearby torpedoed Oilfield and died. The 25 men in the lifeboat desperately tried to rescue them, but this had to be given up because of the intense heat. The survivors were picked up by the British rescue ship Zaafaran and landed in Gourock on 1 May. Oilfield caught fire immediately and burned until she broke in two and sank the next day in 60°06N/16°06W. The master, 44 crewmembers and two gunners were lost. Six crewmembers and two gunners were picked up by ASW trawler HMS St Zeno & landed at Londonderry. Lawrence Robert Andersen was the commodore of the fleet of Hunting & Son Ltd. Port Hardy was hit by one torpedo on the port side abaft the main mast and sank after about three hours. One crewmember was lost. The master, 82 crewmembers, four gunners and ten passengers were picked up by the British rescue ship Zaafaran & landed at Greenock on 1 May. The master, John Geoffrey Lewis later survived another sinking when his next ship, the Port Montreal was sunk by U-68 10 Jun 1942 1941 - At 1615, the Capulet in Convoy HX-121 was torpedoed by U-552 south of Iceland in 60°16N/16°10W. She broke her back, caught fire and was abandoned. Eight crewmembers and one of three passengers were lost. After HMS Douglas tried to sink the tanker with gunfire, the destroyer picked up the master and 17 survivors and landed them at Londonderry. 17 survivors were rescued by the British rescue ship Zaafaren & landed at Greenock on 1 May. At 2114 on 2 May, U-201 found the drifting wreck of the Capulet and sank her by a coup de grâce 1941 - Boom defense vessel HMS Baronia launched 1941 - Destroyer HMS Calpe launched 1941 - Mooring vessel HMS Moorfire launched 1941 - Aircraft carrier USS Essex laid down 1941 - Submarine HMS P-36 launched 1942 - Patrol Vessel District YP-77 sunk in collision off Atlantic coast 1942 - The US Navy's Task Force 99, consisting of the battleship USS Washington, heavy cruisers USS Tuscaloosa & Wichita with four destroyers, sails from the Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. This is Force "Distaff," a joint RN-USN task force that will be positioned NE of Iceland to protect convoy PQ-15 sailing for Murmansk in the Soviet Union. The RN force consists of the battleship HMS King George V, the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious, the light cruiser HMS Kenya and five destroyers 1942 - Cuba granted de facto recognition to Free French control over French territories in the Pacific, Equatorial Africa, and the Cameroons 1942 - Corvette HMCS La Malbaie commissioned 1942 - Tug HMS West Dean lost due to unknown reasons 1942 - Destroyer USS Bradford laid down 1942 - SS Arundo sunk by U-136 at 40.10N, 73.44W 1942 - Destroyer USS Laub launched 1942 - U-664 launched 1942 - HMS Urge was lost, thought to have been mined in the Eastern Mediterranean 28 April 1942. On 27th April 1942 HMS Urge had left Malta on passage to Alexandria, where she was due to arrive on the 6th. The submarine failed to arrive. It is possible that Urge struck a mine outside Malta or that she was sunk by the Italian torpedo boat Pegaso in the eastern Mediterranean 1943 - A series of running battles, between German U-boats and Convoy ONS-5, begin. These battles will last through May 6th. The convoy will lose 13 transports. 7 U-boats are sunk with damage to others. The ratio of 2 transports to 1 U-boat is acceptable. This convoy is being protected by British escorts and Consolidated PBY-5A Catalinas of the US Navy's Patrol Squadron Eighty Four (VP-84) based as Naval Air Facility (NAF) Reykjavik, Iceland. The effective air escort during the main battle was RCAF No. 5 Squadron from Newfoundland, which sank U-630 on 4th May. Earlier in the voyage, on 24th April, RAF 206 Squadron sank U-710. The surface escort accounted for the remainder of the U-boat losses 1943 - In the Atlantic, a US Navy hunter-killer group comprised of the auxiliary aircraft carrier USS Bogue and four destroyers drives off five German U-boats deploying against Convoy HX-235 1943 - HMC ML 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120 & 121 ordered 1943 - U-1019, U-1202 laid down 1943 - U-549, U-719 launched 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Borum, Snyder & Witter laid down 1943 - Frigate HMS Tweed commissioned 1943 - Destroyer escort USS Pettit launched 1943 - Destroyer USS Stephen Potter launched 1943 - Destroyer escort USS Griswold commissioned 1943 - Submarine HMS Unshaken sinks the Italian torpedo boat Climene 1943 - HMS Usurper makes a torpedo attack on U-467 in the Norwegian Sea. The target was not hit 1944 - US Secretary of the Navy, Frank Knox dies. He is the top civilian in the naval chain of command 1944 - A Night Engagement at Lyme Bay - “The Disaster at Slapton Sands.” A pre-invasion amphibious rehearsal was conducted off the south coast of Devon, due to its similarity to the coast of Normandy. At 2145 on 27 Apr, convoy T-45 left Plymouth for Lyme Bay. The close escort was limited to one Flower-class corvette, HMS Azalea, which was stationed one mile ahead of a column of five LSTs (Landing Ships, Tank). Three more LSTs from Brixham joined the convoy. A fourth LST failed to make the rendezvous and returned to base. Once west of Tor Bay, the convoy maneuvered in the Channel before making its final approach to Slapton Sands. One destroyer, the old Admiralty S-class HMS Saladin, was stationed to the south of the convoy as a screening force. In addition, three RN MTBs patrolled off Cherbourg as a blocking force to intercept a potential patrol by German E-boats. Alerted by increased Allied radio traffic, the German 5th and 9th Schnellboote Flotillas, comprising six and three boats, respectively, sortied from Cherbourg at 22:00 on 27 Apr. The German force managed to evade the British MTBs. Once clear of the British patrol, they traveled at 36 knots under strict radio silence. Shortly after midnight, nine German torpedo boats moved into Lyme Bay. Attacking in pairs, the E-boats burst past the escorts and attacked the landing ships. LSTs 507 and 531 were sunk with the loss of 202 and 424 men, respectively. LST 289 was damaged, resulting in the loss of 13 men. LST 511 was hit by fire from LST 496, resulting in 18 wounded. The German force did not suffer any losses. This was the costliest training exercise in all of the Second World War. Eventually, the death count reached 749 men. Lieutenant-General Bradley, unaware of the huge loss of American lives, summarily relieved the brigade commander when the exercise fell behind schedule. A number of ‘lessons’ were learned and post-event recommendations included: using more capable and numerous escort forces; having rescue craft for any landing operation; disseminating quickly enemy contacts reports; introducing standard radio procedures, special circuits, and radio frequencies; reinforcing instructions to avoid looking directly at flares or fires to preserve night vision; limiting the amount of fuel carried in landing ships to that needed for the operation itself to reduce risk of fire; making small arms available to fire on E-boats when main guns cannot depress sufficiently; making life boats and life rafts as ready for lowering as possible; issuing illumination rockets to all large ships; improving firefighting equipment, including manually operated pumps; providing training in the use of the 'kapok' life jacket and making them the preferred life preserver over the CO2 type; ordering boot laces be loosened when preparing to abandon ship to make it easier to remove them in the water 1944 - HM LST 3518, 3519, 3520, 3521, 3522, 3523, 3524, 3525, 3526, 3527, 3528, 3529, 3530, 3531, 3532, 3533, 3534, 3535 ordered in Canada 1944 - Frigate HMCS Buckingham launched Lauzon PQ 1944 - Frigate HMCS Charlottetown commissioned 1944 - Frigates HMCS Cape Breton, Outremont, Grou & Waskesiu departed Kola Inlet with Convoy RA-59 for Loch Ewe; arriving safely at Loch Ewe on 09 May 44 1944 - U-883 launched 1944 - Submarine HMS Aenas laid down 1944 - Submarine USS Tirante laid down 1944 - Escort carrier USS Hollandia launched 1944 - Minesweeper HMS Foam commissioned 1944 - USS LST-531 sunk by German motor torpedo boats in Lyme Bay England 1944 - USS LST-507 sunk by German motor torpedo boats in Lyme Bay England 1944 - Submarine HMS Spark commissioned 1944 - HMS Sportsman torpedoes and sinks German merchantman Lüneburg north of Iraklion, Crete 1944 - Destroyer escorts USS Samuel B Roberts & Daniel A Joy commissioned 1944 - Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-166 was commissioned. She was assigned to and operated in the Southwest Pacific and Western Pacific areas. She was decommissioned 9 October 1945 1944 - Coast Guard manned Army vessel FS-152 was commissioned and was in the Southwest Pacific area on June 26, 1944, where she operated during the war. She was decommissioned on 19 October 1945 1944 - Coast Guard manned Army vessel FS-153 was commissioned and was in the Southwest Pacific area on 26 June 1944 where she operated during the war. Her commanding officer on 26 October 1944 was LTJG R.F. Horwath, USCGR, and on 1 September 1945 LT Robert B. English Jr., USCGR. On 31 October 1945, the vessel was transferred from Coast Guard to the Army Transportation Service and decommissioned on the same day 1945 - The kamikazes damage four destroyers near Okinawa - USS Wadsworth, Daly, Twiggs and Bennion; the high-speed minesweeper USS Butler; hospital ship Comfort; and the transport fitted for the evacuation of wounded USS Pinkney. The destroyer USS Brown is damaged by aerial attack while a Japanese assault demolition boat causes extensive damage to the US freighter SS Bozeman Victory 1945 - Tug HMCS Glendyne commissioned 1945 - Float Car (Non Self-Propelled) YCF-23 lost enroute Eniwetok Mar 1945 stricken Navy List 1945 - Float Car (Non Self-Propelled) YCF-29 lost enroute Eniwetok Mar 1945 stricken Navy List 1945 - Float Car (Non Self-Propelled) YCF-36 lost enroute Eniwetok Mar 1945 stricken Navy List 1945 - Float Car (Non Self-Propelled) YCF-37 lost enroute Eniwetok Mar 1945 stricken Navy List 1945 - After a misfiring of the 20-mm AA gun, the IWO of U-3012, Oberleutnant zur See Wolfgang Schlett, was killed instantly. The commander of the boat, Kapitänleutnant Hans Bungards, was badly wounded and died next night in the Navy Hospital at Travemünde 1945 - U-56 sunk at Kiel, in position 54.19N, 10.10E, by bombs from British aircraft. 6 dead and 19 survivors 1945 - Heavy cruiser USS Helena launched 1945 - Submarines USS Chivo & Requin commissioned 1945 - Minesweeper USS Ruddy commissioned 1945 - Destroyer USS Vogelsgang commissioned 1945 - Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, were executed by Italian partisans as they attempted to flee the country 1947 - Six-man expedition sailed from Peru aboard a balsa wood raft named Kon-Tiki on a 101-day journey to Polynesia 1948 - Soviet submarine SC-307 disarmed & converted to floating charging station PZS-5 1952 - HMC HSL 208 PRE commissioned 1952 - War with Japan officially ended as a treaty that had been signed by the United States and 47 other nations took effect 1952 - Firefly a/c crashed on Observer Course in poor weather. One killed 1954 - Tug CNAV Saint Charles laid down Saint John NB Dominican Republic intervention began 1944 - US LSTs attacked during Operation Tiger 1945 - "Il Duce," Benito Mussolini, and his mistress, Clara Petacci, are shot by Italian partisans who had captured the couple as they attempted to flee to Switzerland 1947 - A six-man expedition sailed from Peru aboard a balsa wood raft named the Kon-Tiki on a 101-day journey across the Pacific Ocean to Polynesia 1982 - Britain announces a Total Exclusion Zone (TEZ) to include ships and aircraft of all nations. The 200 mile exclusion zone around the Islands aims to draw Argentine aircraft out into the open 1984 - Submarine HMS Turbulent completed 1985 - Destroyer HMCS Nipigon renders SAR assistance to fishing vessel Lady Marjorie on fire. Basically (according to the article), Lady Marjorie started taking on water due to an existing fault in the hull, & the crew abandoned ship hurriedly, without announcing that they had abandoned ship, & without closing any watertight doors. The skipper was the 18-year-old son of the owner. A nearby fishing boat picked up the crew, & Nipigon arrived on the scene under the instructions of RCC Halifax. The skipper refused to reboard his vessel & also refused to board Nipigon for medical attention (he was suffering from exposure). The fishing vessel with the crew on board left the scene, leaving Nipigon on the scene. Nipigon was in a rush to get to get to Roosevelt Roads, & her skipper determined that the Lady Marjorie was a hazard to navigation. On orders from RCC Halifax, Nipigon sank her with gunfire. The owner later complained, & sued both Lloyds of London & the government. There were a number of mistakes made by RCC Halifax (they didn't have the authority to order the sinking), Nipigon (her navigator placed her 16 hours further away from Roosevelt Roads than she was, & she fired on the Lady Marjorie from too short a range risking damage from ricochets), & the Lady Marjorie's crew (they mishandled the situation in a number of regards, & they abandoned their vessel, which under maritime law leaves her as derelict & at the mercy of whoever comes along). Crown subsequently sued by vessel owners, out of court settlement, allegedly of one million dollars 1993 - SECDEF memo orders Armed Forces to train and assign women on combat aircraft and most combat ships, but not to ground combat positions 1994 - Destroyer HMCS Terra Nova relieved frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec on Haiti blockade 1994 - Canadian Sea King a/c #12425 crashed near Saint John NB 1994 - CIA employee Aldrich Ames sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole for spying for Russia 1995 - MCDV HMCS Glace Bay laid down Halifax NS 1995 - Frigate HMCS Charlottetown delivered 2003 - MV Cape Race laid up Portsmouth VA RRF 2003 - SS Cape Bova & Cape Borda transferred from RRF to Maritime Reserve 2005 - The new co-located Officers and Chiefs & Petty Officers’ (CPOs’) Messes and Accommodations complex, will officially open on Thurs, April 28, 2005 at 10 a.m. The facility, located in CFB Halifax (upper base), replaces the fifty-year-old Officers’ Wardroom and the old C&POs’ facilities on Barrington Street and in Windsor Park. The complex features combined galley, dining and multi-function facilities for officers and CPOs as well as accommodations for 120. In attendance at the opening were Myra A Freeman, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, Vice Admiral Bruce MacLean, Chief of Maritime Command and Chief Petty Officer First Class Kim Davis, the Command Chief Petty Officer 2005 - CP Ships Limited today announced that it plans to re-brand its container shipping services under the CP Ships name and retire its seven operating brands by the end of the year. Since 1993, CP Ships has acquired nine container shipping companies, seven of whose brands are currently active: ANZDL, Canada Maritime, Cast, Contship Containerlines, Italia Line, Lykes Lines and TMM Lines 2005 - A huge multi-agency operation in Australia's northern waters has netted 29 illegal fishing boats and interrupted an organized, international racket, the federal government has said. As a result of the blitz, 64 people will be charged - and the government may look in the future at finding alternative employment for would-be illegal fishermen in Indonesian villages. The illegal fishing vessels captured to the north of Arnhem Land, in the Gulf of Carpentaria and other locations during Operation Clearwater, were Indonesian and many were working together 2005 - Tsakos Energy Navigation Limited (TEN) today announced the purchase of Aframax contract H/N 1334 from Sumitomo Heavy Industries Marine & Eng. Co. Ltd. and the simultaneous sale of Aframax contract H/N 1224 from Sanoyas Hishimo Meisho Corporation. H/N 1334 is the sistership to the Aframax that TEN is currently building at the same yard and is expected to be delivered in August 2007. H/N 1224 was acquired on November 2004 with expected delivery in June 2005 and its sale should generate a net profit of approximately $10.5 million, to be recognized in the second quarter. This leaves TEN's orderbook unaltered at thirteen orders, eleven in Korean yards, of which one is an LNG, and two in Japanese yards 2005 - Northern Territory police are treating the death of a 37-year-old Indonesian man being detained on a boat in Darwin as a death in custody. Police investigators believe it is the first time a death will apply under recently amended Territory legislation 2005 - US Coast Guard assisted the capsized 101-foot crew boat Rene I after it collided with the 784-foot tanker Genmar Strength in the Sabine Channel between the jetties where the channel enters the Gulf of Mexico. Coast Guard crews rescued three of the four men onboard the Rene I and the crew of a Sabine pilot boat rescued the fourth crewmember. All were taken to shore where awaiting EMS personnel transported them to St. Mary's Hospital in Port Arthur. No injuries were reported aboard the Genmar Strength 2005 - After searching more than 500 square miles, the Coast Guard suspended its search for three members of a whale hunting party who were lost when their boat capsized around 1405. Missing are Jason Nowpakahok, 38, the mayor of Gambell, and two children, Leonard Nowpakahok, 10, the mayor’s nephew, and Yolanda Nowpakahok, 11, the mayor’s daughter. Rescuers recovered James Uglowook, age 20. The Village Public Safety Officer and clinic staff performed CPR on J. Uglowook for about three hours before pronouncing him deceased. Rescued are Davis Uglowook, 37, and Darin Slwooko, 25. Both received medical treatment at the Gambell clinic and officials there released them. The party, using a traditional whale hunting skin boat, hunted about eight miles west of St Lawrence Island and transited to shore for more villagers to tow in the whale when it capsized. Another boater radioed the Village Public Safety Officer, who in turn notified Alaska State Troopers in Nome. Reportedly, no one on board the boat wore a life jacket. A Kodiak-based Coast Guard C-130 airplane crew searched for a total of seven hours 2005 - Assault ship HMS Bulwark commissioned during a ceremony at Devonport Naval Base 2005 - The Barcelo class patrol boat, SPS Javier Quiroga (P13) decommissioned and sold to Tunisia to help in the fight against illegal immigrants 2005 - US Department of State certified 37 nations and one economy as meeting the requirements set by Section 609 of Public Law 101-162 for continued importation of shrimp into the United States. Section 609 prohibits importation of shrimp and products of shrimp harvested in a manner that may adversely affect sea turtle species. This import prohibition does not apply in cases where the Department of State certifies annually to Congress, not later than May 1, that the government of the harvesting nation has taken certain specific measures to reduce the incidental taking of sea turtles in its shrimp trawl fisheries -- or that the fishing environment of the harvesting nation does not pose a threat to sea turtle species. Such certifications are based in part on verification visits made to countries by teams of experts from the State Department and the US National Marine Fisheries Service. The chief component of the US sea turtle conservation program is a requirement that commercial shrimp boats use sea turtle excluder devices (TEDs) to prevent the accidental drowning of sea turtles in shrimp trawls. The thirteen nations meeting this standard are: Belize, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Suriname, and Venezuela. Twenty-four nations and one economy were certified as having fishing environments that do not pose a danger to sea turtles. Of these, eight nations and one economy -- the Bahamas, China, the Dominican Republic, Fiji, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Oman, Peru and Sri Lanka -- harvest shrimp using manual rather than mechanical means to retrieve nets, or use other fishing methods not harmful to sea turtles. Sixteen nations have shrimp fisheries only in cold waters, where the risk of taking sea turtles is negligible. They are: Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay. Trinidad and Tobago and Cost Rica are currently uncertified. Importation of shrimp from all other nations will be prohibited unless harvested by aquaculture methodology (fish-farming), in cold-water regions where sea turtles are not likely found, or by specialized fishing techniques that do not threaten sea turtles. If any of these situations apply, the shipment must be accompanied by a Department of State DS-2031 form signed by the exporter and importer and certified by a government official of the harvesting nation. Users should note that exception 7.A.(2) on the form "Harvested Using TEDs" is currently a valid exception to the prohibition on imports from nations not certified under Public Law 101-162. However, the Department of State must determine that a country wishing to use this exception has in place an enforcement and catch segregation system for making such individual shipment certifications. Presently, only Brazil and Australia have shown that they have a system in place for specific fisheries 2005 - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration transferred ownership of Whiting, a decommissioned hydrographic survey ship, to the Mexican Navy upon authority of Congress and by order of the Secretary of Commerce. The transfer took place during a special ceremony at Town Point Park, Otter Berth, in Norfolk, VA. At the ceremony, the vessel was accepted by Vice Admiral Edgar F. Narro y Quesda, director general de investigacion y dessarollo, who was the senior representative of the Mexican Navy. The ship was then recommissioned Rio Tuxpan 2006 - USCG Captain of the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach change of command at the Coast Guard Integrated Support Command San Pedro. Captain Paul E. Wiedenhoeft will succeed Captain Peter V. Neffenger as Commander of the Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach during an official ceremony being held at 1030 2006 - Department of National Defense announced that repairs to HMCS Chicoutimi, damaged by fire in 2004, will be deferred until 2010 when a two-year refit on the submarine is conducted 2006 - Seatruck Ferries has celebrated its tenth anniversary by confirming that the third and fourth vessels in a four-ship series building in Spain for the Clipper Group-owned Irish Sea freight ferry operator will be delivered in 2008. Last year, Seatruck ordered two 142 meter-long, 120-unit, 22-knot vessels from Astilleros de Huelva in Spain 2006 - The early morning of the 28th April will see the commissioning of Extra Fast Patrol Vessel ICGS Subhadra Kumari Chauhan at MPT jetty in Vasco. Chief Guest for this function will be the Dr P Paleri, PTM, TM. Director General of Indian Coast Guard. Later in the day 105mts AOPV will be launched in the hands of Smt Susheela Paleri wife of DGCG while the XFPV will be launched by Smt Uma Vadgaokar wife of FOGA, Goa Naval Area in a ceremony to be held at GSL yard. Director General Indian Coast Guard Dr P Paleri PTM TM and RAdm S.M Vadgaokar, NM Flag Officer Commanding Goa Naval area will be the guests of honor to grace the occasion 2006 - Tank Ship Margara successfully refloated during high tide at 0026 and is currently in deep water holding position five nautical miles off Guayanilla Bay, Puerto Rico 2006 - ADI Limited delivered back to the RAN HMAS Sydney following a major upgrade 2006 - The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defense, Senator the Hon. Sandy Macdonald, today unveiled a new class of highly advanced sea mine sweeping technology being developed by Australia's Defense Science and Technology Organization (DSTO). During a visit to DSTO Sydney, Senator Macdonald witnessed a demonstration of the new technology. The new system is based around high temperature superconducting magnet technology and represents a leap forward in magnetic mine sweeping. Australia is believed to be the only country in the world currently investigating the application of high temperature superconductors to sea mine warfare 2006 - Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup takes over as UK Chief of the Defense Staff. He succeeds General Sir Michael Walker who has been in post since May 2003 2006 - At Great Grimsby Crown Court today two ships captains were sentenced for being over the prescribed limit of alcohol whilst in charge of their vessels. One jailed, the other fined 2006 - Capt WJ Lewis Parker, USCG (Ret’d) died. "Lew" Parker was an eminent maritime historian; he also was an inspiration and mentor to a generation of maritime historians 2006 - DCN began manufacturing parts for the first of six Scorpene submarines ordered by India 2006 - Forty-three leaders from American business, industry and education had the opportunity to tour the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan while the ship was operating in the Northern Persian Gulf, as part of the Department of Defense-sponsored Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC) 2006 - A Coast Guard small boat crew from Station Ketchikan rescued three stranded teenagers from the shore of Betton Island near Knudson Cove. The Coast Guard received a call from Alaska State Troopers at 2226 reporting three teens had swamped their skiff and were stranded on Betton Island. The teens built a campfire on the beach and waited for help to arrive. Station Ketchikan dispatched a boat crew to the scene 2006 - The Chinese Navy launched its first joint patrol with a foreign counterpart by sending a fleet of vessels to patrol Beibu Gulf with Vietnamese naval ships. Initiated by an agreement signed last October between Cao Gangchuan, China's Defense Minister and Pham Van Tra, Vietnam's Defense Minister, the patrols are aimed at strengthening the cooperation between the two navies and maintaining the stability of the fishing industry and oil exploration in Beibu Gulf, the ministry reported. Beibu Gulf also referred to as the Gulf of Tonkin in the West, lies between China and Vietnam. Shallow, less than 60 meters deep, it is the northwestern arm of the South China Sea and a branch of the Pacific Ocean. The area boasts abundant natural resources including oil, gas and various minerals. It also serves as an important fishing ground for both countries 2007 - Police in Port Klang detained a Myanmar national suspected of being involved in the killing of a crewmember of MV Damita Godawar cargo ship which was sailing to West Port last month 2007 - Royal Thai Navy Racharit-class FAC test-fired an Exocet missile 2008 - USCG Commandant Admiral Thad Allen speaks at the National Marine Manufacture’s Assn American Boating Congress on small vessel safety and security in Washington DC 2008 - Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen receives the Gold Medal from the Union League of Philadelphia 2008 - At least one tornado and possibly two touched down at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., according to Navy sources. A Navy spokesman confirmed that at roughly 4:55 p.m., a funnel cloud came ashore between Piers 2 and 3, causing damage to cars and buildings Copyright 2009 Shirlaw News Group ISSN 1710-6966 Today in History Archives This information is licensed to the recipient only. 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