SeaWaves Today in History August 19, 2008 Iran - Anniversary of the National Uprising. Visiting warships Dress Ship overall 1415 - Henry V laid siege to Harfleur after landing in France. The town fell six weeks later 1535 - Jacques Cartier 1491-1557 sails by the Moisie River east of Sept-Iles 1587 - Virginia Dare became the first child of English parents to be born on American soil, on what is now Roanoke Island NC 1719 - First French Admiralty Office opens in Quebec City 1806 - The sea-going vessel Nadezhda commanded by IF Kruzenstern, returned from a round-the-world voyage 1809 - John Molson 1764-1836 launches wooden paddle steamboat 'Accommodation' for service on the St. Lawrence River; carries 10 passengers; the first Canadian steamship; first successful steamboat built entirely in North America 1812 - The USS Constitution - also known as Old Ironsides - attacks the British frigate Guerriere east of Nova Scotia during the War of 1812 1818 - CAPT James Biddle takes possession of Oregon Territory for US 1831 - Sailing ship Lady Sherbrooke wrecked off Cape Bay; 273 persons drown 1915 - Battleship HMS Barham commissioned 1915 - HM S/M E13 was attempting to make the passage through the Skaggerak and the Kattegat and into the Baltic Sea to join other British Submarines operating with the Russian Navy. Submarine E13 experienced a gyro compass failure and ran aground on the Danish Island of Bornholm. Despite the presence of Danish warships in the area submarine E13 was shelled into a wreck by German warships, which opened fire without warning. Fifteen crewmen were lost in the attack. The officers and the remaining fourteen of the crew swam to safety but were then interned by the Danes. Among the casualties twenty-seven year old Able Seaman Robert Thomas SMART 235783, RN, of Winnipeg, MB, died in the attack, the son of T.J. and Annie Smart of 1844, Logan Ave, Winnipeg, MB, Canada. He is interred in the Haslar Naval Cemetery ('H', 27, 2.) He was awarded (posthumously) the Cross of St George 4th Class by the Russian Government 1917 - Minesweeper USS Turkey laid down 1918 - Destroyer HMS Wivern laid down 1918 - Destroyer USS Chandler laid down 1918 - US Naval Air Station Halifax NS commissioned. Lt Richard E Byrd USN CO 1919 - Destroyer USS MacLeish laid down 1929 - Destroyer HMS Basilisk laid down 1930 - Submarine FS Antiope launched 1938 - Destroyer USS Sampson commissioned 1939 - Tug HMS Guardsman commissioned 1940 - At 0154, the British merchant ship Ampleforth (4,576 tons), a straggler from Convoy OA-199, was torpedoed and sunk by U-101 west of the Hebrides in position 56.10N, 10.40W. Nine crewmembers were lost. The master and 28 crewmembers were picked up by destroyer HMS Warwick and landed at Liverpool 1940 - Minesweeper HMAS Lithgow laid down 1940 - Destroyer HMS Oakley laid down 1940 - Minesweeper HMS Rye launched 1940 - The Admiralty oil depot at Pembroke Dock is bombed, and burns fiercely 1940 - Destroyers HMS Quilliam & Tickham laid down 1940 - Corvettes HMS Abelia & Alisma laid down 1940 - Corvettes HMS Hollyhock, Sunflower, Apostolis & Hyacinth launched 1940 - Submarine HMS Urge launched 1940 - Destroyer HMS Liddledale launched 1940 - U-104 commissioned 1940 - UA sank SS Kelet 1940 - U-48 sank SS Viee de Gand 1940 - U-101 sank SS Ampleforth in Convoy OA-199 1941 - The first convoy leaves Iceland for the USSR. The carrier HMS Argus is ferrying Hurricanes, complete with pilots, to Russia 1941 - The Wake Detachment, 1st Marine Defense Battalion, arrives on Wake Island in the cargo ship USS Regulus to begin work on defensive positions 1941 - The surviving crewmembers from the British merchant ship Alva sunk by U-559 were picked up by corvette HMS Campanula and transferred to destroyer HMS Velox and landed at Gibraltar on 25 August 1941 1941 - Soviet submarine M-121 launched 1941 - U-87 commissioned 1941 - U-509 launched 1941 - Corvette HMCS Sorel commissioned 1941 - Destroyer HNoMS Bath was escorting the convoy OG-71 as part of the 5th Escort Group about 400 miles SW of Ireland. During the combat, the destroyer fell behind the convoy and was sunk by two torpedoes from U-204 at 02.05 hours on 19 Aug 1941. The commander and 88 crewmembers were lost 1941 - U-201 sank SS Aguila & Ciscar in Convoy OG-71 1942 - Minesweeper HMS Brixham commissioned 1942 - During an aircraft attack on U-155 a man was lost overboard. (Maschinengefreiter Konrad Garneier) 1942 - Three Japanese destroyers, HIJMS Kagero, Hagikaze & Maikaze shell Tulagi 1942 - In the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean NE of Africa's Zanzibar, the Japanese submarine HIJMS I-29 launches a "Glen" reconnaissance seaplane (Yokosuka E14Y, Navy Type 0 Small Reconnaissance Seaplane) to reconnoiter the islands 1942 - Operation JUBILEE, the raid on Dieppe. The troops employed totaled 6,100 of whom roughly 5,000 were from the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, the remainder being British Commandos plus 50 American Rangers. Eight Allied destroyers and 74 Allied air squadrons supported the raid. Eight of the squadrons were from the RCAF, amounting to practically the entire Canadian fighter strength in England at that time. Major General J.H. Roberts, commander of the 2nd Canadian Division, was appointed Military Force Commander, with Captain J. Hughes-Hallett, RN, as Naval Force Commander and Air Vice Marshal TL Leigh-Mallory as Air Force Commander. The purpose of the operation was to capture Dieppe briefly, demonstrating that a port could be taken intact through a skilful raiding operation. Such a port would be required to support an Allied invasion of Europe and JUBILEE was meant to test the feasibility of capturing the logistically essential support facilities. The plan called for attacks at five different points on a front of roughly 16 km. Surprise and the cover of darkness were considered essential to achieving success. Four pre-dawn attacks were to go in simultaneously on flanking headlands. The main attack on the town of Dieppe itself would follow 30 minutes later. Canadian troops were used for the attack at Dieppe and also for two of the flanking objectives; the cliffs at Pourville (to the west), and at Puys (to the east). British commandos were assigned to destroy the coastal batteries on the headlands at Berneval (to the east), and at Varengeville (to the west). The results were disastrous. According to most accounts, the German defenses were alerted when the eastern assault force encountered a small German coastal convoy. A minor naval engagement occurred and the sounds of gunfire at sea were heard at Berneval and Puys. Surprise was lost and the forces were landed late and in a scattered fashion. The main Canadian landing on the Dieppe beach and the flanking attacks at Puys and Pourville failed utterly. Only the commandos achieved any of their objectives. Finally, after nine hours of fighting, the order to withdraw was given. The intensity of the German fire meant that some units could not be evacuated. Operation JUBILEE resulted in approximately 1,000 killed and 2,000 prisoners among the troops. These losses were greater than those suffered by the Canadian Army in either the Northwest Europe or Italian campaigns. A large number of both the prisoners and the evacuees were wounded. The air battle above the landings was one of the most intense single-day engagements in the war. The Allies lost 106 aircraft, including thirteen from the RCAF. Ten Canadian pilots were among those lost. The Germans lost 48 aircraft. The Hunt-Class destroyer HMS Berkeley was damaged during an air attack and was sunk by her sister ship HMS Albrighton. ORP Slazak participated in the Dieppe Raid, bombarding numerous German shore artillery units, repulsing 30 air attacks and shooting down four Luftwaffe airplanes. For the action in Dieppe Raid, the commander of ORP Slazak, LCdr Romuald Tyminski received the Distinguished Service Cross 1942 - Patrol vessels HMCS Blue Nose & Sea Wave (ex HMCS Chatham S) acquired from seized Japanese fishing fleet 1942 - Submarine USS Harder launched 1942 - U-747 laid down 1942 - U-269 commissioned 1942 - U-386 launched 1942 - During an aircraft attack on U-155 a man was lost overboard. [Maschinengefreiter Konrad Garneier] 1942 - U-162 sank SS West Celina in Convoy TAW (S) 1942 - U-564 sank SS British Consul & Empire Cloud in Convoy TAW (S) 1942 - U-217 sank SS Sea Gull 1942 - U-406 sank SS City of Manila in Convoy SL-118 1942 - U-507 sank SS Jacyra 1942 - U-510 sank SS Cressington Court 1943 - Minesweeper HMCS Rockcliffe launched Port Arthur ON 1943 - Frigate HMCS Waskesiu & minesweeper HMCS Canso arrived Halifax NS from Esquimalt 1943 - Minesweeper HMS Pincher launched 1943 - Corvette HMS Berkeley Castle launched 1943 - Patrol vessel HMS Kilkenzie launched 1943 - Destroyer escort USS Lyman launched 1943 - U-856 & U-993 commissioned 1943 - Submarine HMS Venturer commissioned 1943 - Destroyers USS Gatling, Halligan & McCord commissioned 1943 - The pilot of a USN Scouting Squadron Fifty Seven (VS-57) OS2N-1 Kingfisher sinks Japanese submarine HIJMS I-17 off eastern Australia in location 23.26S, 166.50E 1943 - Aircraft of Composite Squadron Twenty Five from the escort aircraft carrier USS Croatan attack German submarine U-134, NW of the Azores, but the sub escapes 1943 - Submarine USS Finback sinks Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser HIJMS Cha 109 (ex-Dutch patrol vessel Kawi) off the East Coast of Celebes Island in position 03.01S, 125.50E 1944 - Battleship USS Nevada, French battleship Lorraine, and heavy cruiser USS Augusta conduct reconnaissance in force off Toulon to support the US Army's Third Division and French troops making a drive on that port. Escorted by four destroyers, Nevada, Lorraine, and Augusta shell the harbor and batteries at St. Mandrier; heavy cruiser USS Quincy provides counter battery fire on Giens, from position south of Isle Port Cros 1944 - USN submarine attacks on Japanese convoy HI 71, begun the previous day, continue off the west coast of Luzon, Philippine Islands, as USS Bluefish sinks fast fleet tanker/seaplane carrier HIJMS Hayasui, 80 nautical miles NW of Cape Bolinao in position 17.34N, 119.23E, and damages hospital ship Awa Maru, 17.36N, 119.38E. USN submarine USS Spadefish sinks a Japanese landing craft depot repair ship Tamatsu Maru west of Luzon, 18.48N, 119.47E. USN submarine USS Redfin lays mines off Sarawak, Borneo 1944 - Destroyer USS Massey launched 1944 - Light cruiser USS Topeka launched 1944 - Destroyer escort USS Presley launched 1944 - Destroyer USS Little commissioned 1944 - Destroyer escort USS Finnegan commissioned 1944 - U-123 taken out of service at Lorient, France 17 Jun 1944. Scuttled there 19 Aug 1944. Surrendered to France in 1945 and became the French submarine Blaison. Stricken 18 Aug 1959 as Q165 1944 - U-455 after being damaged on 5 July, 1944 by bombs from US B-24 aircraft at Toulon, France, scuttle at Toulon in position 43.05N, 05.56E during the Allied invasion of southern France 1944 - U-2330, U-2508 & U-3005 launched 1944 - U-2327 & U-3502 commissioned 1944 - Aircraft carrier USS Philippine Sea laid down 1944 - U-413 sank SS Saint Enogat in Convoy ETC-72 1944 - U-862 sank SS Wayfarer 1944 - Corvette HMCS Smiths Falls launched Kingston ON 1944 - Frigate USS Reading commissioned 1944 - Submarine FS Morse (ex-HMS Vortex) launched 1944 - Corvette HMCS Tillsonburg arrived Londonderry from workups at Stornoway 1944 - HMCS Arnprior (ex-HMS Rising Castle), a Castle-class corvette built in the UK and transferred to the RCN, departed Londonderry with the 153-ship convoy ON-249, bound for New York City. The convoy arrived safely with all of its ship intact on 02 Sep 44. ON-249 was the largest of that series of convoys run during the war. ‘ON’ stood for ‘Outward North’ from Liverpool to North America. This series was started in July 1941 and terminated in June 1945 with the arrival of ON 305. The average convoy size was approximately 50 merchant ships and eight escorts. In all, 14,864 ships sailed in the ON series and 162 (1.1%) were lost, most of them in 1942. Of the total lost, only 81 (.55%) were in the convoy at the time of their sinking. The remainder were either stragglers or were ‘out of convoy’ due to detachment, weather, engineering defect, or some other tactical situation that made independent movement necessary. The overall loss rate in 1942 was 2.95%, which was considered unsustainable. This loss rate did not include damaged ships that were effectively lost for the period that they were under repair. Nearly as many ships were damaged as were lost due to enemy action. The effects of weather, collision, grounding and other accidents added substantially to the efforts of the enemy 1945 - The formation of fleet Marine and Navy landing forces from officers and men afloat begins; these men are transferred, at sea, to transports for the impending occupation of Yokosuka under Commander, Task Force 31 1945 - HMC ML 075 paid off 1948 - Ex-HMCS Arleux foundered off White Head Bay NS 1950 - Destroyer HMCS Cayuga and US ships make depth charge attack on suspected submarine in Korean waters. Later evaluation indicated the target was probably a sunken WW II freighter 1952 - Destroyer HMCS Skeena launched North Vancouver BC 1955 - Severe flooding in the NE US caused by the remnants of Hurricane Diane claimed some 200 lives 1960 - SS Belle Isle (ex-HMCS Huntsville sunk in collision off Trois-Rivieres 1960 - Destroyer HMCS Ottawa arrived Pacific National Exhibition Vancouver BC 1961 - Submarine HMS Astute arrived Halifax for ASW training 1965 - USS Independence port call Hong Kong 1967 - Operation Coronado IV begins in Mekong Delta 1968 - USS Bon Homme Richard port call Subic Bay 1970 - USS Shangri-La port call Cubi Point 1972 - USS Hancock port call Subic Bay 1981 - 2 VF-41 aircraft from USS Nimitz shoot down 2 Libyan aircraft which fired on them over international waters 1985 - Destroyer HMCS Annapolis commenced life extension refit Saint John Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co Ltd 1990 - Secretary of Defense Cheney announced that VAdm Henry H. Mauz, Jr., USN, Commander US SEVENTH Fleet assumed new duties as Commander, US Naval Forces Central Command (COMUSNAVCENT). He will control all US naval forces assigned to the US Central Command, to include the maritime intercept force 2003 - USCGC Sea Lion launched Bollinger Shipyard Lockport LA 2005 - Al Qaeda terrorists conduct unsuccessful rocket attack on USS Kearsarge and Ashland which were moored in Aqaba, Jordan. One Jordanian soldier killed 2005 - Destroyer USS O’Bannon decommissioned at Mayport 2005 - Phase II of the repairs to HMCS Chicoutimi has begun with the award of an $11.76 million contract to Irving Shipbuilding Incorporated of Saint John NB at its Halifax Shipyard facility. This phase involves detailed materiel surveys and assessments, as well as the development of the engineering and job specifications needed to begin Phase III, the repair and other concurrent work. Phase II is expected to be completed by the end of 2005 2005 - Four naval personnel were feared killed today when a Kamov-28, the Indian Navy's submarine hunter helicopter, crashed near Belgaum in Karnataka at around 1200 in adverse weather conditions. One of the survivors managed to call the authorities on his mobile to alert about the crash 2005 - An underwater power line will be laid along the floor of the Gulf of Finland (Baltic Sea) to supply electricity from Russia to Finland, the Industry and Energy Ministry said. If the project is a success, the sales market for Russian electric power will be expanded and long-term mutually beneficial ties between the two countries will be consolidated, the ministry's press service said. The project will help to attract additional investment to build facilities to increase capacity, to increase investment interest in the Leningrad region (Russia's northwest), and to create new jobs. A total of 150 kilometers of high-voltage power cable will be laid along the floor of the Gulf of Finland, supplying up to 8.7 billion kWh of electric power with an output of 1,000 MW annually. The project also envisions the construction of two coastline converter stations to be connected to high-voltage mainlines 2005 - Sikorsky Aircraft celebrated the delivery of the first new production MH-60R helicopter today in a ceremony held at their Stratford CT facility. Attending the ceremony were Steve Finger, President Sikorsky Aircraft, Mr. William Balderson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Air Programs, Mr. Tom Laux, Program Executive Officer Air ASW, Assault and Special Mission Programs, Captain Paul Grosklags, Program Manager Multi-mission Helicopter Program Office, Captain Dori Freer, Commander Defense Contract Management Agency Sikorsky Aircraft, CDR Michael Cerneck, Commander Defense Contract Management Agency, Lockheed Martin, and Jeff Bantle, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin's Multi-Mission Solutions business unit 2005 - Seaspan Corporation announced today that it acquired the CSCL Melbourne on August 17, 2005, a newly built 4253 TEU vessel, from a wholly owned subsidiary of Seaspan Container Lines Limited. The Melbourne is subject to a twelve year, fixed-rate charter with China Shipping (Group) Company. China Shipping will subcharter the vessel to its subsidiary China Shipping Container Lines Company, Limited or one of its other subsidiaries. The Melbourne was constructed and delivered by Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. approximately two weeks ahead of the contractual delivery date 2005 - The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Russell fires her MK 45 5-inch/54 caliber lightweight gun during a Pre-aim Calibration Fire (PACFIRE) in the Pacific Ocean. The PACFIRE is part of an upcoming training exercise where Russell and several other US Navy assets will sink the decommissioned destroyers USS Oldendorf and Fife 2005 - Royal Caribbean International’s Freedom of the Seas is now the largest cruise ship afloat. The ship, under construction at Aker Finnyards in Turku, Finland, reached an important maritime milestone this weekend. With her hull now complete, Freedom of the Seas was floated out – moved from dry dock to wet dock for the final months of finishing work leading up to her May 2006 debut. The line chose this celebrated occasion to announce that Freedom of the Seas will enter service under the command of Captain William S. Wright, a 13-year veteran of Royal Caribbean and one of the few American captains in international cruising. Having spent most of his adult life at sea, Capt. Wright currently serves as the senior vice president of Marine Operations for the company. In bringing out the 3,634-guest Freedom of the Seas, Capt. Wright will earn the distinction of being the first at the helm of both the largest and the smallest ships in the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. family. Capt. Wright served as the first master for Celebrity Cruises’ 100-guest, luxury Xpedition ship in the Galapagos Islands when she debuted in June 2004 2005 - Transoceanic XX exercise involving the navies of Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, the United States, Paraguay, Peru, South Africa, Uruguay (OCE) and Venezuela completed after commencing on August 8th 2005 - Sea Control Wing, US Pacific Fleet (CSCWP) held its disestablishment ceremony Aug. 19 at the Sea Control Squadron (VS) 41 hangar at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif. CSCWP was established in April 1993 as the first West Coast Type Wing. Since its establishment, the wing has seen the completion of the transition from the S-3A to the more versatile S-3B for all Pacific Fleet Squadrons 2005 - During his visit to the Town of Meaford last Friday, Geoff Regan, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, announced the transfer of the CCGC Westfort to the municipality. The vessel, no longer operated by the Canadian Coast Guard, will be used as a display at the Meaford Harbor and will replace the existing wooden vessel, the former CCGC Spume, which is deteriorating. Minister Regan made the announcement during his visit to the Canadian Coast Guard Search and Rescue Station in Meaford while on a 2-day visit to the area. The CCGC Westfort, built in 1973, is a 44' multi-task lifeboat that was involved primarily in search and rescue missions along the Great Lakes. Before the transfer to Meaford takes place, expected later this year, the vessel will undergo a scan to ensure that it is safe and free of any environmental hazards 2005 - His Worship, Mayor Wally Reif presented a plaque commemorating the christening of the CCGC Cape Providence to Geoff Regan, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, on behalf of the Meaford District Chamber of Commerce and the Municipality of Meaford 2005 - SANAD Simon's Town held a medal parade with Chief of the South African Navy, V Adm J. Mudimu as Chief Functionary 2006 - 50-year-old harbor tug "Marilyn K. McFarland" sank in Big Bend Channel, near Apollo Beach 2006 - Yarmouth Coastguard received a 999 call from a member of the public on Skegness beach at 1350. The caller reported that his friend was struggling in the water off the end of Skegness pier. Yarmouth Coastguard paged Skegness Coastguard Rescue Team and Skegness RNLI Inshore Lifeboat, and RAF Rescue Helicopter 128 was diverted from a routine exercise to the area. Upon arrival at the scene, the Inshore Lifeboat crew recovered the teenager - who was in the early stages of hypothermia - from the water. He was then transferred to the shore, where he was taken by air to Boston Pilgrim hospital for further checks 2006 - The Coastguard received a call regarding the dolphins at 1115. Folkestone Coastguard Rescue Team was sent to investigate and found the two dolphins snagged in a net. Dover Coastguard then requested the Littlestone Inshore RNLI lifeboat to launch and the British Marine Divers Mammal Unit were also informed. The unit has expertise in marine mammal rescue and representatives from the organization have joined the other units on scene 2006 - USCGC Kodiak Island repatriated 34 Dominican and seven Ecuadorian illegal immigrants to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 2006 - A USCG HH65 helicopter from Air Station Humboldt Bay medevaced a 7 year old girl from Eureka to San Francisco 2006 - The Coast Guard received a broken radio transmission from the distress vessel stating they were aground and out of gas off of Anacapa Island. A Coast Guard helicopter from Air Station Los Angeles and a 47-ft. Motor Life Boat from Coast Guard Station Channel Islands Harbor both searched around Anacapa Island. The helicopter located the vessel with 5 persons on board, 50 yards off the shoreline on the north side of Anacapa Island. The helicopter then directed the 47-ft. Motor Life Boat to the distressed vessel 2007 - Eight Indian fishermen were rescued by Sri Lankan Navy off the island's northern waters 2007 - A member of the Canadian Navy was killed crossing San Francisco's Embarcadero by someone driving a silver or gray Mercedes Benz with front-end and windshield damage. The fatal hit and run happened around 0150 at the intersection of Howard Street and the Embarcadero, police Sgt. Neville Gittens said. Victim identified as 27-year-old Mark Ashley of Victoria, British Columbia, according to the San Francisco Medical Examiner. 2007 - A Pakistan Navy helicopter rescued a man from the roof of a burning 16-storey building in Pakistan's biggest city amid fears that others could be trapped inside 2007 - A Turkish cargo vessel is claimed to have hit a French fishing boat off the coast of France, sinking the boat and killing its owner, reported daily Milliyet yesterday. The Turkish vessel was forced to return to port when it attempted to continue its voyage after the incident. French prosecutor Laurent Fichot told daily Le Figaro that the captain of the Turkish vessel admitted that he had hit the boat 2008 - Russian Navy pulled out of a NATO exercise in the Baltic Sea and cancelled a visit from a frigate USS Ford to Kamchatka in September Copyright 2008 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. To contact us: 418-145 West Keith Rd North Vancouver BC V7M 1L3 Canada Phone: 778-338-4073 Fax: 778-338-4074 Read our Maritime Mishap Blog Manage your subscription