SeaWaves Today in History December 27, 2008 1693 - HMS Sussex, the 80-gun pride of the Royal Navy set sail from Portsmouth for the Mediterranean with a huge political bribe on board. Locked in a series of iron-clad chests stowed in the cavernous hold was £1m in gold coins, worth at least £600m in today's terms, destined for the ruler of Savoy in northwestern Italy 1777 - Floating mines intended for use against British Fleet found in Delaware River Destruction of schooner Carolina, the last of Commodore Daniel Patterson's make-shift fleet that fought a series of delaying actions that contributed to Andrew Jackson's victory at the Battle of New Orleans. After loss of craft, the naval guns were mounted on shore to continue the fight 1831 - HMS Beagle set sail on her five-year circumnavigation, with Charles Darwin embarked 1901 - Guglielmo Marconi sails along the coast from Glace Bay to Louisbourg on the Dominion Coal Company tug Douglas H. Thomas, inspecting sites for a wireless station; leaves for Ottawa the following day to confer with government officials 1913 - Leschi, first auto ferry in Western Washington, begins operating on Lake Washington 1915 - Submarine HMS E31 completed 1916 - Destroyer HMS Vesper laid down 1917 - Destroyer USS Rathburne launched 1919 - Minesweeper USS Peacock commissioned 1919 - Destroyer USS Barker commissioned 1924 - Submarine FS Marsouin launched 1924 - Submarine USS Bass launched 1934 - US Ambassador to Japan Joseph Grew warns the Japanese intend "to obtain trade control and eventually predominant political influence in China, the Philippines, the Straits Settlements, Siam and the Dutch East Indies, the Maritime Provinces and Vladivostok. With such dreams of empire cherished by many, and with an army and navy capable of taking the bit in their own teeth and running away with it regardless of the restraining influence of the saner heads of the Government in Tokyo (a risk which unquestionably exists and of which we have already had ample evidence in the Manchurian affair), we would be. reprehensibly somnolent if we were to trust to the security of treaty restraints or international comity to safeguard our own interests or, indeed, our own property . . . Such a war may be unthinkable, and so it is, but the specter of it is always present and will be present for some time to come. It would be criminally short-sighted to discard it from our calculations, and the best possible way to avoid it is to be adequately prepared, for preparedness is a cold fact which even the chauvinists, the military, the patriots and the ultra-nationalists in Japan, for all their bluster concerning `provocative measures' in the United States, can grasp and understand" 1935 - Soviet submarine SC-404 launched 1935 - USAAC aircraft drops bombs to divert a lava flow of Mauna Loa on the Island of Hawaii. This is the first recorded use of aerial bombs for this purpose 1936 - Soviet submarine SC-134 commissioned 1936 - Soviet submarines K-1, K-2 & K-3 laid down 1936 - Britain and France agree on a mutual policy of non-intervention in the Spanish civil war. Although Winston Churchill advocates non-intervention in the war, he arouses resentment with his sympathy for what he called "the Anti-Red Movement." But he sees both Nazism and Communism as "those non-God religions." He compares Fascism and Communism to the Arctic and Antarctic Poles - both similar in their wastes of snow and icy winds 1938 - Submarine HMS Seal launched 1939 - German destroyers and patrol boats attacked off German coast by RAF Coastal Command 1939 - The Allies lobby Sweden and Norway for permission to ship unofficial aid to Finland through Sweden 1939 - US freighter SS Oakwood, enroute from Gibraltar to Genoa, Italy, is intercepted by French naval vessel and diverted to Villefranche after a boarding officer mistakes a notation in the log as an order to proceed to Marseilles. Once the mistake is realized, the ship is released to proceed on her way within a few hours 1939 - Wilbur Keblinger, the US Consul General in Hamburg, reports that German prize control authorities have released all but seven neutral vessels detained in German ports for the evaluation of cargo deemed contraband 1939 - U-108 laid down 1939 - The Dept of State dispatches a "vigorous protest" to the British Foreign Office concerning the British practice of removing and censoring US Mail from British and US and neutral ships. In World War I, the Woodrow Wilson administration protested the same British practice 1939 - The German merchantman Glücksburg (2680 GRT) was intercepted by destroyer HMS Wishart & was run aground by her crew near the Chipiona Lightship, Spain 1939 - Corvette HMS Jonquil laid down 1939 - Submarine USS Gar laid down 1939 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Hazel launched 1939 - A verdict of accidental death is given in the case of a couple who cycled into a river near Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, during the blackout and drowned 1939 - The first Canadian troops arrive in England and are based at the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) World War I base at Aldershot on Salisbury Plain 1940 - The George Cross is Gazetted for Sub-Lt Richard Valentine Moore (b. 1916), RNVR, who was called upon in an emergency and, although he had no practical training, disarmed five mines. The George Cross is also Gazetted for Sub-Lt John Herbert Babington (b. 1911), RNVR, who died tackling a bomb at Chatham which had a new type of fuse, knowing that a similar device had recently killed an RAF expert; he could not remove it, but much was learnt from this brave attempt 1940 - Prime Minister to First Sea Lord - What have you done about catapulting expendable aircraft from ships in outgoing convoys? I have heard of a plan to catapult them from tankers, of which there are always nearly some in each convoy. They then attack the Focke-Wulf and land in the sea, where the pilot is picked up, and machines salved or not as convenient. How is this plan viewed? 1940 - Prime Minister to General Ismay - The operation "Marie" [the occupation of Djibouti] has been regarded by the Chiefs of Staff, and is considered by me, to be valuable and important. For this purpose not only the Foreign Legion battalion but also two other French battalions should be sailed in the January 4 convoy, and deposited at Port Sudan, where they can either intervene in "Marie" or in Egypt 1940 - Grand Admiral Raeder reports to Hitler in Berlin - 'The threat to Britain in the entire eastern Mediterranean, the Near East and in North Africa has been eliminated ... The decisive action in the Mediterranean for which we had hoped therefore is no longer possible 1940 - The disguised German raider Komet, flying the Japanese flag, bombards phosphate plants on the Australian protectorate of Nauru 1940 - SS Waiotira sunk by U-38 58.05N, 17.10W - Grid AL 3687 1940 - SS Risanger sunk by U-65 12.30N, 21.30W - Grid EJ 9675 1940 - When the destroyer HMS Acheron was mined while running trials after a refit, off the Isle of Wight, it sank instantly, killing 151 men and sparing only 15 men 1940 - Fairmile B patrol craft HMC ML 062 & ML 063 ordered 1940 - Bangor class-minesweepers Kelowna, Noranda & Lachine laid down Lauzon PQ 1940 - Bangor class-minesweeper HMCS Kelowna laid down Prince Rupert BC 1940 - German heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper completes Operation NORDSEETOUR in the Atlantic Ocean during which she engaged the British heavy cruiser HMS Berwick. Admiral Hipper arrives in Brest, the first of the German big ships to reach the French Biscay ports 1942 - Six USN PBY Catalinas of Patrol Squadron One Hundred One (VP-101) bomb Japanese shipping at Jolo Island in Suva Province, against heavy fighter opposition; four Catalinas are lost 1942 - Japanese "Nell" (Mitsubishi G3M2, Navy Type 96 Attack Bomber) and "Betty" (Mitsubishi G4M1, Navy Type 1 Attack Bomber) bombers based on Formosa bomb shipping in Manila Bay and the Pasig River. Two Philippine customs cutters and a motorboat are set afire, while a lighthouse tender is destroyed by a direct hit. A steamship is scuttled in the Pasig River 1942 - The last two German U-boats involved with Operation DRUMBEAT, U-109 and U-130, set sail from Lorient for the North American coast 1942 - Most of the I-boat submarines off the US West Coast have depleted their fuel reserves. The Naval General Staff decides that the shelling of densely populated areas, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, California, will result in civilian losses and retaliation by the Americans. Vice Admiral SHIMIZU Mitsumi, commander of the Advance Expeditionary Force (Sixth Fleet), cancels the shellings 1942 - U-73 shot down RAF 500 Sqn Hudson 1942 - The unescorted Oakbank was torpedoed and sunk by U-507 about 200 miles NNE of Fortaleza, Brazil. The master, 24 crewmembers & two gunners were lost. 29 crewmembers and three gunners were picked up by the Brazilian merchant Commandate Ripper and landed at Recife on 3 January. The Argentinean tanker Juvenal rescued one crewmember and landed at Curaçao on 8 January, while two crewmembers on a raft reached the coast near Para on 15 January. Two crewmembers were taken prisoner and were lost when the U-boat was sunk on 13 Jan, 1943 1942 - Submarine USS Batfish laid down 1942 - Minesweepers USS Delegate & Deft laid down 1942 - Escort carrier HMS Khedive launched 1942 - Patrol vessel HMCS Beaver arrived Halifax NS for refit 1942 - Destroyer HMCS St Laurent & corvettes HMCS Battleford, Napanee & Chilliwack sank U-356 north of Azores, 45-30N 25-40W. No survivors a crew of 45. U-356 with a record of sinking 6 ships, was also involved with a number of Wolfpacks, Group "Lotts" (15 Aug-27 Sep) which had sunk 4 ships of a convoy. Group "Pfeil" (13-25 Sep) which had sunk 6 ships of convoy ONS-122; Group "Raubold" which attacked Convoy ON-153. The convoy, of forty-five ships, (ONS-154) escorted by Canadian escort group C1, had been diverted to the south & was out of range of air cover from Iceland when it was sighted on 26 Dec 42 by U-664 one of ten U-boats of the "Spitz" line, which had been lying in wait for ONS-154 since the 24 Dec 42. U-225 damaged SS Scottish Heather, U-356 sank SS Empire Union, King Edward, Melrose Abbey & damaged SS Soekaboemi, U-441 sank SS Soekaboemi. A three-day battle began that night in which the escorts sank U-356, but the "Spitz" U-boats attacked again & again & were joined by another 9 U-boats from the "Ungestum" group, waiting some distance to the west. In one of the worst convoy maulings of the war, 14 ships of more than 73,000 tons were sunk. The convoy Commodore's ship Empire Shackleton was sunk, & a tanker was torpedoed. Also lost, with all hands, was the special service ship HMS Fidelity. On 30 Dec 42 32 Ships of the original Convoy ONS-154, arrive safely in the UK 1942 - The first Combined Operations of the war against German-held territory (Operation ARCHERY) takes place today when the British Navy lands commandos on the island of Vaagsoe on the Norwegian west coast. The Royal Navy has eight ships involved in the attack, the light cruiser HMS Kenya; destroyers HMS Chiddingfold, Offa, Onslow and Oribi; submarine HMS Tuna and troop transports HMT Prince Charles and Prince Leopold. The commandos are from the Army’s 3 Commando with six troops, supported by two troops from No 2 Commando and the Norwegian Independent Company 1 known in Norway as the Linge Company (Kompani Linge) for a total of 51 officers and 525 other ranks (enlisted men). Air cover is provided by the RAF with two squadrons of Beaufighter Mk. Is and three squadrons of Blenheim Mk. IVFs supporting the troops while two squadrons of Hampden Mk. Is attack the fortress at Rugsuns in the target area, including making smoke, six Blenheim Mk. IVs attack German shipping near Sola Aerodrome to intercept the fighters from flying north to Vaagsoe. Thirteen Blenheims attacked Herdla Aerodrome, so the German fighters could not land here after being over the target area and refuel and rearm. The object of this raid is, while harassing the German defenses on the coast of Norway, is to attack and destroy a number of military and economic targets in the town of south Vaagsoe, including the nearby island of Maaloy, and to capture or sink German shipping found in Ulvesund. Once ashore, the island of Maaloy and the town of south Vaagsoe is to be captured and anything of value to the Germans, such as fish oil factories, destroyed. After carrying out a number of rehearsals the force sailed on 24 December, arriving at an anchorage yesterday. Very heavy weather is encountered. During the passage the secretary to the captain of one of the infantry landing ships invites the commanding officer to his cabin and shows him a table moving rhythmically up and down the wall, a distance of some 6 inches. It is eventually discovered that this levitation is due to the heavy seas, which is literally squeezing the sides of the ship. The infantry landing ships suffer some damage. This is repaired, but since the weather does not immediately abate, it is decided to postpone the operation for 24 hours. The men are therefore able to eat their Christmas dinner in comfort. The weather having improved, the force sails at 1600 hours yesterday with the promise of still further improvement. By the time the Norwegian coast is reached, weather conditions are perfect. In the van was the light cruiser HMS Kenya and in line astern came the infantry landing ships. While it is still dark, landfall is made exactly at the estimated position and time. When the attack was over ten RAF aircraft are lost, two of ten Hampdens over the target area, two of 14 Beaufighters over the target area, four of six Blenheims while attacking a enemy convoy off the southwest coast and two of 13 Blenheims are lost during attacking Herdla Aerodrome. Ninety eight German prisoners are taken back to the U.K. Probably four German aircraft were lost over the target area. The attack was a success and the idea of Combined Operations was adjusted and used later during the war. The raid is enough to persuade German Chancellor Adolf Hitler to divert 30,000 troops to Norway, upgrade coastal and inland defenses, and send the battleships Gneisenau, Scharnhorst and Tirpitz and the heavy cruisers Admiral Hipper, Lutzow and Prinz Eugen to Norway, a major diversion of effort and forces that could have had significant impact elsewhere. Hitler mistakenly thought that the British might invade northern Norway to put pressure on Sweden and Finland 1942 - Japanese submarine I-25 shells an 8,684 ton tanker about 10 nautical miles west of the mouth of the Columbia River which is the boundary between Washington and Oregon 1942 - USS Santee (ACV-29), the first of 11 aircraft carriers assigned to Hunter-Killer duty, and destroyer USS Eberle sortie from Norfolk with Escort Carrier Air Group Twenty Nine (CVEG-29) on board for free-roving antisubmarine and anti-raider operations in the South Atlantic. All auxiliary aircraft carriers (ACVs) are redesignated escort aircraft carriers (CVEs) on 15 July 1943 1942 - 12 USAAF Ninth Air Force B-24 Liberators bomb the port area at Sousse 1943 - Corvette HMCS Dunvegan completed forecastle extension refit Baltimore MD 1943 - On New Britain Island, USAAF Fifth Air Force A-20 Havocs attack positions in the Cape Gloucester battle zone; B-25 Mitchells hit villages and tracks from Rottock Bay to Riebeck Bay and strafe barges along the south coast 1943 - The following appointments were announced - Gen. Sir Bernard Paget, Commander in Chief, Middle East; Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder, Deputy Supreme Commander under General Eisenhower; Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, Allied Naval Commander in Chief; Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Allied Air Commander in Chief under General Eisenhower 1943 - At 0012, the unescorted Jose Navarro was torpedoed by U-178 about 175 miles SW of Cochin, India. One torpedo struck on the starboard bow, forward of the torpedo streamer, between the #1 and #2 holds at the foremast. The blast threw the ship to port and she then rapidly settled by the bow, sticking the propeller halfway out of the water. The bulkhead between the holds was destroyed and the bulkhead between #2 and #3 holds was damaged, all three holds flooded quickly. 30 minutes after the hit the engines were secured and the master ordered the eight officers, 38 crewmen, 34 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, two 3in and eight 20mm guns) and 86 troops to abandon ship in eight lifeboats, only one men was injured. The gun crew fired two errant shots at lights on two rafts that had been released. After three hours, 30 volunteers reboarded the ship in an attempt to salvage her, but after working for three hours the men gave up and abandoned ship again. At 1458 hours, the U-boat fired a coup de grâce in grid LC 2197, which struck the vessel, sinking her immediately. All survivors were picked up the next day by the Indian minesweeper Rajputana & landed at Cochin 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Haines, Coffman & Koiner commissioned 1943 - Frigate USS Casper launched 1943 - Destroyer escort USS Wagner launched 1943 - While destroyer USS Brownson was escorting landing craft to New Britain, a Japanese dive-bomber released two 500-pound bombs, blowing away the Brownson's upper structure. She took on a list to starboard and settled rapidly, her back broken. She sank with 108 of her crew. 168 survivors were picked up by nearby destroyers 1943 - On Bougainville Island, over 20 USAAF Thirteenth Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb the seaplane anchorage at Buka, strafe antiaircraft guns southeast of Ramandata, bomb Kahili supply dumps, and attack a Kieta bivouac and other targets in the area. A few New Zealand (PV-1) Venturas hit barges at Ambitle and Anir Islands; and 16 P-38 Lightnings join USN divebombers in strikes on Buka antiaircraft positions 1943 - British Liberator Mk V of 311 (Czech) Sqn based at RAF Beaulieu, Hampshire sinks the German blockade runner SS Alsterufer in the Bay of Biscay. Alsterufer was enroute from Japan to Germany 1943 - USS Honolulu and St Louis with four destroyers bombard the Kieta area on Bougainville 1944 - Frigate HMCS Sea Cliff & corvettes HMCS Edmunston & St Thomas sank U-877 NW of Azores, 46-25N 36-38W while escorting convoy HX-327. U-877, a IXC/40 Type U-Boat built by Deutsche Schill und machinenbau, AG, Weser, Bremen, Launched 10 Dec 43, commissioned 24 Mar 44, in service 9 months, with no record of sinking any ships. One authority indicates U-877 was a IXC/42 type U-boat, however, Deutsche Schiff und Machinenbau AG, Weser, Bremen, never completed any of that type of U-boat. U-877's, primary assigned task was as a weather reporting U-boat from the area west of Ireland, however, her wireless was faulty & in view of the radio problems headed for North America. On 27 Dec radar warning set gave the alarm & U-877 crash-dived. Edmunston made initial Asdic contact that she soon abandoned as doubtful. St Thomas, coming up astern, obtained the contact & immediately fired one bomb from her squid mortar to 'keep his head down' St Thomas lined up & made a deliberate attack with one more Squid bomb, which exploded directly over U-877's stern. Water poured into the U-boat causing her to sink to nearly 1,200 feet before ballast was blown & she surfaced. Both St Thomas & Sea Cliff, who had joined to help, opened fire, but there was little fight left in U-877. By the time the two escorts closed, all the U-boat's crew were safely in their life rafts. The number rescued were 5 officers, 4 senior rates, & 46 junior rates 1944 - Frigate HMCS Dunver completed refit Pictou NS 1944 - Destroyer USS Willard Keith commissioned 1944 - Destroyer escort USS Vandivier launched 1944 - Heavy cruisers USS Norfolk & Scranton laid down 1944 - Destroyer USS James E Kyes laid down 1944 - Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-282 was commissioned at New York with LT E. C. Sturgis, USCGR as first commanding officer. On 19 October 1945 LTJG Joshua W. Reed, USCG succeeded him. She departed New York on 17 January 1945, for the Southwest Pacific where she operated during the war 1944 - Task Group 94.9, heavy cruisers USS Chester, Pensacola and Salt Lake City and seven destroyers, follows up the USAAF strikes with a bombardment of Japanese installations on Iwo Jima and shipping offshore. Destroyer USS Dunlap is damaged by shore battery, but not before she teams with USS Fanning and Cummings to sink a fast transport and a landing ship 1945 - In Ottawa, lawyer Andrew Brewin persuades the Minister of Justice to halt the deportation of 900 Japanese-Canadians and gets the matter referred to Supreme Court of Canada. In December 1946, the Privy Council upholds a Supreme Court Decision that the deportation orders are legal but on 24 January 1947, the deportation orders are cancelled after 4,000 Japanese Canadians have already been "repatriated" 1968 - In October 1968, the United States Air Force requested additional Loran-C Coverage in SE Asia and by December 27, 1968 the Coast Guard had received authorization to proceed with the project 2003 - Hospital ship USNS Comfort activated at Baltimore 2003 - USNS Fisher laid up 2005 - The Spanish military denied reports that one of its warships took part in United States-led offensive operations in the seas off Iraq. A navy frigate named Alvaro de Bazan “participated in war operations in Iraq” in the Persian Gulf from September 10 to December 3 as part of a combat flotilla led by the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, conservative Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported 2005 - A year after the Tsunami disaster, Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee decorated 11 Coastguard officers with the President's Tatrakshak medals and Tatrakshak medals mostly for gallant and prompt action in undertaking rescue and relief operations in the tragedy. The recipients included Inspector General Surinder Pal Singh, who was the Coastguard Commander of the Andaman and Nicobar region when Tsunami waves struck Port Blair and was awarded the lone President's Tatrakshak medal for prompt clearance of warships and other vessels from Port Blair just as the initial killer waves four meters high were approaching the port. Four Commandants Ali Muttaher, Rajesh Makwana, Milind Manohar Patil, Prabhdeep Singh Malhotra and Uttam Navik Kamal Singh were decorated with Tatrakshak medals for Gallantry, at the coastguard investiture ceremony, held for the first time in the capital. Muttaher in command of the Coastguard warship Vivek made the first foray into the Campbell Bay after the disaster and also dispatched the first medical team by choppers to badly-hit Chawra Islands. Commandant Patil was posted at worst hit Campbell Bay during the Tsunami crises and led men of the Military Engineering Service to clear the island's runway to allow relief helicopters and aircraft to land 2005 - CP Ships has finalized plans for the most comprehensive and competitive choice of services available linking Australia and New Zealand with Europe, South East Asia, West Asia and North America. CP Ships has agreed with CMA CGM and Marfret to co-operate in a vessel sharing agreement between Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, US East Coast and North Europe via the Panama Canal starting in February 2006. The service will have fortnightly frequency and be supported by six 2500 TEU ships, of which CP Ships will contribute two. CP Ships has also entered into an agreement with Maersk Sealand to charter slots on its new weekly Oceania Pendulum service to be launched in February 2006. The service will link Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean, US Gulf and East Coasts and North Europe also via the Panama Canal. The slot charter agreement includes a per-sailing allocation for temperature-controlled containers. In addition, CMA CGM will cooperate with CP Ships and Hapag-Lloyd on their recently announced new weekly joint service, also starting in February 2006, between Australia, New Zealand South East Asia, the Mediterranean and North Europe via the Suez Canal. Of the twelve 2000-2500 TEU ships being deployed in this service, CP Ships and Hapag-Lloyd will contribute ten and CMA CGM two 2005 - Damage to offshore oil and gas platforms from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita has tripled the number of requests to convert rigs into artificial reefs in the Gulf of Mexico. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries usually gets 10 to 12 requests each year to use abandoned rigs to create fish habitat. But that number has soared to 40 requests this year, Rick Kasprzak, program manager of the Louisiana Artificial Reef Program, told The Advocate of Baton Rouge for a story in Monday's editions. Oil and gas platforms in the program are located in federal waters, more than three miles off the Louisiana shore, with most between 35 and 75 miles out, clustered in nine approved planning areas. To date, 144 have been used as reefs. This year's hurricanes damaged another 166 rigs. The Louisiana Artificial Reef Council will soon decide evaluation criteria for which rigs are suitable to serve as artificial reefs, Kasprzak said. The assessments include potential effects on the environment, navigation and fishing interests. Hurricane Ivan in 2004 didn't hit the Gulf of Mexico nearly as hard, passing over about 150 platforms said Larry Wall, a spokesman for the Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association. Hurricane Katrina swept over 1,500 platforms and Hurricane Rita passed over 1,600, he said 2005 - The crew of USCGC Cushing repatriated 79 Dominican migrants, 58 male and 21 females, to the Dominican Republic at 1100. The repatriation of the migrants was safely completed at sea, just west of Isla Saona, Dominican Republic, where Cushing transferred all the migrants on board the Dominican Republic Navy Vessel Canopus. The total of migrants repatriated was a result of three separate interdictions that took place Monday involving US Department of Homeland Security agencies and Forces United for Rapid Action of the Puerto Rico Police. During the latest interdiction, Cushing arrived on scene at 2243 Monday where the cutter’s crew embarked 72 migrants, 51 males and 21 females, who were traveling to Puerto Rico on board a 30-foot wooden yola. The unpainted yola, powered by a single 40-horse power engine, was initially spotted by a US Customs and Border Protection C-12 aircraft and later stopped by a Forces United for Rapid Action Cobra vessel 10 nautical miles north of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. A US Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin Helicopter flew rescue support overhead until the migrant operation was safely completed aboard the Cushing. Before departing the area, the crew of the Cushing destroyed the yola as a hazard to navigation. During the second interdiction, the crew of US Coast Guard Cutter Cushing stopped a yola carrying two Dominican migrants who were then transferred on board the cutter. The migrants were operating a 20-foot blue and white yola powered by a 75-horse power engine. Cushing was diverted to the scene at 0732 Monday after Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources personnel on Mona Island reported to the US Coast Guard Sector San Juan Command Center that they had spotted the yola in the vicinity of the mooring buoy on the west side of Mona Island. The crew of the Cushing also transferred on board the cutter five Dominican migrants traveling on board an 18-foot blue yola powered by a Yamaha engine. The yola was interdicted at 0215 Monday by Forces United for Rapid Action one nautical mile north of Punta Higuero, Puerto Rico 2005 - The Coast Guard has suspended the search for a 27-foot pleasure craft which reportedly struck a log last night near Longview WA. At 2315 the master of the pleasure craft Panductduc reported his vessel struck a log floating in the Columbia River and was taking on water. The vessel reported it was not in need of assistance and would transit to Portland OR. Coast Guard Sector Portland Command Center established a communication schedule between the Coast Guard and the master of the vessel due to the length of the transit to Portland. Communications with the vessel were lost at 2340. An Urgent Marine Information Broadcast to mariners was issued and a 25-foot response boat from Coast Guard Station Portland was launched to search for the vessel. An HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter was launched from Coast Guard Air Station Astoria at 0428 to assist in the search. The response boat searched all major marinas between Longview and Portland but did not locate the vessel. The helicopter searched until 0543. The search was suspended at about 0900 pending further developments. The Coast Guard reminds boaters to have appropriate safety equipment onboard to include a working VHF Marine radio. Boaters are also encouraged to file a float plan. A float plan is a written statement of the details of an intended voyage usually filed with a friend, neighbor and/or marina operator or; a document that specifically describes the vessel, equipment, crew, and itinerary of a planned voyage 2005 - A contract to build four ships for Germany awarded to Sadra of Iran, according to a report on www.mehrnews.ir. Total value of the project is $120m and the first ship will be seaborne in 30 months. The ships are ordered by north German-based Rickmers Shipping Lines and have a cargo capacity of 25,000 tons each. They would be used for freight transport from Europe to other destinations worldwide 2005 - Petronet LNG Ltd (PLL) awarded the $700 million time chartering contract for an LNG vessel to the Mitsui-led consortium of Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), NYK and SK Lines, according to a report on www.financialexpress.com. This 25-year contract is for carrying 2.5 million tonne per annum (mtpa) of LNG from RasGas of Qatar to PLL’s LNG regasification terminal at Dahej in Gujara. Bids for the contract were opened on December 24 where the Mitsui-led consortium emerged as the lowest bidder, outbidding the Exmar Marine led consortium of Varun Shipping and another consortium of Teekay Shipping and GE Shipping 2005 - A severe fire broke out at Swansea Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Center at approximately 2300 in their Business unit. The fire was discovered by staff on the night watch at Swansea, the local Fire Brigade was called. The building was evacuated and all operational facilities were transferred immediately to Milford Haven Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Center. The fire was brought under control by South Wales Fire Brigade and damage was assessed. Police were in attendance 2005 - Norine Rouse, one of America's first female diving instructors and a champion of sea turtle and reef protection off of Palm Beach County's shores, died. She was 80. Although she didn't start diving until her 40s, Mrs. Rouse, known as the turtle lady, became one of the area's underwater pioneers and a sought-after expert on sea life. She was one of a handful of people licensed by the state to swim with sea turtles and would steadfastly record and photograph their behavior for scientists' use 2005 - Crane riggers from the USN Public Works Center (PWC) guide a F-8K Crusader aircraft onto a floating barge for delivery to USS Midway (CV 41) museum in downtown San Diego 2005 - Erich Topp died. One of the last surviving holders of Knight’s Cross with Oakleaves and Swords. Erich Topp began his naval career in April 1934. He served six months on the light cruiser Karlsruhe before joining the U-boat force in October 1937. A year later he became watch officer on U-46. After four patrols with U-46, Topp took over command of U-57. With this boat he sank six ships for a total of 36,862 tons. U-57 sank on 3 September 1940 after an accident with the Norwegian ship Rona. Topp was then given command of the VIIC boat U-552, the famous "Red Devil Boat". Topp scored most of his successes in the North Atlantic against convoys and off the North American coast. On his very successful eighth patrol in March/April 1942, he sank eight ships for a total of 45,731 tons 2005 - Personnel from the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) delivered a special New Year’s present to USS Guardian USS Patriot. Three master chief petty officers from the JMSDF MCM ships Ukushima, Naoshima and Toyoshima presented Task Force 76’s MCM ships with two pairs of kadomatsu, a special New Years decoration made of bamboo and pine. The kadomatsu is a New Year tradition for the Japanese, who set out the decoration to welcome gods and ancestor spirits in, order to receive rich harvests for the New Year 2006 - Vancouver Port Authority (VPA) has awarded the construction contract for the marine works portion of the Deltaport Third Berth expansion to Deltaport Constructors Ltd., a project-specific joint venture between Vancouver Pile and Dredge Ltd. and Graham Construction and Engineering Ltd. Graham Construction is a Delta-based company. The $195 million contract encompasses the dredge, fill and berth work associated with the expansion. Deltaport's terminal operator, TSI Terminal Systems Inc., will tender the terminal infrastructure portion separately 2006 - A North Korean cargo ship sank off the northeast coast of China leaving 17 missing, though eight others have been rescued 2006 - A Maltese-registered, 23,000-ton cargo ship, the Tzini, is being detained in Taiwan after having spilt some 110 tonnes of fuel onto the Taiwanese coastline near Suao Harbour after its tanks were punctured – creating an environmental hazard and halting fishing activities in the area 2006 - At 1540 Stornoway Coastguard received a report from a group of eight Hill Walkers on the island of Harris that they required assistance due to poor weather conditions and fading light while climbing on the 743m height Mulla-Fo-Dheas 2006 - Britain pays off the last installment of the multibillion-dollar loans that were secured from the United States and Canada more than sixty years ago to help fund the war effort. On Friday this country will make its final repayment on the US$4.33 billion loan given by the United States in 1945. Canada will also receive the last payment on its Can$1.25 billion loan. The payments — $83.25 million (£43 million) to the US Government and $22.7 million to Canada — are the last of fifty installments that have been paid since 1950, totaling $7.5 billion to the United States and $2 billion to Canada, including 2 per cent annual interest on the initial loans. Britain agreed the loan with the United States in 1945 in the form of a direct line of credit worth $3.75 billion and a lend-lease facility worth $585 million. It was intended as a final settlement for the financial claims of each country against the other for costs arising out of the Second World War, and provided the essential capital to fund Britain’s postwar construction. Canada followed suit with a direct line of credit of $1.25 billion agreed in 1946 2006 - Viet Nam's Navy Forces, with help from the Royal Thai Navy, rescued 17 Vietnamese fishermen whose ship was stranded in the Gulf of Thailand. The ship, which was from the southernmost province of Ca Mau, had been operating in the Viet Nam-Thailand border seawaters before having with an accident and drifting into the gulf. After receiving a request from Viet Nam's High Command of Navy, the Royal Thai Navy immediately sent planes and salvage tugs to the site to help with the rescue work 2006 - Russia has dismantled 148 out of 197 decommissioned Soviet-era nuclear submarines, a Russian Federal Nuclear Power Agency official said 2006 - Earthquakes that occurred in the coastal water near Pingtung County, southern Taiwan, have killed two and injured 42. Pingtung County was the worst hit area 2006 - Chinese president and Commander-in-chief Hu Jintao urged the building of a powerful navy that is prepared "at any time" for military struggle 2006 - Almost one in six of the illegal migrants who try to travel from North Africa to the Canary Islands dies in the attempt. This year, about 6,000 died en route to the Spanish archipelago while 31,404 reached the islands successfully, Froilan Rodriguez, Canary Islands vice-director of immigration said 2006 - Two North Korean soldiers, who were rescued December 9th by the South Korean Navy in the waters off Sokcho in Gangwon Province, were sent back to the North after weeks of medical treatment, officials at the United Nations Command (UNC) said 2007 - USS Germantown provided assistance to an Iranian fishing dhow in the Arabian Sea 2007 - Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto assassinated by Islamic extremists 2007 - US Navy Consolidated Maintenance Organizations (CMO-3) established MCAS Kanoehe Bay and CMO-10 at NAS Whidbey Island established 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. 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