SeaWaves Today in History February 3, 2009 1488 - Portuguese explorer Bartholomew Diaz becomes the first European to land on South African soil, putting ashore at Mossal Bay, Cape of Good Hope 1801 - Treaty of peace with France ratified ending Quasi War with France, in which Revenue Marine had rendered outstanding service 1880 - Date of a terrific gale on the NJ coast. Six vessels came ashore with 47 persons on board all but 2 survived. Nineteen USLSS crewmen won Gold Life-Saving Medals during the wreck of George Taulane 1915 - Patrol vessel HMCS Margaret commissioned 1917 - United States broke off diplomatic relations with Germany, which had announced a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare 1918 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Ouse commissioned 1919 - Submarine HMS H-43 launched 1931 - Submarine HMS Phoenix commissioned 1939 - The first group of Canadian volunteers from the Spanish Civil War return to Halifax. There is a great controversy over whether they should have even been allowed back in the country. By fighting in the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion the volunteers broke Canadian law prohibiting enlistment in foreign armies. Of the 1,148 men who went overseas to fight against fascism, 721 will finally return home 1939 - AA cruiser HMS Naiad launched 1940 - After being stopped by a French auxiliary patrol vessel yesterday, the US passenger liner SS Manhattan is detained at Gibraltar by British authorities 1940 - At 1432, SS Armanistan in Convoy OG-16 was torpedoed & sunk by U-25 west of the River Tagus, Portugal. The crew was rescued by the Spanish SS Monte Abril & landed at Tenerife 1940 - At 0936, SS Reet was hit by one torpedo from U-58 & sank within four minutes. She was reported missing after leaving Methil on 31 January. The ship had been first spotted at 2035 hours the day before & was chased by the U-boat, which had missed with the first two torpedoes at 0215 & 0452 hours 1940 - Minesweeper HMS Sphinx under the command of Cdr. John Robert Newton Taylor was sweeping an area 15 miles north of Kinnairds Head when attacked by enemy aircraft. A bomb pierced the forecastle deck and exploding; destroying the fore part of the ship. She remained afloat and was taken in tow by HMS Halcyon but steadily flooded and capsized & sank. The wreck was later washed ashore north of Lybster and was sold for scrap. The commanding officer & forty of the men were killed in the explosion 1941 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Flotta launched 1941 - Corvettes HMS Abelia & Violet commissioned 1941 - U-432 launched 1941 - Admiral Lutjens takes Scharnhorst & Gneisenau and steams through the Denmark Strait into the Atlantic. They are on a commerce-raiding mission 1941 - During routine exercises in the Hawaiian Operating Area off Oahu, destroyers USS Dale & Hull gain contact with what they believe is a submarine. With all US boats accounted for, Commander Destroyers Battle Force orders USS Lamson to join Dale and Hull. The ships are to maintain contact and to take offensive action only if attacked. USS Mahan joins in the search as well. With speculation that the only possible reason a submarine would be in those waters would be to obtain supplies or land agents, USS Lamson accordingly searches the shoreline east of Diamond Head 1941 - Minesweeper HMS Blackpool commissioned 1941 - Soviet submarine K-21 commissioned 1941 - At 0145, SS Empire Citizen, a straggler from Convoy OB-279, was torpedoed & sunk by U-107 SW of Iceland. The master, 64 crewmembers, one gunner & 12 passengers were lost. Four crewmembers & one gunner were picked up by corvette HMS Clarkia & landed at Londonderry 1941 - At 2333, ocean boarding vessel HMS Crispin, dispersed from Convoy OB-279, was torpedoed & damaged by U-107 NNW of Rockall. The vessel foundered the following day in 56°52N/20°22W. The commander, 120 officers and ratings were picked up by HMS Harvester, the sole escort of the ship and landed at Liverpool 1942 - U-165 commissioned 1942 - Destroyer HS Adrias (ex-HMS Border) launched 1942 - Destroyer HMS Goathland launched 1942 - Destroyer USS Fitch commissioned 1942 - SS Amerikaland sunk by U-106 at 36.36N, 74.10W. Five killed 1942 - Port T, a top secret British naval base on Addu Atoll, in the Indian Ocean, becomes operational 1942 - Japanese Navy aircraft from Kendari on Celebes Island attack Soerabaja, Madionen, and Malang. While returning to base, the crew of a Japanese aircraft reports the presence of Allied warships off Madoera. Three Royal Netherlands Navy Catalina flying boats are destroyed at Soerabaja. 1942 - Submarine USS Trout unloads 3,500 rounds of ammunition; refuels; loads two torpedoes, and requests additional ballast. Since neither sandbags nor sacks of concrete are available, she is given 20 tons of gold bars and silver pesos to be evacuated from the Philippines. She also loads securities, mail, and State Department dispatches before submerging shortly before daybreak to wait at the bottom in Manila Bay until the return of darkness. She gets underway that night using the gold as ballast on the return voyage to Pearl Harbor 1943 - Frigate HMCS Prince Rupert launched Esquimalt BC 1943 - Destroyer HMCS Athabaskan commissioned 1943 - Minesweeper commenced a refit Lunenburg NS which was later completed at Halifax 1943 - Minesweeper HMCS Westmount completed engine repairs & joined Halifax Local Defense Force 1943 - U-282, U-543 launched 1943 - U-279 commissioned 1943 - U-265 sunk south of Iceland, in position 56.35N, 22.49W, by depth charges from an RAF 220 Sqn Fortress aircraft. 46 dead (all hands lost) 1943 - Destroyer USS Brownson commissioned 1943 - Minesweeper USS Pilot commissioned 1943 - Destroyer HMS Talybont launched 1943 - Frigate HMS Bentinck launched 1943 - Heavy cruisers USS Pittsburgh & St Paul laid down http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/38/USS_Springfield_CL-66.jpg 1943 - Light cruiser USS Springfield laid down 1943 - Destroyer HMS Solebay laid down 1943 - Destroyer USS Halsey Powell laid down 1943 - SS Rhexenor sunk by U-217 at 24.59N, 43.37W 1943 - At 0452, U-223 fired five single torpedoes at three ships in Convoy SG-19 about 150 miles west of Cape Farewell. One of the first torpedoes hit passenger ship SS Dorchester and the other torpedoes missed her and the Norwegian SS Biscaya & Lutz. The Dorchester (Master Hans Jorgen Danielson) was struck on the starboard side in the machinery spaces. The explosion stopped the engines and the vessel swung to starboard, losing way. Six blasts from the whistle indicated to the rest of the convoy that the Dorchester was hit. Her complement of seven officers, 123 crewmen, 23 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, one 3in and four 20mm guns) and 751 troops and passengers began to abandon ship three minutes after the hit. Three of the 14 lifeboats had been damaged by the explosion, the crew managed only to launch two more overcrowded boats and 33 men left with rafts, but many men evidently did not realize the seriousness of the situation, stayed aboard and went down with the ship, which sank 30 minutes later. The USCG cutters Escanaba & Comanche began rescuing survivors within minutes. Rescue swimmers from the USS Escabana jumped into the icy water with lines tied about them to pull incapacitated men out of the water. The USS Escabana picked up 81 survivors from the water and rafts and 51 from one lifeboat. The USS Comanche picked up 41 survivors from another lifeboat and 56 from rafts and the water. They also picked up hundreds of bodies. They were landed at Narsarssuak the same day. 675 lives were lost - the master, three officers, 98 crewmen, 15 armed guards and 558 troops and passengers. The following were saved - three officers, 25 crewmen, 44 civilian workers, three Danish citizens, twelve armed guards, seven US coast guard personnel and 135 US Army personnel. Four Army chaplains representing the four different faiths - Rev Lt George Lansing Fox (Methodist); Rabbi Lt Alexander David Goode; Rev Lt. Clark Poling (First Reformed Church) and Father John Washington gave up their lifebelts to soldiers who have none, all four perished with the ship. All were posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the DSC. In 1961 the US Congress declared the 3 February four Chaplains Observance Day and The Chapel of the Four Chaplains was established in Philadelphia 1943 - At 1412 & 1413, U-255 fired torpedoes at Convoy RA-52 about 600 miles NE of Iceland and observed two hits on one ship after a running time of 1 minute 50 seconds and heard one further detonation after 3 minutes 20 seconds. Reche reported the Greylock sunk and claimed a hit on another freighter of 5000 tons, but this cannot be confirmed from Allied sources. Lookouts on the Greylock (Master Charles Herbert Whitmore) spotted a torpedo in the smooth seas and broad daylight about 300 yards off the port side. They tried to evade the torpedo, but it struck between the #5 and #6 holds, creating a large hole below the waterline and also locking the steering gear. A second torpedo missed the bow by 75 yards. The ship immediately flooded and took a starboard list. 15 minutes after the hit, the ten officers, 26 crewmembers, 25 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, one 3in, eight 20mm and two .30cal guns) and nine passengers (three of them survivors from the freighter Ballot) left the ship in four lifeboats. A British escort ship shelled the Greylock, which sank stern first at 1430. Most men were picked up by armed trawlers HMS Lady Madeleine & Northern Wave and landed at Belfast and Gourock. Four crewmembers were picked up by minesweeper HMS Harrier and taken to Scapa Flow. All the crew came together in Glasgow and were eventually repatriated from Liverpool 1943 - At 0257, SS Inverilen in Convoy HX-224 was torpedoed by U-456 south of Iceland. The tanker was abandoned and sank later in 56°13N/20°35W. The master, 24 crewmembers and six gunners were lost. 14 crewmembers and two passengers (DBS) were picked up by HMS Asphodel & landed at Londonderry. U-456 was chased after the attack by HMS Londonderry, which had to abort the chase after she was damaged by a premature detonation of one of her own depth charges 1943 - Lighter Covered (Non Self-Propelled) YC-886 lost at Guantanamo Cuba 1943 - Lighter Covered (Non Self-Propelled) YC-887 lost at Guantanamo Cuba 1943 - At 2154, tanker SS Cordelia, a straggler from convoy HX-224, was torpedoed & sunk by U-632 south of Iceland. The master, 37 crewmembers and eight gunners were lost. The sole survivor was taken prisoner by the U-boat and carelessly mentioned Convoy SC-118 that was reported to the BdU. The convoy was subsequently attacked with the loss of nine ships. The survivor landed at Brest on 14 February and was taken to the German POW camp Milag Nord 1944 - United States warships shelled Paramushiru Island in the first attack on Japanese home territory 1944 - Corvette HMCS Matapedia completed forecastle extension refit Liverpool NS 1944 - Destroyer HMCS Huron departed Kola Inlet with Convoy RA-56 for Loch Ewe 1944 - Tug HMCS Radville assigned to St John's Nfld 1944 - U-681, U-870 commissioned 1944 - U-1051 launched 1944 - Escort carrier USS Savo Island commissioned 1944 - Minesweeper USS Triumph commissioned 1944 - Destroyer escort USS Roy O Hale commissioned 1944 - Frigate USS Hutchinson commissioned 1944 - Submarine USS Entemedor laid down 1944 - At 2345, the unescorted Chinese Liberty Ship Chung Cheng was torpedoed by U-188. Due to her cargo of ore she sank so quickly that no lifeboat could be launched. On board were eleven American officers, four Chinese officers, 29 Chinese crewmen and 27 American armed guards. Twenty men, mostly Chinese crewmen were lost. The survivors were picked up after 12 hours by a British freighter and taken to a hospital in Aden 1945 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Arley sank while under tow in the North Sea after mine damage 1945 - AA cruiser USS Tucson commissioned 1945 - Destroyer USS Frank E Evans commissioned 1945 - U-2361 commissioned 1945 - U-1279 sunk in the North Sea NW of Bergen, in approximate position 61.21N, 02.00E, by depth charges from frigates HMS Bayntun, Braithwaite & Loch Eck. 48 dead (all hands lost) 1952 - USS Porterfield Hit by Communist battery from the mainland near Chodo 1965 - Ottawa grants $25 million to help subsidize the Commonwealth Transpacific Cable 1967 - USS Bennington port call Hong Kong 1968 - Tracker 1543 of RCN VU 32 Sqn crashed in a built-up area 1.5 mi short of the runway while on instrument approach in BC. No one on the ground was injured and property damage was slight, but all four crewmembers of the a/c -- S/Lt P.E. Kaersvang, S/Lt M.G. McRadu, S/Lt W.J. Bowles and ABAF M. Schofield -- perished in the accident 1972 - USS Hancock port call Subic Bay 1975 - USS Coral Sea port call Subic Bay 1976 - USS Oriskany port call Subic Bay 1991 - The battleship USS Missouri fired eight 1.25-ton shells from its 16-inch guns at prefabricated concrete command and control bunkers Iraq was moving into Kuwait, destroying the bunkers. The barrage, totaling 18,000 pounds of high explosives, marked the first combat firing of the Missouri's 16-inch guns since the Korean War, and was in support of Marines and coalition ground forces. This also marked the first use of a Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV) for gunfire spotting in a hostile environment. Using its mine-avoidance sonar, USS Curts, then, USS Nicholas escorted the battleship through unlighted navigational hazards steadily north in the Arabian Gulf to gain maximum tactical advantage. Mine explodes near USS Nicholas, shrapnel causes light damage 1991 - Three crewmen of the B-52, which crashed in the Indian Ocean while returning from a combat mission, have been recovered by Naval Reservists of Helicopter Squadron 75, while three other crewmen are missing 2004 - Royal Netherlands Navy announces the frigates Jacob Van Heemskerck, Witte de With, Tjerk Hiddes & Abraham Van Der Hulst will be sold to Chile 2005 - At approximately 0800, three sailors on board HMCS Halifax sustained injuries requiring medical attention while the ship was underway in heavy seas. Five other members of the ship’s company were also examined for injuries, but were returned to duty. As a precautionary measure, of the three sailors requiring medical attention, one was flown ashore by ship’s helicopter to McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey while two remain in the ship’s sickbay under observation 2005 - Submarine HMS Sceptre limps into Gibraltar with mechanical problems 2005 - Spanish Defense Minister Jose Bono and his Argentine counterpart, Jose Pampuro, signed a memorandum of understanding on stronger military cooperation. The ministry said Bono and Pampuro will discuss bilateral defense relations and future projects. The memorandum also dealt with political, technological and scientific cooperation between the two countries. Pampuro is expected to discuss collaborative projects with the Spanish for the construction of five vessels for the Argentine Navy 2006 - A French prosecutor has called for the imposition of a record E600,000 ($725,000) fine on the master and owner of the German KG company-owned Maersk Barcelona, for creating one of the biggest marine pollution slicks so far seen off the French Atlantic coast 2006 - The 30-year-old icebreaker, Krasin, had propeller problems and stopped service 19 days ago, causing a narrow supply channel through McMurdo Sound to close over during the worst ice conditions in more than 20 years. The channel connects the United States' McMurdo Base and New Zealand's nearby Scott Base to the open sea. Antarctica New Zealand spokeswoman Emma Reid said the closure of the channel delayed the cargo ship, American Tern, from delivering scientific and building equipment to Scott Base. The ship docked at McMurdo yesterday morning after being escorted through the channel by the Krasin, which was repaired by salvage divers flown in from the US. The American Tern was carrying drilling equipment to be used in the four-nation Andrill project, in which scientists from New Zealand, the US, Germany and Italy will gather material to study climate change 2006 - The Navy continues its proud association with commemorative ceremonies at Waitangi during the 166th Anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. Frigate HMNZS Te Mana anchored off Paihia from 3 – 6 February and will fire a 21 gun salute at midday on Waitangi Day. Public performances by the Navy Kapa Haka Group and Navy Band are included as part of the Waitangi Festival, with Navy personnel joining the waka crews. The Navy Band will perform a lead in performance to a formal flag lowering ceremony - 'Beat Retreat' on Waitangi Day to close the commemorations 2006 - Rescue teams have picked up dozens of bodies from the Egyptian ropax ferry that sank with some 1,300 people on board. Search and rescue attempts are being hampered by bad weather. There is no immediate word of the cause, although speculation has so far centered on the possibility of a collision. Al Salam Boccaccio 98 (11,779 grt, built 1970) reportedly disappeared off radar screens off the Saudi coast. The ship had left Duba in Saudi Arabia and was due to have arrived at Safaga in Egypt at 0300, local time, but did not, Egyptian maritime officials added. Britain has diverted HMS Bulwark to the northern Red Sea and will arrive in a day-and-a-half, Alan West, Britain's first sea lord said. It is reportedly operated by Al Salam Maritime Transport of Heliopolis, Cairo. An official of the company, Adel Shukri, told the BBC he was not aware of any SOS from the crew. Its last known position was some 100km from Duba, and helicopters have spotted at least one lifeboat nearby. Panama-flag Al Salam Boccaccio 98 operated between 1970 and 1999 for an Italian company 2006 - Navy Reserve Capt. Sean F. Crean has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral (lower half) 2006 - Secretary of Defense Donald H Rumsfeld announced the President has made the following nominations for promotion from rear admiral (lower half) to rear admiral: John M. Bird, John T. Blake, Richard E. Cellon, David J. Dorsett, Frank M. Drennan, Mark E. Ferguson III, John W. Goodwin, Mark D. Harnitchek, Elizabeth A. Hight, Richard W. Hunt, Arthur J. Johnson, Jr., Mark W. Kenny, Joseph F. Kilkenny, William E. Landay III, Douglas L. McClain, William H. McRaven, Kevin M. Quinn, Wayne G. Shear, Raymond A. Spicer & Peter J. Williams 2006 - At approximately 0834 Alaska Time, MV Seabulk Pride, a 1998 built double hull tanker, owned and operated by a subsidiary of Seabulk International, Inc., was successfully refloated from the grounding that occurred yesterday morning near Nikiski, Alaska. The vessel is under its own power, and there has been no report of any release of cargo or oil from the vessel since it broke away from its moorings. The Company is working and cooperating with the United States Coast Guard and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation to perform a technical evaluation prior to its movement to another port for a more detailed survey 2006 - Defense Minister Phil Goff visited the Merwede Shipyard in Rotterdam to inspect the Royal New Zealand Navy's new Multi Role Vessel (MRV), which is due to be launched next weekend 2006 - New Zealand and NATO reached agreement on exchanging classified information on a regular basis, which will help facilitate peacekeeping operations where both are involved. The Exchange of Letters took place in Brussels when Defense Minister Phil Goff met with NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer 2006 - The Coast Guard has rescued eight Cuban illegal immigrants, and one was taken to Mariners Hospital in Islamorada, Fla., for emergency medical care. The Coast Guard received a report from a Good Samaritan aboard the Bahamian fishing vessel Sea Explorer that the eight were discovered on the uninhabited island of Elbow Cay, Bahamas yesterday. According to the Good Samaritan, the eight illegal immigrants claimed to have been on the Bahamian island for 13 days. The illegal immigrants also reported six additional illegal immigrants died while attempting to reach shore after their homemade vessel broke apart. Upon receiving the report, the Coast Guard launched an HH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter and HU-25 Falcon jet from Air Station Miami, an Air Station Clearwater, Fla., HH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter based out of AUTEC, Bahamas, and the cutter Tornado. A Coast Guard helicopter crew landed on Elbow Cay with a flight surgeon aboard who examined the illegal immigrants. All eight were dehydrated and received fluids. One illegal immigrant was medevaced by the HH-60 helicopter crew to Mariners Hospital, with an injury he claims was sustained from a propeller. The remaining seven illegal immigrants are currently aboard a Coast Guard cutter where they are receiving food, water and any necessary medical treatment. The government of the Bahamas will determine the disposition of these illegal immigrants because they were rescued in Bahamian territory. The seven illegal immigrants aboard the cutter report they had been on the island for 13 days. They claim to have left Cuba Jan.13 and arrived in the Bahamas Jan. 20 2006 - The Coast Guard rescued a fisherman at 1645 from a shrimp boat with a broken engine 2.5 miles east of San Leon, Texas. The fisherman was transiting the Houston Ship Channel when his engine stopped working in 40 mile per hour winds and he was unable to set his anchor. Tug Dixie Valor called Sector Houston and reported seeing the 45-foot shrimpboat Kevin Boy in distress. The Coast Guard watchstanders launched an HH-65B Dolphin rescue helicopter crew from Air Station Houston to rescue the man. The fisherman was taken to Ellington Field in good condition 2006 - Minehunter FGS Fulda departed Olpenitz for the NATO SNMCMG-2 in the Mediterranean 2006 - Crewmembers of Coast Guard Station Mayport cited a commercial fishing vessel for gill net fishing in right whale calving grounds off the coast of Jacksonville. The 42-foot commercial fishing vessel Nathan Lewis, out of Stumpy Point NC, was spotted shark fishing three miles off the coast of the St. Johns River by crewmembers of Station Mayport. Nathan Lewis was given a notice of violation for gill net fishing in a closed area. The case will be turned over to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for possible prosecution 2007 - Australia's main Opposition party says the withdrawal of the Navy's Armidale Patrol class fleet has left a gap in Australia's border security. The entire fleet of seven Armidale boats is currently docked in Darwin. The boats were ordered ashore earlier this week because of a recurring fuel contamination problem that potentially puts crewmembers at risk. Labor's Home Security spokesman, Arch Bevis says the Government's idea of using Navy and Custom patrols to protect Australia's northern waters from illegal fishermen isn't working 2007 - A man died after a yacht capsized in the English Channel off south Devon. Four other crewmembers were later found in a life raft after the Hooligan Five sank more than a mile off Prawle Point near Salcombe. An air and sea rescue operation was launched after a merchant ship spotted a distress flare 2007 - Essential life saving missions will continue while the fleet of CH-124 Sea King aircraft are undergoing a temporary operational pause 2007 - Holyhead Coastguard has helped 57 anglers to safety tonight after they were lost in fog on sands at Talacre Beach near Prestatyn 2007 - At midday Liverpool Coastguard were informed that a collision had occurred between a passenger ferry and a general cargo vessel near the entrance to Albert Dock in the River Mersey. No injuries occurred during this incident. The vessels involved were the high speed ferry Sea Express 1, which runs from Liverpool to Isle of Man and the general cargo vessel Alaska Rainbow. The Alaska Rainbow (157m length), has anchored on Liverpool Bar and will be inspected by a surveyor from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency before continuing on her passage. Sea Express 1 came alongside the Liverpool pier head and has disembarked all passengers 2007 - Liverpool Coastguard coordinating search for a light aircraft after ATC at Blackpool reported to the Coastguard that the craft had disappeared from the radar off South Shore near the Pier and Pleasure Beach at 1720. The aircraft is a PA28 Warrior with two people onboard 2007 - Vice Adm. Chuck Munns was relieved by Vice Adm. Jay Donnelly as commander, Submarine Force (COMSUBFOR); commander, Submarine Force US Atlantic (COMSUBLANT); commander, Allied Submarine Command and commander, Task Forces 46, (CTF 46), 82 (CTF 82), 84 (CTF 84) and 144 (CTF 144) Feb. 3 at Vista Point Club on Naval Station Norfolk. Following the ceremony, Munns retired after 33 years of naval service. Guest speaker, Adm. Kirkland Donald, director naval nuclear propulsion, reflected on Munns' many achievements and his legacy 2008 - Hailing the French navy for protecting its ships carrying aid supplies from pirate attacks in the waters off Somalia since mid-November, the UN World Food Program (WFP) has thanked Denmark for agreeing to take over the operation for the next two months 2008 - An aging amphibious tank sank in stormy seas during a military training exercise, killing at least six Indonesian marines and leaving one missing 2008 - The patrol frigate HMCS Charlottetown has rescued two sailors found adrift in the Arabian Sea aboard the Azaan, a 240-foot barge designed to be towed by a tugboat Copyright 2009 Shirlaw News Group ISSN 1710-6966 Today in History Archives This information is licensed to the recipient only. Images may be subject to copyright. Ask before you right-click. Royal Navy photos are Courtesy of www.oldships.org.uk unless otherwise indicated. 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