SeaWaves Today in History February 4, 2009 Sri Lanka - Independence Commemoration Day. Visiting warships dress overall. 21-gun salute fired 1725 - Vitus Bering departed from St. Petersburg on an expedition. Peter I commissioned him three weeks before his death to elucidate whether or not there was a landbridge between Asia and North America 1779 - John Paul Jones takes command of Bonhomme Richard 1783 - Britain declared a formal cessation of hostilities with its former colonies, the United States of America 1858 - Gold is discovered along British Columbia's Fraser River; leads to gold rush 1859 - US signs "Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation" with Paraguay at Asuncion after the revenue cutter Harriet Lane, as part of a US Navy expedition, forces the opening of the Paraguay and Parana Rivers 1863 - Commissioned officers of the Revenue Cutter Service to be appointed by President by and with advice and consent of the Senate. This act contains first statutory use of term "Revenue Cutter Service." Previous laws referred only to "revenue cutters" 1901 - HM Submarine No 1,2,3 & 4 laid down 1904 - Japan starts siege of Port Arthur, starting the Russo-Japanese War 1908 - Submarine HMS C21& C22 laid down 1917 - Submarine HMS R1, R2 & R3 laid down 1918 - The destroyer HMS Zubian sank a German mine-laying U-boat off the coast of Essex. Zubian was most unusual, in that she had been built from the salvaged remnants of two Tribal class destroyers, Zulu and Nubian. Nubian's bows were destroyed by a torpedo hit in October 1916, whilst her sister Zulu had been severely damaged astern by a mine just over a week later. Both ships were judged irreparable by conventional standards, but it proved possible to graft Zulu's undamaged bows onto Nubian's undamaged mid and stern hull. Zubian returned to full active service with the Dover Patrol 1919 - Rescue tug HMS Roysterer launched 1919 - Submarine HMS L19 launched 1925 - Light cruiser USS Memphis commissioned 1938 - Italy consented to more drastic action against submarines under Nyon patrol agreement. (At British suggestion; because of Britain's vital interest in the freedom and security of traffic in the Mediterranean 1939 - U-52, U-58 commissioned 1939 - Destroyers USS Hammann & Anderson launched 1940 - U-17 had to break off her patrol due to serious engine trouble in the North Sea 1940 - Destroyers HMS Basilisk & Brilliant sail from Dover; the former with the Prime Minister, War Cabinet & Chief of Staff for Boulogne 1940 - At 0417, SS Hop was torpedoed & sunk with all hands by U-37 near the Shetland Islands 1940 - At 2125, the unescorted SS Leo Dawson was torpedoed by U-37 NE of Fair Isle. The master & 34 crewmembers were lost 1940 - HMS Sphinx sinks in the North Sea a day after being bombed by German aircraft 1940 - US passenger liner SS Manhattan, detained at Gibraltar the previous day, is released, but not before British authorities seize 390 sacks of German mail. American diplomatic mail pouches, however, are not disturbed 1941 - When the 8,000-ton cargo ship Politician bound from Liverpool to Jamaica went aground on the isle of Eriskay, with a cargo of luxuries including 250,000 bottles of whisky. It was immortalized by Sir Compton Mackenzie in Whisky Galore, later made into an Ealing film comedy 1941 - Corvette HMCS Alberni commissioned 1941 - Corvette HMCS New Westminster laid down Victoria BC 1941 - Corvette HMS Spikenard arrived South Shields, Tyne for completion 1941 - Destroyer HMS Glaisdale laid down 1941 - At 1644, SS Empire Engineer, a straggler from Convoy SC-20, was torpedoed & sunk by U-123 SE of Cape Farewell. The master and 38 crewmembers were lost 1941 - SS Ringhorn torpedoed & sunk by U-52 at 55.46N, 22.36W 1941 - On 3 Feb 1941, SS Dione II, a straggler from Convoy SC-20, was bombed & damaged by a German FW 200 Condor aircraft of I/KG 40 in 55°40N/14°23W. On 4 February, the damaged Dione II was shelled & sunk by U-93 NW of Aran Island, Co. Galway. The master, 26 crewmembers and one gunner were lost. Five crewmembers were picked up by the British SS Flowergate & landed at Glasgow 1941 - The Search for the unidentified submarine off Oahu, begun yesterday, continues. After destroyers USS Dale & Hull return to Pearl Harbor, destroyers USS Flusser & Drayton join Lamson in the hunt. Ultimately, however, the search is called off 1941 - Fleet Landing Exercise (FLEX) No. 7 begins in the Culebra-Vieques area, with all available ships of the Atlantic Fleet and elements of the 1st Marine Division and the US Army's 1st Division, to train "Army and Navy Forces in the amphibious operations incident to a Joint Overseas Expedition." Unlike FLEX No. 6 in 1940, bona fide transports are available for, and participate in, the maneuvers 1941 - HMS Truant attacks an Italian convoy near Benghazi, Libya with 3 torpedoes which miss their targets 1942 - HM MTB-307 (PT-49 USN BPT-1) Lend leased to RN 1942 - HM MTB-308(PT-50 USN BPT-2) Lend leased to RN 1942 - U-258 commissioned 1942 - SS Montrolite (11,309 GRT) Canadian Imperial Oil tanker was torpedoed & sunk NE of Bermuda, in position 35.14N, 060.05W, by U-109, Kptlt Heinrich 'Ajax' Bleichrodt, Knight's Cross, Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, CO. Of her crew of 48, there are 20 survivors. They were rescued by a passing freighter & were landed in Halifax. Montrolite had been travelling alone from Venezuela & was carrying a cargo of crude oil. Canada had a fleet of only twelve nationally flagged tankers in 1939. They were, for the most part, large & modern vessels, quite unlike the dry cargo fleet. In 1940, Canada imported 43 million tons of crude oil & five million tons of refined fuel products, 50 percent of which was brought in by tanker through the St. Lawrence River & Atlantic ports. By the summer of 1942, three of these tankers had been lost to German U-boats, leaving only three Canadian & five chartered Norwegian tankers to serve the East Coast. These losses had a nearly catastrophic impact of the supply of naval fuel oils. By Mar 42, St. John's was down to 3,000 tons (three days' supply). A month later, the supply at Halifax was down to 45,000 tons (15 days' supply). The two small coastal tankers used to supply St. John's were run in separate convoys for fear of losing them both, which would have forced the termination of operations by the Mid-Ocean Escort Force. The gravity of the situation can be appreciated by comparing the supply levels at Halifax & St. John's with the carrying capacity of a 'notional tanker' (10,000 tons of cargo moved at 10 knots). The loss of even one more tanker could have had far-reaching operational & tactical consequences. In May 42, the US transferred twelve tankers to Canada totaling 106,000 GRT (approximately 170,000 DWT), which allowed the chartered Norwegian tankers to be released for the transatlantic route. At the same time, the US transferred 40 tankers to British control, declared an 'Unlimited National Emergency', & instituted petroleum rationing. In Sep 42, another 34 tankers were transferred to British control. These were the last tankers that could be taken up from US trade until emergency production ships began to arrive in 1943. The charter fees for all loaned American tankers were paid by the US. U-109 was a long-range Type IX U-boat built by AG Weser, at Bremen. Commissioned 05 Dec 40. U-109 completed eight patrols & compiled a record of 14 ships sunk for a total of 86,606 tons & one ship damaged for a further 6,548 tons. U-109 was sunk on 04 May 43, south of Ireland, in position 47-22N, 022-40W, by 4 depth charges from a Liberator a/c from RAF 86 Sqn. All of U-109's crew of 52 was lost. Heinrich Bleichrodt was born in 1909, at Berga, Kyffhauser. He joined the navy in 1933 & after service in the cadet ship Gorch Fock and the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper, transferred to the U-boat force in Oct 39. He took command of U-48 on 08 Sep 40, at the age of 30. He was awarded the Knight's Cross on 24 Oct 40 (the 18th awarded in the U-boat force) & on 23 Sep 42 was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross (the 17th in the Kriegsmarine & 15th in the U-boat force). His First Watch Officer was 'Teddy' Suhren, ultimately a winner of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves & Swords. Together they sank eight ships for a total of 36,189 tons. Upon learning that he had been awarded a Knight's Cross, Bleichrodt refused to wear it until Suhren had received one as well, as he had been in charge of all surface firings. Thus, on 03 Nov 40, Suhren became the first Watch Officer to receive the Knight's Cross. In Dec 40, Bleichrodt left U-48 & in Jan 41, commissioned U-67. In Jun 41, he took command of U-109. In total, 'Ajax' Bleichrodt sank 27 ships for a total of 158,957 tons and damaged three ships for a further 16,362 tons in only eight patrols, making him the 10th highest scoring U-boat ace. He left U-109 in Jul 43 to become a tactical instructor with 2nd U-boat training division. From Jul 44 to the end of the war, he was the Commander of the 22nd U-boat Flotilla. Heinrich Bleichrodt died on 09 Jan 77 in Munich, Germany 1942 - Minesweeper HMS Dornoch launched 1942 - Minesweeping trawlers HMS Ruskholm & Hunda launched 1942 - Destroyer HMS Pakenham commissioned 1942 - The unescorted & unarmed SS San Gil was hit by a torpedo at 0643. 20 minutes later U 103 commenced shelling the ship after all boats had left and hit her with 8-12 rounds. At 0730 a second torpedo hit the abandoned ship & caused her to sink in 5 minutes. The survivors were rescued by USCGC Nike on the same day and were landed at Lewes, Delaware 1942 - MS Silveray torpedoed & sunk by U-751 at 43.54N, 64.16W 1942 - Japanese reconnaissance flying boats of the Toko Kokutai (Naval Air Corps) contact and shadow the allied force (Rear Admiral Karel W.F.M. Doorman, RNN) of four cruisers and accompanying destroyers, sighted yesterday by 1st Kokutai aircraft, attempting the transit of Madoera Strait to attack the Japanese Borneo invasion fleet. The Allied fleet is now south of the Greater Sunda Islands, about 190 miles east of Surabaya, Java. On the strength of that intelligence, Japanese naval land attack planes of the Takao, Kanoya, and 1st Kokutais bomb Doorman's ships, damaging heavy cruiser USS Houston & light cruiser USS Marblehead. Dutch light cruisers HNLMS De Ruyter & Tromp are slightly damaged by near misses. USS Marblehead's extensive damage (only by masterful seamanship and heroic effort does she reach Tjilatjap, Java, after the battle) results in her being sent back to the United States via Ceylon and South Africa; despite the loss of turret III (one-third of her main battery). USS Houston, however, remains 1942 - US Asiatic Fleet (Admiral Thomas C. Hart) ceases to exist. Units of Asiatic Fleet are organized into Naval Forces, Southwest Pacific Area under Vice Admiral William A. Glassford 1943 - U-414 was attacked in the North Atlantic by an aircraft & damaged so badly that she had to return to base 1943 - U-187 sunk in the North Atlantic, in position 50.12N, 36.35W, by depth charges from destroyers HMS Vimy & Beverley (ex-USS Branch). 9 dead and 45 survivors 1943 - Light cruiser HMS Swiftsure launched 1943 - Destroyer USS Kimberly launched 1943 - Destroyer HMS Virago launched 1943 - U-1166 laid down 1943 - U-741, U-742, U-967, U-968 launched 1943 - Frigate HMS Plym launched 1943 - Minesweeper HMS Brave launched 1943 - Submarine HMS Syrtis launched 1943 - Sloop HMS Wren commissioned 1943 - Submarine USS Balao commissioned 1943 - U-362, U-961 commissioned 1943 - Black Sea Fleet and Azov Flotilla minesweeper T-515 (ex-Gelenjik) sunk by field artillery close to Ujnaya Ozereika (later raised and returned to service) 1943 - Soviet commandos land behind German lines near Novorossiisk, on the Black Sea 1943 - Convoy SC-118 comes under concentrated attack from German U-boats in the Atlantic 1943 - HMS Unseen torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Le Tre Marie about 6 nautical miles south of Punta Alice, Italy 1944 - Argentina severed diplomatic relations with Bulgaria, Vichy France, Hungary, and Rumania 1944 - Destroyer escorts USS Eugene E Elmore & Hilbert commissioned 1944 - Escort carrier USS Shamrock Bay launched 1944 - Escort carrier USS Salamaua laid down 1944 - U-453 show down SAAF 17 Sqn Ventura 1944 - U-519 shot down RAF 172 Sqn Wellington. The U-boat was possibly lost in this attack 1944 - U-763 shot down two Liberators from RAF 53 Sqn. One at 0821, the second at 2211 1944 - U-854 mined & sunk in the Baltic Sea north of Swinemünde, in position 54.44N, 14.16E. 51 dead & 7 survivors 1945 - Submarine USS Barbel sunk by Japanese aircraft southwest of Palawan Philippines 1945 - The Yalta Conference begins with the leaders of the Soviet Union, Great Britain and United States in attendance. They agreed on Allied military strategy (in particular, the inclusion of the USSR in the war against Japan) and the principles of the postwar European order 1945 - Frigate HMCS Inch Arran returned Halifax from work ups & assigned to EG-28 1945 - Minesweepers HMCS Vegreville & Wasaga arrived Devonport UK from refits in Sydney NS & Charlottetown PEI respectively 1945 - Submarine USS Barbel sunk by Japanese aircraft SW of Palawan 1945 - Submarine USS Chopper launched 1945 - U-745 reported missing in the Gulf of Finland. No survivors 1945 - U-1014 sunk in the Minch Channel (Hebrides), in position 55.17N, 06.44W, by depth charges from HMS Loch Scavaig, Nyasaland, Papua & Loch Shin. 48 dead (all hands lost) 1948 - Destroyer HMCS Cayuga departed Halifax for Esquimalt 1951 - Destroyer HMCS Sioux returned to Esquimalt from Korean War 1953 - Vice-Admiral ER Mainguy makes inspection tour of Canadian Naval activities in Korea 1953 - The last two RCN Fairey Firefly AS 5s (VX 414, VX 415) were struck off strength on this date, marking the official deletion of the type from the Canadian inventory. Replaced in active service by the Avengers in 880 Sqn during the latter half of 1951, the machines were among four Firefly Vs transferred to the Netherlands naval air arm following retirement from the RCN. History would repeat itself eight years later when a batch of CS2F-1s would also be handed over to the Dutch 1954 - HMCS Haida arrives on station in Korea 1956 - Submarine HMS Scorcher damaged in collision 1959 - Keel laying of USS Enterprise, first nuclear powered aircraft carrier, Newport News VA 1963 - Submarine HMS Astute departed Halifax following ASW training 1964 - Submarine HMS Repulse launch 1967 - USS Franklin D Roosevelt port call Cape Town 1968 - The world's largest hovercraft (165 tonnes) is launched at Cowes 1972 - USS Constellation port call Hong Kong 1973 - USS America port call Subic Bay 1982 - The Attorney General, William Smith, declared at a press conference that Operation Tiburon was "the most successful international marijuana interdiction effort to date." The operation began in November 1980 and accounted for the seizure of 95 vessels. It was a combined operation that included elements of the Coast Guard, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Customs Service and various state and local law enforcement agencies 1987 - Dennis Connor's US crew wins back the America's Cup from Australia 1992 - Gulf Canada pulls out of the Hibernia oil project; Gulf's 25% stake acquired by Ottawa, the remaining Hibernia partners and Murphy Oil 2004 - RRF Cape Victory & Cape Washington activated 2004 - USNS Algol activated 2004 - Tanker SS Mount Washington activated from RRF 2006 - Deputy Russian Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov will be attending an international conference on security in Germany February 4-5 2006 - Coastguard coordination centers in Scotland coordinated three diving incidents. Forth Coastguard assisted a diver following a rapid ascent to the dive boat Alikaie. The diver had made his ascent from a depth of 30 meters. He was not displaying symptoms of decompression sickness, but was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure. Eyemouth Coastguard Rescue Team attended the scene. The second incident involved a shore diver who began drifting off the Isle of Islay. Clyde Coastguard requested the Islay all weather RNLI lifeboat to launch and two helicopters were scrambled. Local boats and the Isle of Arran ferry also offered their assistance, however a short time later the diver was able to make his way to shore unaided. Approximately half an hour later at 1500 Clyde Coastguard were called again, requesting assistance for two divers who had made a rapid ascent from 18.5 meters. The Coastguard requested advice from a diving doctor who advised that the two people should be taken to hospital for a check over. An awaiting ambulance took them to the accident and emergency department at Lorne and the Isles hospital 2006 - Humber Coastguard sends resources to assist a whale which is stuck in mud at Spurn Bight in the River Humber. The Coastguard received a call from a member of the public at about 1115 reporting a sighting of the whale. The Easington and Hull Coastguard Rescue teams are on their way to the scene to assess the situation and begin making plans to assist the whale. The stranded whale is 25-30 ft long and is stuck on mud one nautical mile from the shore 2006 - India and the Philippines signed four accords, including the first ever on Defense cooperation envisaging among other things exchange of Air Force planes, Navy ships and military instructors. The agreements were inked in the presence of visiting President A P J Abdul Kalam and his Filipino counterpart Gloria Arroyo at the Presidential Palace, the 400-year-old architectural marvel built during the Spanish colonial rule here. The MOU on cooperation in the fields of Defense, agriculture and tourism were signed by Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh from the Indian side 2006 - Thirteen Al Qaeda militants convicted in the attacks on USS Cole and French supertanker Limburg in Yemen were among 23 men who broke out of jail in Sanaa 2006 - Frigate FS Jacoubet, operating as part of a Dutch-led maritime task force in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, rescued almost 50 Somalis whose small boat had been disabled as they attempted to cross the Gulf of Aden. Jacoubet, part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 led by Royal Netherlands Navy Commodore Hank Ort was in the area and discovered the dhow Kaliningrad with a failed engine and out of food and water. About half of those aboard were women and children 2006 - SAR teams are trying to find a scuba diver who went missing. Robert Hohepa Hewitt, 38, was last seen at about 1430 at the north end of Mana Island off the Kapiti Coast in New Zealand. After the diver failed to resurface, his dive buddies reported a missing diver emergency. A sea and air search was turned up nothing and officials announced they will expand the area to be searched. Hewitt is from Palmerston North and is the brother of ex-All Black Norm Hewitt 2006 - Singapore made its latest contribution to the multinational effort in support of the reconstruction of Iraq, with the deployment of a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Landing Ship Tank (LST) RSS Endeavour. Chief of Navy RADM Ronnie Tay officiated a send-off ceremony for the LST and its crew of 180 personnel this morning. During its three-month long deployment, RSS Endeavour will undertake tasks such as providing logistics support for coalition vessels and helicopters, protecting the waters around key oil terminals, as well as conducting patrols and boarding operations 2006 - Coast Guard units are searching for a downed aircraft two miles off St. Lucy Inlet. The report of a downed SR 22 plane carrying three people on board came from the Miami Flight Control Center at 1623. The Coast Guard immediately launched an HH-65 dolphin helicopter from Air Station Miami, USCGC Cormorant, an 87-foot patrol boat from Ft. Pierce, Fla., and two rescue boats from Station Fort Pierce to search for survivors. The plane was originally headed for St. Augustine, Fla., but after take-off turned around and headed back for St. Lucy 2006 - A Missouri man died while scuba diving with a friend on a Florida Keys shipwreck. David Hargis, 48, of Kansas City, appeared to be in some distress during a dive Saturday at the Spiegel Grove artificial reef and signaled that he needed to surface, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said. Fellow divers helped Hargis remove his gear, but he lost consciousness as he climbed on board the chartered diving boat 2007 - The USS John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group entered the Guam Operating Area (GOA) and will conduct several days of exercises while in the region 2007 - Canadian Sea King fleet will return to normal flying operations following a brief operational pause. The pause was initiated 02 Feb after a recent study from the original equipment manufacturer indicated a need to reduce the usage life of certain components on the aircraft 2008 - Capt. Brent Canady assumed command of amphibious assault ship USS Essex 2008 - SS Arthur M Huddell, sometimes described as the last surviving Liberty ship, looks destined to be towed to Greece to be kept alive as a maritime museum. President Bush signed off on legislation allowing the 1942-built vessel to be donated to Greece over a year ago, but in Athens the government declined to press on with the transfer until private sector funds for the project were in place http://www.marina.difesa.it/programmi/images/fremm_01.jpg 2008 - Construction of first Italian FREMM frigate ITS Ammiraglio Bergamini begins 2008 - Vice Admiral Pierre-Francois Forissier relieved Alain Oudot de Dainville as the Chief of Staff of the Navy (CEMM) 2008 - President of the Republic of Estonia, Mr. Toomas Hendrik Iives at NATO HQ to meet with Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and the North Atlantic Council 2008 - An 18-year-old man made his first court appearance in Bremerton in connection with the stabbing of a 20-year-old sailor assigned to aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis 2008 - CPO Michael E. Koch, 29, of State College PA and CPO Nathan H. Hardy, 29, of Durham NH died from wounds suffered from small arms fire during combat operations in Iraq Copyright 2009 Shirlaw News Group ISSN 1710-6966 Today in History Archives This information is licensed to the recipient only. Images may be subject to copyright. Ask before you right-click. Royal Navy photos are Courtesy of www.oldships.org.uk unless otherwise indicated. To contact us: 418-145 West Keith Rd North Vancouver BC V7M 1L3 Canada Phone: 778-968-7447