SeaWaves Today in History February 19, 2007 ********************************************************************* February 19 1473 - The astronomer Copernicus was born in Torun, Poland 1653 - The second day of The Three Day Battle between the Dutch Admiral Marten Tromp and General-at-Sea Robert Blake 1807 - A squadron of ships under Vice-Admiral Sir John Duckworth forced a passage of the Dardanelles, and completely destroyed a Turkish fleet of 13 ships 1814 - USS Constitution captures British brig Catherine 1845 - Lighthouse establishment transferred to Revenue Marine Bureau 1860 - Steamship 'Hungarian' wrecked off Cape Sable; 205 lives lost 1862 - Congress authorized cutters to enforce law forbidding importation of Chinese "coolie" labor 1908 - Opening session, Society of Naval Sponsors, the New Willard, Washington, D.C. The society was comprised of women who “sponsored” US warships at their christening. One example is Elizabeth Thomas Cole; spouse of Congressman W. Sterling Cole, sponsored submarines USS Bluegill in 1943 and USS Seawolf in 1955 1915 - British and French warships began a bombardment of the Turkish forts guarding the Dardanelles. This first bombardment proved a significant misjudgment, precisely because of its success; the Turks and their German advisers realized how inadequate the defenses in the area were, and put in hand efforts to reinforce them that would later cost the allies serious losses 1917 - HMS Q-18, disguised as Lady Olive, was attacked by the U-boat UC-18 a few miles west of Jersey. The sinking Q-18 lured UC-18 within range before opening fire with her concealed guns, and managed to sink the submarine before going down herself 1917 - Destroyer HMS Skate commissioned 1918 - Destroyers USS Babbitt & Upshur laid down 1919 - Minesweeper USS Woodcock commissioned 1921 - Submarine USS S-44 laid down 1931 - Destroyer FS Aigle launched 1937 - Submarines HMS Undine, Unity & Ursula laid down 1937 - Soviet submarine V-4 laid down 1940 - Adolf Hitler orders more rapid progress with Operation Weserubung, the code name for the invasion of Norway and Denmark 1940 - King Gustav announces his support for his government's decision to refuse Finland military aid. He says: "from the first hour I informed Finland that she unfortunately could not count on military intervention from Sweden" 1940 - Nighttime reconnaissance of the Heligoland Bight. Ice-bound German warships bombed by 18 Wellingtons in bad weather 1940 - Four trawlers were attacked off NE Scotland by a single Luftwaffe aircraft. The German bomber was driven off by the trawlers' machine-guns 1940 - SS Tiberton sunk by U-23 1941 - The Japanese ambassador to Washington, Admiral Kochisaburo Nomura, says there will be war with the US only if the US wants it 1941 - Purnell, Chief of Staff to US Admiral Hart, attends a conference which included Army, Navy, and Air Force representatives from the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands 1941 - Coast Guard Reserve established. Auxiliary created from former Reserve 1941 - At 2222, MS Benjamin Franklin, a straggler from Convoy HX-107 due to bad weather, was struck by a torpedo from U-103 in the engine room and 20 minutes later by a second torpedo on the starboard side under hatch #4, where 1700 barrels aceton were stowed. The ship disintegrated in an enormous explosion, but all crewmembers had already abandoned the ship after the first hit in the lifeboats, which were later separated. On 26 February, seven sailors in one of them were picked up by HMS Pimpernel & taken to Liverpool (the only survivors as it later turned out). 20 Norwegians, three Swedes, two Canadians, one Irishman, one Dane and one Russian were picked up by the Egyptian SS Memphis. On 28 February the engines of the Memphis were disabled in heavy weather and she foundered NW of Ireland in 56°40N/10°30W. All on board were lost. One of the crew, Oscar Bře had apparently been picked up by a passing ship, but died when that was also torpedoed shortly thereafter 1941 - On 18 Feb 1941, SS Empire Blanda was reported missing south of Iceland after straggling from Convoy HX-107. The master, 36 crewmembers and three gunners were lost. At 08.18 hours on 19 February, a lone freighter was hit by one torpedo from U-69 south of Iceland and sank in a few seconds after four heavy detonations; this must have been the Empire Blanda. The ship had been missed by a two torpedo spread at 0744 & a single torpedo at 0801. The U-boat was almost hit by falling debris 1942 - Carrier planes from Japanese carriers raid Darwin. The attack was carried out by 188 aircraft - 36 fighters, 71 level bombers and 81 dive-bombers from Kaga, Akagi, Hiryu & Soryu. This was equivalent to the force that attacked Pearl Harbor. 54 medium bombers from Kendari in the Celebes carried out a second attack. The attack began just before 1000 when fighters strafed the ships in the harbor and shot down the few defending American fighters. The level bombers followed, concentrating on the port and town while dive-bombers attacked the ships. In ten minutes Darwin ceased to be an operational port. The wharf was destroyed and the merchant vessels Neptuna & Barossa damaged. The destroyer USS Peary was caught running for the open sea, her magazines exploded and she sank with heavy loss of life, her guns still in action. The US transports Meigs and Mauna Loa were sunk as was the tanker British Motorist and the Australian transport Zealandia. Transports Portmar & Tulagi were holed and beached. An attack by dive-bombers on the wharf hit Neptuna again and her cargo of depth charges exploded, shaking the town and killing 45. Barossa was burnt out and beached. The RAN vessels in the harbor fought back desperately but only the sloops Swan & Warrego possessed anything like an adequate AA armament. Especially vulnerable was the corvette Katoomba sitting high and dry in a floating dry dock. She forced at least one attacker to turn away. The depot ship Platypus was damaged by near misses, which sank the lugger Mavie alongside. Strafing aircraft caused fatal casualties on the boom defense vessels Kara Kara and Kangaroo and the auxiliary Gunbar. The hospital ship Manunda, despite her clear markings, was bombed and heavily damaged with 12 dead and 58 wounded. North of Darwin two merchant vessels, Don Isidro & Florence B, were destroyed. There was also heavy damage and loss of life in the town and at the airfield. The medium bombers attacked at midday concentrating on the airfield and causing further damage. The attack was considered then, and many Australians still believe, to presage a Japanese attack on Australia. It was however simply intended to neutralize Darwin as a base from where Allied forces might operate against the Japanese invasion of the Eastern Netherlands Indies. In this it was outstandingly successful. The four Japanese carriers launched 189 aircraft and the attack began at approximately 0910. The attacking force consisted of - 81 Nakajima B5N2, Navy Type 97 Carrier Attack Bombers, Allied Code Name "Kate," 73 Aichi D3A1, Navy Type 99 Carrier Bombers, Allied Code Name "Val," and 36 Mitsubishi A6M2, Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighters, Allied Code Name "Zeke." The medium bombers are Mitsubishi G4M1 Navy Type 1 Attack Bombers, Allied Code Name Betty. Additional US ships involved were the seaplane tender (destroyer) USS William B. Preston which is damaged. The freighter SS Portmar is damaged and beached. The freighter SS Admiral Halstead with a cargo of drummed gasoline is damaged. The freighter SS Florence D., under charter to the US Army and carrying a cargo of ammunition, rescues the 8-man crew of a Patrol Squadron Twenty Two (VP-22) PBY off the north coast of Australia. The ship is later attacked and sunk by Japanese carrier-based aircraft; the minesweeper HMAS Warrnambool and the mission boat St. Francis rescue the survivors. The Philippine MS Don Isidro, which was chartered by the US Army to run supplies to Corregidor, is sunk off the NW coast of Bathurst Island and the survivors are also rescued by the minesweeper HMAS Warrnambool 1942 - The Canadian Parliament votes to introduce military conscription 1942 - Transport USS William P. Biddle arrives at Guantanamo Bay and disembarks the USMC's 9th Defense Battalion 1942 - Japanese forces land on Bali. As the Japanese Bali occupation force under Rear Admiral Kubo Kyuji retires, a naval battle ensues as an Allied naval force consisting of three cruisers and accompanying destroyers under Rear Admiral Karel W.F.M. Doorman, Royal Netherlands Navy (RNN), attacks in Badoeng Strait. The destroyer USS Stewart is damaged by gunfire from destroyers HIJMS Oshio & Asashio. The destroyer HNLMS Piet Hein is sunk; 30 of her survivors find a motor whaleboat jettisoned by destroyer USS John D. Ford & proceed unaided to Java. Light cruisers HNLMS Java & Tromp are damaged by Japanese gunfire while destroyers HIJMS Ushio & Michisio are damaged by Allied gunfire 1942 - USAAF A-24 Dauntlesses, with P-40 escort, and B-17 Flying Fortresses operating out of Malang, Madioen, and Jogjakarta Airfields, Java, attack vessels landing troops on Bali. The attacks, carried out during the afternoon of 19 February and throughout the morning of 20 February, claim considerable damage to vessels but fail to halt the landings 1942 - In the central Pacific, USN Aviation Chief Machinist's Mate Harold F. Dixon (Naval Aviation Pilot) and his two-man crew of a TBD Devastator of Torpedo Squadron Six (VT-6), whose plane ditched due to fuel exhaustion on 16 January, reach the Danger Islands in the Western Northern Cook Islands having spent 34 days at sea in their rubber boat. Dixon was flying TBD-1 BuAer 0355 coded T-14. His crew was Anthony J. Pastula, AOM2c and Gene D. Aldrich, RM3c. They have subsisted on occasional fish speared with a pocketknife, two birds, and rainwater. While the straight-line distance traveled measures 450 miles, the estimated track is approximately 1,200 miles. Dixon is awarded the Navy Cross for heroism, leadership, and resourcefulness 1942 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066, authorizing the removal of any or all people from military areas "as deemed necessary or desirable." The military in turn defines the entire West Coast, home to the majority of Americans of Japanese ancestry or citizenship, as a military area. By June, more than 110,000 Japanese Americans were relocated to remote internment camps built by the US military in scattered locations around the country. For the next two and a half years, many of these Japanese Americans endured extremely difficult living conditions and poor treatment by their military guards 1942 - Submarine HMS Unison commissioned 1942 - Soviet submarine V-3 commissioned 1942 - Corvette HMCS Moose Jaw grounded south entrance St John's. Moose Jaw was departing St John's to join convoy HX-176 when she went aground. Although she was refloated soon afterwards, she was badly holed & had to return to port for temporary repairs that were effected in St John's between 20 Feb & 05 Mar. Afterwards, permanent repairs were completed at Saint John NB between 15 Mar & 25 Jun. Once her repairs were completed, Moose Jaw went on to see action in both Operation TORCH & Operation Neptune. She was serving with Escort Group 41 in the English Channel at the war's end 1942 - Destroyers USS Nicholas & O'Bannon launched 1942 - At 1945, the unescorted & unarmed SS Pan Massachusetts was hit by two torpedoes from U-128 about 20 miles off Cape Canaveral, while steaming at 13.5 knots in misty & squally weather. The torpedoes struck on the starboard side amidships & ruptured the tanks and deck. The explosions sprayed the cargo over the length of the vessel & ignited it, turning the tanker into a burning inferno but the full tanks prevented the cargo to explode. Some of the nine officers and 29 crewmen on board jumped overboard and swam underneath the flames to open spots and others went forward and escaped into the water by lowering a mooring line over the side because all lifeboats became victims of the flames before they could be launched. Three officers and 17 crewmen were lost. The British tanker SS Elizabeth Massey immediately put out a lifeboat to pick up the men in the water, but rough seas hampered the effort until USCGC Forward took the lifeboat in tow and moved with it through the wreckage. Some bodies were recovered and placed on board the US Coast Guard ship, while all survivors were brought to the tanker and taken to Jacksonville FL 1942 - At 1007, U-564 attacked Convoy TAW (S) 85 miles NW of Boca Grande, Trinidad and observed three hits after 2 minutes 5 seconds and one after 2 minutes 50 seconds. Suhren claimed that he sank two ships and damaged two. In fact, the British Consul and Empire Cloud were sunk. The tanker was probably hit by more than one torpedo. Two crewmembers from the British Consul (Master James Kennedy) were lost. The master, 34 crewmembers, four gunners and one passenger (DBS) were picked up by HMS Clarkia & landed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Mokihana lay two miles from the wharf in 40 feet of water with all anchor, cargo and port lights burning and silhouetted against the lights on shore. One torpedo struck on starboard side, just forward of the bridge. The explosion opened a hole of 35 feet by 45 feet in the hull and the ship sank to the bottom. There were no casualties among the eight officers, 28 crewmen and nine armed guards (the ship was armed with one 3in, four .50cal and two .30cal guns). After temporary repairs, the Mokihana left Port of Spain on 2 May 1942, but the ship came in troubles three days later in 16°40N/65°12W and had to be towed to the Virgin Islands and then to San Juan by tugs USS Partridge & Mankato. After more repairs, she arrived at Galveston, Texas on 15 June for permanent repairs. 1942 - SS Miraflores was hit by two torpedoes from U-432 at 0318 in the bow & amidships & sank immediately. The ship was expected in New York the next day, but did not arrive & was reported missing thereafter 1942 - At 2329, the unescorted MS Empire Seal was torpedoed & sunk by U-96 SE of Sable Island. One crewmember was lost. The master, 43 crewmembers, eleven gunners and the US pilot were picked up by the British CAM ship Empire Flame and landed at Halifax 1942 - U-610 commissioned 1942 - Destroyer HMS Obdurate launched 1942 - Philippine motorship MS Don Isidro, which was chartered by the US Army to run supplies to Corregidor, is sunk off the NW coast of Bathurst Island and the survivors are also rescued by the minesweeper HMAS Warrnambool 1943 - U-268 sunk in the Bay of Biscay west of Nantes, France, in position 47.03N, 05.56W, by depth charges from an RAF 172 Sqn Wellington. 45 dead (all hands lost) 1943 - U-562 sunk in the Mediterranean NE of Benghazi, in position 32.57N, 20.54E, by depth charges from destroyers HMS Isis & Hursley and an RAF 38 Sqn Wellington. 49 dead (all hands lost) 1943 - HMS MMS 1062, 1063, 1064, 1065, 1066, 1067, 1068, 1069, 1070, 1071, 1072 & 1073 ordered in Canada 1943 - Corvettes HMCS Frontenac & Trentonian laid down Kingston ON 1943 - SS Zeus sunk by U-403 at 49.28N, 44.50W 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Wintle, Snowden & Dempsey launched 1943 - Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators carry out single-plane attacks against shipping off Cape Gloucester, New Britain Island, and at Gasmata Island 1943 - Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberators carry out single-plane attacks against shipping at Salamaua 1943 - Fifth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses bomb shipping and a seaplane base between Buin and Faisi on Bougainville Island and at Ballale Island and hit the Kahili Airfield on Bougainville 1943 - Destroyer USS Bennett commissioned 1944 - Minesweepers HMCS Caraquet, Vegreville, Malpequet & Cowichan departed Halifax for Devonport via Azores 1944 - HMC MTB 748 commissioned 1944 - Escort carrier USS Kwajalein laid down 1944 - Frigate USS Grand Island launched 1944 - Destroyer escorts USS Robert F Keller & Maurice J Manuel launched 1944 - Escort carrier USS Sitkoh Bay launched 1944 - Frigate HMS St Helena commissioned 1944 - Destroyer escorts USS Alexander J Luke & Lyman commissioned 1944 - Frigate USS Muskegon commissioned 1944 - Submarine USS Pomfret commissioned 1944 - U-264 sunk at 1707 in the North Atlantic, in position 48.31N, 22.05W, by depth charges from sloops HMS Woodpecker & Starling. 52 survivors (No casualties) 1944 - U-386 sunk in the North Atlantic, in position 48.51N, 22.44W, by depth charges from frigate HMS Spey. 33 dead & 16 survivors 1944 - USMC & USN strike force consisting of 48 SBD Dauntlesses & 23 TBF Avengers escorted by 68 USAAF, USMC and USN fighters bomb Lakunai Airfield and other Japanese installations at Rabaul on New Britain Island; they are intercepted by less than 50 Japanese aircraft 1944 - Twelve Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchells attack Japanese shipping southwest of New Ireland Island, claiming a small freighter and a patrol boat sunk and other vessels damaged. Seven A-20 Havocs hit shipping at Kavieng, New Ireland Island while single B-24 Liberators and B-25s carry out armed reconnaissance over wide areas of the Bismarck Sea 1944 - Fourteenth Air Force B-24s, B-25s, and P-40s fly sea sweeps over wide-spread coastal areas from the Formosa Straits to French Indochina, claiming 3 ships sunk and others damaged; railroad bridges, trains, and other targets of opportunity near coastal areas are also attacked 1945 - Corvette HMCS Lindsay departed Devonport following temporary repairs for Halifax NS 1944 - USAAF ordered 650 Vultee SNV-2s for the USN; these aircraft, which were identical to the BT-13Bs, were designated Model 79As 1945 - Escort carrier USS Palau laid down 1945 - Minesweeper USS Elusive commissioned 1945 - U-2546 launched 1945 - U-676 sunk in the Gulf of Finland, position unknown, by a USSR mine. 57 dead (all hands lost) 1945 - U-1003 sailed from Bergen on her second and final patrol 1945 - Starting at 0640, seven battleships and various other warships lay down the heaviest pre-landing bombardment of WWII. Flying artillery spotting missions are Eastern Aircraft FM Wildcats and TBM Avengers of Composite Spotting Squadron One (VOC-1) in USS Wake Island. Also bombing the area are B-24 Liberators of the Seventh Air Force's VII Bomber Command; 44 aircraft are dispatched but due to thick cloud cover, only 14 find targets and release their bomb loads. Between 0805 & 0815, 24 F4U Corsairs of Marine Fighting Squadron One Hundred Twenty Four (VMF-124) and 24 F4F Hellcats of Fighting Squadron Four (VF-4) in USS Essex, mount low-level strafing and rocket attacks on the beaches supporting the V Marine Amphibious Corps which lands at 0900. During the day, aircraft from Task Groups 58.2 (Hancock, Lexington and San Jacinto) and 58.3 (Bunker Hill, Essex and Cowpens) fly 602 sorties supporting the Marines. Aircraft from the escort aircraft carriers, Task Group 52.2 support the Marines by flying several hundred sorties against Iwo Jima and Chichi Jima. Between 1900 and 2130 hours, several Japanese bombers based in Japan attacked the US ships. A Night Fighting Squadron Ninety [VF (N)-90] pilot in a Hellcat downs a Nakajima Ki-49 Army Type 100 Heavy Bomber Donryu (Storm Dragon), Allied Code Name "Helen," 20 miles from TF 58 at 1926 hours and ship AA fire downs two others 1945 - In the Philippines, US Army troops covered by USMC aircraft are landed on the NW coast of Samar and on Capul Island to insure control of San Bernardino Strait 1945 - USS LCS(L)(3)-33 sunk by shore batteries off Iwo Jima 1946 - Submarine USS Halfbeak launched 1953 - Destroyer HMCS Fraser launched North Vancouver BC 1968 - USS Enterprise port call Subic Bay 1970 - USS Ranger port call Subic Bay 1970 - Canada claims jurisdiction over waters of NW Passage, and between islands of Arctic Archipelago 1976 - Iceland broke off diplomatic relations with Britain after the two countries failed to agree on limits in the "Cod War" fishing dispute 1991 - A Navy A-6 attacked and destroyed five aircraft hidden in revetments in western Iraq. Other naval forces continued to support the air campaign and conduct maritime interceptions and mine countermeasures 1991 - A minefield containing an estimated 22 mines was discovered and cordoned off in the northern Arabian Gulf. To-date, 153 mines discovered. USS Beaufort and Naval Reserve minesweeper escort USS Adroit maneuvered through an uncharted mine field to reach USS Princeton. USS Tripoli is operating fully mission-capable in the northern Arabian Gulf with damage control efforts stemming minor flooding. USS Princeton has a cracked superstructure, a jammed port rudder and leaking port shaft seal. With USS Adroit at the point marking mines, ship is proceeding to port, towed by USS Beaufort, for detailed inspection. DOD says USS Tripoli hit a moored or floating mine, USS Princeton hit 2 influence mines 2005 - The Government of Canada and the Provinces of British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia today released for public comment a draft Statement of Canadian Practice on the mitigation of potential seismic impacts in the marine environment. The Statement of Canadian Practice is a collaborative initiative among provinces and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Natural Resources Canada and Indian and Northern Affairs Development Canada. It is aimed at creating consistency and clarity in academic and industrial marine seismic applications. When finalized, the Statement will establish the environmental protection rules that must be followed when conducting any seismic work in the marine environment in Canada 2005 - Stephane Dion, Canadian Minister of the Environment, has determined that a comprehensive study is the most appropriate level of environmental assessment for the proposed Orphan Basin Exploratory Offshore Drilling Project in Newfoundland. The Minister based his decision on the report and recommendation submitted by the responsible authority, the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NOPB). The report contains information on the scope of the proposed Orphan Basin Exploratory Offshore Drilling Project, the factors to be considered by the environmental assessment, public comments submitted to the C- NOPB, the potential of the project to cause adverse environmental effects and the ability of the comprehensive study to address issues relating to the project 2005 - A powerful offshore earthquake has struck Indonesia's eastern Sulawesi region, sparking panic in seaside communities. The tremor was of magnitude 6.5, the US Geological Survey said - compared with 9.0 for the earthquake which triggered the Indian Ocean tsunami. No injuries have been reported, but officials say sea levels rose by up to four meters (13ft). Sulawesi was untouched by the devastating tsunami on 26 December 2005 - A Sailor was arrested after a Wren was raped in her bunk on the Royal Navy’s newest warship. The sex attack aboard HMS Bulwark happened after a drunken night out in Plymouth 2005 - Bulker Great Polaris broke down in the Suez Canal, blocking the passage of at least 40 vessels, a canal official said. The northbound vessel, carrying 74,000 tons of coal to Europe, was stranded at the southern entrance of the waterway. The official, in Suez, said some 32 vessels were stuck behind the Great Polaris, all heading for the Mediterranean. Eleven southbound vessels are also waiting to go through. The vessel's crew and another from the Suez Canal Authority were trying to fix malfunctions in the engine and rudder. Suez Canal Authority succeeded in refloating bulk Great Polaris at 1530 and shifted vessel to a safe place in Suez roads. The northbound convoy resumed at 1630 2005 - A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data buoy was recovered by the Coast Guard 300 miles west of Astoria, Ore., after it broke free from its mooring. The Astoria based Coast Guard Cuter Steadfast located the buoy and took it in tow. The Steadfast arrived at the mouth of the Columbia River Tuesday where the buoy was transferred to the 52-foot Motor Lifeboat Triumph from Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment. The buoy was then taken to Tongue Point, Ore., where it will remain until it can be placed back on station 2006 - The USCG transferred 77 Ecuadorian migrants to safety in Guatemala today to await repatriation to Ecuador, after the group spent more than two weeks aboard a dilapidated 40-foot fishing vessel. The British-flagged merchant vessel Greenwich Maersk, working under the direction of the US Coast Guard's Rescue Coordination Center here, as part of the voluntary Amver rescue system, spotted the migrants aboard their vessel Feb. 15 off the coast of El Salvador. The fishing vessel was disabled and adrift, missing a plank in its wooden hull, and a rudder. The migrants were seen bailing water from the boat. Fearing for their health and safety, the Greenwich Maersk's master took the migrants aboard his ship. They all appeared to dehydrated and exhausted, but otherwise in fair condition. The Greenwich Maersk turned the migrants over Feb. 16 to a US Navy ship that was in the area, which was followed by a transfer to the Alameda-based USCGC Morgenthau Feb. 17 2006 - At 0024 Aberdeen Coastguard received an emergency 999 call from a lady reporting a person in the water at Old Portlethen. At the time of making the call, she was able to hand the phone to the mans colleague, who had raised the alarm. He was then able to explain to the coastguard the exact position of the angler and give a full description of what he was wearing. Aberdeen and Portlethen Coastguard rescue teams were immediately called and the Aberdeen RNLI lifeboat was requested to launch. A helicopter was also requested to scramble. The helicopter was subsequently stood down before arriving on scene. The sea state at Portlethen was reported to be very choppy with lots of white water; The wind was Easterly, Force 5, with a water temperature of approximately seven degrees. The first member of the coastguard rescue team arrived within ten minutes of being alerted to the incident. He was then able to identify where the casualty was and keep him visual until further assistance arrived. The angler in the water was wearing a headlamp and a flotation suit. Upon the arrival of further coastguard assistance, searchlight and illumination flares were used to illuminate the area, whereupon the coastguard team were able to direct the lifeboat to the mans position. The lifeboat then picked up the man and evacuated to the harbor, where he was then transferred to a waiting ambulance, which took him to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. The man is showing signs of extreme cold and is barely conscious. He is fifty years of age and is believed to be a visitor to the area 2007 - Following initial analysis of the recent sea trials involving the Armidale Class Patrol Boat (ACPB) HMAS Broome, the Commander Australian Fleet has released Broome back to operations 2007 - Prosecutors in Russia's Far East said Monday they had brought poaching charges against the captain of a Japanese fishing boat detained last month in Russian waters with suspected illegal catch ============================================================= Sources: Colton Shipping Report, NOAA, MARAD, Marine Digest, Leo Pettipas, Kommersant, Samuel Loring Morison, Frank Pierce Young, Navy Times, Naval Institute Proceedings, www.uboat.net, Andrew Etherington, John Nicholas, US Naval Historical Center, Ministry of Defense, US Coast Guard, Thomas N. Carlson, Jack Arrowsmith, Allan Snowie, Ken Hansen, Andy Barber, John Weiss, Jack McKillop, Bernard de Neumann, Sympatico Today in History, Washington History Link, Lloyds List, Fairplay, New York Times, I-Newswire and other news sources in the public domain. Additions, submissions and corrections are always welcomed. ============================================================= Today in History Archives at: http://www.seawaves.com/newsletters/today_in_history_archive.htm Copyright 2007 Seawaves Publishing Inc ISSN 1710-6966 Photos courtesy of US Naval Historical Center, US Coast Guard Historical Center, Wikipedia Encyclopedia or Naval Museum of Manitoba unless otherwise noted. Images may be subject to copyright. Ask before you right-click.