SeaWaves Today in History February 27, 2008 ********************************************************************* February 27 Dominican Republic Independence Day. Visiting warships Dress ship Overall. Gun salutes are fired ? 1898 - Russian Admiral Vasily Stepanovich Zavoyko (born July 27, 1810) died ? 1917 - Submarines USS O-8 & O-10 laid down ? 1918 - Destroyer HMS Scimitar launched ? 1919 - Destroyer USS Breckinridge commissioned ? 1919 - Submarine USS S-35 launched ? 1925 - An Act of Congress authorized the purchase of rubber boots, oilskins, etc., for the use of personnel while engaged in lighthouse work requiring such equipment. Actually, this legislation simply confirmed an existing practice ? 1925 - An Act of Congress repealed the law providing a ration allowance for keepers of lighthouses and increased their salaries correspondingly. This change was not only advantageous to the light keepers, but also simplified office work ? 1930 - HMCS Thiepval wrecked on an uncharted rock in Barkley Sound, BC ? 1932 - Seattle's George Washington Memorial Bridge (Aurora Bridge) is dedicated ? 1933 - Submarine HMS Sturgeon commissioned ? 1935 - Destroyers HMS Hotspur & Hostile laid down ? 1936 - Italy intimated her inability to sign any naval agreement. Italy said she was not satisfied with the proposed size of battleships and zone of no construction ? 1937 - U-47 laid down ? 1939 - ORP Gryf commissioned ? 1939 - Nadezhda Kostantinova Krupskaya, wife of Vladimir Lenin, died. Born February 26, 1869 ? 1939 - France and Britain recognized the Franco government in Spain ? 1940 - US freighter SS Sundance is detained at Gibraltar by British authorities ? 1940 - First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill claims half of the German U-boat strength has been destroyed ? 1941 - Light cruiser HMS Leander sank Italian raider Ramb I west of the Maldives Islands. 103 men were captured ? 1941 - Destroyer HMS Brecon laid down ? 1941 - U-559 commissioned ? 1941 - U-603, U-604 laid down ? 1941 - The Japanese Consulate in Honolulu sends a message to Tokyo stating that apparently the (US) Fleet goes to sea for a week of training and stays in Pearl Harbor one week. Every Wednesday, those at sea and those in the harbor change places. This movement was noted on last Wednesday, the 26th ? 1941 - The force being sent to occupy Castellorizo, sailed from Alexandria on 27 Feb, covered by cruisers HMAS Perth & HMS Bonaventure. The troops were landed from the destroyers on the night of the 27/28th. However the Italians had landed some 300 troops & also continued heavy bombing attacks on the island and British forces. The situation was seen as hopeless and all British forces were withdrawn a few hours later. They had suffered 50 casualties. All in all an unsatisfactory operation by the British. Cunningham wrote that they had underestimated the Italian ability and will to respond decisively. The commandos were underarmed with 'Tommy guns and knuckle dusters' and that he sent '25 marines bristling with machine guns' but 'some fool' had ordered them to re-embark in Ladybird ? 1942 - Seaplane Tender USS Langley sunk by Japanese aircraft bombs South of Java Netherlands East Indies ? 1942 - As the Japanese advance rapidly spread throughout the Dutch East Indies, the Dutch Rear-Admiral Karel Doorman led out a force of Dutch, British, Australian & US cruisers and destroyers in a desperate effort to locate an invasion convoy en route to Java. The Japanese fleet enjoyed superior firepower, and, crucially, the benefit of spotting aircraft. The largest surface action since the battle of Jutland commenced at 1600, and the Japanese advantage in numbers of heavy guns, plus their incomparable torpedoes, soon showed, with Doorman's flagship De Ruyter and HMS Exeter suffering damage, and the destroyer Kortenaer sunk. Commander May in the destroyer HMS Electra mounted a gallant but suicidal attack, which succeeded in saving HMS Exeter. As night fell, HMS Jupiter blew up on hitting a stray mine and the Japanese crowned their victory with a night torpedo attack that claimed the Dutch cruisers De Ruyter and Java. Doorman was lost with his flagship ? 1942 - Japanese aircraft made their first assault on Indian territory with a raid on the Andaman Islands, in the Bay of Bengal, south of Burma ? 1942 - President Roosevelt authorized the establishment of the Joint Mexican-United States Defense Commission ? 1942 - Corvette HMCS Chicoutimi departed Londonderry as escort for Convoy ON-71 ? 1942 - Corvette HMCS Rosthern departed Argentia with Convoy HX-177 to Londonderry ? 1942 - At 1035, SS Macgregor, dispersed from convoy ON-60, was sunk by gunfire by U-156 about 25 miles NW of Cape Viejos, Puerto Rico. One crewmember was lost. The master, 23 crewmembers & six gunners were picked up by a San Domingo Coast Guard cutter and landed at Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic ? 1942 - At 0636, the unescorted tanker SS RP Resor was hit by one torpedo from U-578 about 20 miles east of Manasquan Inlet NJ while steaming blacked out on a zigzag course at 12.5 knots. The torpedo struck on the port side just forward of amidships and blew oil over the entire length of the ship and into the water. The oil ignited and flames rapidly spread 500 feet around the tanker as the eight officers, 33 crewmen and eight armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in gun) tried to abandon ship. One boat with about 30 occupants was launched successfully but was soon engulfed in flames, other men perished as they tried to swim through the oil. One crewman and one armed guard were picked up by the US Coast Guard picketboat USS CG-4344 and landed at the Manasquan Coast Guard Station. The burning tanker stayed afloat until tug USS Sagamore attempted to salvage her. She capsized after the stern grounded in 122 feet of water and sank almost 48 hours after the torpedo hit about 31 miles east of Barnegat NJ ? 1942 - Destroyer USS Jacob Jones departed New York alone to patrol and search the area between Barnegat Light & Five Fathom Bank. She then received orders to concentrate her patrol activity in waters off Cape May & Delaware Capes. In the afternoon, the destroyer spotted the burning wreckage of the RP Resor, which had been torpedoed by U-578 the same day. The destroyer circled the tanker for two hours, searching for survivors before resuming her southward course ? 1942 - US freighter SS Sea Witch delivers 27 crated USAAF P-40s to Tjilatjap, Java, but the planes will be destroyed on the docks to deny their use by the Japanese ? 1942 - RAF Bomber Command fly three missions during the night of the 27th-28th - 68 aircraft, 33 Wellingtons, 17 Manchesters & 18 Hampdens are dispatched to bomb the drydock at Kiel. The area is completely cloud-covered and only 50 aircraft bombed the approximate position of Kiel but, although Kiel reports hearing the planes, no bombs dropped in the town. No aircraft were lost. In a second mission, 33 aircraft are dispatched to bomb the battleship Scharnhorst, which is believed to be at Wilhelmshaven, but the cloud was present here also; 26 aircraft drop their bombs but Wilhelmshaven reports only three bombs exploding, in the water of the harbor; three Whitleys are lost. In the final mission, 11 Hampdens & four Manchesters lay mines in the Frisian Islands without loss ? 1942 - At 0625, the unescorted & unarmed SS Marore was hit on the port side amidships by one torpedo from U-432 3.5 miles off Wimble Shoals. After 15 minutes, the eight officers and 31 crewmen abandoned ship in three lifeboats, just as the U-boat began shelling the ship until 0700. As the bulk carrier rolled over and slowly sank the U-boat left the area at 0720. A USCG motor surfboat from the Big Kinnakeet Lifeboat Station helped seven survivors from the third boat to get ashore, while USCGC CG-3843 rescued the master and 13 survivors from the same boat. The survivors in the other two boats were picked up by the John D. Gill & landed at Norfolk. The master, Charles Ernest Nash, experienced another sinking when his next ship, the Christopher Newport, was sunk in convoy PQ-17 on 4 Jul 1942 ? 1942 - Submarine USS Aspro laid down ? 1942 - Destroyer USS Edsall picked up 177 survivors from aircraft transport USS Langley, which was damaged by Japanese aircraft. She then sank Langley with torpedoes & gunfire. The next day the survivors from Langley went aboard the oiler USS Pecos. Edsall then headed back to Tjilatjap but she never reached it ? 1943 - Corvette HMCS Long Branch (ex-HMS Candytuft) laid down Glasgow ? 1943 - ASW Trawler HMS Lord Hailsham sunk by E-boats in English Channel ? 1943 - SS St Margaret sunk by U-66 at 27.38N, 43.23W ? 1943 - USSR Black Sea Fleet and Azov Flotilla minesweeperT-403 Gruz sunk by shnellboat, close to Cape Mishako and gunboat Krasnaya Gruziya by field artillery and aviation, close to cape Mishako ? 1943 - Motor tanker Seminole in Convoy TE-16 damaged by U-565 at 35.33N, 02.33W ? 1943 - Submarine tender HNLMS Colombia was inbound to Simonstown to dock, escorted by HMS Genista & several RAF aircraft. At 1141, U-516 fired a spread of three torpedoes from a distance of 1500 meters on a ship near Simonstown, which was identified as a passenger-cargo ship of the Blue Star Line of 10.000 tons. Four minutes later, one torpedo struck the Colombia at #2 hold, just before the bridge and a large column of water arose beside the ship, while the deckplanks were thrown in all directions. All hands immediately abandoned ship, apparently without any casualties and the ship sank after ten minutes. A headcount showed that eight men were missing. Almost 60 survivors in one whaleboat were picked up by a RAF air-sea-rescue launch. The corvette initially launched a counter-attack, but she returned soon and picked up the remaining survivors ? 1943 - Frigate HMS Trent commissioned ? 1943 - U-312, U-672, U-673 launched ? 1943 - U-281 commissioned ? 1943 - Minesweepers USS Tumult, Pioneer & Heed commissioned ? 1944 - Destroyer USS English launched ? 1944 - Sailing ship Rod el Farag sunk by U-407 at 33.48N, 34.51E ? 1944 - Submarine USS Besugo launched ? 1944 - Sloop HMS Woodpecker foundered while under tow to port after torpedo damage ? 1944 - Submarine USS Grayback sunk by a Japanese carrier-based aircraft in the East China Sea. There were no survivors ? 1945 - Aircraft carrier HMS Powerful launched Belfast. (Construction suspended 15 May 46) ? 1945 - Frigate HMCS Victoriaville departed Halifax to join EG C-9 & escort Convoy SC-168 ? 1945 - U-327 sunk in the west part of the Channel, in position 49.46N, 05.47W, by depth charges from frigates HMS Labuan, Loch Fada & sloop HMS Wild Goose. 46 dead (all hands lost) ? 1945 - U-1018 sunk in the Channel south of Penzance, in position 49.56N, 05.20W, by depth charges from frigate HMS Loch Fada. 51 dead and 2 survivors. Two hours previously, U-1018 sank SS Corvus in Convoy BTC-81 ? 1945 - U-1208 sunk in the English Channel SE of Isles of Scilly, in position 49.51.783N, 06.06.750W, by depth charges from frigates HMS Duckworth & Rowly. 49 dead (all hands lost) ? 1945 - Submarine HMS Vagabond commissioned ? 1945 - The Coast Guard began manning Army vessel FS-147. Her first commanding officer was LT Oscar Berg, USCGR. He was succeeded by ENS Harry J. Kolebeck (20 November 1945). Kolebeck was soon succeeded by LTJG John D. Massman (27 November 1945). The ship was assigned to the Southwest Pacific area and operated in Hawaii ? 1945 - Submarine HMS Seadog - rescued four US airmen from a raft in the Bay of Bengal. Later Seadog rendezvoused with an RAF Catalina to transfer these survivors ? 1945 - U-3033 commissioned ? 1946 - Escort carrier USS Sicily commissioned ? 1946 - Destroyer HMCS Sioux paid off Esquimalt BC ? 1946 - Corvette HMCS Kincardine paid off Halifax NS ? 1954 - Frigate HMCS Stettler recommissioned after modernization ? 1964 - Destroyer HMCS Cayuga paid off Halifax NS ? 1975 - USS Coral Sea port call Subic Bay ? 1991 - Continual naval and Marine amphibious force presence in Arabian Gulf served as a major deterrent by forcing Iraq to keep thousands of troops deployed along the coastline to defend against a possible large-scale amphibious landing. Conducted a number of amphibious rehearsals, including Operation Imminent Thunder, forcing Iraq to concentrate forces to defend against landing or raids ? 1991 - Air campaign utilized USN (carrier-based), USMC and US and coalition ground air forces to isolate KTO, destroyed bridges and supply lines running north or south in Iraq, interdicted reinforcement and resupply, bombed troops to weaken and attrit number (front line Iraqi troops attritted to 50 percent or below, second level attritted to 50-75 percent), destroyed Iraqi Air Force, and neutralized Iraqi reconnaissance capability. Once blinded, allowed US/coalition forces to shift to the west ("the Hail Mary play") without opposition or counter-attack ? 1991 - Navy and Marine Corps pilots have flown over 26,000 combat sorties to-date ? 1991 - While off Kuwaiti coast, to assist ground forces to secure and enter Kuwait City, USS Wisconsin's Remotely Piloted Vehicle detects 2 small boats fleeing Faylaka Island. Navy A-6s were called in and destroyed the boats, believed to be carrying Iraqi secret police ? 1991 - USS Avenger with Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 6, Det. 12 finds, identifies and neutralizes a live bottom influence mine in combat. Considered invisible to sonar, this is a naval first ? 1991 - Maritime intercept operations continue with over 7,500 merchants challenged, over 940 ships boarded, and 47 diverted ? 1991 - SECNAV activates 1,959 additional Naval Reservists from 87 units ? 1993 - Canadian 423 Sqn Sea King #4023 ditched Gulf of Mexico. Crew rescued. A/c recovered 1 May ? 2003 - Sea King helicopter crashes on flight deck of HMCS Iroquois three days after departing Halifax to become flagship of multi-national Task Force 151 in Persian Gulf region. Two of the four helicopter crewmembers sustained minor injuries in the crash. Iroquois forced to return to Halifax ? 2003 - Survey ship USNS Littlehales stricken ? 2004 - Commanding officer of frigate USS Samuel B Roberts relieved of command at Mayport FL as a result of spending night away from his ship during a port visit in Ecuador ? 2004 - Former Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch christens Carnival Cruise Lines new Miracle at a naming ceremony in Jacksonville ? 2004 - Cdr Mike Hall, commanding officer of the Mayport-based guided-missile frigate Samuel B Roberts, lost his job for loss of confidence. Navy officials said that during a port visit in Ecuador last month, Hall spent a night off the ship during the liberty call, a violation of Navy rules ? 2005 - HS Nikiforos Fakas Ex-HNLMS Bloys Van Treslong arrives Devonport for FOST ? 2005 - Coast Guard airlifted a crewman on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla after the man complained of severe stomach pains, authorities said. The Coast Guard was called to the Monarch of the Seas, 20 miles southwest of Point Loma, on Sunday at 1115. The cause of the stomach pain may have been appendicitis. The man was hospitalized in stable condition. As the helicopter was returning to base from the hospital, the crew was called out again, this time to rescue four people on a 17-foot pleasure boat taking on water about a mile west of Ocean Beach. By the time the helicopter arrived however, the four, including a 6-year-old, had been rescued by another pleasure craft, then transferred to a lifeguard boat ? 2006 - South Korea will hand over three retired patrol boats to Kazakhstan next month, as part of efforts to boost bilateral military ties. A 30-member Kazakh delegation led by Navy Capt. Zhanzakov Sadauyevich has been training to learn the patrol boat's operating procedures since Feb. 13. The three patrol boats were retired in December 2004 after operating in South Korean waters for about 25 years. Kazakhstan may use the boats for training ? 2006 - USS Abraham Lincoln and Shoup depart Everett for a six-month WESTPAC deployment ? 2006 - Frigate HMS Lancaster will serve as the guardian of France’s flagship on a deployment east of Suez. The Portsmouth-based warship has left Portsmouth bound for Toulon to meet up with a French task force, led by the aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle. For the next four or so months, the Portsmouth-based frigate will stick to the French carrier like glue, serving as her constant companion and escort on Agapanthe 06. The group will be heading for the familiar RN turf of the Indian Ocean and, briefly, the Gulf ? 2006 - Fishing vessels associated with crab protest in St. John's fined ? 2006 - MC Shipping Inc. announced that it has agreed to acquire two liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vessels from the Bernhard Schulte Group of Germany. The vessels, Hermann Schulte and Dorothea Schulte are semi-refrigerated and of 5,600 cbm capacity each. The acquisition is being funded out of current cash holdings and a bank loan facility from one of the Company's regular financiers. The vessels are expected to be delivered before March 31, 2006. Simultaneously with the purchase, they will be time-chartered back to the Schulte Group for a minimum period of 1 year. "We are pleased to continue our focus on the LPG sector," said CEO Tony Crawford. "The purchase of the ships is within our segment, will add to our 2006 profits, redeploys part of our cash holdings and the risk after the first year of charter is low," continued Crawford. Following the delivery of these two ships, MC Shipping Inc. will fully or partially own a fleet of 18 vessels, of which 12 are LPG tankers ranging from 3,000 to 77,000 cbm capacity. The Company retains an investment in four container carriers and ownership of two small coastal bulkers. MC Shipping Inc. further announced that it has renewed charters on its LPG tankers whose contracts expired in the last three months. The vessels have been employed on time charters to major oil and gas trading and transportation companies at rates which reflect the improved LPG market ? 2006 - A big whale was found dead on the coast of Binh Hai commune, Binh Son district, central Quang Ngai Province. The whale, measuring 12 meters long and 1.2 meters high, is calculated to weigh 15 tonnes, the biggest one discovered on the local coast. At present, environmental workers are giving guidance to local people about keeping the environment hygienic, while practicing their local customs involved in the whale's death ? 2006 - The Sector Commander of US Coast Guard Sector Lower Mississippi River, Cmdr. Patrick J. Maguire, presented four Public Service Awards to Ergon Marine & Industrial Supply, Inc. employees during his visit to their facility. Capt. Matt Pepper, Capt. Gene Love, John Dolan, and Randy Brown each received the Coast Guard Certificate of Merit for their heroic rescue of a 69-year-old man, James McDonald, from the Mississippi River. On Aug. 23, 2005, McDonald's fishing boat sank 10 miles north of Vicksburg. Once ejected into the water, he used the vessel's seat cushion for floatation as he drifted approximately eight miles where Farmers Grain Terminal representatives saw him and later Ergon Marine & Industrial Supply representatives saw him floating past their dock yelling for help. Ergon Marine personnel immediately responded with two of their boats, the Ergon and Big Valley. The Ergon located McDonald from the reflection of his eyeglasses with the vessel's spotlight, crewmembers hurled a life ring to him and successfully hauled him aboard the boat. The Big Valley transported him to shore where awaiting emergency medical technicians from the Vicksburg Fire Department evaluated him. "This successful rescue effort can be attributed to the survivor's perseverance, as well as teamwork and preparedness exhibited by personnel from Ergon Marine & Industrial Supply, Farmers Grain Terminal, the Vicksburg Fire Department, Madison Parish (Louisiana) Sheriffs Department, and US Coast Guard Sector Lower Mississippi River," said Cmdr. Patrick J. Maguire ? 2006 - Lt Bhekinkosi Williamson "Bantu" Mvovo became the first Black African in the SA Navy to complete his BSc (Mechanical Engineering) degree at the University of Cape Town ? 2006 - DCN presented Mistral, the first of two BPC-type force projection and command vessels on order, to French Defense procurement agency DGA, the contract principal, for acceptance and subsequent handover to the French Navy ? 2006 - Bollinger Marine Fabricators, LLC, Amelia, La., a Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. company, has delivered Bollinger hull #490, DBL 103, an ocean service double hull, oil tank barge built to meet the requirements of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA ’90), to K-Sea Transportation Corporation, Staten Island, N.Y. Following the delivery of the DBL 103, Bollinger announced the signing of the sister ship, DBL 104, Bollinger hull # 514. The 100,000 BBL capacity DBL 103 measures 399.11-feet in length, a 74-foot beam and a 25-foot depth. The DBL103 is a near sister ship to the DBL 101 and DBL 102 that Bollinger delivered to K-Sea in 2002 and 2004. The barge has been built primarily for oil service on the Northeast U. S. coast and Gulf of Mexico region ? 2006 - Crude oil tanker Grigoroussa I (52997 gt, built 1987) lost 3,000 tons of heavy fuel in the Suez Canal after a contact with a quay caused a leak, an official at the canal authority said. Grigoroussa I, which was travelling southwards from the Mediterranean, had a technical failure and drifted before hitting a quay on the canal's western bank, the source said on condition of anonymity. Approximately 3,000 of the 58,000 tons of heavy fuel the tanker was carrying towards the Red Sea leaked into canal waters. Tugs pulled the tanker in order not to block traffic while an environment ministry taskforce started work to contain the slick ? 2007 - The Bangladeshi DW 2000 H class advance guided missile frigate was purchased without any SAM systems. Later this frigate was decommisioned because of political reasons but now believed that the frigate (F25) was recommisioned and is now equipped with Chinese FN-90N SAM's, which are essentially copies of the French Crotale NG SAM ? 2007 - CGAS Astoria received a call at 0837 that a crewmember was found unconscious aboard the bulk carrier Nyon. An HH-60 helicopter crew was launched to respond to the case. The man was taken to Air Station Astoria and given over to emergency medical service workers who transported him to Columbia Memorial Hospital in Portland OR ? 2008 - The USS Ranger Foundation hosts an "All-Star Celebrity Evening" to raise money to bring the aircraft carrier to Oregon ============================================================= 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 2008 Shirlaw News Group 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.