SeaWaves Today in History February 29, 2008 ********************************************************************* February 29 ? 1936 - German Government informed the British of their willingness to enter negotiations for a bilateral naval agreement ? 1940 - The wreck of the Admiral Graf Spee is sold to a local company for scrap. What only becomes known later is that the local company is a front for the British Embassy, which uses these rights to get personnel aboard the wreck for intelligence purposes, especially an evaluation of the German radar. An expert was later flown in from Britain specifically to examine the radar ? 1940 - Destroyer HMS Despatch intercepts the German merchant ship Troja off Aruba. Her crew scuttles the ship ? 1940 - Britain returns nine of the 21 Germans removed from the SS Asama Maru on 21 January after the Japanese government agrees not to transport German military reservists attempting to return home ? 1940 - Minesweepers HMS Bridlington & Bridport launched ? 1940 - At 2232, SS Maria Rosa was hit by one torpedo from U-20 & sank by the bow ? 1944 - Minesweeper HMS Golden Fleece launched Toronto ON ? 1944 - Today's invasion of the Admiralty Islands by the Southwest Pacific Command is the final act in breaking the barrier of the Bismarks. The isolation of the great enemy bastion of Rabaul has transformed it into a liability. With the sudden exodus of the combined fleet from Truk, Japan's outer defenses are crumbling dramatically. The Pacific War has gathered a new momentum, with MacArthur poised to thrust rapidly northwards to the Philippines and the enormously powerful US Pacific Fleet, backed by a fleet "train" and many divisions of marines and infantry, set to roll through the central Pacific (as it did this month in the attacks on the Marshall Islands). American strategists are divided on which route to take to Japan. MacArthur insists that the Allies are morally obliged to liberate the Philippines on the way to Tokyo. Admiral King wants to bypass the archipelago and invade Formosa. The US joint chiefs of staff have authorized a two-pronged drive and set the major objectives of invading Luzon, Formosa and the south China coast. The US Joint Chiefs of Staff believe that the central Pacific route is "strategically, logistically and tactically" better than the Southwest Pacific route. However, they agree that by using both routes they will prevent the enemy from knowing where the next blow falls. In 1942 the intention had been to take Rabaul. But in 1943 MacArthur was told to bypass it. Instead of being captured at a predictably high cost in lives, it was to be isolated and neutralized. During 1943 the Allies had advanced ever closer to Rabaul. Bouganville was invaded in November and in December the 1st Marine Division landed at Cape Gloucester in New Britain. Rabaul had also suffered devastating air attacks. Rabaul is now neutralized. Most of the large enemy garrison will wait in vain to die for the emperor because the Allies have no intention of making a costly frontal attack. Bypassing enemy strongpoints has become one of the war's most momentous strategic concepts ? 1944 - German corvette Uj.201 (ex Italian Egaria) damaged at Montfalcone by air raid. Not repaired before the end of the war ? 1944 - Minesweeper HMCS Mulgrave damaged by grounding Horta, Azores. She was towed to Greenock for repairs ? 1944 - Submarine USS Trout sunk by depth charges from destroyer HIJMS Asashino. 81 dead, no survivors ? 1944 - Destroyers USS Borie & Robert K Huntington laid down ? 1944 - Corvette HMS Allington Castle launched ? 1944 - Destroyer escorts USS Naifeh, Chester T O'Brien & Carter launched ? 1944 - Submarines HMS Stygian & Virtue commissioned ? 1944 - Submarine USS Cavalla commissioned ? 1944 - Frigate USS Gallup commissioned ? 1944 - Minesweeper USS Improve commissioned ? 1944 - Destroyer escorts USS John J Powers, Lamons & Varian commissioned ? 1944 - U-876 launched ? 1944 - U-926 commissioned ? 1944 - The unescorted MS Palma was torpedoed & sunk by U-183 about 400 miles south of Ceylon. Four crewmembers and three gunners were lost. The master, 41 crewmembers & four gunners were picked up by armed trawler HMS Balta & whaler HMS Semla & landed at Colombo on 2 March ? 1944 - At 1704, motor tanker Ensis was torpedoed & damaged by U-407, while in a convoy in the Mediterranean ? 1948 - Captain Alexander Peabody shuts down the Black Ball Line for nine days ? 1964 - Submarine HMCS Ojibwa (ex-HMS Onyx) launched Chatham UK ? 2008 - Rear Adm. Finn Hansen becomes new head of Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste, Denmark’s Military Intelligence Service. Hansen will succeed the retiring Rear Adm. Joern Olesen, who has headed the DIS since 2002 ============================================================= 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.