SeaWaves Today in History July 5, 2008 ********************************************************************* 1791 - Jose Narvaez discovers Point Grey which later becomes Vancouver 1801 - American naval hero David G. Farragut was born in Knoxville TN 1811 - Venezuela became the first South American country to declare independence from Spain 1814 - Sloop-of-war Peacock captures British Stranger, Venus, Adiona, and Fortitude. 1815 - Commodore Stephen Decatur's squadron arrives at Tripoli to collect reparations for seizure of American merchant ships in violation of Treaty of 1805 1830 - French occupied the North African city of Algiers 1859 - Capt NC Brooks discovers Midway Islands 1859 - The loss of SS Dunedin by collision on passage Leith to Hamburg 1865 - William Booth founded the Salvation Army in London 1913 - Vilhjalmur Stefansson 1879-1962 leaves Seattle on the Karluk; three-year Arctic expedition sponsored by Canadian government 1915 - Destroyer depot ship HMS Greenwich launched 1917 - Cruiser HMS Curlew launched 1917 - Cruiser HMCS Rainbow recommissioned as a depot ship Esquimalt BC 1928 - Heavy cruiser HMS Shropshire launched 1929 - Submarine HMS Otus commissioned 1933 - Destroyers HMS Fame & Firedrake laid down 1939 - Battleship USS South Dakota laid down 1939 - Submarine USS Triton laid down 1939 - Destroyer USS Wilson commissioned 1939 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Thirlmere launched 1940 - U-103 commissioned 1940 - Destroyer HMS Whirlwind was torpedoed and sunk by U-34 120 miles west of Lands End in position 50.17N, 08.48W. The U-boat reported that one torpedo hit underneath the bridge that broke off the forepart that sank immediately while the rest of the ship stayed afloat for some time 1940 - Destroyer HMS Southdown launched 1940 - Submarine HMS Sahib laid down 1940 - Corvette HMCS Chicoutimi laid down Montreal PQ 1940 - The Canada Steamships bulk canaller Magog (2,053 GRT), Captain T.S. Doughty, Master, was sunk by gunfire and a torpedo from U-99, Kptlt. Otto Kretschmer, Knight’s Cross, Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves, Knight’s Cross with Swords, off the south-west coast of Ireland, in position 50.31N, 011.05W. There are no casualties from among her crew. Magog was a member of convoy HX-52 but had detached for her destination port. Sources indicate that HX-52 arrived safely in Liverpool on 06 Jul 40 with all of its 29 ships intact. Magog was intercepted only a few miles from where she left the convoy and was shelled by U-99 until she stopped. Next a single torpedo hit her. After the ship sank, U-99 came near to the lifeboats and inquired about her cargo. Kptlt. Kretschmer seemed disappointed to learn that the ship was carrying only lumber. He tossed a bottle of brandy to Captain Doughty before departing. U-99 was a medium-range Type VIIB submarine built by Germaniawerft, at Kiel. She was commissioned on 18 Apr 40. U-99 conducted eight patrols and compiled a record of 39 ships sunk for a total of 246,794 tons and 6 ships damaged for a total of 47,119 tons. The redoubtable Otto Kretschmer commanded U-99 for her entire career. U-99 was scuttled at 0343hrs on 17 Mar 41 SE of Iceland, in approximate position 61N, 012W, after being depth charged by the British destroyer HMS Walker. There were three dead and 40 survivors from U-99’s crew, including Kptlt. Kretschmer. Otto Kretschmer was prisoner of war at Camp 30, Bowmanville, for the rest of the war. The camp, a former private school, had an indoor swimming pool, tennis courts, soccer fields, access to a small ski hill, and flower gardens. German officers were allowed to go into town in uniform and under supervision of a veteran guard. Under the Geneva Convention, Canada paid POWs their equivalent Wehrmacht salary. In addition to walking about, prisoners could go shopping or to a movie. Kretschmer was Generalleutnant Von Ravenstein's naval representative in the camp and looked after the interests of a large number of resident U-boat officers. Kretschmer spoke almost perfect English and was a gifted communicator. POWs divided themselves by service affiliation and the Kriegsmarine section of the camp was nicknamed 'the fish bowl'. Camp 30 at Bowmanville also hosted a large number of Luftwaffe officers from the Battle of Britain and Heer officers from the German surrender in North Africa. It was microcosm of Nazi Germany’s up-and-down fortunes in World War II 1940 - Torpedo carrying Swordfish from HMS Eagle fly from land bases to attack Tobruk and area. Aircraft of 813 Squadron sink Italian destroyer 'Zeffiro' and a freighter at Tobruk. Nine Swordfish of 813 Squadron, nominally assigned to HMS Eagle, had been forwarded to an advanced airbase near Sidi Barrani, giving them the range to hit shipping in and around Tobruk, 110 NM away. Besides sinking the destroyer Zeffiro and the merchant ship sunk, the destroyer Euro was damaged and beached (later salved) and two other merchant ships were damaged. The sunk merchant ship was apparently the SS Serenitas [ex-Sierra Roja (25), ex-War Coot (19), built 1918, 5,171 BRT], though has been variously misidentified as SS Manzoni [ex-Lydia (25), ex. Szell Kalman (19), built 1902, 3,955 BRT] and steam liner Liguria. [Ex-Melt (35) built 1918, 15,354 BRT]. It is possible that these two were actually the ships damaged. 813 Squadron had ten officer pilots and eight officer observers at the time 1940 - Vichy France breaks off diplomatic relations with Britain over the actions against the French Navy. Due to the British attacks on the French Navy the German government has declared that it will suspend article 8 of the armistice with France, in effect serving notice that it will use those French warships still in German control against Britain, as expressly forbidden by the terms of the armistice 1940 - SS Mont Joli chartered as examination vessel HMCS Mont Joli 1940 - HM S/M Shark is badly damaged by German aircraft late in the day in the North Sea 1941 - In the morning, U-96 was pursuing a convoy contact report from a Condor aircraft through fog about 300 miles north of the Azores, when she came upon a curious formation of six vessels: survey vessel HMS Challenger, leading the troopship Anselm, the AMC HMS Cathay and three corvettes, HMS Petunia, Lavender & Starwort, which were deployed to port, starboard and astern of the troopship. At 0829, U-96 fired a salvo of four torpedoes and thought that she had scored hits on the AMC and a yacht (the survey ship). However, two torpedoes hit the Anselm, sinking her within 22 minutes, but that was time enough for the crew to launch all but one of the lifeboats. None the less, four crewmembers and 250 of the service personnel on board were lost. The three corvettes immediately started a counter-attack on the U-boat, but the ASDIC of Starwort was out of commission, so Petunia & Lavender, which had firm contacts, delivered the attack. The first corvette launched six depth charges and the latter twenty. Then the attack carried the corvettes close to the survivors in the water, so the depth charging had to be broken off, but they had damaged U-96 so badly, that she had to abort her patrol. In the meantime the master, 93 crewmembers, three gunners and 965 service personnel were picked up by the survey ship (including 60 men from the water) and the third corvette. The survivors were later transferred to the AMC and landed at Freetown 1941 - U-197 laid down 1941 - U-136, U-355, U-754 launched 1941 - Italian submarine Michele Bianchi sunk near Bordeaux by submarine HMS Tigris 1941 - Boom defense vessel HMS Barova launched 1941 - Minesweepers HMAS Cairns & Wollongong launched 1941 - Destroyer USS Frazier laid down 1941 - Destroyer HMS Oribi commissioned 1941 - U-133, U-208, U-654 commissioned 1941 - U-103 refueled from the German supply ship Charlotte Schliemann in Las Palmas 1941 - British submarine Torbay sinks the Italian submarine Jantina 1941 - Corvette HMCS Drumheller launched Collingwood ON 1942 - U-502 was the first U-boat sunk by a Wellington aircraft and also the first one to fall victim to the Leigh Light. West of La Rochelle, in position 46.10N, 06.40W, by depth charges from an RAF 172 Wellington. 52 dead (all hands lost) 1942 - The unescorted Earlston, dispersed on 4 July from Convoy PQ-17, was damaged by bombs from German Ju-88 aircraft of III/KG 30 based at Banak, Norway. At 1747 the same day, U-334 sank the ship with two coup de grâce NE of North Cape. The master and three gunners were taken prisoner. The second officer and 20 survivors landed on the Rabachi Peninsula after seven days. The chief officer and 26 survivors landed on Norwegian-occupied territory 1942 - At 1431, the Honomu, dispersed from Convoy PQ-17, was torpedoed by U-456 in the Barents Sea. One torpedo struck on the starboard side at the #3 hold. The explosion destroyed the fireroom, killed two men on watch below and shut off all power. As the ship began to settle, a second torpedo struck at the #4 hold, causing her to sink by the stern within ten minutes. 19 of the seven officers, 28 crewmen, four British gunners (the ship was armed with two .30cal guns) and two navy signalmen managed to launch a lifeboat and 20 others scrambled onto four rafts. The master was taken prisoner by the U-boat and they gave meat and bread to the survivors before leaving. The lifeboat set sail and took the rafts in tow until 16 July, when the Chief Mate decided to cut the rafts loose and continue alone. The 19 survivors on the rafts were picked up 13 days after the sinking by a British minesweeper and another escort vessel about 360 miles from Murmansk and taken to a small village near Murmansk. At 1013, U-209 picked up five crewmembers and three British gunners from the lifeboat and took them as prisoners to Norway. They had been without food for the last 6 days. Two officers, eight crewmen and one British gunner had died of exposure in this boat 1942 - Empire Byron in Convoy PQ-17 was torpedoed by a German He111 torpedo bomber of II/KG 26 and fell behind the convoy, where she was sunk by a coup de grâce by U-703 at 0827 the next day. Three crewmembers, three gunners and one passenger were lost. The master, 45 crewmembers and 16 gunners were picked up by corvette HMS Dianella and landed at Archangel on 16 July. Another passenger, Capt J. Rimington (Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers) was taken prisoner and landed at Narvik on 15 July 1942 - At 2102, the River Afton, dispersed from Convoy PQ-17, was torpedoed by U-703 NE of Kola. She was the ship of the convoy commodore John C.K. Dowding CBE DSO RNR RD. The vessel exploded, broke in two and sank after being hit by two coup de grâce at 2105 and 2122. 15 crewmembers, eight gunners, one passenger and two naval staff members. The master, the commodore, 31 crewmembers, one gunner, one passenger and three naval staff members were picked up by HMS Lotus and landed at Matochkin, Novaya Zemlya 1942 - At 0315, the Carlton was in Convoy PQ-17, when German He 115 aircraft of the Küstenfliegergruppe 906 attacked the convoy with torpedoes 200 miles NE of Bear Island (75.49N/22.15E). One aircraft dropped a torpedo about one-half mile away. It passed between the Carlton and the Samuel Chase but struck the Christopher Newport, which was later sunk by U-457. The convoy was scattered by the convoy commodore on Admiralty orders in the evening of that day. In the morning on 5 July, U-88 spotted the Carlton and pursued her for three hours before firing a torpedo, which struck the ship but did not detonate. At 10.15 hours a second torpedo struck the starboard side amidships, entering the tank containing 5000 barrels of Navy special fuel oil and ignited the cargo. The blast collapsed the forward fireroom bulkhead and the after bulkhead of the #2 hold. The two starboard lifeboats were also destroyed and the #3 hatch was blown away, dispersing the cargo of flour in this hold all over the deck. The burning Carlton sank on even keel by the bow within ten minutes. Two men died on watch in the engine room and the remaining men of the complement of eight officers, 26 crewmen and eleven armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, two .50cal and two .30cal guns) abandoned ship in one lifeboat and four rafts, which were later lashed together. Ten hours after the attack German seaplanes landed near the survivors and took 18 crewmembers and eight armed guards ashore. By 17 September, they had all been transferred to Milag Nord, a POW camp near Bremen. On 9 July, a British aircraft dropped food for the remaining 14 crewmembers and three armed guards. At 1930 on 13 July, U-376 offered the men medical assistance, which they declined and gave them the position, a compass, charts, biscuits, water, blankets and cigarettes. 19 days after the attack they made landfall at Tufjord, Norway near the North Cape. Before landing, the first assistant engineer died of exposure. The 16 survivors were captured by the Germans and arrived at Milag Nord on 27 August. The survivors of the Carlton provided valuable information to the Germans regarding the convoy and the cargo carried by the ships. This proved to be quite a propaganda coup for Germany. 27 crewmembers of the Carlton were repatriated, arriving in New York aboard the Swedish motor passenger ship Gripsholm on 21 Feb 1945. The others remained at Milag Nord until after hostilities ceased 1942 - After Convoy PQ-17 was dispersed on 4 Jul 1942, the Daniel Morgan traveled with four other ships to Archangel. On 5 July, they were attacked many times by German Ju 88 aircraft of the KG 30. About 1800, five Ju 88 from the III/KG 30 attacked the ship at 75.08N/44.10E and three near misses caused the #4 and #5 holds to flood and the ship to list to starboard. At 2252, the crippled Daniel Morgan was hit by one torpedo from U-88 on the port side amidships. A few minutes later a second torpedo struck the engine room put the main and steering engines out of commission. The ship sank stern first shortly afterwards. The eight officers, 31 men and 15 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, one 3in and four .50cal guns) abandoned ship in three lifeboats. One of the boats capsized, the Chief Mate and one crewman drowned. A third man died from a concussion. Bohmann questioned the master and got wrong answers. He told them to follow the U-boat, which they did for 90 minutes, before U-88 suddenly pulled away at full speed. At 0800 on 6 July, the Soviet steam tanker Donbass picked up the survivors. The Soviet ship dropped anchor at Ioanka two days later and proceeded later for the White Sea and Molotovsk. The earlier ship of the master George T. Sullivan was the City of New York, which had been sunk by U-160 on 29 Mar 1942 1942 - During the return to Britain of Convoy QP 13, HMS Niger led a column of Merchantmen in bad weather with visibility reduced to one mile. Niger had been unable to take bearings due to the weather but made a sighting of land, which was in fact an iceberg. She had unfortunately led the convoy into a British minefield off Iceland. She was mined at 2240 as were six of the merchantmen she was escorting, all but one also sank 1942 - ASW trawler HMS Sword Dance sank after collision in Morey Firth 1942 - Minesweeper USS Pilot launched 1942 - Destroyer HMS Myrmidion commissioned 1942 - A Coastal Command Wellington scored the first sinking of a U-boat with the Leigh Light. Although the development of airborne radar allowed Coastal Command aircraft to detect U-boats recharging their batteries on the surface at night, the minimum range of the radar often exceeded the maximum visual range at which the submarine could be identified and attacked. Squadron Leader Leigh successfully developed a powerful airborne searchlight that could be fitted beneath a Wellington, and, cued by the radar operator, switched on to illuminate the target on the attack run 1942 - 13 ships of convoy PQ-17 are sunk. The success of the U-boats and Lutfwaffe reduce the need for the Reichmarine capital ships, so they return to base. PQ-17 is sailing from Iceland to Murmansk 1943 - U-535 sunk NE of Cape Finisterre, Spain, in position 43.38N, 09.13W, by depth charges from an RAF 53 Sqn Liberator. 55 dead (all hands lost) 1943 - Destroyer USS Strong sunk after being torpedoed by a Japanese destroyer off New Georgia, Solomon Islands. 46 of her crew were lost 1943 - Soviet submarine SC-422 damaged by depth charges of German hunter-group and rammed by Uj-1217 near cape Bludschutudde. All hands lost 1943 - Soviet submarine M-106 sunk by depth charges and ramming near Vardö, by escort vessels Uj1206 and Uj1217 1943 - ASW trawler HMS Grilse commissioned 1943 - USS PT-158 grounded in enemy waters and destroyed to prevent capture near Munda Point New Georgia 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Creamer, Finnegan, Gustafson, Hollis, Samuel S Miles laid down 1943 - Frigate HMS Ekins laid down 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Baron & J Richard Ward commissioned 1943 - At 1543, U-593 attacked Convoy KMS-18B NE of Cap Bengut and sank the ship of the convoy commodore, the Devis. She had 289 Canadian troops and two British landing crafts (LCTs) on board for the Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily. 52 soldiers were lost. One of the LCTs sank with the ship; the other was damaged but remained afloat. The master, the convoy commodore, six naval staff members, 38 crewmembers, eight gunners and 237 soldiers were picked up by HMS Cleveland and landed at Bougie 1943 - At 0330, the Maltran in Convoy GTMO-134 was torpedoed by U-759 about 70 miles west of Port Salut, Haiti. One torpedo struck on the starboard side at the #2 hatch. The explosion blew the hatch cover off and threw portion of the cargo over the deck and into the sea. As the ship settled rapidly the engines were secured and she first listed to starboard but then settled on even keel. The armed guards fired one round to indicate the direction of the U-boat. As the water reached the forward deck after ten minutes, the eight officers, 27 crewmen and 12 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, two .50cal and two .30cal guns) abandoned ship in two lifeboats and three rafts. The overboard discharge from the condenser swamped one of the boats. The ship sank by the stern 15 minutes after the torpedo hit. The survivors were picked up by USS SC-1279 about two and a half hours after the attack and taken to Guantanamo the same day 1943 - Brooklyn-class light cruiser USS Helena broke in half after being hit by 3 Japanese torpedoes at the battle of Battle of Kula Gulf. Her bow was sunk the following morning by US destroyers. US Admiral Ainsworth is trying to stop Japanese reinforcement of New Georgia. Shortly after midnight, (1) the USN's Task Group 36.1 consisting of cruisers and destroyers bombards Vila and Kolombangara Islands and Bairoko Harbor, New Georgia Island; and (2) the 1st Marine Raider Battalion and one battalion each from the Army's 145th and 148th Infantry Regiments land at Rice Anchorage. In the afternoon, the Allies learn that ten Japanese destroyers, the "Tokyo Express," are sailing towards New Georgia Island and by 2400 hours local 5 July, TG 36.1 is positioned off the NW corner of New Georgia to meet them 1943 - Destroyer USS Strong sunk after being torpedoed by Japanese destroyer off New Georgia Solomon Islands 1944 - Repair ship HMS Flamborough Head (later HMCS Cape Breton) laid down Vancouver BC 1944 - HMC Ships Qu’Appelle, Skeena, Saskatchewan and Restigouche, while engaged in Operation DREDGER, attacked a small group of three German armed trawlers escorting two U-boats that were outbound from Brest. One of the trawlers, V-715, was sunk and the other two were damaged. Skeena was hit by German gunfire and fourteen crewmembers were wounded, three of them seriously. Saskatchewan suffered five casualties, one of which subsequently died of his wounds. Qu’Appelle also suffered several non-fatal casualties, all of them among the bridge staff. This action took place at extremely short range. Qu’Appelle’s bridge was raked by 20-mm fire from V-715, wounding the CO and 10 members of the bridge staff. A secondary explosion, possibly caused by the detonation of a depth charge, caused additional damage that disabled Qu’Appelle temporarily, forcing her to transfer tactical command to LCdr. Groos in Restigouche. However, she was also damaged and passed the responsibility to LCdr. Russell in Skeena. She in turn was hit by German gunfire and fourteen crewmembers were wounded, three of them seriously. Saskatchewan also suffered five casualties, one of which subsequently died of his wounds. Disabled by multiple shell hits, V-715 was finally sunk by a torpedo fired by Skeena. EG-12 withdrew to Plymouth to disembark the wounded and to effect repairs. German survivors from V-715 were rescued later that evening by the S-boats S-145 and S-112, which were transiting from St. Malo to Brest. The close range and high volumes of fire during this night engagement resulted in significant disorder. The close range also negated the destroyers’ major advantages of heavier armament and speed. Normally, such odds would have been heavily in favor of EG-12 and the outcome should have been very one-sided. However, the confusion over the size and composition of the German formation and the results of the battle indicate that the Canadian group was unprepared for the challenges of night surface action and that they performed poorly on this occasion 1944 - Third landing to Teikari Island in Bay of Vyborg succeeds. Aux. gunboats Aunus and Viena damaged 1944 - U-2510 laid down 1944 - U-390 attacked ships off the Normandy and claimed the sinking of two vessels. The ships hit were HMS Ganilly and Sea Porpoise. At 2115, the Sea Porpoise was hit by one torpedo when steaming at 8 knots as the last ship in the starboard column in a convoy with two columns about 10 miles off Utah Beach. The torpedo struck on the starboard side amidships, threw the shaft out of line, damaged the main turbine, cracked some hull plating and injured twelve men. The nine officers, 81 crewmen, 45 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, four 3in and eight 20mm guns) and 24 passengers (US Army personnel) stayed on board. The ship developed a 10° list to starboard, but this was corrected by counter-flooding. After four hours, the ship was taken in tow to the Utah Beach and anchored. On 9 July, she was towed to Spithead in two days and later to Newcastle-upon-Tyne for temporary repairs. On 16 September, the Sea Porpoise left under tow in a slow convoy for Jacksonville, Florida, arriving on 5 October. On 4 May 1945, she returned to service after permanent repairs were completed. U-390 later sunk in position 49.52N, 00.48W, by depth charges from destroyer HMS Wanderer & frigate HMS Tavy. 48 dead and 1 survivor 1944 - At 18.03 hours on 5 Jul, 1944, U-763 fired a spread of three LUT torpedoes at the convoy ETC-26 off Isle of Wight and hit the Ringen (Master Oskar Monsen) with one of them. One British gunner was killed and the ship sank after being abandoned. The Ringen was sunk on her third trip for Operation Neptune. She arrived the first time in the Normandy on 8 June and left five days later and made a second trip between 22 and 27 June 1944 - At 0801, U-953 fired a spread of two LUT torpedoes and at 0805 one Gnat at Convoy ETC-27 in the English Channel off Cap d'Antifer. Marbach observed one ship sinking, heard a detonation after 4 minutes 27 seconds and claimed two ships sunk. However, only the Glendinning was torpedoed and sunk. Two crewmen and two gunners were lost. The master, 20 crewmen, seven gunners and one naval signalman were picked up by HM ML-250 of the 19th ML-Flotilla, later transferred to destroyer HMS Fernie and landed at Sheerness 1944 - One man was killed (Matrosenobergefreiter Hans Boldt) and three wounded, when U-859 was attacked by an RAF 262 Sqn Catalina in the Indian Ocean 1944 - Frigate HMAS Hawkesbury commissioned 1944 - Frigate SAS Good Hope launched 1944 - U-1106, U-1279 commissioned 1944 - At 2150, the Noreen Mary was sunk by gunfire by U-247 about 20 miles west of Cape Wrath. This is an amazing event at this time in the war when U-boats were constantly being hunted by Allied aircraft 1944 - U-233 sunk SE of Halifax, in position 42.16N, 59.49W by ramming, depth charges and gunfire from destroyer escorts USS Baker & Thomas. 32 dead and 29 survivors 1944 - U-586 sunk near Toulon in position 43.07N, 05.55E, by a USAAC 233 Sqn B-24 1944 - U-642 sunk near Toulon in position 43.07N, 05.55E, by US bombs 1944 - Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-350 was commissioned at New York with Lt. R. J. Hoenschel, USCGR, as commanding officer. She departed New York on 8 August 1944 for Southwest Pacific where she operated during the war at Tacloban and elsewhere. She was decommissioned 25 September 1945. 1945 - One of the most daring fashion innovations ever, was unveiled in Paris. Designer Louis Reard had his models display a skimpy, two-piece bathing suit named for a Pacific Atoll where the atom bomb was being tested - the bikini. The design soon sparked a popular song about a "Itsy-Bitsy, Teeny-Weeny, Yellow, Polka-Dot Bikini." Many considered the design scandalous, and most viewed it as a short-lived fad. However, bikini swimsuits - now older than most of the people who wear them - are still very much in evidence on beaches 1945 - Corvettes HMCS Belleville & Giffard paid off Sorel PQ 1945 - General Douglas MacArthur declares that the Philippine Islands are completely liberated 1950 - Royal Canadian Navy destroyers HMCS Cayuga, Athabaskan, and Sioux leave Esquimalt for Pearl Harbor escorted by cruiser Ontario; to come under UN control during Korean War. During the Korean conflict, the RCN's efforts to maintain 3 DDE on station stretched its limited resources to the breaking point. Ships from both coasts made multiple deployments & the plan to rotate three-ship units was quickly abandoned in favor of sending single ships, as they became available. A plan was considered to send the light fleet carrier Magnificent, but this was rejected because of the perceived importance of her strategic ASW role in the Atlantic. Another plan was proposed that would have sent the light cruiser Quebec as a replacement for all 3 DDEs. Although this would have saved manpower & freed 3 DDEs to return to ASW work, there was no way to sustain the commitment & it was rejected as impractical. During the period 5 Jul 50 & 24 Sep 55, 8 DDEs served in the area, 3 deployments each for Athabaskan, Cayuga, Huron, Iroquois, Sioux, 2 deployments each for Crusader, Haida, Nootka 1958 - Seawaves Magazine Publisher David Shirlaw born New Westminster BC 1962 - Operational support ship HMCS Provider launched Lauzon PQ 1968 - USS Yorktown returned from Vietnam deployment 1970 - USS Shangri-La port call Subic Bay 1975 - Cape Verde Islands officially became independent after 500 years of Portuguese rule 1979 - Submarine HMS Tireless ordered from Vickers, Barrow 1994 - Destroyer HMCS Terra Nova on Operation Forward Action, Haiti, rescued a boat with 67 aboard 1995 - Supply ship HMCS Preserver departed Halifax for Operation Sharp Guard, Yugoslavia 1996 - Maritime Coastal Defense Vessel HMCS Nanaimo completed Halifax-Dartmouth Industries, Halifax 2001 - Submarine HMCS Windsor (ex-HMS Unicorn) delivered 2005 - Western Australia's coastal port of Dampier has been selected as the preferred port for two additional Armidale Class Patrol Boats to operate from as part of the Government's Securing the North West Shelf policy. Defense Minister Robert Hill visited Dampier today for the announcement and said Dampier was chosen based on Navy's operational requirements and the fact it will optimize the maritime surveillance and response capabilities in this strategically vital area of Australia 2005 - Mr John Reid, Defense Secretary, and Lady Soames, last surviving daughter of Sir Winston Churchill, Britain's wartime leader, will lay Orchids at the footplate of the "Singapore" Locomotive to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the end of WW2. The "Singapore" is a 20 ton Dockyard Steam locomotive with a unique wartime history in the Far East having been captured by the Japanese in 1942 on the Fall of Singapore, a fate it shared with 80,000 allied servicemen. Like its fellow prisoners, the locomotive was also put to work by its captors in the naval dockyard, servicing Japanese ships. 60,000 of the prisoners of war were taken to Thailand where they were involved in the construction of the infamous Burma-Siam "Death" Railway through the disease-infested jungle. Many perished on that project and in other POW camps. Only the dropping of the atomic bombs and Japanese surrender saved the surviving prisoners from certain death. The locomotive is now maintained as a working memorial to the sacrifice, and comradeship of Far Eastern Prisoners of War. Lady Soames and Mr John Reid will then meet Dennis Griffiths, a veteran of the Far East Campaign and one of the prisoners taken to Thailand to build the "Death Railway" before touring the Living Museum. Mr Griffiths wrote a poem 'No, Not the Poppy' which commemorates the sacrifice of the Far Eastern Prisoners of War 2005 - Plans to bring shipbuilding back to the Isle of Man are being backed by the Manx government, which is investing in new facilities at the Ramsey shipyard. Booth Kelly 2003, which leases and operates the yard, believes it can attract newbuilding contracts into a workshop to be built by the government. The demolition of old buildings on the Ramsey site will begin next month and a new workshop 80 m long and 14 m wide will be built. To be equipped with overhead gantry cranes, it is due for completion in summer 2006. There will also be general renovations to the site, which has two slipways and a new office will be constructed. Booth Kelly 2003 is currently working on the conversion of the former Norwegian naval supply boat Wisting into a private yacht. The 28.5 m vessel is being extended to 31 m. The old superstructure has been removed, the vessel will be reengined with diesel-electric propulsion and a new superstructure being built in Pembroke will be brought to Ramsey for installation. Booth Kelly 2003 was set up after a workers' buyout from the previous owners two years ago. The Ramsey operation is the only shipyard on the Isle of Man 2005 - Three men are lucky to be alive after being rescued from surf-battered rocks Tuesday night close to Ecola State Park, near Cannon Beach OR. Three Oregon men in their early 20s were hiking on the rocks in Ecola State Park when they became trapped by the rising tide and were unable to escape the pounding surf. At 2040 a fourth man on shore was able to call Seaside 911 for help. Cannon Beach Fire and Rescue responded but was unable to reach the three men due to severe surf and the incoming tide. Coast Guard Group/Air Station Astoria, Ore., launched an HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter, which reached the three men at 2115. All three men were wearing only their underwear and were being pounded by breaking waves. A rescue swimmer was lowered from the helicopter to assist the three men. Two of the men were conscious when the rescue swimmer reached them, but the third was unconscious. The unconscious man was being shielded from the breaking waves by the body of one of the other trapped men. All three men were safely hoisted into the helicopter and flown to Air station Astoria where they were met by an awaiting ambulance for further transport to Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria. The unconscious man was placed in a thermal warming bag aboard the helicopter, raising his body temperature to 89 degrees. The other two men were reportedly conscious but hypothermic. The unconscious mans temperature was increased to 95.4 and he regained consciousness. Water temperature at the time of the rescue was 60 degrees 2005 - TBS International Limited announced today that it has expanded its fleet of vessels by taking delivery of MV Taurus and reaching an agreement to acquire the MV Tronador. MV Taurus, which will be renamed the Maya Princess, is a 37,500 dwt multipurpose tweendecker that was built in 1983. It was purchased for $15.8 million under an agreement signed on May 4, 2005 and delivered in Antwerp, Belgium on June 28, 2005. The planned acquisition of the Maya Princess was previously disclosed in TBS's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the registration statement filed in conjunction with the company's recent initial public offering. The MV Tronador is a 37,700 dwt bulk carrier that was built in 1984. TBS agreed on June 30, 2005, to pay $13.8 million for the MV Tronador, which will be the first vessel purchased by the company using the proceeds from the initial public offering. The company expects delivery of the MV Tronador in August or early September of this year 2005 - A ship caught fire at a pier near the Zavoiko settlement in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky suburb. Fire-fighters liquidated the blaze aboard the Zhong Xing, no casualties have been reported. There is also no threat of ammonia leak and oxygen cylinders explosion on board the ship, the main emergencies department for the Kamchatka region 2005 - Diana Shipping Inc. announced it has entered one of its Panamax dry bulk carriers, the Calipso, into a time-charter contract with Cargill International S.A. for a period of approximately three to five months, estimated to begin July 11, 2005, at a gross rate of $17,250 per day. The Calipso is a Panamax dry bulk carrier of 73,691 dwt built in China in 2005 2005 - A Swedish military delegation arrived in Kaliningrad, the home of Russia's Baltic Sea Fleet, on a three-day visit 2005 - US Shipping Partners LP agreed to acquire from Wilmington Trust Company the motor vessel Gus W Darnell for an aggregate purchase price of $25 million. The vessel is a Jones Act coastwise double hulled product tanker, built in 1985, capable of carrying approximately 240,000 barrels. The vessel was built for use by the Military Sealift Command of the US Navy as part of a fleet of six vessels, which they have used primarily to deliver jet fuel to various locations in the world. The transaction will be financed utilizing available cash and the Partnership's existing credit facilities. Upon delivery from the Trustee, expected to take place in September 2005, the vessel will be placed in drydock in Singapore for approximately 35 days and will be available for charter by November 2005. The vessel will be renamed upon delivery. This acquisition is expected to be accretive to the Partnership's distributable cash flow per unit once the vessel is available for charter. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including satisfactory inspection of the vessel 2005 - RV Pourquoi Pas? delivered by Alstom St Nazaire. To be operated by Ifremer (55%) and the French Navy (45%) 2005 - George Smith, IV tragically disappeared from the Brilliance of the Seas sometime in the early morning hours of July 5, 2005, while the ship was sailing in the Mediterranean Sea on a 12-day cruise enroute to Turkey. The reason for his disappearance is being thoroughly investigated by the FBI but is still unknown. The FBI has requested that Royal Caribbean and others connected with the incident limit their remarks so as not to compromise that investigation 2006 - Boeing Unveils P-8A Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft Demonstration Trailer at Renton 2006 - North Korea launched four missiles from its territory, landing in the Sea of Japan 2006 - The Prime Minister has appointed Admiral Sir Alan West GCB DSC to the Board of the Imperial War Museum with effect from 1st July 2006 for a period of four years 2006 - Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. announced it has taken delivery of the Tern, a 2003 built 50,209 dwt Supramax dry bulk vessel. Eagle Bulk has now taken on-schedule delivery of two of the three vessels that were part of an acquisition agreement announced on June 23. The Company expects to take timely delivery of the final of these three vessels later this month 2006 - President Mubarak attended the graduation parade from the naval academy. The President gave military duty medals, to excellent graduates in appreciation of their excellence in performing their duties. Addressing the ceremony, Vice-Admiral Moustafa Wahba, the Commander of the Naval Force thanked the President for taking part in the ceremony which will provide a new generation of the naval force officers. He said at top priority is given to Egypt's national security, and defending its inserts. He said this necessitates modernization and development of the Armed Forces and conducting high levels of training. During the ceremony, cadets conducted a military parade. Taking part in the parade were also 11 naval units, helicopters and submarines. Excellent cadets were given military duty medals by the President 2006 - The only survivor of 24 Chinese naval officers, who participated in the Normandy D-Day landings 62 years ago, Huang Tingxin, received France's highest honor yesterday in recognition of his valor during World War II. Jean-Marin Schuh, French consul general in Shanghai, traveled to the veteran's home in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, to present the award. Huang, 88, suffers from a heart complaint and Parkinson's disease. A native of Anhui Province he graduated from a naval school in Qingdao, Shandong Province, in the late 1930s. In 1942, during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45), Huang and 23 other naval officers, were chosen by the then Nationalist government to study at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Greenwich, Britain. They were then posted to fleets operating in different war theaters for internship in March 1944. Huang served on aircraft carrier "Searcher" and part of his duties included keeping watch over the angle of the vessel on the sea and its position in the fleet formation. "It was no small task as the smooth landing and take-off of aircraft depended on the tilt of the carrier," Huang recalled in earlier interviews 2007 - More than 100 children were rescued from the Irish Sea after being swept into the water during a junior regatta. A major rescue operation swung into operation after a sudden squall capsized 91 yachts taking part in the event off the coast of Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin. A Coast Guard spokesman said 110 children were plucked from the water less than a mile from shore during the regatta run by the Royal St George Yacht Club 2007 - RFA Lyme Bay, the fourth and final ship in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s new class of landing ship, has been delivered to the UK Ministry of Defense more than two months ahead of schedule 2007 - UK Minister of State for Defense Equipment and Support will attend the Defense Acquisition Change Conference 'One Year On' 2007 - Farstad Shipping reached an agreement with Island Offshore to buy their newbuild no. 62 at Aker Yards Brevik. Farstad will immediately enter into the contract with the yard. The newbuild is an AHTS 2007 - South Korean shipyard STX Shipbuilding Co. won an order $317m to build six bulk carriers for a company in the Middle East. The vessels will be delivered by April 2011 2007 - The Crown corporation that runs the ferry service between southern Newfoundland and Nova Scotia has temporarily pulled a vessel out of service. Marine Atlantic says the MV Leif Ericson has a broken rudder 2007 - Change of command ceremony of BNS Lobelia occurred in Zeebrugge. Lieutenant commander Guy Schotte was appointed as the new commander of the minehunter ============================================================= 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.