SeaWaves Today in History July 7, 2009 Congress rescinds treaties with France; Quasi War begins with Frigate Delaware capturing French privateer, Croyable. 1846 - Commodore John D. Sloat lands at Monterey and claims California for US 1858 - Frederick N. Gisbourne 1824-1892 starts laying underwater telegraph cable from Ireland to Newfoundland 1865 - Four people hanged in Washington DC for conspiring with John Wilkes Booth to assassinate President Lincoln 1898 - US annexes Hawaii 1908 - 1908 - The Great White Fleet left San Francisco Bay for the foreign legs of it’s around the world cruise. The difficulties the American fleet had in obtaining sufficient supplies of coal during its round-the-world trip prompted a serious examination of the operational requirements of a fleet force. Lectures on logistics and war games that examined all manners of logistical requirements were quickly implemented at the Naval War College. As a result of this educational process, the USN developed a mature institutional understanding of large-scale logistical support. This knowledge was incorporated into all USN war plans and had influence on the force structure of both the American fleet and its system of supporting bases. Recognition that the existing system of US naval bases could not support expeditionary warfare on a global scale led to a radical departure from the conventional approach to naval logistics. The concept of logistical support from afloat for the American fleet was already in progress before the start of the First World War 1914 - Submarine HMS E14 launched 1916 - Thomas A Edison becomes head of Naval Consulting Board which screens inventions for use by the Navy 1917 - Submarine HMS F2 launched 1917 - Submarine HMS L69 laid down 1918 - Submarine HMS L8 launched 1919 - Destroyer USS Tillman launched 1923 - Aircraft carrier HMS Hermes commissioned 1930 - Construction began on Boulder Dam (later Hoover Dam) 1932 - Destroyer HMS Duncan launched 1932 - Heavy cruiser FS Dupleix commissioned 1936 - Destroyer HMS Havock launched 1936 - Submarine USS Pickerel launched 1937 - Destroyer HMS Gurkha launched 1937 - Destroyer HMS Ilex commissioned 1939 - Destroyer HMS Cleveland laid down 1939 - Escort carrier USS Long Island laid down 1939 - Sloop HMS Black Swan launched 1940 - Submarine HMS Olympus bombed & damaged by Italian aircraft while in dock at Malta 1940 - At 0714, the unescorted Lucrecia was torpedoed by U-34 about 100 miles west of Lands End and broke in two. The master was lost and one survivor later died of wounds. The Portuguese SS Alfarrarede picked up the survivors 1940 - U-99 sank SS Bissen 80 nautical miles south of Cape Clear, Ireland 1940 - At 0053, the Sea Glory was hit by two torpedoes from U-99 and sank by the bow within two minutes south of Fastnet. The master, 27 crewmembers and one gunner were lost. The ship was reported missing after leaving Fowey 1940 - U-30 was the first U-boat to make use of the newly captured French bases when she arrived at Lorient 1940 - French Admiral Godefroy agrees to allow his ships to be demobilized in Alexandria Harbor. Battleship Lorraine, 4 cruisers, 3 destroyers and a submarine of the French Navy are involved 1940 - French battleship Richelieu is attacked tonight in Dakar and damaged 1940 - Admiral Cunningham sails from Alexandria with HMS Warspite, HMS Malaya, HMS Royal Sovereign, HMS Eagle, cruiser and destroyers to cover convoys from Malta to Alexandria and to challenge the Italians to action 1941 - Corvette HMS Campion commissioned 1941 - HM S/M Talisman departed St. John's Nfld to Mediterranean 1941 - The United States occupied Iceland 1941 - U-339 laid down 1941 - HMS Sealion sinks French fishing vessels Gustav Eugene and Gustav Jeanne with gunfire off Ushant 1942 - Destroyer USS Bache launched 1942 - At 0927, the Alcoa Ranger was steaming independently towards Archangel, when she was hit by a torpedo on the starboard side at the #2 hold, opening a large hole and causing the vessel to list heavily to starboard. The eight officers, 26 men and six British gunners (the ship was armed with two old AA-guns and one .30cal Lewis MG) abandoned ship in three lifeboats 15 minutes after the attack. U-255 surfaced, questioned the crew and began to shell the ship from a distance of 100 yards. She fired at least 60 shells (some survivors stated that they used as many as 150 shells) until the Alcoa Ranger sank by the head at 1100. Two of the lifeboats landed at Novaya Zemlya on the same day and one week later the last boat landed at Cape Kanin. Soviet patrol boats picked up all hands and landed them at Archangel. The crew was later repatriated from Scotland on the British troop transport Queen Mary and arrived Boston on 15 October 1942 - At 1835, the Hartlebury, dispersed from Convoy PQ-17, was hit by two of three torpedoes fired by U-355 and two minutes later by another torpedo. At 1845, a coup de grâce hit the vessel, which sank over the bow within 10 minutes 17 miles 180° from Britwin Lighthouse, Novaya Zemlya. The first torpedoes had killed six mess attendants and the master had to be freed underneath a piece of debris. The explosions only left one lifeboat intact, which was lowered by panicking crewmen and flipped over, throwing the occupants into the icy water. Others jumped into the water and tried to reach the rafts. A total of 29 crewmembers, seven gunners and two naval signalmen were lost. The master and 12 survivors landed at Pomorski Bay, Novaya Zemlya. Seven survivors made it to the American SS Winston-Salem aground at North Gusini Shoal, Novaya Zemlya, were rescued by a Soviet survey ship and transferred to the British SS Empire Tide at anchor in Pomorski Bay. All survivors were later transferred to HMS La Malouine and landed at Archangel on 25 July. The master, George Willbourne Stephenson, survived the sinking but died of a head trauma within a year 1942 - RFA Aldersdale, dispersed from Convoy PQ-17, was bombed and heavily damaged by German Ju88 aircraft of III/KG 30 in the Barents Sea north of the Kola Peninsula. The motor tanker was first taken in tow by HMS Salamander, but was later abandoned. The master and 53 crewmembers transferred to the minesweeper and landed at Archangel on 11 July. Between 1140 & 1300, U-457 shelled the abandoned Alderdale with the 88-mm gun (38 high explosive shells and 37 incendiary shells) and the 20-mm Flak (40 rounds). At 1456, the U-boat fired a coup de grâce, which broke the ship in two. Both parts sank within 20 minutes 1942 - SS Umtata sunk by U-571 at 25.35N, 80.02W 1942 - Between 1016 & 1017, U-67 fired four torpedoes at three ships about 40 miles SW of Southwest Pass, reported one hit and assumed that one tanker sank at 1045. The Paul H. Harwood was hit by one torpedo while steaming at 12 knots in a small convoy of four ships being escorted by one destroyer. The torpedo struck on the port side abaft amidships at the #6 tank and blew a hole 15 feet by 12 feet into the hull, causing the flooding of tanks #5, #6 and #7. The tanker was stabilized by counterflooding the forward tanks and continued on her course at 10 knots into Southwest Pass to Burwood, Louisiana. She anchored at Pilottown and then proceeded to New Orleans. None of the eight officers, 32 crewmen and 16 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, one 3in and four 20mm guns) reported an injury. The tanker arrived for permanent repairs at Galveston, Texas on 16 July and returned to service on 28 September 1942 - U-285, U-315, U-1060 laid down 1942 - U-637 launched 1942 - U-303 commissioned 1942 - Corvette HMCS Buctouche picked up 15 survivors from the Norwegian merchantman Moldanger. Moldanger was torpedoed and sunk on 27 June 1942 in position 38.03N, 70.52W by U-404 1942 - An A-29 Hudson of a detachment of the 396th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 41st Bombardment Group (Medium), operating from MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina, sinks German submarine U-701 off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, at 34.50N 74.55W; there are seven survivors of the 46-man crew. This is the first submarine sunk by USAAF aircraft during World War II 1942 - Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley, South Pacific Area commander, arrives in Australia to discuss the upcoming operations in the Solomon Islands with General Douglas A. MacArthur, the Commanding General SW Pacific Area 1943 - At 0607, U-185 attacked Convoy BT-18 about 175 miles east of Fortaleza, Brazil for a first time and reported two ships sunk and another damaged. In fact, the William Boyce Thompson and the James Robertson were sunk. The James Robertson in station #21 was struck by two torpedoes in the #2 and #3 holds. The explosions destroyed the engine room bulkhead and blew several hatch covers off, littering the deck with bits of metal, rock ballast and pieces of lifeboats. The holds flooded to the tweendecks and the ship buckled at the #3 hatch. The ship cut through the columns of the convoy with running engines and the rudder jammed at hard right, making a complete circle. The ship collided first with the American steam merchant Alcoa Banner in station #32 and moments later with the Brazilian steam merchant Goiazloide in station #33 at the #1 hatch. A part of the eight officers, 36 crewmen and 25 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in and nine 20mm guns) was ordered to abandon ship in two lifeboats and rafts. One boat swamped during launching and others jumped overboard and swam to the rafts, one of the armed guards drowned. The 21 men on the rafts, the men in one of the boats and five men in the water were picked up by USS PC-575 and landed at Trinidad on 15 July. The master and 20 men abandoned ship after the collisions in two lifeboats and stood by until the morning, when they reboarded the vessel to recover personal effects, but the ship later went down by the bow. 24 men, including three survivors from the William Boyce Thompson were picked up by the Brazilian escort vessel CS-55 and landed at Fortaleza on 9 July. The 14 men in one of the remaining two lifeboats landed at Fortaleza on 9 July and the other boat landed at Cascavel, Brazil the same day 1943 - At 0829, U-185 attacked Convoy BT-18 about 125 miles east of Fortaleza, Brazil for the second time and reported hits on a tanker and an ammunition ship that were sinking slowly. The ships hit were SB Hunt and Thomas Sinnickson. The SB Hunt in station #51 was hit by one torpedo on the port side at the bulkhead between the pump room and #4 tank. The explosion opened a hole 45 feet by 35 feet in the side but the tanker was able to continue with the convoy. None of the eight officers, 29 crewmen and eleven armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in and two .50cal guns) reported injuries. The SB Hunt arrived at Trinidad for temporary repairs and after permanent repairs carried out in Galveston she returned to service on 4 November 1943 - At 0645, U-198 began shelling the unescorted Leana with 147 rounds from her deck gun about 40 miles southeast of Zavora Point, Portuguese East Africa and sank the ship with a coup de grâce at 0810. Two crewmembers were lost. The master was taken prisoner by the U-boat, landed at Bordeaux on 24 September and was taken to the POW camp Milag Nord. 57 crewmembers, five gunners and one passenger landed after five days at Inchi-Inchi Lighthouse, near Lourenco Marques 1943 - MS Poelau Roebiah in Convoy TAG-70 was torpedoed and sunk by U-759. Most of the 68 crewmembers, 24 armed guards and 31 US passengers on board abandoned ship in four lifeboats. Two crewmembers were lost. The survivors in three boats were picked up by a USCG cutter and several escort vessels. USS PC-1253 found the whaleboat of the master and brought the occupants to Guantanamo 1943 - U-951 sunk NW of Cape St Vincent, in position 37.40N, 15.30W by depth charges from a USAAC 1st ASW Sqn Liberator. 46 dead (all hands lost) 1943 - U-1224 launched 1943 - U-1275 laid down 1943 - U-347, U-475 commissioned 1943 - Submarine USS Sea Rover commissioned 1943 - Destroyer escort USS Fogg commissioned 1943 - Sloop HMS Hart launched 1943 - Frigate USS Tacoma launched 1943 - Submarine HMS Sidon laid down 1943 - Destroyer USS Allen M Sumner laid down 1943 - Submarine USS Hardhead laid down 1943 - Frigates USS Orange & Pasco laid down 1943 - Destroyer escort USS Roberts laid down 1943 - AMC HMCS Prince Robert recommissioned at AA cruiser in Vancouver 1943 - HMC ML 095 commissioned 1943 - Frigate HMCS Thetford Mines laid down Quebec City 1943 - U-951 is sunk west of Cape St. Vincent, Portugal, at position 37.40N, 15.30W, by a B-24 of the USAAF's 1st Antisubmarine Squadron (Heavy) based at Port Lyautey, French Morocco. All 46 crewmen are lost 1943 - An IJN rescue force of two light cruisers, ten destroyers and an oiler, depart Paramushiru Island in the Kurile Islands at 1600 hours. This force is part of Phase II of the KE-GO Operation to evacuate Japanese personnel from Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands 1944 - At 0231, the unescorted Esso Harrisburg was hit by a Gnat from U-516 about 200 miles NW of Aruba. The tanker had just stopped zigzagging at 13.5 knots, when a lookout spotted the torpedo and the helmsman put the helm over hard left. She managed to turn 90° but the acoustic torpedo followed and struck under the stern. The explosion destroyed the 4in gun on the stern and damaged the rudder and screw. The ship lost headway and began to settle slightly by the stern. Ten minutes after the hit, the eight officers, 36 men and 28 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) abandoned ship in four lifeboats and two rafts in the heavy seas. At 02.40 hours, a second torpedo struck in the cross bunkers on the starboard side, aft of the #8 tank. 15 minutes later a third torpedo struck the #6 tank on the starboard side, causing the vessel to sink within one minute. Five survivors on a raft and 13 others in a boat were picked up by USS SC-1299 the next day and taken to Aruba. The same day, the Dutch patrol vessel Queen Wilhelmina (ex-USS PC-468) picked up 31 survivors from two lifeboats. Another boat with 15 men made landfall five days later near Santa Marta, Colombia, where they were picked up by a blimp of the US Navy and taken to Barranquilla, Colombia. The master, three men and four armed guards died 1944 - U-2332, U-2333, U-2371, U-4701, U-4702, U-4703, U-4704, U-4705, U-4706, U-4707, U-4709, U-4710, U-4711, U-4712 ordered 1944 - U-778 commissioned 1944 - U-2511 laid down 1944 - U-678 sunk in the English Channel SW of Brighton, in position 50.32N, 00.23W, by depth charges from destroyers HMCS Ottawa, Kootenay and & corvette HMS Statice. 52 dead (all hands lost) 1944 - Submarines USS Tench & Thornback launched 1944 - Frigate HMS Loch Achray launched 1944 - Frigate HMS Pitcairn commissioned 1944 - Minesweeper HMS Tanganyika commissioned 1944 - Minesweeper USS Device commissioned 1944 - HMC MTB 463 sunk by mine. Crew taken off by HMC MTB 466. No lives lost 1944 - Corvette HMCS Moncton completes forecastle extension refit in Vancouver 1944 - Tug HMCS Glencove commissioned 1944 - HMS Rodney bombards German positions around Caen 1944 - In the Marianas, carrier based aircraft from Task Group 53.7 (five escort aircraft carriers) and Task Force 58, begin the first of daily systematic attacks against Japanese installations on Guam 1944 - HMS Sturdy sinks two Japanese sailing vessels with gunfire off the west coast of Siam. 1945 - Destroyer USS Basilone laid down 1945 - Destroyers USS Brownson & Richard B Anderson launched 1945 - HMC ML 086 paid off 1945 - President Harry S. Truman, Secretary of State James F. Byrnes and Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy depart the US in the heavy cruiser USS Augusta for Antwerp, Belgium. The is the first leg of their journey to the Potsdam Conference with British and Russian leaders 1945 - HMS Sea Scout sinks a Japanese sailing vessel with gunfire in the Gulf of Siam 1948 - First six enlisted women sworn into Regular Navy. The Navy WAVES in Naval Reserve, who were the first to transfer to the Regular Navy, were Kay Louise Langdon, Aviation Storekeeper First Class; Wilma Juanita Marchal, Chief Yeoman; Frances Teresa Dovaney, Storekeeper, Second Class; Edna Earle Young, Yeoman, Second Class; Doris Roberta Robertson, Teleman, Second Class; and Ruth Flora, Hospital Corpsman, First Class 1950 - HM S/M Astute departs Halifax following ASW training 1958 - President Eisenhower signed the Alaska statehood bill 1959 - RCN VS 881 Sqn disbanded; personnel & equipment to VS 880 1967 - USS Hornet port call Manila 1971 - USS Enterprise port call Subic Bay 1972 - USS America port call Subic Bay 1973 - USS Hancock port call Subic Bay 1978 - Solomon Islands gains independence from Britain 1992 - Submarine HMS Vengeance ordered from Vickers Barrow 1995 - HMCS Ville De Quebec arrives off Yugoslavia for Operation Sharp Guard 2003 - Ocean surveillance ship USNS Able placed in Category B (retention asset) reserve 2004 - Frigate INS Betwa commissioned into Indian Navy 2005 - At a hearing n Southampton Magistrates court the Ukrainian Master of the UK registered general cargo ship Hoo Tern pleaded guilty to a charge under the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, of having excess alcohol in his breath. On 5th July 2005 the Hoo Tern was lying at Dibles wharf in Southampton. The vessel was due to sail for Falmouth at approximately 1600. Half an hour before this time surveyors from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency attended onboard the vessel. They had concerns regarding the Masters sobriety so contacted the local Marine Police and requested that they attend the vessel and breathalyzer the Master. Captain Dushyn was tested on board at 1555, this proved positive so he was then taken to the central police station where an intoximeter test was undertaken which indicated 136 micrograms of alcohol in 100 milliliters of breath. The legal limit is similar to the road traffic regulations, which is 35 micrograms of alcohol in 100 milliliters of breath. Captain Dushyn, 49, was held in the cells overnight and made an initial appearance in court on 6th July 2005. At that hearing the case was adjourned until this morning 2005 - Change of Command Ceremony at HMC Dockyard, Halifax, to mark the departure of Rear-Admiral Tyrone Pile and the arrival of Commodore Dean McFadden as Commander Canadian Fleet Atlantic (CCFL). Rear-Admiral Pile will depart Canadian Fleet Atlantic for his new role as Chief of Staff, Assistant Deputy Minister Human Resources (Military) at National Defense Headquarters in Ottawa. Since assuming command in July 2003, Rear-Admiral Pile has been responsible for the operation and readiness of the East Coast fleet comprised of two destroyers, seven frigates, one replenishment ship, six maritime coastal defense vessels and three submarines 2005 - A Pearl Harbor sailor was charged with attempted murder in the shooting of a fellow sailor last month. Ship's Serviceman 3rd Class Patrick Criswell of Houston was charged by Cmdr. Werner Jurinka, commanding officer of the USS Paul Hamilton, in the June 9 shooting of a 20-year-old sailor from the USS Lake Erie. The shooting occurred in a parking lot of the Naval Station Pearl Harbor Bachelor Enlisted Quarters. The victim has been released from Tripler Army Medical Center, the Navy said in a statement. Criswell was being held at the Naval Brig on Ford Island pending trial, the Navy said 2005 - More than 200 people were rescued from a blazing ferry off the southern Philippines with officials refusing to rule out a militant attack. All 222 passengers and crew of the 10,709-ton Princess of the World were evacuated on life rafts in a huge emergency operation involving rescue boats, helicopters and US seacraft, leaving a smoldering hulk in the Sulu Sea. The cause of the blaze was unknown, but officials did not rule out the possibility the ferry had been attacked. Last year more than 100 people died when a ferry was firebombed in Manila Bay in an attack claimed by Muslim Abu Sayyaf guerrillas. The Princess of the World caught fire around noon north of the port city of Zamboanga where the Abu Sayyaf are known to operate. The vessel, owned by the Filipino shipping firm Sulpicio Lines, was carrying 109 crewmembers, 108 passengers and five anti-terror sea marshals, the coastguard said. The government had ordered all passenger vessels to carry sea marshals after the Manila Bay attack 2005 - Aker Kvaerner Subsea has been awarded a contract with Murphy Sabah Oil Co. Ltd for the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning assistance of the subsea production systems for the Kikeh project in Malaysia 2005 - Divers have begun exploring the waterways of the city harbor before dredging begins for the construction of the new sea passenger terminal, Alexei Kary-Niyazov, president of developer Sea Facade said Thursday at a news conference. Work on the ambitious $220 million project, endorsed by the St. Petersburg government, is due to start next month, he said. The terminal is to start operating in 2009. It will be able to process 1.2 million passengers a year. Another $430 million is to be spent on creating 400,000 square meters of residential and office space, on 49 hectares of reclaimed land on the edge of Vasilyevsky Island. Alexei Kaidanov, deputy head of the investment projects section of City Hall's investment and strategic projects committee, said the new terminal is expected to bring at least $56 million a year to the city budget, and about $69 million a year to the federal budget. The federal government will allocate around $90 million to the project, while other private investors are expected to provide another $130 million. Kary-Niyazov said negotiations with potential investors - Russian and foreign companies in the spheres of ferry business and sea passenger transportation, as well as developers are in progress. City Hall approved Sea Facade, a company founded by First Quantum Group, a Russian oil-trader established in 1990 and also known as Russian Container Co., to manage the construction of the new sea terminal and create a recreation zone, a residential area and a business quarter on reclaimed land on the west side of Vasilyevsky Island. The project aims to deepen the channel to 10 meters, build 10 berths, which would be able to serve big passenger ships up to 1,300 meters long and a small berth where local ships up to 200 meters long can dock. With an annual capacity of 1.5 million passengers expected to visit the city by sea by 2010, it will take six or seven years for the investors to recover their funds, the project's promoters say. But city ecologists, including Greenpeace, say the project is risky and that dredging the channel to 10 meters will severely damage the marine environment. Hundreds of citizens have been staging protests against the construction, fearing it will cause their apartment buildings to crack 2005 - USCG Commandant, Adm. Thomas H. Collins has ordered this afternoon that ferries with passenger capacities of 150 passengers or more, including their terminals and facilities, to increase their security measures to Maritime Security Level 2 to ensure passenger safety and security. This order to MARSEC 2 covers Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 regulated passenger ferries and is consistent with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff's order earlier today to raise the security alert level to Orange for mass transit systems. This order will remain in effect indefinitely 2005 - Moose Boats has been awarded a contract from the Los Angeles County Sheriff, Marina del Rey, for a Moose 320C Catamaran Jet Boat. This is a 33’-6” all aluminum jet powered catamaran with twin Cummins 380hp turbo diesels, propelled by Hamilton 292 water jets. This vessel can attain a top speed of over 35 knots, cruise at approximately 28 knots, come to a full-speed stop in less than two boat lengths and turn on a dime. Its 21” draft will allow all of this to be done in less than 3’ of water. The craft is fully equipped for law enforcement, search and rescue efforts and fire fighting capabilities. The mission of this vessel is to provide Marina del Rey Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol a quick response vessel for marine emergencies. Marina del Rey is the world's largest man-made small craft harbor and is home port to approximately 5,500 boats. The Harbor Patrol detail is responsible for law enforcement on the water and on the docks. Part of the detail's job is education and crime prevention. Typical calls for service range from enforcement stops for boating law or safety violations to open water rescue and medical emergencies. In the past, the Marina harbor patrol detail has responded as ‘first responders’ to incidents such as airplane crashes, numerous boat fires & explosions, cars in the water and capsized vessels. This vessel will also be utilized as a dive platform for underwater rescues and recoveries. Moose has also built a similar vessel for the United States Park Police for security and patrol at the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, New York Harbor and surrounding areas. Moose Boats is also building multiple vessels, of similar design, for the US NAVY and the Department of Transportation. The Moose Boat design was chosen because of its fast and stable catamaran hull and its powerful water jet propulsion, which is well suited to meet mission requirements 2006 - Capt Andrew J Berghorn relieved Capt Michael A Neussl as commanding officer of Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak 2006 - Christening of Costa Concordia, new flagship of Costa Crociere, in Civitavecchia 2006 - Change of Command Ceremony for Commander First Coast Guard District at Faneuil Hall in downtown Boston. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff keynote speaker during the ceremony. Rear Adm. Timothy S. Sullivan, previously the Senior Military Advisor to the Secretary of the Homeland Security, will assume responsibilities from Rear Adm. David P. Pekoske, as Commander of the First Coast Guard District. Pekoske, District Commander for the past two years will relinquish his command and take up his new position in Washington DC as Assistant Commandant for Response, overseeing all operations for the USCG 2006 - NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, visits Athens 2006 - The boards of directors of the Fraser River, North Fraser and Vancouver Port Authorities have agreed to explore the opportunities for a new integrated port entity for the lower mainland gateway of British Columbia 2006 - Seaspan Corporation announced that it exercised its option to build four 2500 TEU vessels at Jiangsu Yangzijiang Shipbuilding (YZJ) in China. This option was part of the February transaction with YZJ that included the firm order of four 2500 vessels and options to build eight more at the same price. These new orders will increase the company's total fleet to 33 vessels when the vessels are delivered 2006 - Hanjin Shipping announced it is to deploy the Hanjin Bremerhaven, described by the line as the world's fastest containership, on its Asia-Europe trade 2006 - USAF chief of staff announced Lightning II as the F-35 name during a Joint Strike Fighter Inauguration Ceremony at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. at Fort Worth, Texas 2006 - Coast guards picked up 16 people off the coast of the eastern Aegean island of Samos as they were trying to sail to the island. The illegal migrants -13 from Afghanistan, two from Syria and one from Lebanon - were immediately taken to the island's hospital for medical checks and then to a reception center. The human traffickers who had brought them to Samos evaded arrest. Meanwhile, coast guard officers detained two men off the coast of the Ionian island of Corfu. The two men, both Albanians, had been trying to illegally sail to the island in a rubber dinghy 2006 - Three divers are receive treatment at the hyperbaric unit at Queen Alexandra Hospital, after they made a rapid ascent whilst diving off Newhaven. Solent Coastguard was alerted by radio call at 1047 by the skipper of the dive boat, stating that a diver was coughing blood after he had made a rapid ascent from 25 meters 2006 - The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) welcomed Vice Adm. Robert B. Murrett as its third director at a ceremony at its Bethesda headquarters 2006 - At 1400 at Skegness Magistrates Court, Joel Meakin, aged 19, a Prospective RNLI crewmember, was sentenced to a 2 year suspended sentence. Meakin, is also facing 180 hours community service to be completed within a year and £500 compensation to the RNLI at Skegness and £50 costs to the court 2006 - F- 930 Léopold Ier et F-931 Louise-Marie : these are the names with which the Belgian Navy will christen the two M-class frigates bought from the Netherlands. This was announced today by Defense Minister André Flahaut during the double commemoration ceremony of the naval component in Ostend, which was attended by Prince Laurent. The ceremony marked the creation of the Royal Belgian Navy 175 years ago, and the 60th anniversary of its rebirth after the Second World War. Christening the ships with the names of the first King of the Belgians and his wife has a strong symbolic value in this 175th Anniversary of the Belgian dynasty 2006 - The master of a French trawler L'arc en Ciel (BL899828), was ordered to pay a total of £14,750 for illegally fishing in UK waters. The defendant pleaded guilty today at Grimsby Magistrates Court to the offence of fishing within the 12 mile limit off Flamborough Head. HMS Cattistock caught the trawler on July 5 2006 - Tidewater Inc. announced that Jeffrey M. Platt, currently a Senior VP of the Company, has been promoted to the position of Executive Vice President, effective July 1, 2006. Mr. Platt will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day marine operations of the Company, both domestically and internationally 2007 - Coast Guard and New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) in a joint operation rescued a sailor who fell overboard and seven of his colleagues who went to rescue him 10 km offshore 2007 - India declared itself capable of launching a nuclear missile from a submarine. A submarine-based cruise missile Sagarika has been developed and tested successfully 2008- Coast Guard Station Chatham, Mass placed in service a new 42-foot SAR boat, manufactured by Safe Boat International 2008 - Vice Admiral Joseph D. Stewart, Superintendent of the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, announced his retirement. Stewart’s career spanned over 44 years of public service to the United States as a Marine Corps officer and member of the civilian Senior Executive Service Copyright 2009 Shirlaw News Group ISSN 1710-6966 Today in History Archives This information is licensed to the recipient only. Images may be subject to copyright. Ask before you right-click. Royal Navy photos are Courtesy of www.oldships.org.uk unless otherwise indicated. To contact us: 418-145 West Keith Rd North Vancouver BC V7M 1L3 Canada Phone: 778-968-7447