SeaWaves Today in History July 20, 2009 1534 - Jacques Cartier 1491-1557 enters the bay which he names Baie de Chaleur; thinks it is a passage to the Far East 1576 - Martin Frobisher c1539-1594 reaches southeastern end of Baffin Island; names Resolution Island 'Queen Elizabeth's Foreland' 1585 - John Davis c1543-1605 sights east coast of Greenland; calls it 'Land of Desolation'; rounds Cape Farewell; sails up western coast; names the old Norse Settlement 'Gilbert Sound' 1611 - Samuel de Champlain c1570-1635 leaves Quebec for Tadoussac, then back to France 1616 - Samuel de Champlain sails for France from Quebec 1629 - David & Lewis Kirke force Champlain to surrender his fur fort at Quebec; backed by London fur traders, the Kirke brothers occupy New France until 1632; Champlain sent to England as a prisoner 1653 - Departure of de Maisonneuve and Marguerite Bourgeois from Le Havre for Quebec; arrive Sept. 22 1705 - Act was passed establishing herring fishing in and around Scotland 1773 - Scottish settlers arrive at Pictou, Nova Scotia 1810 - Colombia declared independence from Spain 1846 - First visit of US warships (USS Columbus and USS Vincennes) to Japan is unsuccessful in negotiating a treaty 1854 - Laying of first stone of the Victoria Railway Bridge from Montreal to the south shore of the St. Lawrence 1861 - Congress of the Confederate States began holding sessions in Richmond VA 1871 - British Columbia entered Confederation as a Canadian province 1907 - Battleship FS Voltaire laid down 1918 - Destroyer USS Maddox laid down 1918 - Destroyer USS Talbot commissioned 1929 - Hydroplane racing on Seattle's Green Lake commences 1931 - Submarine HNLMS O-12 commissioned 1934 - U-7, U-8, U-9, U-10, U-11, U-12 ordered 1934 - Destroyer FS Chevalier Paul commissioned 1935 - U-19 laid down 1936 - Destroyer ORP Grom launched 1937 - Battleship HMS Anson laid down 1939 - Light cruiser HMS Uganda laid down 1939 - Battleship USS Massachusetts laid down 1940 - Submarine HMS Parthian landed an agent on Crete 1940 - Destroyer HMS Brazen is bombed and lost on convoy duty off Dover 1940 - While HMS Eagle is in Alexandria with the main portions of the Mediterranean Fleet, 824 Sqn, FAA was detached to Sidi Barrani Aerodrome to continue operations against Italian shipping. In the late evening of 20 July, six Swordfish I aircraft, carrying torpedoes, departed to attacking shipping known to be in Tobruk harbor, 95 miles away. In a daring attack in the face of heavy anti-aircraft fire they succeeded in torpedoing and sinking the destroyers Nembo and Ostro 1940 - Patrol vessel HMCS Ambler departed refit Quebec City for Riviere du Loup patrol duties 1940 - Corvette HMCS Trail laid down North Vancouver BC 1940 - Patrol craft HMCS Norsal (ex yacht Norsal) hired from the Powell River Co. Built Vancouver, BC, 168/21, 122.3x19x10.5ft, 10kts, crew 3/17, 1-303 mg. Returned to owners 1945. Renamed 1973 Maui Lu 1940 - Submarine HMS P-612 launched 1941 - At 0100, U-126 sighted the unescorted Canadian Star and followed her until 0242, when two torpedoes were fired at the ship in 49°15N/21°W (grid BE 1932). Both missed and Bauer decided to attack with the gun. The U-boat shelled her victim for about 10 minutes but hit only a few times. Then the gunners on the ship fought back with a great accuracy and forced Bauer to cease the attack 1941 - At 0505, U-95 fired two torpedoes at the unescorted Palma but missed. The U-boat then tried to stop the merchant with gunfire at 0528, but had to break off the gun duel after 11 minutes due to problems with the deck gun and gave up the chase because the ship was running zigzagging courses at high speeds. They reported one hit, but in fact three had been scored 1941 - Submarine HMS Union sailed from Malta at 0100 on 14 July 1941. On 20 July 1941 she was sunk by the Italian torpedo boat Circe 25 miles SW of Pantelleria Island in the Strait of Sicily. Union was reported overdue on 22 July 1941 1941 - Soviet Northern Fleet destroyer Stremitel'ny bombed & sunk by Stukas in Kolafjord 1941 - Destroyer HMS Lively commissioned 1941 - By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, I.V. Stalin was appointed People's Commissar of Defense 1942 - A Japanese submarine, I 26, shells the lighthouse and wireless station at Estevan Point, in British Columbia, inflicting minimal damage. The action marks the only direct enemy attack against Canadian territory during the war 1942 - At 1839, the Frederika Lensen in Convoy QS-19 was torpedoed & damaged by U-132 in the Gulf of St Lawrence near Anticosti Island. Four crewmembers were lost. The vessel was towed by corvette HMCS Weyburn to Grand Vallee Bay and was beached there. Because her back was broken, the ship was declared a total loss. The master and 35 crewmembers were rescued by Weyburn and landed at Sydney NS. Six crewmembers landed at Grande Vallee Bay, Quebec 1942 - Suzanne Walker first Women’s Royal New Zealand Naval Service rating 1942 - Destroyer escort USS Moore laid down 1942 - Destroyer USS Prichett laid down 1942 - Submarine USS Ray laid down 1942 - Minesweeper USS Chickadee launched 1942 - Submarines USS Scamp & Scorpion launched 1942 - Destroyer USS Chevalier commissioned 1943 - USS PT-166 destroyed in error by USAAF B-25s mistaken identification off New Georgia 1943 - U-242, U-292, U-1165 launched 1943 - Tug HMCS Glenlea launched Owen Sound ON 1943 - Frigates HMCS Prestonian & Sea Cliff laid down Lauzon PQ 1943 - Corvettes HMCS Asbestos & Hawkesbury laid down Quebec City PQ 1943 - Escort carrier USS Nehenta Bay laid down 1943 - Submarines HMS Spirit & Vampire launched 1943 - Escort carrier USS Natoma Bay launched 1943 - Minesweeper USS Sway commissioned 1943 - Frigate USS Sausalito launched 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Burke & Scott commissioned 1943 - Escort carrier HMS Ameer commissioned 1943 - U-558 sunk in the Bay of Biscay NW of Cape Ortegal, Spain, in position 45.10N, 09.42W, by depth charges from an RAF 58 Sqn Halifax & a USAAF 19th ASW Sqn Liberator. 45 dead and 5 survivors. Another 19th Sqn Liberator was shot down earlier in the engagement. 5 aircraft had attacked U-558 in one week, shooting down one & damaging three others 1943 - One man was lost (Matrosenobergefreiter Arthur List) during an air attack on U-195 in the Bay of Biscay 1944 - U-3001 commissioned 1944 - U-2335 laid down 1944 - Destroyer HMS Isis mined & sunk off Normandy. A memorial in Portsmouth Cathedral lists all 155 lost when ship sunk 1944 - The most famous attempt on Hitler's life was taken by a group of Army officers led by men like Colonel Claus Von Stauffenberg on this day. As the plot failed (like all the others) the consequences were serious for the armed forces of Germany as large number of men were executed from all branches 1944 - HMS Crescent (later HMCS Crescent) launched Glasgow 1944 - Corvette HMCS Cobalt completed forecastle extension refit Liverpool NS 1944 - Frigate HMCS Matane damaged by glider bomb off Brest. 2 killed 1944 - Minesweeper HMS Jewel launched 1944 - Boom defense vessel HMS Precise launched 1944 - Submarine HMS Vengeful launched 1944 - Escort carrier USS Gilbert Islands launched 1944 - Submarine USS Tigrone launched 1944 - Destroyers HMS Whirlwind & Zest commissioned 1944 - U-965 was attacked by an aircraft, one man killed (Matrosenhauptgefreiter Willibald Niederle) and one wounded 1944 - Troop transport Vital de Oliviera sunk by U-861 at 22.29S, 41.09W 1945 - Corvettes HMCS Oakville, Prescott & St Lambert paid off Sorel PQ 1945 - Patrol vessels HMCS Ambler, Reindeer, Caribou & Moose and HMC ML 078 paid off Sydney NS 1946 - USS YOG 74 lost 1951 - Destroyer HMCS Cayuga relieved HMCS Nootka in Korean War Zone 1952 - Destroyer HMCS Nootka arrives in the Haeju-man 1953 - HMCS Athabaskan fires the Royal Canadian Navy's last salvoes of the Korean War, shelling Chinese positions on the mainland near the island of Mu-Do 1960 - In first launch of Polaris missile, USS George Washington successfully fires 2 operational Polaris missiles while submerged off Florida 1960 - Light cruiser HMS Lion commissioned 1964 - Four Navy divers enter Project SEALAB I capsule moored 192 feet on the ocean floor off Bermuda for 11 day experiment 1964 - USS Kitty Hawk completed Vietnam deployment 1967 - Washington State Ferry Hyak enters service 1969 - Former Navy pilot Neil Armstrong is first man to set foot on the moon. While taking the first step, he said, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Armstrong was Commander of Apollo 11, which during its 8-day mission landed on the Sea of Tranquility. Recovery was by HS-4 helicopters from USS Hornet 1972 - USS Saratoga port call Hong Kong 1974 - Turkey invades Cyprus 1977 - A flash flood hit Johnstown, Pa., killing 80 people and causing $350 million worth of damage 1985 - Divers find wreck of Spanish galleon Atocha 1995 - Frigate HMCS Regina arrived Esquimalt for first time 1996 - Earth dam owned by Stone Consolidated ruptures its banks after torrential rains fill Lac Ha! Ha! to overflowing; wall of water moves down the river at 20 mph, wiping out everything in its path, from Boilleau to La Baie, and destroying over 150 homes and cottages; up to 260 mm of rain falls around the Reserve faunique des Laurentides over a 28 hour span After 38 years at the bottom of the Atlantic, astronaut Gus Grissom's Liberty Bell 7 Mercury capsule was lifted to the surface 2003 - Container ship Maersk Bahrain, owned by MC Shipping and on charter to Maersk Sealand, was leaving Antwerp in the early hours of Sunday morning when it was in collision with the incoming container ship Pelican I. The latter had reported steering problems immediately before the accident. Pilots were on board both vessels at the time. Pelican I, managed by Ofer Brothers and operated by Zim Line, sustained the most damage, with the hull holed and water entering both the engine-room and No. 5 hold. No casualties were reported nor containers lost from either vessel, but some petroleum and lubricating oil escaped from Pelican I 2004 - New aircraft/helicopter carrier NMM Conte di Cavour launched at Riva Trigosa (Genova). Later renamed Cavour for political correctness reasons 2004 - Dutch Undersecretary of Defense Cees van der Knaap reached an agreement with his German colleague Peter Eikenboom on the transfer to Germany of eight Dutch P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft. The maritime patrol aircraft are currently being used by the Royal Netherlands Navy and are based at NAS Valkenburg. The contract of transfer also covers a flight trainer and a package of spare parts. In addition, the Royal Netherlands Navy at Valkenburg will train part of the German aircrews and maintenance personnel. Transfer of the first aircraft to Germany is planned for November 2005, with the last one to follow in March 2006. All aircraft will be transferred at Nordholz AFB in Germany 2005 - HM The Queen and other Members of the Royal Family will support the SeaBritain 2005 celebrations and the maritime sector in its widest sense by undertaking a series of maritime engagements across the UK on the same day, Wednesday 20th July. Royal Maritime Day is the latest in a number of royal 'theme' days in which H M The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, supported by other senior Members of the Royal Family, recognize the contribution of a world-class British industry. In particular, Royal Maritime Day will recognize those people and organizations who contribute to Britain's maritime prominence, achievements and heritage. Royal Maritime Day's theme reflects 2005 as a year of celebrations of Britain's dynamic and continuing relationship with the sea, based on the bi-centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar and the death in action of Admiral Lord Nelson - Britain's greatest naval hero. Inspired by this bi-centenary, there are more than 900 maritime events, festivals and exhibitions taking place across the UK under the umbrella SeaBritain 2005 to celebrate Britain's maritime heritage and the importance of the sea in our lives today - including a program of special commemorative events in The Trafalgar Festival. Highlights of SeaBritain 2005 events include the Royal Navy's International Fleet Review in the Solent, the International Festival of The Sea in Portsmouth, the Tall Ships Race in Newcastle Gateshead, the Mersey River Festival, the Nelson & Napoleon exhibition at the National Maritime Museum Greenwich, the New Trafalgar Dispatch in addition to a host of events from Belfast to Chatham and from Aberdeen to Falmouth 2005 - HRH The Prince of Wales will present to Her Majesty's Coastguard the Color. The private ceremony will be held at the Coastguard Search and Rescue (SAR) Helicopter Hangar at Osprey Quay, Portland. Senior Coastguard Officers will be present at the ceremony from Canada, The United States of America, Ireland, and France. Those present from the United Kingdom will be Lieutenant Colonel P H Sampson Commandant of the Commando Training Center Royal Marines, Group Captain J A Goodbourn MA B.Sc. (Hons), who is the SAR Force Commander, Royal Air Force and Mike Vlasto CBE who is the Operations Director for the RNLI. The ceremony will consist of a parade of sixty full time and volunteer Coastguards. They will be inspected by HRH The Prince of Wales, who will also meet members of the local Coastguard rescue teams from Wyke Regis and Portland Bill, as well as crew from the Coastguard Helicopter Whisky Bravo 2005 - Having stayed outside its hometown for 105 years, the big iron bell traveled a long journey of 8,000 kilometers back to its home in north China's port city Tianjin. The bell, built in 1884 and originally placed at the Dagukou Fort in Tianjin, was taken as a war prize during the Boxer War by the Royal Navy. Dagukou Fort was captured in June 1900 and the bell was taken to Britain and put on display in a park in Plymouth. Under a joint effort by people of both China and UK and approved by the Plymouth City Council, the bell was sent back to Beijing on July 17, 2005. From the inscription on the bell, culture experts deduced that the iron bell was used for playing religious rites for garrison troops at the fort or served as military warning signals 2005 - The Russian conglomerate Marine Oil and Gas Projects (MNP) is to build tankers for the Dutch company Rensen Shipbuilding. The MNP press service announced that a contract worth over 9 million Euros has been signed for the construction of six tanker hulls. MNP Group incorporates five leading Russian ship-building yards: Almaz (St. Petersburg), Krasnoe Sormovo (Nizhny Novgorod), Nizhnenovgorodsky Teplokhod (Nizhny Novgorod), Volgograd Ship-Building Yard, and III International Astrakhan Ship Building and Repair Yard. Tankers for the Dutch company will be built at the III International and Nizhnenovgorodsky Teplokhod ship-building yards. According to the MNP press service, the ships will transport chemicals and processed oil products through Europe's internal waterways and will meet all international requirements for protecting the sea from pollution. The hulls have a double casing and are capable of carrying several different types of oil products simultaneously 2005 - The Krasnoye Sormovo Shipyard here has built the ninth tanker in the 19614 series for Malta's KSS Shipping company. The tanker has passed sea trials and has been transferred to the client, shipyard officials said. The new Borodino tanker is one of 11 ships specially designed and built for KSS Shipping under the contract, won in July 2001. All 11 tankers are scheduled to be built by 2007. The first tanker, Nizhny Novgorod, was transferred to KSS in October 2002, followed by the St. Petersburg in May 2003, the Suzdal in June 2003, the Rostov Veliky in July 2003, the Vladimir in June 2004, the Yaroslavl in September 2004, the Kostroma in February 2005 and the Uglich in May 2005. They are all named after Russian cities. Shipyard officials said that, to date, tankers from the project were the largest Russian river-going vessels, measuring 462.6 ft in length, 54.5 ft in width and 20 ft in depth. Their DWT is 5,100 mt in the river and 5,400 mt in the sea. Tankers from the 19614 project belong to the fifth, an highest, group of vessels in terms of main engine power. The tankers are capable of carrying five types of cargo simultaneously, including diesel oil, fuel oil, oil products and crude oil. They have a cruising capacity of 12 days. The tanker's double shell prevents oil spillage 2005 - The fuel spill in the Sea of Okhotsk, caused by a collision involving the American ship Smit-Lloyd-27, had been cleaned up, an official from the Emergency Situations Ministry said. On Tuesday, the US ship collided with an unidentified object. The official said that the accident, which resulted in the spillage of 4.4 tons of diesel and the pollution of 500 meters of shoreline, "occurred near the island of Sakhalin in the vicinity of the Chaivo off-shore drilling platform." The official said that emergency crews had managed to contain the fuel spill and had installed slick bars in a 400-meter radius around the ship. The clean-up operation had been successfully completed. The emergency operation involved 118 people and 28 vehicles. A spokesman for Exxon Neftegaz Ltd told RIA Novosti that Smit-Lloyd-27 was an anchor-installation ship contracted by NS Neftegazstroy Ltd to conduct work near the Chaivo offshore drilling platform (approximately 700 meters off the coast) as part of the Sakhalin-1 project. Exxon Neftegaz Ltd Vice-President Jim Flood said that the company regretted the accident because its main concern was the protection of the environment 2005 - Solent Coastguard were informed of a very brief 999 call at just before midday during which a man had informed the 999 operator that a woman and a child had been swept out to sea at Peacehaven. The Coastguard were able to find a position with the assistance of the 999 operator and immediately sent resources to the area. The Coastguard rescue helicopter India Juliet was diverted from a training exercise to the area and the Brighton and Eastbourne RNLI lifeboats were requested to launch. Newhaven Coastguard Rescue Team were also requested to attend the scene and Sussex Ambulance were in attendance. The woman was pulled from the water unconscious by a member of the public and taken to the waiting ambulance. She was successfully resuscitated in the ambulance on her way to hospital. The helicopter, lifeboats and Coastguard team continued their search of the area until it was confirmed that a child was not missing and that the woman had been attempting to rescue her dog. The dog was found later, further down the beach 2005 - Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. announced that it has taken delivery of its tenth vessel, the Sparrow, a 48,225 dwt Handymax dry bulk carrier built in 2000. The vessel will immediately begin service under a time charter at the rate of $22,500 per day, expiring between November 2006 and February 2007 2005 - Three aging US cargo ships mothballed at Suisan Bay in Benicia, CA are headed for scrap yards in Brownsville, TX under contracts announced by the US Maritime Administration today. The Tioga County, Wahkiakum County, and Wabash will be towed to scrap yards as a part of contracts that will pay two companies to cut them into scrap metal, the agency said. Marine Metal, Inc. will get $1,366,580 to dismantle the Wabash, while ESCO Marine, Inc. will be paid $2,225,700 to dispose of the other two ships. The three ships were targeted because of their overall condition relative to other ships being held in the bay. The Wabash, an oiler built in 1942, served in the Pacific during World War II and the Korean conflict. The Tioga County carried tanks and other equipment into Danang and Quang Ngai during the Vietnam War, and the Wahkiakum County, also a tank carrier, was used in the blockade of Cuba in the early 1960’s. “These ships are our highest priority ships,” said John Jamian, the agency’s Acting Administrator. “We want to get them to scrap yards before their condition makes them a concern,” he added. Jamian said a fourth “high priority” ship, the Nemasket, will remain at the site indefinitely due to an on-going historical review. The ships are among 84 ships anchored at the site, 61 of which are eventually expected to be cut into scrap metal as part of a program that salvages old war supply vessels 2005 - The Navy quietly accepted delivery Wednesday of the amphibious ship San Antonio despite a highly critical report earlier this month from its own inspection board warning not to do so until significant problems were fixed or waived by the chief of naval operations. In a small morning ceremony on the bridge wing of the new helicopter and troop carrier - the first in its class of 12 sister ships - the Navy took possession from Northrop Grumman Ship Systems in Pascagoula, Miss., saying remaining work will be completed and the deficiencies corrected. The Navy anticipates moving the crew of 360 aboard next month and is prepared for the ship to be commissioned into service in late October or early November, according to shipyard and Navy officials. The 684-foot, 24,900-ton amphibious transport dock, is to be based in Norfolk 2005 - The Coast Guard responded to a distress call from a 40-foot pleasure craft that was in danger of sinking with five people onboard, 3.5 nautical miles northwest of Smith Island, Wash., at 0639. Coast Guard Group/Air Station Port Angeles, Wash., received the call via VHF channel 16 from the Mercades, stating that they were taking on water and in need of assistance. Group/Air Station Port Angeles launched an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter and a 25-foot response boat, Coast Guard Station Bellingham, Wash., launched a 27-foot utility boat and Vessel Assist also responded. Two dewatering pumps were passed to the vessel in the hope that the flooding could be contained. The pumps were able to keep up with the flooding and the Mercades was escorted to Anacortes, Wash., by the response boat from Station Port Angeles 2005 - Belgian Government signed an agreement to purchase two M-class frigates from the Royal Netherlands Navy 2005 - The Coast Guard in partnership with the Marine Exchange of Alaska has established an Automated Identification System (AIS) site in the Unimak pass to assist with maritime domain awareness 2005 - The hydrocarbons seismic surveying vessel GSI Admiral, currently under contract in Falkland Islands’ waters called in Punta Arenas for two weeks maintenance and repairs 2006 - LCdr Lee Petty relieves LCdr Joe Raymond as Commanding Officer USCGC Shamal 2006 - USCG Assistant Commandant for Prevention Rear Admiral Craig Bone will testify before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Coast Guard and Merchant Marine Subcommittee on credentialing, licensing and documentation of Merchant Mariners 2006 - Lt. Cmdr. Michael Baroody relieved by Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Thomas as commanding officer of Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team San Francisco 2006 - NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jaap de Joop Scheffer and Supreme Allied Commander General James Jones, are visiting Afghanistan 2006 - Canada’s new government today announced an important initiative in support of its commitment to secure seabed resources beyond the 200-mile limit to the edge of the continental shelf. The continental shelf refers to the natural prolongation of the continent before the bottom descends to the deep oceanic floor 2006 - RFA Sir Galahad enters Portsmouth to payoff 2006 - Minister of National Defense Gordon O’Connor and Britain’s High Commissioner to Canada David Reddaway today signed the British Armed Forces Training in Canada (BATIC) Agreement. The BATIC Agreement formalizes the responsibilities and obligations of both Canada and the UK on British military training in Canada 2006 - European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Mr Joe Borg, took part in the opening session of a conference entitled “Towards a future Maritime Policy for the European Union - A European Vision for the oceans and seas” in Turku, Finland 2006 - SeaBird Exploration Limited (BVI) received the necessary ministry approvals to complete the acquisition of MV Osprey Explorer from Ukrainian State Enterprise MARS 2006 - Rear Admiral Nancy Lescavage, the military's senior leader responsible for overseeing the delivery of health care to the military in Hawaii and 20 other western states, will visit Hawaii military bases and posts next week to review the multi-service and private sector coordination of the military's health care plan, TRICARE 2006 - General Dynamics NASSCO announced start of construction on the fifth ship in the US Navy's T-AKE program. The ship will be named later and is scheduled to be delivered to the navy in the first quarter of 2008 2006 - Mr Ian Worthington OBE has been appointed Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Dominican Republic in succession to Mr Andrew Ashcroft who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Mr Worthington will take up his new appointment at the beginning of November 2006 2006 - German soldiers who gave their lives in a plot to assassinate Hitler will be honored today by UK Defense Secretary Des Browne at the Solemn Pledge Ceremony in Berlin. The 20th July ceremony commemorates the unsuccessful attempt by a group German officers, led by Col Schenk Graf Von Stauffenberg, to kill Hitler and overthrow the Nazi Regime in 1944. Mr Browne will be the first British Minister to address the ceremony 2006 - Completion of Russian Project 949A submarine Belgorod terminated by Defense Minister. several options were being considered for the submarine to be commissioned by another country 2006 - Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov has made his most extraordinary signing so far - by buying a Soviet nuclear submarine. The Lithuanian millionaire has purchased the remains of the historic submarine K19 on which he once served as a conscript and will turn it into a remarkable club to unite veterans from East and West 2006 - The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) has levied a $12,000 fine against the owner of the tugboat Yarder for spilling oil into Mats Mats Bay north of Port Ludlow after the vessel sank while moored in December 2005 2006 - NOAA took delivery of Henry B. Bigelow, one of a new class of fisheries survey vessels being built under contract with VT Halter Marine Inc., in Pascagoula, Miss 2006 - PNS Badr and Nasr arrived for a 4-day informal visit to Simon’s Town 2006 - Cdr Rich E. Haidvogel relieved Cdr Logan S. Jones as commanding officer of USS Reuben James during a ceremony held on the ship’s flight deck in Hong Kong 2007 - Admiral Thad Allen USCG in an establishment ceremony for the Deployable Operations Group at Fort Lesley J. McNair 4th and P Streets SW Washington DC 2007 - CDR Kurt Kastner relieved CDR Brad Lee in command of USS San Antonio 2007 - Secretary of Homeland Security Chertoff observes a demonstration of the Advanced Spectroscopic Portal technology Pier A Port of Long Beach 2007 - Australia gives “first pass approval” to joining US P-8A MMA Orion Replacement Program 2007 - Dept of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced that the remains of a US serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Fireman 3rd Class Alfred E. Livingston USN of Worthington IN. He will be buried on Saturday in Worthington. On Dec. 7, 1941, Livingston was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma when it was attacked by Japanese torpedo aircraft and capsized in Pearl Harbor 2007 - First of the sixteen 4,578-TEU ships built by Samsung Heavy Industries for OOCL named at the Port of Kobe after the christening of sister OOCL Yokohama in Korea on the day before 2007 - A Syrian ship has been held in detention since Tuesday in Sidon's harbor after it was suspected of smuggling explosive materials. Lady Azza, which docked in Sidon two days ago, was supposed to transport scrap metal from Sidon to an unknown destination in Syria 2007 - Capitaine de frégate Benoît Rouvière relieved Capitaine de frégate Frédéric de Rupilly in command of frigate FS Prairial 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. 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