SeaWaves Today in History June 16, 2009 1587 - John Davis c1543-1605 reaches Gilbert Sound; sails north along Greenland's west coast to Upernavik; calls it Sanderson's Hope, after his merchant backer, William Sanderson 1898 - US squadron bombards Santiago, Cuba 1911 - Battleship Parizhskaya Kommuna launched 1914 - Submarine HMS E9 completed 1914 - First dive to the sunken Empress of Ireland to test diving equipment; as a Commission of Inquiry convenes in Quebec under Lord Mersey; on June 22, diving operations start to recover bodies and valuables from the wreck; on Aug. 20, the Purser's safe is raised 1917 - Trawlers HMCS Ypres, Messines, St Julien launched 1917 - Submarine USS R-18 laid down 1919 - Destroyer USS Goff laid down 1922 - In Esquimalt, the cadets and staff of the Royal Naval College of Canada are packing up and preparing to leave, for they have completed their last term of instruction together and the college is closing. During its 11 years of existence, the college accepted 150 Canadian teenage boys, taught them a course of study designed by the Admiralty to make them suitable for service as naval officers, and processed most of them through a set of demanding examinations to qualify for selection by the Admiralty as deck officers or engineers in British warships. A few cadets failed, and some chose the road less traveled and became paymasters. The college got through the Great War despite the decline of annual intake to a low of six cadets in 1915, and the Halifax Explosion, which destroyed its original building and maimed several cadets and instructors. It could not survive Canada's difficult transition to peace, and the new world order in which Britannia no longer rules the waves 1923 - Submarine HMS X1 launched 1927 - Liner (later AMC) Laurentic launched 1928 - Sloop HMS Hartland launched 1937 - Germany and Italy rejoined the nonintervention patrol. Britain and France worked out an agreement to protect patrol ships from attack 1938 - Patrol vessel Widgeon commissioned 1939 - Destroyer HMS Jupiter commissioned 1940 - Submarine HMS Morse Mined and sunk off Kerkenna 1940 - MS Wellington Star sunk by U-101 at 42.39N, 17.01W 1940 - At 0027, HMS Andania was hit by one torpedo from UA about 230 miles WNW of the Faröes Islands. The ship sank slowly and the Icelandic trawler Skallagrímur took off the crew, so only two men were injured. The trawler continued its course to Hull, but a destroyer took the men off the trawler 36 hours after the rescue 1940 - Ch/Skr Clifford George Williams RCNR awarded Reserve Decoration 1940 - On the 10th June 1940 HMS Grampus sailed from Malta to lay mines off the port of Augusta. Three days later she reported this had been done successfully but nothing further was heard and she did not return from the patrol. It is believed that the Italian Navy sank her on the 16th June. At 1900 on the 16th the Torpedo Boat Circe spotted a periscope and launched a depth charge attack on the position, along with the Polluce. The ninth depth charge pattern destroyed Grampus, which gave up a mass of wreckage 1940 - In naval action supporting the Syria operations a Fleet Air Arm torpedo-bomber flying from Cyprus sinks the large Vichy destroyer Chevalier Paul. During the campaign a RN cruiser and destroyer force, including HMAS Perth and HMNZS Leander, provide close support on the Army's flank. They also fight a series of actions with Vichy French warships as well as German aircraft. A number of destroyers are damaged, but a French destroyer and submarine are sunk. A second super-destroyer, Vaquelin, succeeds in reaching Beirut, but was then damaged by British air attack 1940 - HMS Tetrarch torpedoes and sinks the German tanker Samland south-west of Lista, Norway 1941 - Destroyers USS Gillespie & Gansevoort laid down 1941 - Destroyer HMS Rapid laid down 1941 - Destroyer HNLMS Kortenaer (ex-HMS Scorpion) laid down 1941 - U-220, U-221, U-222 laid down 1941 - Destroyer FS Chevalier Paul Sunk off Syria by British torpedo bombers 1941 - Minesweeper HMS Seaham launched 1941 - U-406 launched 1941 - Corvette HMS Bryony commissioned 1941 - Corvette HMCS Vancouver (ex-HMCS Kitchener) laid down Esquimalt BC 1941 - While on patrol south of the Messina Strait HMS Unbeaten fires torpedoes at a big Italian troop transport. The torpedoes miss the target. 1942 - Destroyer USS Longshaw laid down 1942 - Minesweeper HMS Albacore commissioned 1942 - Destroyer HMS Bramham commissioned 1942 - Operation Vigorous - the eastern convoy to re-supply Malta. An 11-ship convoy with its close escort departed from Haifa and Port Said on 12 Jun. They were met off Tobruk on 13 Jun by a covering force of seven light cruisers and 17 destroyers, commanded by Rear Admiral Sir Philip Vian. The force now comprised 11 merchantmen, one dummy battleship, eight cruisers, 26 destroyers, four corvettes, two minesweepers and two rescue ships. Many air attacks from Crete occurred during the 13th and 14th, sinking two cargo ships and damaging two others. On the evening of 14 Jun, Admiral Vian learned that a strong element of the Italian battle fleet, with two 15-inch battleships (Vittorio Veneto and Littorio), two heavy (Goriza, Trento) and two light cruisers (Giuseppe Garibaldi and Aosta), plus ten destroyers, had sailed south from Taranto. Vian’s covering force could not possibly confront such a powerful task group and early on 15 Jun the convoy reversed course back for Egypt. During the night, as convoy ‘Vigorous’ headed eastward, German S-boats damaged the Southampton-class light cruiser Newcastle and sank the H-class destroyer Hasty. At approximately 0700, when the Italian task group was 200 miles to the northwest, the convoy turned back to the west for Malta. This move drew the Italian fleet closer and made air attacks from Malta-based ‘Beaufort’ torpedo-bombers possible. Nine aircraft were launched at 0415 and came upon the Italian force in the early pre-dawn light. Despite the favorable conditions, a lack of experienced aircrews resulted in the attack being uncoordinated. Only one hit was scored, which disabled the heavy cruiser Trento. She was sunk later on 15 Jun by the U-class HMS Umbra. The Italian formation, expecting the approaching aircraft to be their own air escort, did not fire on their attackers initially and retired eventually in disarray. All nine of the attacking ‘Beauforts’ were able to return to Malta although several were heavily damaged and two were forced to make crash landings. The battleship Littorio was hit by a later torpedo attack but was able to reach port safely. Meanwhile the convoy reversed course to the east at 0940 and, once the air attack was completed and it was known the Italian force had withdrawn, turned back again for Malta at 1200. During the afternoon of 15 Jun, many intense air attacks were launched against ‘Vigorous’. The Southampton-class light cruiser Birmingham was damaged and the Hunt II-class escort destroyer Airedale was sunk by German Ju 87 ‘Stuka’ divebombers. The Australian destroyer Nestor was disabled by Ju-87s and was taken in tow. After the tow parted twice and after receiving warnings of further S-boat activity, it was decided to scuttle Nestor. On the evening of 15 Jun, Admiral Vian made the final decision to withdraw the convoy to Alexandria, citing low anti-aircraft ammunition levels in all the escorts as his reason. The final blow against ‘Vigorous’ came on 16 Jun, when the British Dido-class light anti-aircraft cruiser Hermione was sunk by the German submarine U-205, KptLt. Franz-Georg Reschke, CO. Eighty-seven of her crewmembers were lost in this incident. Only six of the original 11 merchant ships returned to base 1942 - MS Trawlers HMS Product & Professor commissioned 1942 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Prospect launched 1942 - Destroyer HMAS Nestor bombed by German aircraft off Derna in the eastern Mediterranean (position 33°36\'N, 24°30\'E). The ship was straddled by heavy bombs, which caused heavy damage to her boiler rooms. Taken in tow by the British destroyer HMS Javelin but at 0530 hours the next morning the destroyer began to settle by the bow. Permission was granted to scuttle the ship. The Javelin took off the crew and at 0700 hours HMAS Nestor was scuttled by depth charges 1942 - HMS Hermione was torpedoed by the German submarine U-205, North of Sollum and sank in position 33.20N, 26.00E. 87 Crewmembers went down with the ship 1942 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Tranquil was sunk in a collision off Deal, Kent, England on 16 June 1942. 1942 - Destroyer ORP Kujawiak sunk by a mine off Malta 1942 - At 0230, the unarmed and unescorted Arkansan had discontinued her zigzag course about 45 minutes before when the lookouts sighted a surfaced U-boat. The ship increased immediately the speed and turned away, but it was too late and within one minute two torpedoes from U-126 hit amidships. The explosions wrecked the radio antenna and the ship took an extreme port list. Most of the crew of ten officers, 28 men and two workaways abandoned ship in one lifeboat, despite of the fact that she was still moving at seven knots. The Arkansan sank after 20 minutes 70 miles west of Grenada. One officer and three crewmen could not be accounted for after the attack. The survivors were picked up by the USS Pastores and were landed at Trinidad. 1942 - At 0320, the unescorted Kahuku was torpedoed by U-126 about 90 miles west of Grenada, while steaming a zigzagging course at 9.5 knots. Lookouts spotted the wake of the torpedo about 20 yards away from the ship before it struck on the starboard side abaft the bridge about 8 feet below the waterline in the engine room. The eight officers, 28 crewmen, ten armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, two 20mm, two .50cal and one .30cal guns), 17 survivors from the Cold Harbor and 46 survivors from the Scottsburg abandoned ship in two lifeboats and three rafts in some chaos, due to the extra men aboard. The armed guards fired a few shots from the after gun, but soon left the ship. A coup de grâce was fired at 04.15 hours, but the ship remained afloat after the hit. The U-boat surfaced and fired between 0500 & 0526 approximately 30 shells on the bridge and the radio room, one shell hit the after magazine and the ship sank at 0620 hours. The master, one officer, four crewmen, three armed guards and eight survivors died. Some men were picked up by U-126 and placed on rafts, but Able Seaman Archie Gibbs, a survivor from Scottsburg stayed aboard for four days, until he was placed on board the small Venezuelan vessel Minataora about 45 miles off Curaçao and landed there. The remaining survivors were picked up by the American patrol vessels USS Opal & YP-63 and landed at Trinidad 1942 - At 1410, the Nueva Alta Gracia was sunk by scuttling charges by U-161 after being stopped by gunfire 1942 - At 0401, the Managua was hit by one torpedo from U-67 in the stern and sank within eleven minutes. 1942 - At 0417, U-87 fired one torpedo at the leading ship of Convoy XB-25 NE of Cape Cod during a gale and fired at 0418 a second torpedo at another ship. Berger observed how the first hit and thought that the second missed, but apparently both hit Port Nicholson. At 0421, a spread of two torpedoes was fired which both hit Cherokee. The Cherokee was struck by one torpedo on the port side under the bridge. The explosion lifted the vessel out of the water, destroyed the chart house and incoming water gave the ship a sharp list to port. The speed was increased and the rudder was turned hard right, but a second torpedo struck the port bow 90 seconds later, causing the ship to sink by the bow with a 60 degrees list to port within six minutes. The rough seas and the extreme list prevented the launching of lifeboats and only seven rafts were cut loose. The ship carried nine officers, 103 crewmen, 11 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, two .50cal and two .30cal guns) and 46 US Army passengers. Three officers, 62 crewmen, one armed guard and 20 passengers died. 44 survivors were picked up by the steam merchant Norlago and landed them at Provincetown, Massachusetts the same day. 39 others were picked up by USCGC Escanaba, which took them to Boston 1942 - U-302 commissioned 1942 - At 0417, U-87 fired one torpedo at the leading ship of Convoy XB-25 NE of Cape Cod during a gale and fired at 0418 a second torpedo at another ship. Berger observed how the first hit and thought that the second missed, but apparently both hit Port Nicholson. At 0421 hours, a spread of two torpedoes was fired which both hit Cherokee. The Port Nicholson (Master Harold Charles Jeffrey) was first hit in the engine room where two crewmembers on watch below were killed, a second torpedo hit aft and caused her to settle by the stern, while HMCS Nanaimo took off the master, 80 crewmembers and four gunners. At dawn, the ship was still afloat and it was decided to reboard her to assess the damage and chances of salvage. The boarding party consisted of the master, the chief engineer, the commander of the corvette and three of his men. After they had boarded the vessel, wind came up and the rough seas broke the weakened bulkheads causing her to sink quickly by the stern. The men climbed down the ladders and got into the lifeboat but the suction of the sinking ship overturned the lifeboat, drowning the master, the chief engineer and the commander of the corvette. The surviving three men from the boarding party were picked up by the corvette, which then brought the survivors to Boston, Massachusetts. Twelve survivors from the Port Nicholson were later repatriated on the Cape Race, which was sunk in Convoy SC-94 by U-660 on 10 August. All survived the sinking and were rescued 1942 - HMS Hermione is torpedoed and sunk by U-205 south of Crete at 33 30N 26 10E and destroyer HMS Nestor which had also been operating with the Vigorous convoy was disabled in an attack by JU.87's and had to be taken in tow. After the tow had broken twice and after receiving warnings of S-boat activity, it was decided to scuttle Nestor S of Crete at 33 36N 24 27E 1942 - British freighter SS Port Nicholson torpedoed & sunk by German U-boat U.87 KptLt. Joachim Berger CO, in the Atlantic NE of Cape Cod, in position 42.11N 69.25W while on a voyage from Avonmouth, Barry & New York to Wellington via Halifax & Panama, with a cargo of 1600 tons of automobile parts & 4000 tons of military stores, part of convoy XB.25 comprising 5 ships. 79 crew & 4 gunners were rescued by HMCS Nanaimo (K101) Lt Thomas James Bellas RCN, CO. Master & three crew with 6 men from Nanaimo reboarded vessel to attempt salvage. All but 4 from corvette were Lost when vessel sank later, the Master Harold Charles Jeffrey & three crew of PORT Nicholson as well as AB Leslie Horne V-9632, of Winnipeg, MB; Lt John Molson Walkley of Montreal, PQ; both RCNVR of Nanaimo. Survivors from Port Nicholson were landed later at Boston, Mass. 1942 - Finnish s/s Argo sunk at Bogskär by Soviet submarine Shtsh 317 1943 - An aircraft from RAF 547 Sqn attacked U-600, killing one crewman. The aircraft was shot down 1943 - 27 men died when U-97 was lost and 21 men survived 1943 - Corvette HMCS Arvida arrived Iceland for repair depth charge damage 1943 - U-473, U-547, U-983 commissioned 1943 - U-290, U-989, U-990 launched 1943 - U-878 laid down 1943 - Minesweeper HMS Ararat commissioned 1943 - Destroyer Escort USS Sturtevant commissioned 1943 - Destroyer USS Wickes commissioned 1943 - Escort carrier HMS Trouncer launched 1943 - Destroyer escort USS Fleming launched 1943 - Frigate HMCS Magog laid down Montreal PQ 1943 - Frigate HMCS Waskesiu commissioned 1943 - Corvette HMCS Arvida arrived Iceland for repair of depth charge damage 1943 - Frigate HMCS Magog laid down Montreal PQ 1943 - Frigate HMCS Waskesiu commissioned 1943 - The 1st convoys for the Invasion of Sicily, Operation Husky, sail from the US 1943 - In the Solomons, the IJN launches its largest air raid since 7 April 1943, by dispatching an estimated 50 Aichi D3A Navy Type 99 Carrier Bombers, Allied Code Name "Val," and 70 Mitsubishi A6M Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighters, Allied Code Name "Zeke," against USN vessels at Guadalcanal and Tulagi preparing for Operation TOENAILS, the invasion of New Georgia Island in the central Solomon Islands. A coastwatcher sights this force just after 1200 hours local and 104 Allied aircraft, RNZAF Kittyhawks; 12 P-38G Lightnings, 14 P-39D, K and N Airacobras and 21 P-40 F and Ms of the USAAF; USMC F4U Corsairs; and USN F4F Wildcats are scrambled to meet the raid. Numerous dogfights ensue over Savo and Tulagi Islands, and Cape Esperance and Koli Point on Guadalcanal; Allied aircraft claim 79 aircraft shot down with the loss of six Allied fighters and five pilots; AA claims 17 more aircraft. The Japanese succeed in damaging three ships [tank landing ship USS LST-340 and cargo ship USS Celeno are beached] and cause considerable destruction on Guadalcanal Island. This is the last daylight raid launched by the Japanese against Guadalcanal 1943 - Japanese Operation KE continues as the submarine HIJMS I-175 lands ten tons of weapons and ammunition and six tons of food on Kiska Island. The sub then evacuates 70 civilians 1943 - HMCS Arvida, a Flower-class corvette (1939-40 Program) arrived at Iceland for repair of damage sustained from her own depth charges during one of her attacks on a submarine contact. Arvida was under repair in Iceland for a week following this incident. Arvida was a veteran of long service in the North Atlantic. Three of the convoys that she helped to escort in 1942 suffered serious losses in some of the greatest convoy battles of the war - ONS-92 (seven ships for 36,284 tons), ON-127 (eight ships for 51,607 tons), and SC-107 (15 ships for 82,430 tons). Despite the opportunities that presented themselves, Arvida did not destroy or damage any U-boats. She was paid off on 14 Jun 45 and was sold for commercial use to a Spanish owner in 1950 1943 - U-97 (Type VIIC) is sunk in Mediterranean, west of Haifa at position 33.00N, 34.00W by depth charges from an Australian Hudson aircraft (Sqn 459/T). 27 dead, 21 survivors 1943 - HMS Unison torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Terni off Catania, Sicily 1944 - Corvette HMCS Asbestos commissioned 1944 - HMS Sickle believed lost when she struck a mine in the Kythera Channel. Sickle was the last British submarine to be lost in the Mediterranean during WW2 1944 - The unescorted Columbine was torpedoed and sunk by U-198 25 miles NW of Cape Castle, South West Africa. The master, 19 crewmembers and six passengers were lost 1944 - U-2324 launched 1944 - U-804 attacked by a Norwegian 333 Sqn Mosquito. 8 men were wounded but the boat was not seriously damaged. 2 of the aircrew were saved by U-1000 on 18 June and taken to Norway for questioning. 2 of the air crew were saved by U-1000 on 18 June and taken to Norway for questioning 1944 - Destroyer USS Hyman commissioned 1944 - Minesweeper USS Pirate commissioned 1944 - Corvette HMCS Asbestos commissioned 1944 - Tel (SO) Donald Warner Oberson RCNVR awarded Mention in Dispatches 1944 - Six Finnish VMV Patrol boats surprise four enemy G-5 type motor torpedo boats at Halli. One of them is sunk and another captured 1944 - US Fifth Fleet battleships under the command of Admiral Ainsworth shell Guam 1944 - Carrier-based aircraft from the USN's Task Groups 58.1 and 58.4 again mount attacks on Iwo Jima, in the Volcano Islands, and Chichi Jima and Haha Jima, in the Bonin Islands, during the afternoon. Targets include airfields, fuel supplies and barracks. Two F6F Hellcats and their pilots are lost. After the attacks, both task groups retire to the Mariana Islands 1944 - In response to the sighting of the IJN's First Mobile Fleet sailing from the Philippines towards the Mariana Islands by a US submarine, Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, commander Fifth Fleet, orders that the antiaircraft screens around USN carriers be augmented by drawing additional cruisers and destroyers from fire-support and shore-bombardment groups. The entire burden of ground-support missions and on-call air-support is shifted from the fast carriers of Task Force 58 to the escort aircraft carriers of the Fifth Fleet. Carrier-based aircraft of Task Groups 58.2 and 58.3 attempt to neutralize all of the airfields on Guam and Tinian. The airmen maintain that big guns should also be used against these targets but their suggestions are ignored. A TBM Avenger from an escort carrier drops heavy weapons to a USMC infantry battalion on Saipan but the aircraft is too low and many weapons are damaged or destroyed 1944 - Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-256 was commissioned at New York with LT C. E. Thorsen, USCGR as her first commanding officer. On 17 July 1944 she departed New York for the Southwest Pacific. She was assigned to and operated in the Southwest Pacific area. LTJG K. F. Erickson, USCGR succeeded Thorsen on 3 October 1945. The ship was decommissioned 14 October 1945 1945 - Destroyer USS Twiggs sunk by a Kamikaze aircraft after being torpedoed off Okinawa 1945 - Capt (E) John Grant Knowlton RCN, Capt Humphrey McMaster RCN, Capt Leslie Frederick Banyard RCNR, Cdr (E) Herbert Lane Elliott RCNR, A/Cdr Harry "The Horse" Freeland RCNR, Capt Joseph Patrick Connolly RCNVR, Surg/Capt David Walker Johnstone RCNVR, A/Cdr Alexander McAllister McLarnon RCNVR, A/Cdr Reginald "Cowboy" Jackson RCNVR, Cdr (L) William Hugh Greg Rogers RCNVR, Paym/Capt Richard Walter Underhill RCNVR awarded OBE 1945 - Capt Thomas Colin Anderson CN SS Delwarnic, Capt James William Childs CN SS Connector, Capt Victor Nathan Clarke CN Liscombe Park, Capt Carl JR Kohler SS Dufferin Park awarded MBE (Civil) 1945 - Wt (E) Duff Morrison Pennie RCN, Wt (E) David Cormack RCNR, Skr/Lt Stanley Francis Ellis RCNR, A/LCdr Lester Alton Hickey RCNR, Cd (S) Alfred Richard Armstrong Taylor RCNR, A/LCdr Breen Philip Young RCNR, A/LCdr Ansten Anstensen RCNVR, A/LCdr Richard Cassils Chenoweth RCNVR, A/LCdr John Henderson Kyle RCNVR, A/LCdr (E) Ian Norton MacKay RCNVR, LCdr Wilfred McIsaac RCNVR, A/LCdr Arthur Martin Peregrin Scaife RCNVR, Lt (SB) Norah Janetta Cooper WRCNS awarded MBE 1945 - 2nd/Officer Salvator Peter Berna CP SS Whiteshell Park, 2nd/Officer Douglas Zealand Creaser, 3rd/Officer Douglas Gordon Daupinee CN SS Colborne, Ch (E) Phillip Knight CN SS Delwarnic, 2nd(E) Thomas Hutchinson Mearns CN SS Chomody awarded MBE 1945 - A/LCdr Charles Patrick Nixon RCN, A/Cdr St. Clair Balfour RCNVR, Lt James MacMurray Hay RCNVR awarded DSC 1945 - P/Matron Alma Rae Fellowes awarded Royal Red Cross 1945- A/Matron Catherine Adeline Jane Evans RCN & N/S Margaret Isabelle Green RCN awarded Associate Royal Red Cross 1945 - Lt George Olaf Rundle RNCR awarded Bar to George Medal 1945 - PO (HSD) David Gray RCNVR awarded DSM 1945 -Ch/Ymn Frederick Harold Ames RCN, CPO John James Ashworth Clarke RCN, CPO/Ck (S) Ross Douglas Eison RCN, CPO/Stk Delamark Steven Lowe RCN, PO Clare Lorne Ball RCNR, CPO/Sto Clyde James Brennan RCNR, SPO Walter Stanley Chemist RCNR, CPO John Leopold Christopher RCNR, PO/Patrol, William Arthur Johnson RCNR, A/CPO Hugh Patrick McVeigh RCNR, CPO (TC) Douglas William Pike RCNR, LS John William Wells RCNR, CPO/Wtr Angus McFayden Smith Allan RCNVR, ERA 3/cl Herbert Arthur Coulman RCNVR, A/Ymn George Patrick Fenn RCNVR, L/Sig Thomas Jamieson RCNVR, CPO/Sto Arthur Andrew Jourdin RCNVR, A/CPO Ronald Anthony Norman RCNVR, CPO/Sto Roy Smith RCNVR, CPO/MM 3 William Nelson Smith RCNVR, L/SBA Herbert Treller RCNVR, A/CPO/Shipw, Frank Veinor RCNVR, MAA Phyllis Ross Sanderson WRCNS awarded BEM 1945 - Fishing/Skr's, Fred Chetwynd, Sydney Christie & Douglas Smith awarded BEM (Civil) for rescue of crew of SS Gertrud Rask 1945 - Fishermen Danny Bower, Rodman Branne, Cecil Chetwynd, Earl Christie, Fred Crowell, Foreman Newell & Julius Purdy awarded King's Commendation for Brave Conduct in rescue of crew of SS Gertrud Rask. 1945 - PO Clifford John Bell RCNVR & A/PO Edwin Thompson Hughes RCNVR awarded Second Mention in Dispatches 1945 - CPO/Sto James Cooper RCN, PO Candido De Candido RCN, CPO/Sto Walter Alwin Elliott RCN, PO Henry James RCN, CPO Murray Beasley Miller RCN, A/PO Gordon Campbell Mitchell RCN, CPO George Henry Charles Pearce RCN, CPO Donald Edward Snelgrove RCN, CPO/Sto George Henry Thomas RCN, CPO/Elec Cedric Stanley Watling RCN, Lt Wilfred Orvin Oakley Barbour RCNR, SPO Daniel Brown RCNR, CPO Hugh Brown RCNR, Lt John Foggo Carmichael RCNR, ERA 4 Thomas Ernest Davies RCNR, Cd (E) Joseph William Edmundson RCNR, CPO/ERA Francis Feener RCNR, A/SPO Jack Charles Harnett RCNR, LS Roby Emmerson Hatfield RCNR, SPO John Lockwood RCNR, ERA 3 Thomas Joseph McCrate RCNR, ERA 3 William E. McLaren RCNR, CPO/ERA Karl Moe, RCNR, Cd(E) George Cairns Ness RCNR, SPO Herbert John Perrett RCNR, AB (LTO) Donald Raymond Phillips RCNR, Lt Lewis Dennis Quick RCNR, LS Allyn Morgan Ripley, A/SPO Andrew Lang Ritchie RCNR, Skr/Lt John Winton Sharpe RCNR, AB George Sibleyh RCNR, Wt(E) Walter Edgar Spershott RCNR, CPO Ralph Sydney Tiner RCNR, CPO Frank Wagg RCNR, A/LCdr Matthew Howard Wallace RCNR, PO Dean Nelson Wood RCNR, Skr/Lt Henry Esson Young RCNR, Surg/Lt John Douglas Boyd Baird RCNVR, Lt Donald Richard Baker RCNVR, L/Sig George Charles Bayford RCNVR, PO Charles Edward Bell RCNVR, Lt Donald Patterson Best RCNVR, CPO/MM John Buchan RCNVR, A/CPO Larence Elswood Chapman RCNVR, CPO/MM Charles Kenneth Clarke RCNVR, A/CPO Daniel Cunningham RCNVR, PO John Morley Davies RCNVR, ERA 3 Allan Goss Davis RCNVR, Lt Edmond Joli De Lotbiniere RCNVR, A/Cdr Thomas Grant Denny RCNVR, ERA 3, James Alexander Duncan RCNVR; CPO/MM Robert Pankburst Edwards RCNVR, Lt Frank Kinnear Ellis RCNVR, Lt John Forbes Evans RCNVR, A/LCdr Harold Frederick Farncomb RCNVR, SBA James Douglas Freeborn RCNVR, AB Anthony Gordon Genova RCNVR, LS William Arthur Gilder RCNVR, Lt Kenneth David Heath RCNVR, A/LS Paul Hebert RCNVR, L/Tel Edward John Hickey RCNVR, CPO William Anderson Irving RCNVR, Lt Edward Gilbert Jarvis RCNVR, ERA 3 James Hollywell KERR RCNVR; L/Ck Gordon Wilfred Kuhn; L/Sup/A Joseph Donat Hector Laine RCNVR, PO/Stk Donald Chalmers Lipsit RCNVR, ERA 3 Charles Little RCNVR, Lt John Gordon McClelland RCNVR, ERA 3 Charles Wilson McHugh RCNVR, CPO/ERA Keith McIntyre RCNVR, PO/Sup Robert Beverley Millar RCNVR, Ymn Richard John Moore RCNVR, A/L/Tel John Francis Mulvaney RCNVR, Lt William George Mylett RCNVR, PO Rodger J. Oullette RCNVR, A/PO Robert Tait Porter RCNVR, Lt Thomas Beattie Robson RCNVR, AB Norman Reginald Rutherford RCNVR, SPO William Charles Scott RCNVR, PO Charles Rupert Selzer RCNVR, S/Lt Frank Herman Sheppard RCNVR, A/CPO Stanley Simpson RCNVR, L/Std Peter Deas Sinclair RCNVR, Lt Donald William Green Storey RCNVR, CPO/MM Roland Laurie Talbot RCNVR, A/LS Ray Johnson Tibert RCNVR, A/LCdr George Fitzgerald Webb RCNVR, A/LCdr Richard Sugden Williams RCNVR, Lt Gerald Gray Zaphe RCNVR awarded Mention in Dispatches 1945 - Corvettes HMCS Chicoutimi, Edmunston & Matapedia paid off Sorel PQ 1945 - Off Okinawa at 2030 hours local, a single, low-flying Japanese aircraft drops a torpedo which hits the destroyer USS Twiggs on her port side, exploding her number 2 magazine. The plane then circles and completes its kamikaze mission in a suicide crash. The explosion enveloped the destroyer in flame; and, within an hour, she sinks. Despite the hazard of exploding ammunition, 188 survivors are rescued from the oily waters; among the 162 dead and missing is her commanding officer 1945 - Sloop HMS Opossum commissioned 1945 - Destroyer USS Stickell launched 1945 - Destroyer USS Ozbourn laid down 1945 - Frigate HMCS Stettler departed Londonderry for Halifax NS 1945 - HMS Vigorous damages a Japanese coaster with gunfire north of Sumatra 1954 - Submarine HMS Tally Ho departed Halifax following ASW training 1954 - Minesweeper HMCS Trinity commissioned 1955 - At 0825, HMS Sidon was alongside the depot ship HMS Maidstone at Portland when one of her torpedoes exploded. The torpedoes had no warheads, but did have the new volatile hydrogen peroxide propellant. The crew had just embarked the torpedoes before going to sea for trial firings. A sudden uprush of air and smoke poured through the conning tower hatch. Her captain and others who were on the bridge, and others from Maidstone, entered the boat to assist rescue operations. At 0845 the submarine sank without warning by the bows. There were 56 men onboard at the time. Crew, trainees and trials personnel for the trip. Three officers and ten ratings lost their lives but the remainder was saved. The wreck was raised on 23 June 1955 and beached the next day. The 13 bodies were recovered two days later. She was used as an ASW target in June 1957. She lies a few miles West of Portland intact and upright. Another explosion of the hydrogen-peroxide torpedo at Arrochar torpedo range caused the development of the Mk12 torpedo to be cancelled 1961 - S/Lt Knudd "Skip" Rassow RCN lost his life when his VF 870 Banshee, serno 126434, crashed near East Dover, NS when practicing aerobatics in the designated low-flying area near Prospect Point. While trying a low level loop he failed to pull through in time and hit the ground. S/Lt Rassow had been a Danish pilot trainee at RCAF Station Moose Jaw. He went home to complete his tour with the Danish Air Force, returning three years later to join the RCN. He became Banshee-qualified and later accomplished the 7,000th landing on BV on 24 April 1961. Throughout his training, he had substantial T-33 flying time. He was an aggressive and proficient pilot who enjoyed the precision of aerobatics. He was particularly adept on the T-33 and strived to extend these skills to the Banshee, spending a good deal of free flying time over the Prospect Point low-flying area. The week following the accident, his ashes were scattered at sea by his father from an RCN helicopter 1965 - Navy Department schedules reactivation of hospital ship Repose (AH-16), first hospital ship activated for Vietnam Conflict 1967 - USS Oriskany commenced Vietnam deployment 1968 - USS Ticonderoga port call Subic Bay 1968 - USS PCF 19 sunk accidentally by US aircraft off South Vietnam 1969 - Taiwanese landing ship Mei Hwa sunk in collision with merchant ship Ta Tung in dense fog 1969 - USS Kitty Hawk port call Sasebo 1973 - USS Constellation port call Subic Bay 1976 - Pierre Elliott Trudeau visits Washington to reaffirm Canada's commitment to NATO anti-submarine patrol; presents President Ford with book 'Between Friends/ Entre Amis' 1988 - In Santa Barbara, CA, a team of 32 divers begin cycling underwater on a standard tricycle, to complete 116.66 miles in 75 hrs 20 minutes 2005 - A cooperative agreement was signed by the Commandant of the US Coast Guard and the Commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard onboard Coast Guard Base Cleveland. The agreement formalizes cooperation between the United States and Canada in regards to border enforcement, search and rescue, and the flow of commercial vessel traffic in the Great Lakes region. Adm. Thomas Collins, Commandant of the US Coast Guard, and John Adams, Commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard, will sign and speak about how greater cooperation between these two international partners will affect boaters here and on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Collins and Adams will distribute lifejackets to area children following the signing to help promote boating safety on the Great Lakes 2005 - Teekay Shipping announced plans to fit the Connexion by Boeing high speed satellite communication service on up to 90 vessels all of its ocean going fleet. Following participation in the first Connexion maritime trial, it will definitely be fitting the system on 10 vessels at the end of 2005. It will then have an evaluation period, and if everything is OK it will install the next 40 during 2006. The contract it has signed with Teekay covers options to fit the service on up to 90 vessels 2005 - Jean-Claude D’Amours, MP for Madawaska-Restigouche, on behalf of Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre, announced today that work to repair and stabilize about 535 meters of shoreline embankment in the East Bay section of the Port of Dalhousie, in New Brunswick has been completed. L.C.L. Excavation Inc. of Charlo NB carried out the work. The project, worth $961,390 consisted of putting in place a protective wall, including the placement of armor stone along about 535 meters of shoreline in the East Bay section of the port to prevent erosion and loss of infill material into the Bay of Chaleur. Erosion of this section of the shoreline embankment was mainly due to high tides and storms in the summer of 2003 2005 - At 0830 Yarmouth Coastguard ended the extensive search for a dinghy sailor, missing since the 13th. A large number of rescue units and commercial vessels have been involved. The shoreline search stretched from Brancaster Bay to Blakeney and was accompanied by an extensive offshore sea search. Unfortunately nothing further has been found and the incident has now been passed to Norfolk Police as a missing person 2005 - Survivors of the last British submarine disaster are gathering close to the site of the accident to commemorate its 50th anniversary. Thirteen sailors died when a torpedo on HMS Sidon detonated in Portland, Dorset, on 16 June 1955. More than 20 survivors from around the world are in Portland on Thursday to attend a memorial service. They will lay a wreath in the morning, before a large service expected to be attended by 300 people. A crew of 56 people was on board the submarine when the torpedo's propulsion system blew up. The submarine sank without warning just 20 minutes later, killing three officers and 10 ratings 2005 - Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre today announced the appointment of Mr. Robert Rocheleau, chartered accountant of Sainte-Adèle, Quebec, to the board of directors of the Laurentian Pilotage Authority. Mr. Rocheleau received his Bachelor of Arts in 1960; his commerce degree from the Hautes études commerciales in 1963 and in 1964 became a certified accountant. He has held many executive positions including president of Simard-Beaudry Inc., president of the board of directors and president of Bois Daigle Ltd. He is currently a member of Groupe TNT Gelco Inc.’s advisory committee and advisor to the president 2005 - Patrol Squadron One’s combat aircrew one enjoyed a rather unique opportunity recently as they traveled to MCAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, to take part in the live-fire exercise, “Patrolling Thunder.” The exercise was structured around the scuttling of the decommissioned dock landing ship USS Mount Vernon and took place on June 16 off the northwest coast of the Island of Kauai. The event was hosted by Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing Two and was composed of aircrews, maintainers and ordnancemen from Patrol Squadrons 1,9,46, 47 and Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 10 2006 - Two teenagers on a Jet Ski were involved in a collision with a 22-foot pleasure craft today near Presque Isle. Coast Guard Station Erie rescue boat was on scene after the crash and received the two passengers from a Good Samaritan then transferred them to a park ranger. The Coast Guard received a call at approximately 1630 from the male on-board the pleasure craft. They were pronounced dead by Emergency Medical personnel 2006 - Crowley Maritime Corporation is relocating its tugs to Berth 9 in the Port of Oakland. The move, eight miles away from Crowley’s previous terminal at 10th Avenue, will allow Crowley to provide faster service upon receiving a customer’s ship assist request 2006 - The International Whaling Commission (IWC) meets from June 16 to 20 in St Kitts 2006 - Cape Cod Chapter of the Coast Guard Chief Petty Officers' Association (CPOA) host the 18th Annual Habilitation Assistance Corporation sponsored Massachusetts Special Olympics events at the gym in Otis Air National Guard Base 2006 - NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, will travel to Reykjavik 2006 - Overseas Shipholding Group announced that it signed agreements with subsidiaries of Cido Tanker Holding Co. to time charter two product/chemical carriers for a period of 10 years. The vessels will be built by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea and are scheduled to be delivered to OSG in April and July 2009. The two vessels, the Overseas Polaris and the Overseas Pisces, will be sister ships having a capacity of 47,000 deadweight tons and six segregations, and will be able to transport petroleum products, vegetable oils and IMO III chemicals. Delivery of the vessels will increase the number of International and US Flag product carriers in OSG's fleet to 54 2006 - The Minister Assisting the Minister for Defense Bruce Billson officially took delivery of the tenth and final ANZAC class frigate, NUSHIP Perth on behalf of the Royal Australian Navy 2006 - Coast Guard Station Port Canaveral change of command ceremony. Chief Warrant Officer Michael Locke will relieve Chief Warrant Officer Mary Ward. A retirement ceremony for Chief Warrant Officer Ward will immediately commence after the change of command ceremony 2006 - Coast Guard Sector Miami retirement ceremony for Master Chief Petty Officer Roger "Buck" Ward. Ward enlisted Jan. 31, 1966 making him the longest serving member 2006 - Change of command ceremony at Coast Guard Station Sabine Pass, Texas. Chief Warrant Officer Simmons, previously the operations officer of Cutter Maui, will relieve Chief Warrant Officer Chuck Bush, of command of Station Sabine Pass. Captain Christine Balboni, the deputy sector commander for Sector Houston-Galveston, will preside over the ceremony 2006 - Coast Guard Cutter Kukui change of command ceremony at Sand Island. Cmdr. Ty Rinoski will transfer command to Lt. Cmdr. Stephen Matadobra 2006 - Gloucester man charged in federal court with one count of violating the Refuse Act for towing his charter boat off the coast of Gloucester and sinking it in a commercial fishing area. United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan; Michael E. Hubbard, Special Agent in Charge of the Environmental Protection Agency's Criminal Enforcement Division in New England; and William Schenkelberg, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Region of the US Coast Guard Investigative Service, announced today that Thomas W Lukegord, JR., age 46, of 121 Wheeler Street, Gloucester, was charged in an Information with one count of violating the Refuse Act 2006 - The French Government's decision to offer new legal protection to the final resting place of over 3,000 British servicemen who died when the HMT Lancastria was sunk in World War Two has today been welcomed by Veterans Minister Tom Watson. The requisitioned Cunard liner was lending support to the war effort, helping to rescue members of the British Expeditionary Force from France, when she was attacked by enemy aircraft off St. Nazaire on 17 June 1940. At the time she was carrying several thousand troops, RAF personnel and civilian refugees, who were being evacuated from France. The ship sank rapidly with heavy loss of life. So grievous was the disaster that news of the Lancastria's sinking was initially suppressed by the wartime Cabinet, fearful of the effect on the nation's morale 2006 - BMW ORACLE Racing, the only US Challenger for the America's Cup -- sailing's most prestigious prize and the world's oldest trophy in sport -- is the centerpiece of an eye-catching interactive nautical exhibit that opened to the press today at New York's Rockefeller Center. The event, supported by the team's partners and sponsors BMW, Oracle, Allianz and Girard-Perregaux, is hosted by Tishman Speyer, co-owners of Rockefeller Center, and museum curated by Mystic Seaport -- The Museum of America and the Sea 2006 - Omega Navigation Enterprises takes delivery of second Panamax (LR1) double hull product tanker, "Everhard Schulte," to be renamed "Omega King" 2006 - MC Shipping Inc. announced it has taken further steps to focus on LPG shipping sector with an agreement to acquire an LPG tanker from the A.P. Moller - Maersk Group of Denmark. The vessel, Hans Maersk is a 1993-built semi-refrigerated LPG carrier of 20,700 cbm capacity. The acquisition is being funded out of current cash holdings and a bank loan. The vessel is expected to be delivered before July 31, 2006. Simultaneously with the purchase, she will be time-chartered back to A.P. Moller - Maersk for a minimum period of 5 years. The Company further announced that it has signed contracts to sell its two small coastal bulkers, Bay Trader and Link Trader. Delivery to buyers is expected within June 2006 2006 - Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. in Korea has awarded Aker Kvaerner a contract for delivery of a new drilling rig to Eastern Drilling's West E-Drill project. The contract value is approximately NOK 700 million. The project will start immediately at Aker Kvaerner's subsidiary Aker Kvaerner MH, with delivery of the drilling equipment package in the second half of 2007 2006 - Senator John W. Warner, R-Va., the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced that the United States Senate has approved legislation that would name the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, CVN-78, as USS Gerald Ford 2006 - USNS Arctic arrived in Virginia today to drop off a rescued Scottish yachtsman after assisting in his rescue in the mid-Atlantic Ocean. On June 12, Arctic, a fast combat support ship operated by Navy's Military Sealift Command, was about 115 miles away from the 32-foot-long sailboat Tyree when its captain, William Glover, sent a distress message. He stated that he was injured and in need of medical assistance. Destroyer USS Bulkeley, located nearby, dispatched its helicopter for the rescue. Due to the distance of the flight, the helicopter first landed on Arctic to refuel before proceeding to the sailboat. The helicopter picked up the injured yachtsman using its hoist and rescue basket and then returned to the Arctic, where Glover was taken by stretcher to the ship’s medical clinic for evaluation 2006 - Tamil Tiger guerrillas clashed with two navy vessels off Sri Lanka's northwestern coast and launched an attack on a coastal police station. Boats from the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) engaged the naval craft near the island of Mannar off the northwest coast, the sources said, adding that the navy had called in support from the air force 2006 - Divers with underwater cutting torches and a crane operator on a barge are dismantling the tilted wreckage of bulker Selendang Ayu as the salvage operation off Unalaska Island moves into the final phase 2006 - The Navy established Strike Group Oceanography Team San Diego in a ceremony 2007 - A Spanish fishing vessel handed over 25 illegal immigrants and the corpse of another to Libyan authorities after it was allowed to dock in Tripoli. "Nuestra Madre de Loreto," rescued the migrants on the 13th about 90 miles from Libya after the illegal immigrants boat capsized. One of the migrants died after being taken aboard. Libya had initially refused to accept the illegal immigrants, but changed its mind following talks with Spanish authorities 2007 - The Faroe vessel "Thor Sentry" with a crew of five adrift in gale force winds and rough seas in the North Sea Wednesday morning was later reported to be on its way to Denmark under its own power. The vessel sent distress signal Tuesday evening, 160 nautical miles south west of Karmoey. There were waves of up to 20 meters and several windows had been smashed, and the steering system was out of operation. However, the five on board were not in danger, according to NRK. A supply ship is standing by, and has radio contact with the Faroe vessel, which was on standby duty for an oil company 2007 - An air, land and sea search coordinated by Shetland Coastguard began at 0030 after a red flare was sited near Orkney. A 999 call was received from a member of the public on the island of Graemsay, Orkney, reporting that he had seen a red distress flare near Stromness 2007 - Lacking any leads or indications a kayaker was in distress the Coast Guard suspended its search regarding an overturned kayak found adrift near Plum Island and Ipswitch Bay, Mass 2008 - Capt. Matthew T. Bell, Jr., from Kodiak, Alaska, takes command of Coast Guard Patrol Forces Southwest Asia assuming tactical control of six Coast Guard patrol boats, five US Navy coastal patrol boats, a large support unit in Bahrain, a training team in Umm Qasr, Iraq, and a Coast Guard forward operating base aboard Kuwait Naval Base. Capt. Bell will receive the title of commodore because of the numerous ships he will have under his command 2008 - Chief of the Defense Staff (CDS), General Rick Hillier, announced that Rear-Admiral Denis Rouleau will be the new Vice Chief of Defense Staff (VCDS) and will be promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral. He will replace Lieutenant-General Walt Natynczyk, who will become the new CDS 2008 - KBR overcharged the US Navy for providing meals to workers and service personnel in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, according to a Pentagon audit 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