SeaWaves Today in History June 17, 2009 Iceland - Proclamation of the Republic Day. Visiting warships Dress Ship overall 1579 - Sir Francis Drake lands on the coast of California 1605 - Samuel de Champlain c1570-1635 leaves with de Monts to hunt for a better site for the colony; sails 650 km south to Cape Cod Massachusetts; draws first charts of New England coastline 1745 - William Pepperell 1696-1759 and his 4,000 Colonial New England troops, with naval support from Commodore Peter Warren; with Massachusetts Governor William Shirley, capture Louisbourg from Louis Du Pont Duchambon de Vergor 1713-c1775; most civilians sent to Rochefort, France; Louisbourg returned to France in 1748 1753 - Lunenburg settled by Germans from Halifax 1833 - USS Delaware enters drydock at Gosport Navy Yard in Norfolk, VA, the first warship to enter a public drydock in the United States 1870 - USS Mohican burns Mexican pirate ship Forward 1885 - Statue of Liberty arrived in NYC aboard French ship Isere 1895 - US Ship Canal (W 225th St) in the Bronx completed; cutting Marble Hill off from Manhattan 1898 - Navy Hospital Corps established 1903 - Roald Amundsen 1872-1928 starts Arctic voyage on his ship Gjoa; first east to west navigation of the NW Passage 1918 - Minesweeper USS Robin launched 1919 - Minesweeper USS Partridge commissioned 1919 - Lieutenant Agar, Royal Navy, assigned to support intelligence operations along the Russian coast, took a tiny torpedo-armed Coastal Motor Boat from a base in Finland to attack the Bolshevik naval forces at Kronstadt. He evaded patrolling destroyers, but the CMB was damaged by gunfire. Agar managed to effect repairs, and returned to the attack, sinking a cruiser. Although his mission was unauthorized, he was awarded the Victoria Cross 1928 - Amelia Earhart embarked on a Trans-Atlantic flight from Newfoundland to Wales - the first by a woman 1930 - Submarine HMS Proteus commissioned 1930 - Heavy cruiser USS Houston commissioned 1935 - Destroyer USS Dale commissioned 1936 - Minesweeper HMS Gleaner laid down 1936 - Destroyer USS Lamson launched 1937 - U-56, U-57, U-58, U-59 ordered 1937 - Aircraft carrier HMS Formidable laid down 1939 - Soviet Submarine USSR SC-424 renamed one more time to SC-424 1939 - Minesweepers FS Annamite, Chevreul, Gazelle & La Surprise launched 1939 - Destroyer USS Hughes launched 1939 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Ellesmere launched 1940 - Great Britain suffered its worst maritime disaster when German Do. 17 tactical bombers sank the troopship Lancastria (16,234 GRT), Captain Rudophe Sharpe, Master, during Operation Aerial, the evacuation of troops from Saint Nazaire, France. Lancastria was a converted Cunard liner. She arrived off St. Nazaire at 0400 on 17 Jun and anchored in the Charpentier Roads. Destroyers and other craft were used to ferry people out to the troopship. An estimated 6,000 servicemen and a number of civilian women and children when onboard, although some reports indicate that as many as 9,000 people may have been in the ship when it was hit by four bombs as approximately 16 -00. One bomb was a direct hit, which went down the ship's large single funnel and exploded in the engine room. The ship capsized at 16 -15 and sank soon afterwards. The bomb explosion in the engine room ruptured one of the ship's bunkers and flooded the sea with heavy fuel oil, making rescue operations extremely difficult. Fewer than 2,500 people survived. The large liner Oronsay (20,000 GRT) was also bombed but she remained afloat and reached port safely. News of the disaster was suppressed by the British Government because of the impact it might have had on the country's morale. It was announced over a month later. Captain Sharpe survived the sinking and went on to become the master of the liner Laconia (19,695 GRT). He was with her when she was sunk on 12 Sep 42 by U-156, Kptlt Werner Hartenstein, CO, off the coast of West Africa. Captain Sharpe was among the more than 2,000 lost in this event, making it the second worst British maritime disaster 1940 - U-206 laid down 1940 - SS Elpis sunk by U-46 at 43.46N, 14.06W 1940 - U-106 launched 1940 - Italian submarine Provana was rammed & sunk off Oran by minesweeping sloop FS La Curieuse 1940 - Chief of Naval Operations asks Congress for money to build two-ocean Navy 1940 - President Roosevelt inquired of France as to the disposition of the French Fleet 1940 - The French sink an Italian submarine off Oran in Algeria. This sub was the Provana; the first Italian submarine to be sunk in the Mediterranean which went down after being rammed. Five more Italian boats would be lost in the Mediterranean before the end of June (and four more in the Red Sea), making it a tough month for the Italian "somergibili" 1940 - France asked Germany for terms of surrender in World War II 1941 - Vichy French merchant Desirade (9645 grt) was seized by AMC HMS Pretoria Castle east of the Antilles 1941 - At 0315, the Cathrine in Convoy SL-76 was torpedoed and sunk by U-43 about 250 miles SW of Cape Clear. The master and 23 crewmembers were lost. The wireless operator and two crewmembers were rescued after 33 days in a lifeboat by the British trawler Boreas and landed at Valentia, Co Cork 1941 - Minesweeper HMCS Lockeport laid down 1941 - Corvette FS Alysse commissioned 1941 - Corvette HMCS Rosthern commissioned 1941 - Minesweeper HMS Blyth commissioned 1941 - ASW trawler HMS Polka commissioned 1941 - Destroyer ORP Kujawiak (ex-HMS Oakley) commissioned 1941 - Minesweeper HMCS Lockeport laid down North Vancouver 1941 - Lt Denis James Patrick O'Hagan RCNVR awarded George Medal 1941 - United States and Canada set up Joint Economic Committees. (“ . . .to study and to report to their respective governments on the possibilities of (1) effecting a more economic, more efficient, and more coordinated utilization of the combined resources of the two countries in the production of defense requirements (to the extent that this is not now being done) and (2) reducing the probable post-war economic dislocation consequent upon the changes which the economy in each country is presently undergoing" 1941 - Destroyer HMCS St Clair was heavily damaged in a collision with the oiler Clam soon after joining the Newfoundland Escort Force. St Clair was diverted to St. John's for repairs that lasted until 02 Dec 41. It is highly unlikely that Clam & St Clair were engaged in underway refueling at the time of the collision. Clam was used for 'afloat tankage' & for shuttling fuel to St. John's from Halifax. Fuelling was done alongside the oilers while they lay either at a berth or at mooring buoys. This was also the RN practice at Greenock. Thought outwardly very similar in appearance, the ‘flush-deck’ Town-class destroyers, as they were known in the RN and the RCN, were actually members of two different groups - the Wickes-class and the Clemson-class. The Clemson-class (built from 1918 onwards) was marginally newer than the Wickes-class (built from 1917 onwards). Most importantly, the Clemson-class carried 35 percent more fuel than the Wickes-class (371 tons versus 275 tons) which made them vastly more useful as ocean escorts. However, even with this increased fuel capacity, the endurance of the Clemson-class ‘Towns’ proved to be inadequate for Trans-Atlantic escort operations. Worse, both of these classes of destroyers were known as ‘fuel hogs’ because their consumption rate was higher than any other class of ship in RCN service. Their ‘thirstiness’ was due to their advanced age, poor operation by their inexperienced crews, and the unfamiliarity of the Canadian naval yards with the USN-pattern propulsion systems. At sea they were very ‘wet’ ships that rode poorly and frequently suffered weather damage in rough weather. Of the two Clemsons (St Croix and St Francis) and five Wickes-class destroyers (Annapolis, Columbia, Hamilton, Niagara and St Clair) transferred to the RCN, only St Croix had what could be termed a successful career, which was largely due to her greater range and associated utility. She participated in the destruction of U-90 (24 Jul 42) and U-87 (04 Mar 43) but was sunk south of Iceland on 20 Sep 43 by U-305. The only notable achievement by a RCN Wickes-class destroyer was the assistance lent by Niagara after the capture of U-570 by RAF patrol aircraft (27 Aug 41). For the most part, the Wickes-class ships were plagued by breakdowns, engine fires, and other mishaps that frequently required extensive dockyard support to rectify. The Clemson-class ships did not fare any better. Despite their being part of the reputed “50 ships that saved the world” this claim is acknowledged by at least some authors as being only a propaganda victory. In fact, they actually contributed very little to the war in the Atlantic. The ‘Towns’ were quickly withdrawn from RCN front-line service as soon as newer vessels could be delivered 1941 - United States and Canada set up Joint Economic Committees 1942 - Tug HMS Vixen lost in the Mediterranean 1942 - Destroyer HMS Wild Swan damaged by German aircraft bombs and finally sunk south of Ireland in position 50.00N, 11.00W after a collision with a Spanish fishing trawler on 17 June 1942 1942 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Gweal launched 1942 - Minesweeper USS Staff launched 1942 - Minesweeper HMS Shippigan commissioned 1942 - U-466, U-664 commissioned 1942 - U-527 launched 1942 - At 2303, the unescorted Millinocket was hit by one torpedo from U-129, while steaming on a nonevasive course at 9 knots off La Isabela, Cuba. The torpedo struck between the #4 and #5 holds above 12 feet below the waterline. The explosion opened a large hole in the hull, blew some men overboard and killed the chief gunner. The ship sank rapidly on even keel within three minutes. No distress signals were sent and the guns were never manned (the ship was armed with one 6pdr and two .30cal guns). Only one lifeboat and two rafts were launched, while some men had to jump into the water to escape. Witt questioned the second assistant engineer about the name of the ship, tonnage, cargo, origin and destination. He also gave them a first aid kit for the wounded men when the engineer asked him for one. The master, three officers, five crewmen and two armed guards of the seven officers, 22 crewmen and six armed guards on board were lost, most of them by drowning. The survivors were picked up by a Cuban motor boat and two Cuban fishing boats about 13 hours later and landed at La Isabela and taken to Sagua La Grande, where the eight injured were treated at the hospital 1942 - About 1300, the unescorted Moira was hit by one torpedo from U-158 off Corpus Christi and was then sunk by gunfire after the crew had abandoned ship. One crewmember was lost and three were injured. The survivors in two lifeboats were found by a fishing boat the next day and towed to Port Isabel, Texas. On 20 Aug 1942, the master, William Thorsen, took over the command of the Frontenac, which was torpedoed and badly damaged by U-436 on 27 Oct 1942 1942 - At 0450, U-158 fired two torpedoes at the unescorted San Blas, the first missed the stern but the second struck at the port quarter. The explosion destroyed the stern, blew away the #4 hatch cover and the mainmast, stopped the engines and caused the ship to sink by the stern with a heavy starboard list after four minutes. The master, 26 crewmembers and three armed guards of the 39 crewmembers and five armed guards on board were lost. The survivors had no time to launch any lifeboats and abandoned ship on four rafts. They were picked up on 29 June by a US Navy Catalina flying boat in position 28°01N/96°02W and landed at Corpus Christi. The master Anders Weesgaard had already experienced another sinking when his last ship, the Ontario was sunk by U-507 1942 - At 1348, the Santore struck a mine laid on 11 June by U-701 in the Chesapeake Bay. The ship was maneuvering into her position in Convoy KS-511 when a explosion occurred on the port side and extensively damaged the #1, #2 and #3 side tanks and the #1 and #2 holds. The vessel was quickly flooded, developed a list of 90° to port and sank rapidly. The eight officers, 29 crewmen and nine armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, two .50cal and two .30cal guns) abandoned ship on one raft and by jumping overboard because no lifeboats could be launched due to the sharp list. Three crewmen were lost. The survivors were picked up after 30 minutes by US Coast guard vessels and landed at Little Creek, Virginia. The wreck of Santore was sold in August 1954 for scrapping 1942 - Destroyer USS Mervine commissioned 1942 - Fairmile HMC ML 080 commissioned 1942 - Ordered, CT TANAC tugs, a total of 265 of these vessels ordered in Canada during WW II, all were completed including those underway when the war ended. There were two distinct styles, 35 wooden hulled & the other 230 were welded steel. They were all diesel powered & fitted with a variety of engines, Fairbanks Morse & Vivian being the most common. At first the British Government ordered them direct but most were in fact ordered & paid for by Canada under the 'Mutual Aid Board' concept. Deliveries started in January 1943 & some stragglers were completed in early 1946. The builders were a. Central Bridge Company, Trenton, ON, 156 steel units. b. Canadian Bridge Company, Walkerville ON, 69 steel units. c. Russell Brothers Industries Ltd, Owen Sound, ON. 5 steel units (see below) d. Smith & Rhuland, Lunenburg NS, 10 wooden units. e. Industrial Shipping Ltd. Mahone Bay, 25 wooden units. TANAC units built were - a. Canadian Bridge built #1 to 30, 51 to 60, & 101 to 129. b. Central Bridge built 31 to 45, 51 to 60, 66 to 85, 130 to 250. c. Russell Brothers built 46 to 50. (They were to build 51 to 60 but these ten units were later transferred to Canadian Bridge allowing Russell to concentrate on Glen & Ville class tugs) d. Smith & Rhuland built 96 to 100 & 261 to 265. e. Industrial Shipping built 61 to 65, 86 to 95 & 251 to 260. The tugs were sent all over the world, about 38 served in the RN, (last one in naval service No.83, sold Aug 79) The TANAC tugs ended up in just about every Port you can think of. The last 50 vessels ordered were not completed at the end of the war. They were all completed & sold by the War Assets Disposal Corporation. Fifteen were sold to China & most of the balance remained in Canada. The wooden tugs were somewhat different in size, being longer, at 67.7'x 16.5'x7' & generally about 57GRT. The wooden tugs also varied in size between the two building yards by a few inches in one direction or another. Wooden vessels are a lot harder to hold to standard dimensions than steel. The steel tugs also changed somewhat over the years in which they were built. The last group of 50 (35 steel & 15 wooden) had a reduced registered depth, at 6.5' in depth & 50 GRT versus the 7.8' deep, 65GRT versions. The change only seems to apply to the steel versions. It is not thought that the hulls were actually different on the outside but the measurement of tonnage is taken to the top of the floors in a vessel so deeper floors would in fact reduce the registered depth & hence the tonnage. It doesn't make sense but that is how it was done. They were actually given a slightly different name convention, (TANAC V 222 as an example. The V meant a Vivian engine was fitted versus the Fairbanks Morse engines fitted in the earlier hulls. The Vivian engined required deeper floors to get the engine high enough in the hull to maintain the shaft line & this triggered a reduction in the calculated tonnage. Vivian engines are a 4-cycle engine & have a greater height dimension than the Fairbanks-Morse engines, which are 2 cycle. Both engines have the same piston stroke, but the Vivians cylinder heads are higher, because of the valve mechanisms in the head, the Fairbanks-Morse had no valves in the heads, because of their 2-cycle design. Which may account for the different deck levels & registered tonnage. TANAC tugs prenamed "Lac" were actually some of the earlier ones built & they were all originally registered in England, then brought back to Canada years later. McKeil Marine had 4 of these tugs in service, although they have been modified & repowered. They are (1) Lac Como (ex Halifax), (2) Lac Erie (ex TANAC 74), (3) Lac Manitoba (ex Manitoba), (4) Lac Vancouver (ex Vancouver). The Irving Company at one time had the Irving Alder (ex Toronto) & the Irving Poplar (ex TANAC 42). DOT had the TANAC V 222. Others were Colinette (ex Lac Ottawa) owed by Waterman's Services Ltd, Toronto, still more Lac St Louis (ex Hamilton), Lac Quebec (ex Lac Michigan). A Capt J.E. McQueen had a contract to deliver CT tugs to different ports, during the WW.II. They would have a crew on each tug & would follow the leader to New York (via the Erie Canal) or to Chicago & down the Mississippi River. Then were then loaded on ship's & sent all over the world 1942 - U-202 lands four agents on Ponte Verdra Beach south of Jacksonville, Florida. These agents are part of the team that landed on Long Island on 13 June 1942 - U-129 sinks an armed US freighter off the north coast of Cuba. Off Virginia Beach, Virginia, a US collier in a convoy is sunk by a mine laid by U-701 1942 - After parting company with convoy HG.74, HMS Wild Swan is damaged in an air attack by JU.87's and sinks after colliding with a Spanish fishing vessel (three of which also sank after being hit by the aircraft) S of Bantry Bay at lat.49 52N long. 10 44W 1943 - The first units of supporting naval forces sail for the invasion Sicily, Operation Husky, from Britain 1943 - MAC ship SS Empire Mackay launched 1943 - Escort carrier HMS Campania launched 1943 - Minesweeping trawlers HMS Lindisfarne & Skomer launched 1943 - Minesweeper USS Dextrous launched 1943 - Destroyer HMS Terpsichore launched 1943 - Frigate USS Coronado launched 1943 - U-858 launched 1943 - U-984 commissioned 1943 - HMT Yoma sunk by U-81 at 33.03N, 22.04E 1943 - An RAF 206 Sqn Fortress damaged U-338, killing one & wounding three 1943 - Light fleet carrier USS Monterey commissioned 1943 - USS SC-740 grounded on Great Barrier Reef 1944 - USS LCI(G)-468 sunk 1944 - IJN aircraft mount several attacks against US shipping in the Marianas - At about 1750 hours local, five torpedo bombers, Nakajima B5N Navy Type 97 Carrier Attack Bombers, Allied Code Name "Kate," and one night fighter, a Nakajima J1N1-S Navy Type 2 Gekko, Allied Code Name "Irving," from Truk attack landing craft east of Saipan. One infantry landing craft (LCI) is sunk while three "Kates" are shot down by AA fire. Between 1850 and 1912 hours local, 17 Kugisho D4Y Navy Carrier Bombers Suisei, Allied Code Name "Judy," 31 Mitsubishi A6M Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighters, Allied Code Name "Zeke," and two Kugisho P1Y Navy Bombers Ginga, Allied Code Name "Frances," based on Yap, attack Task Force 52 escort aircraft carriers The carriers scramble 46 FM Wildcats but give them the wrong vector taking them out of the action. AA fire from the ships down several D4Ys and both P1Ys. A bomb that penetrates the after elevator and explodes in midair above the hangar deck, killing 14 and wounding 23 strikes the escort aircraft carrier USS Fanshaw Bay. Fire breaks out and the fire main is ruptured, flooding several compartments aft. In just under an hour, the damage was brought under control, but the ship is listing 3 degrees to port and settles 6-feet (1.8 m) by the stern. After controlling the fires, the ship sets sail for Pearl Harbor and battle damage repairs 1944 - U-423 (Type VIIC) is sunk NE of the Faroes, in position 63.06N, 02.05E, by depth charges from a Norwegian Catalina aircraft (Sqn 333/D). 53 dead (all crew lost). 1944 - Enemy troops reach Kipinola area. Order is given to evacuate Finnish troops to Koivisto Islands 1944 - Corvette HMCS Cobourg arrived Halifax from builder Midland ON 1944 - Patrol vessel HMCS Grizzly paid off 1944 - Corvette HMCS Belleville launched Kingston ON 1944 - Large cruiser USS Alaska commissioned 1944 - Destroyer escort USS Robert F Keller commissioned 1944 - Two crewmembers of U-853 were killed in an attack by aircraft from USS Croatan 1944 - U-828 commissioned 1944 - U-2509, U-3503 laid down 1944 - U-779 launched 1944 - Two crewmembers of U-853 were killed in an attack by aircraft from USS Croatan 1944 - U-828 commissioned 1944 - U-2509, U-3503 laid down 1944 - U-779 launched 1944 - Corvette HMCS Belleville launched 1944 - Destroyer escort USS French launched 1944 - U-423 sunk NE of the Faeroes, in position 63.06N, 02.05E, by depth charges from a Norwegian 333 Sqn Catalina. 53 dead (all hands lost) 1944 - U-737 set up an automatic weather station on Bear Island 1944 - Republic of Iceland established 1944 - HMS Stoic sinks two small Japanese sailing vessels with gunfire and demolition charges off Penang 1944 - HMS Truculent sinks a Japanese sailing vessel with gunfire in the southern part of the Malacca Strait 1944 - HMS Universal torpedoes and sinks the German merchant Canosa off Cassis, southern France 1945 - Corvettes HMCS Cobalt & Long Branch paid off Sorel PQ 1945 - Corvette HMCS Eyebright paid off & returned to RN at Belfast 1945 - Trawlers HMS Anticosti, Ironbound, Liscomb, Magdalen, Manitoulin & Miscou paid off & returned to RN at Devonport 1945 - Fairmiles HMC ML 060 & ML 064 paid off 1945 - Light cruiser USS Little Rock commissioned 1945 - Submarine USS Cubera launched 1945 - Destroyer USS Kenneth D Bailey launched 1945 - HMS Taciturn sinks a Japanese sailing vessel north of Surabaya, Java, Netherlands East Indies 1945 - HMS Thorough sinks a Japanese trawler and a Japanese sailing vessel off Surabaya, Java, Netherlands East Indies 1952 - HMCS Athabaskan prepares to leave Korea for home. Korean duties taken up by HMCS Iroquois, Nootka and Crusader 1952 - Enroute to the UK, HMCS Magnificent joined in the three-phase "Exercise Castanets", a nine-day affair that took place in the North Atlantic. Magnificent was part of a carrier group providing close convoy support during the first two phases, for which 881 Sqn flew night anti-submarine and 871 Sqn, day fighter patrols. For Phase III, aircraft went on the offensive against submarines transiting a given area. When Castanets finally ended, the score for Magnificent was two submarine sightings; six disappearing radar contacts and five enemy "shot down" 1952 - Minesweeper HMCS Revelstoke commissioned for summer training 1954 - Destroyer HMCS Cayuga returned to Yokosuka 1958 - Collapse of half-completed Second Narrows Bridge across Burrard Inlet; with weight of 30 ton train; 19 workmen killed, 20 injured, $23 million damage 1965 - USS Independence port call Subic Bay 1966 - USS Kearsarge port call Pearl Harbor 1970 - USS America port call Subic Bay 1971 - USS Ranger completed Vietnam deployment 1975 - French court orders France to compensate Canadian environmental activist David McTaggart; his ship Greenpeace III was rammed and boarded by a French naval vessel in the South Pacific in June 1973 as McTaggart was protesting French nuclear testing 1986 - HMCS Saskatchewan completed DELEX refit Burrard Yarrows Esquimalt 1992 - President Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a breakthrough arms-reduction agreement 2003 - The new Ehime Maru, a newly built fisheries training ship replacing the Ehime Maru which collided with a US submarine and sank off the coast of Hawaii in February 2001, arrived in Honolulu Tuesday morning on its first port of call after leaving Japan six weeks ago. The ship left the Uwajima port in Ehime Prefecture on May 7 for a two-month training mission involving 14 students of Uwajima Fisheries High School, two teachers and 20 crewmembers. The group plans to stay in Hawaii through Saturday before sailing back to Japan 2003 - SS Curtiss laid up San Diego RRF 2004 - Tugs Marci Moran, Patricia Moran, Kerry Moran, Karen Moran, Susan Moran, Tracy Moran, and Wendy Moran placed in US Navy service under a time charter for one year 2004 - USCGC White Bush sunk as a USN target off California 2005 - Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) announced a formal consultation of its newly refreshed National Contingency Plan (NCP) for Marine Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Installations (NCP). The purpose of the Plan is to ensure that there is a timely, measured and effective response to maritime incidents. The Plan sets out the circumstances in which the MCA will deploy the United Kingdom's national assets to respond inside the UK's Pollution Control Zone. A review date of five years was set when the Plan last published in 2000. The existing Plan describes how the MCA will manage such national assets and resources including emergency towing vessels, dispersant spraying aircraft, and at-sea and shoreline counter-pollution equipment 2005 - Archaeologists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the State of Florida are conducting a 10-day mission to document an unknown shipwreck — possibly centuries old — in shallow water off Marathon in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The team hopes to obtain information that will help them identify the mystery wreck and add a new chapter to the maritime history of the Florida Keys 2005 - Cdr Ken Hansen, Military Co-Chair Maritime Studies Program Canadian Forces College, received the Canadian Nautical Research Society’s Cartier Award for his RMC Master of Arts (War Studies) thesis entitled "Fuel, Endurance and Replenishment at Sea in the Royal Canadian Navy, 1935-1945" at a banquet in Hamilton ON 2005 - Schneider Logistics Inc announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire American Port Services, a leading US provider of port transloading/deconsolidation, warehousing, and distribution services. Upon completion, Schneider will have a significant presence in major US ports and will be the first national full truckload provider to offer transloading services 2005 - Captain Stephen Metruck will relieve Captain Danny Ellis as Commander of U. S. Coast Guard Sector Seattle during a ceremony held at Terminal 30, Seattle. The change of command ceremony is a time-honored tradition aboard military ships and shore commands. It represents a total transfer of responsibility, authority and accountability from one individual to another. The core of this event is the formal passing of command in the presence of the entire crew, leaving no doubt as to who has assumed the mantle of authority. As Sector Commander, Captain Metruck will also be responsible for carrying out the responsibilities of the Federal Maritime Security Coordinator, Federal On Scene Coordinator for oil spills and hazardous substances, Captain of the Port, Officer in Charge Marine Inspection, and Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator. Captain Metruck will be the second Commanding Officer of the newly formed Sector Seattle. Sector Seattle integrates the functions of maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, vessel traffic service, and Captain of the Port under one operational commander to more effectively manage the sweeping changes of the Coast Guard’s operational environment that resulted from the attacks on September 11, 2001. Unifying the Coast Guard operational command and control functions into the Sector command places the full range of Coast Guard missions and authorities under a single, local operational commander, the Sector Commander. The establishment of Sector Seattle is a premier example of the Coast Guard’s flexibility and responsiveness to meet the nation’s changing needs. Sector Seattle will be the lead federal organization for maritime Homeland Security, and will perform all Coast Guard missions within Puget Sound and the international border with Canada, south to the Columbia River, and all the way east to Montana 2005 - Coast Guard headquarters in Washington D.C., selected a North Bend, Ore., Coast Guardsmen as the Search and Rescue Controller of the year for 2004. Petty Officer First Class Samuel T. Bass of Coast Guard Group/Air Station North Bend was chosen over several other competitors from all over the nation for the award for his superb investigative work, keen use of resources and comprehensive search planning. Bass displayed his superior abilities during the rescue of a 30-year-old Newport, Ore., man who fell overboard from his fishing vessel near Yaquina Bay, Ore., Feb. 29, 2004. Scott Morales was knocked overboard from his 40-foot fishing vessel Cathan by a wave while trying to pull crab pots on board. His vessel crept away, leaving Morales clinging to three crab pots in the 50-degree waters of the Pacific Ocean. Coast Guard Station Yaquina Bay received a report of the Cathan aground and breaking up in the surf. Bass immediately dispatched rescue resources to assist. It was evident that no one on board the crumbling Cathan could have survived being pounded by the surf. Bass quickly developed probable scenarios for how the fishing vessel went aground based on his experience and training. He used reports from other vessels on the last known sighting of the Cathan and weather conditions to establish a probable search area. He quickly diverted a helicopter and rescue boat and launched an additional helicopter and rescue boat to search. As daylight was waning and the probability of any survivors succumbing to hypothermia increased, rescuers located Morales clinging to a group of crab pot floats. He was hoisted by a helicopter and flown to shore where an awaiting ambulance transported him to the hospital. Bass’s superb search and rescue techniques will be used as an example to train other Coast Guard search and rescue coordinators 2005 - Indonesian Navy seized a vessel owned by Singapore’s Keppel Shipyard and its 65 crew and passengers from seven nations for allegedly entering the country’s waters illegally, The Straits Times reported yesterday. A navy patrol boat apprehended the 10m MV Bourbon Aladin vessel about two miles off Nipah Island 2005 - USNS Benavidez placed in reduced operating status Corpus Christi on four days notice 2005 - Pakistani minister of state for defense informed the Senate that 53 persons lost their lives and 59 suffered critical injuries when a Pakistani warship caught fire in March at Karachi. PNS Moawin caught fire on March 10 while undergoing maintenance by civilian labor. Among the 53 dead, nine were officers, 34 were sailors and 10 civilians, according to the minister, Zahid Hamid. Another 59 persons were injured, including three officers, 23 sailors and 33 civilians. Seven of the injured were still under treatment 2006 - An HH-60 Jayhawk rescued two hunters in the mountains east of Berner's Bay in Juneau 2006 - Two Somali warlords defeated by Mogadishu's newly dominant Islamists fled the capital to a waiting US military ship, Islamic court sources said. Bashir Raghe and Muse Sudi Yalahow took a boat early in the morning to a waiting US vessel which approached the Somali coast, and looters wasted no time storming their houses, a senior aide to the Islamist leadership told Reuters 2006 - European Parliament has accidentally voted through a draft law that could bankrupt the Ordnance Survey and expose secret sea-mapping data that foreign powers could use to track RN ships. British officials are scrambling to unpick the damage wrought by Euro-MPs this week, when they voted through a series of amendments attacked by senior Tories as dangerous and naive. Fearful that details of Britain's nuclear deterrent could emerge, officials pledged to throw out the amendments when the draft legislation returns to national ministers for final approval in the autumn 2006 - Pearl Harbor-based, Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Hopper laid to rest Signalman 2nd Class Earl Charles Randall, a World War II veteran 2007 - Semi-sub HL vessel Mighty Servant 3 towed into Cape Town and drydocked on the same day. Understand that further investigations are to be conducted in respect of the sinking as well as evaluation of repairs. Vessel is expected to remain at this port for a month 2007 - Pakistan Embassy reports 11 desertions from PNS Moawin and Babur on a visit to Tokyo 2008 - An Indonesian Navy patrol seized about 5 tonnes of a material used to make explosives from a wooden boat off the coast of East Java and detained 12 crew members 2008 - Navy Secretary Donald Winter visits Bath Iron Works 2008 - USS McInerney recovered four crewmembers of a drug smuggling submarine that had been scuttled off the Pacific Coast of Panama 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