SeaWaves Today in History March 4, 2008 ********************************************************************* March 4 1395 - Birth in Porto of Henry the Navigator. He later sponsored Portugal's exploration of the African coast 1675 - John Famsteed appointed the first Astronomer Royal by Charles II; the main duties of the post related to finding solutions to the navigation problem 1791 - Vermont became the 14th state 1824 - The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is founded 1861 - Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated president 1890 - The 8,276-ft Forth Bridge is officially opened by the Prince of Wales 1907 - Congress appropriated $30,000 for installing wireless telegraph on not more than 12 Revenue Cutters. 1911 - Appropriation of first funds for experiments in naval aviation 1915 - Secretary of Treasury authorized to detail cutters to enforce anchorage regulations in all harbors, rivers, bays and other navigable waters of United States 1915 - Liner Titania launched 1916 - Battlecruiser HMS Renown launched 1918 - Minesweeper USS Owl launched 1918 - Destroyer HMS Viscount commissioned 1918 - Minesweeper USS Robin laid down 1920 - Destroyer USS Stewart launched 1925 - Heavy cruiser FS Tourville laid down 1925 - President Calvin Coolidge's inauguration 1925 - An Act of Congress (43 Stat. L., 1261), for the first time, provided for disability retirement within the Lighthouse Service 1925 - Congress authorizes restoration of USS Constitution 1929 - Congress appropriates $144,000 for seaplanes and equipment for Coast Guard 1931 - Destroyer HMS Basilisk commissioned 1932 - Submarine HNLMS O-14 commissioned 1933 - Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated president, pledging to lead the country out of the Great Depression 1936 - U-21 & U-22 laid down 1939 - U-59 commissioned 1939 - Soviet submarine SC-214 commissioned 1939 - Tankers (later escort carriers) SS Santee & Suwannee launched 1940 - U-351 laid down 1940 - Corvette HMCS Orillia laid down Collingwood ON 1940 - At 1208 & 1209, U-29 fired one torpedo each at two ships in a group of three dispersed from Convoy HX-19 and observed a hit on the Pacific Reliance and a small detonation near the second (the xB-Dienst reported the sinking of the San Florentino, but the vessel was in fact not hit). The torpedoed vessel first stopped and the crew prepared to launch the lifeboats, but then returned to the ship and proceeded. The U-boat hit her with a stern torpedo at 1239, which was a dud. However the ship broke in two amidships & sank slowly north of Lands End. The Pacific Reliance had been the ship of the convoy commodore RP Galer CBE RNR RD. The master, the commodore, four naval staff members and 47 crewmembers were picked up by the British SS Macville and landed at Newlyn, Cornwall. The second ship sunk was the SS Thurston 1940 - Minesweeper (ex-fishing vessel) HMCS Joan W II commissioned. 62ft overall, halibut boat, built Jul 1937, by W.R. Menchions, owned by James & Joan Fiddler (they also owned 'Joan W I') chartered for $360.00 per month, returned to owner 1945 1940 - US freighter SS Exeter, detained at Gibraltar by British authorities since 1 March, is released, but not before 155 sacks of mail for Germany are removed, as are 95 sacks for Italy and 59 for Switzerland. Some 140 sacks previously removed from other neutral ships, however, are brought on board and the ship is permitted to sail 1940 - Minesweeper HMS Sphinx sinks a day after being bombed by German aircraft 1941 - U-105 refueled from the German supply ship Charlotte Schliemann in Las Palmas 1941 - Five Royal Navy destroyers and two troop transports landed 500 British Commandos, Royal Engineers and Norwegian troops at dawn on the Lofoten Islands, in the first Commando raid, Operation Claymore. In the eight hours they were ashore, the raiders took 200 Germans prisoner, and destroyed the oil factories on the islands. However, perhaps the most significant haul was the capture of coding rotors for the Enigma cryptographic system, found aboard a German armed trawler 1942 - ASW trawler HMS Grayling launched 1942 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Stronsay launched 1942 - Submarine HMS P-222 commissioned 1942 - Sloop HMAS Yarra sunk south off Java in a gun battle with Japanese heavy cruisers Atago, Maya & Takao 1942 - ASW trawler HMS Portsdown commissioned 1942 - Destroyer USS Aaron Ward commissioned 1942 - Japanese Operation K - during the night of the 4th/5th, two Kawanishi H8K1, Navy Type 2 Flying-Boats (later assigned the Allied Code Name Emily) of the Yokohama Kokutai (Naval Air Corps) based at Wotje Atoll in the Marshall Islands and refueled by submarines HIJMS I-15 & I-19 at French Frigate Shoals, fly 2,300 miles each way to drop four bombs near Punch Bowl crater on Oahu causing no damage. Overcast conditions prevent successful pursuit by US aircraft 1942 - The Japanese Imperial General Staff decides to expand its conquest to New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Fiji Islands and American Samoa. Taking Fiji and Samoa would cut America's supply line to Australia 1942 - Carrier-based aircraft of Task Force Sixteen (TF-16) attack Marcus Island beginning at 0630 hours. USS Enterprise launches 32 SBD Dauntlesses and six F4F Wildcats against the island located 725 miles NW of Wake Island. Despite intense antiaircraft fire, only one SBD is shot down; the two-man crew is captured by the Japanese 1942 - Submarine USS Grampus torpedoes & sinks a Japanese tanker 145 miles south of Truk Island in the Caroline Islands 1942 - Submarine USS Narwhal torpedoes & sinks a Japanese army cargo ship in the Ryukyu Islands 1942 - Submarine USS S-39 torpedoes & sinks a Japanese oiler 170 miles NE of Batavia, Java, Netherlands East Indies 1942 - General MacArthur informs Rear Admiral Francis W. Rockwell, Commandant of the Sixteenth Naval District, that he has been instructed to leave Corregidor. The plan is for him and his party to board the submarine USS Permit, which is scheduled to leave Corregidor on 14 March 1942 - The submarine HMS Torbay, under Commander Miers, followed an Axis convoy and succeeded in penetrating the heavily defended anchorage at Corfu. Torbay proceeded to fire torpedoes at two large transports and a destroyer - both transports were reported sunk - then retreated out to sea under very heavy depth charge attack. Torbay escaped successfully, and Miers was awarded the Victoria Cross for the exploit 1942 - Destroyer USS Pillsbury sunk by Japanese warships east of Christmas Island Indian Ocean 1943 - Destroyer HMCS St Croix & corvette HMCS Shediac, while escorting Convoy KMS-10 from England to Algeria sank U-87 Kptlt Joachim Berger CO, west of Leixoes, in position 41.36N, 013.31W, by depth charges. There were no survivors from U-87's crew of 49 men. 04.03.43 St Croix & Shediac were part of the escort for the 57-ship UK to Algeria convoy KMS-10. The convoy had been under air attack by German 'Kondor' long-range a/c for two days. Three ships were damaged & one ship was sunk later on 06 Mar by U-410, OLtzS Horst-Arno Fenski, Knights Cross, CO. Shediac obtained a sonar contact, which the two escorts attacked repeatedly before it vanished without giving any indication of success. Post-war record examination confirmed that U-87 had been destroyed. German records do not indicate that U-87 was one of the three U-boats assigned to attack KMS-10. It is probable that she was merely transiting through the area when she was detected & attacked. U-87 was a medium-range Type VIIB U-boat built by Flender-Werke AG, at Lübeck; She was commissioned on 19 Aug 1941. U-87 of 1st Flotilla (St. Nazaire) mainly conducted minelaying missions around the British Isles. Kptlt. Berger was her only commanding officer. Successes 5 ships sunk for a total of 38,014 tons. Joachim Berger was born in 1913, at Berlin. He joined the navy in 1934. At the start of the war he was the Training Officer for the 2nd Torpedo Boat Flotilla. In Nov 39 he was assigned to the NCO Training Division. From May 40 to Mar 41 he was a headquarters staff officer & then spent a month at the Naval Gunnery School. Berger transferred to the U-boat force in Apr 41 & was assigned to the 7th Flotilla. He was selected for command & after his U-boat commander's course, was assigned to U-87 on 19 Sep 41. Despite his non-operational background, Berger proved to be a competent & successful commander for a year & a half, a relatively long time at this point in the war 1943 - Submarine USS Cavalla laid down 1943 - U-83 sunk SE of Cartagena, Spain in position 37.10N, 00.05E, by 3 depth charges from an RAF Hudson. 50 dead (all hands lost) 1943 - U-966 commissioned 1943 - U-776 laid down 1943 - Destroyer USS Healy laid down 1943 - Destroyer USS Bell commissioned 1943 - Submarine USS Skate launched 1943 - Frigate HMS Towy launched 1943 - U-333 shot down RAF 172 Sqn Wellington when Leigh Light switched on. This aircraft had sunk the U-268 in Feb 1943 - 1943 - HMCS St Croix ex-USS USS McCook, a Clemson-class destroyer known in the RCN as the Town-class and HMCS Shediac, a Flower-class corvette, sank U-87, KptLt. Joachim Berger, CO, west of Leixoes, Portugal, in position 41.36N, 013.31W. There were no survivors from U-87’s 49 crewmembers. St Croix and Shediac were part of the close escort for the 57-ship U.K. to Algeria convoy KMS-10. The convoy had been under intermittent air attack by German FW-200 ‘Kondor’ long-range bombers for two days. Three merchantships were damaged by air attack and one other was sunk on 06 Mar by U-410, OLtzS. Horst-Arno Fenski, Knight's Cross, CO. In the midst of another air attack, Shediac obtained a sonar contact, which the two escorts attacked repeatedly before it vanished without giving any indication of success. Post-war record examination confirmed that U-87 was destroyed in this engagement. German records indicate that U-87 was not one of the three submarines assigned to attack KMS-10. It is probable that she was merely transiting through the area when she was detected and attacked. U-87 was a medium-range Type VIIB submarine built by Flender-Werke AG, at Lübeck. She was commissioned on 19 Aug 1941 OLtzS. Joachim Berger, CO. U-87 conducted five patrols and compiled a record of five ships sunk for a total of 38,014 tons. U-87 conducted mostly mine-laying missions around the British Isles. Joachim Berger was born in 1913, at Berlin. He joined the navy in 1934. At the start of the war he was the Training Officer for the 2nd Torpedo Boat Flotilla. In Nov 39, he was assigned to the NCO Training Division. From May 40 to Mar 41, he was a headquarters staff officer and then spent a month at the Naval Gunnery School. Berger transferred to the U-boat force in Apr 41 and was assigned to the 7th U-boat Flotilla. He was selected for command and, after his U-boat commander’s course, was assigned to U-87 on 19 Sep 41, at the age of 28. He was promoted to Kapitaenleutnant (Senior Lieutenant) on 01 Nov 41. Despite his lack of experience in submarines, Berger, like so many other U-boat commanders that came from the other branches of the Kriegsmarine, proved to be a competent and relatively successful commander for a year and a half, a relatively long time at this point in the war. Joachim Berger was lost when U-87 was sunk west of Portugal on 04 Mar 43. He sank five ships for a total of 38,014 tons 1943 - Battle of the Bismarck Sea. Japanese convoy of 12 transports and 10 warships bound for New Guinea destroyed by Allied planes 1943 - At 0110, U-160 made a second attack at Convoy DN-21 ENE of East London and reported hits on two ships; one of which was thought to have been sunk and the other left in sinking condition. In fact, Empire Mahseer was hit by two torpedoes & sank within two minutes. 17 crewmembers and one gunner were lost. The master, 29 crewmembers and six gunners were picked up by armed trawler HMS Norwich City & landed at Durban 1943 - At 0346, U-160 fired two torpedoes at Convoy DN-21 ENE of East London and hit two ships after 1 minute 6 seconds & 1 minute 14 seconds. The Marietta E was sunk & Sheaf Crown damaged. Four crewmembers and one gunner from Marietta E were lost. The master, 33 crewmembers and six gunners were picked up by the SAAF crash launch R-8 and landed at Durban. The following British landing craft were lost with the Marietta E - HMS LCP(R)-673, HMS LCP(R)-680, HMS LCP(R)-684, HMS LCP(R)-685, HMS LCP(R)-689, HMS LCP(R)-692, HMS LCP(R)-693 and HMS LCP(R)-727 (each 10 tons) 1943 - At 0609, the unescorted City of Pretoria was torpedoed by U-172; exploded & sank WNW of the Azores. The master, 108 crewmembers, 24 gunners, seven passengers (DBS) and 5 apprentices were lost 1943 - The unescorted California Star was torpedoed & sunk by U-515 NW of the Azores. 40 crewmembers, eight gunners & four passengers were lost. The master, 18 crewmembers and three passengers landed at Flores, Azores 1944 - Corvette HMCS Agassiz completed forecastle extension refit New York 1944 - Destroyer USS Leutze commissioned 1944 - U-1051 commissioned 1944 - U-472 sunk in the Barents Sea SE of Bear Island, Norway, in position 73.05N, 26.40E, by gunfire & rockets from destroyer HMS Onslaught & 816 Sqn Swordfish aircraft from escort carrier HMS Chaser. 23 dead & 30 survivors 1944 - Frigate USS Sausalito commissioned 1944 - Submarine USS Sterlet commissioned 1944 - Destroyer escorts USS Doyle C Barnes & Jobb launched 1944 - U-703 attacked Convoy RA-57 near Kola Inlet with a spread of FAT torpedoes & sank SS Empire Tourist. At 1545 hours, U-703 fired a Gnat and heard a detonation after 3 minutes 10 seconds, which was observed by destroyer HMS Milne. This destroyer then attacked the U-boat with depth charges for several hours. The master, 41 crewmembers, 23 gunners, two signalmen and one naval personnel from the Empire Tourist were picked up by minesweeper HMS Gleaner & landed at Aultbea, Loch Ewe 1945 - Frigate HMCS Grou commenced tropicalization refit Dartmouth NS 1945 - U-530 sailed from Kristiansand on her final patrol 1945 - U-1202 sailed from Bergen on her second & final patrol 1945 - U-3508 sunk at Wilhelmshaven by bombs 1945 - U-3038 commissioned 1945 - U-1014 (Type IXC/41) is sunk in the Minch Channel (Hebrides), in position 55.17N, 06.44W, by depth charges from frigates HMS Loch Scavaig, Nyasaland, Papua and Loch Shin. 48 dead (all hands lost) 1946 - Submarine USS Amberjack commissioned 1947 - RCN "Naval Air Arm" redesignated to "Naval Aviation" 1947 - Operation Highjump, air operations in Antarctica, ends 1949 - Destroyer USS Cowell, commissioned as HMS Brighton on 23 Sept. 1940, part of the destroyers-for-bases deal. Brighton was transferred to Russia as Zharki in 1944; today returns to the Royal Navy 1951 - Gate vessel HMCS Porte de la Reine laid down by Victoria Machinery Deport Co Ltd 1963 - Navy Hercules aircraft completes 12-day rescue operation of critically ill Danish seaman from Danish freighter off the coast of Antarctic 1967 - North Sea gas is first piped ashore near Easington in East Riding of Yorkshire, just north of the Humber 1968 - USS Yorktown port call Subic Bay 1972 - USS Constellation port call Subic Bay 1977 - Ensign Janna Lambine USCG, became the Coast Guard's first female pilot when she graduated from naval aviation training at NAS Whiting Field, Milton, Florida 1991 - Iraq releases ten Prisoners of War (6 Americans. 3 of whom were designated MIA), including Navy LT Jeffrey Zaun, LT Robert Wetzel, and LT Lawrence Slade. POWs were turned over to US officials by the International Committee of the Red Cross near the Jordanian border station of Ruwayshid, then transferred to the hospital ship USNS MERCY for medical treatment 1991 - 6,661 Naval Reservists are currently serving in the Arabian Gulf theater 2004 - FBM Babcock of Southampton announced award of contract for three 45-meter patrol craft for Ecuador 2005 - MC Shipping today announce the acquisition of a further large gas carrier that brings their total LPG fleet up to ten vessels. The company has acquired the former Shell owned 1983 built 59,000 cubic meter capacity vessel Isomeria. The vessel has been purchased in a 50/50 joint venture with leading gas operator Petredec for a total consideration of $16 million and will be chartered for four years to Petredec 2005 - At 0400 Stornoway Coastguard received a Mayday distress call on MF 2182 kHz from the French fishing vessel Cap Saint Jacques as the vessel had sustained an engine room fire. The vessel is a 48-meter stern trawler with 15 persons on board. The vessel was in a position 85 miles West North west of the Butt of Lewis. Stornoway Coastguard carried out broadcast action and two other French fishing vessels offered assistance The crew were able to extinguish the fire after 30 minutes and are currently disabled in that position. The fishing vessel Mariette le Roch is standing by them awaiting the arrival of the sister ship Cap Saint Jean at 0930 2005 - The Coast Guard escorted a 43-foot charter fishing boat to safety after it began taking on water today, one mile north of Depoe Bay OR. The master of the Mariner contacted the Coast Guard on VHF Channel 16 at 0837 reporting that his vessel was taking on water from an unknown source. A Coast Guard 47-foot motor lifeboat, 30-foot surf rescue boat and a 25-foot response boat from Coast Guard Station Depoe Bay were launched at 0839 to assist. At 0848 the three Coast Guard vessels escorted the charter boat through 7-foot seas safely to the Coast Guard station pier. A dewatering pump removed about 300 gallons of water from the vessel after it was moored at the pier. After conducting a dockside inspection the source of the flooding was determined to be a disconnected hose. The operator and five passengers aboard the boat were uninjured and were wearing lifejackets 2005 - The Coast Guard airlifted a 57-year-old man from a tanker today 15 miles northwest of Cape Flattery, Wash. Coast Guard Group/Air Station Port Angeles received a call from Maritime Health Services requesting medical assistance for a crewmember on the 861-foot tanker Over Seas Chicago. The tanker had made contact with Maritime Health Services reporting that a crewmember was injured. An HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Port Angeles was launched to medevac the man. The helicopter lowered a rescue swimmer to the tanker. The injured man was secured in a litter before being was hoisted into the helicopter. He was flown to Air Station Port Angeles, where an awaiting ambulance transported him to Olympic Memorial Hospital in Port Angeles for further medical treatment 2006 - Lieutenant Commander Jim Phillips, 31, will become the second Royal Navy officer to have a same sex ceremony when he registers his partnership to Marcus Rutter on HMS Warrior 2006- The Coast Guard continues to search heavily today for two missing RI fishermen whose boat was reported overdue to the Coast Guard on Friday. Two Coast Guard HH-60 helicopters and two HU-25 Falcon jets from Air Station Cape Cod, two Coast Guard C-130 planes from Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., the 210-foot Cutter Vigorous, homeported in Cape May, NJ, the 87-foot Cutter Hammerhead, homeported in Woods Hole, Mass., the 225-foot cutter Willow, of Newport, RI, and two Coast Guard Auxiliary aircraft, combed an off-shore area of water about 9,000 sq. miles wide. Joseph Machado, of Bristol, RI and Ray Cabral, of Warren, RI reportedly left Bristol aboard the 53-foot fishing vessel Min Flicka early Wednesday, and were expected to arrive back at Nordstrom Seafood Traders in Tiverton, RI, sometime between Thursday night and early Friday. The Coast Guard will search throughout the night and into Sunday. Weather conditions within the search area are reported to be 25 knots of winds, six-to-eight-foot seas and water temperature of 41 degrees 2006 - A 53-year-old man trapped on rocks by an incoming tide is safe after being rescued Saturday afternoon near Beards Hollow, Wash. Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment, Wash., received a call from a 911 dispatcher reporting that a man was stranded on the rocks near Beards Hollow. A 47-foot motor lifeboat and a mobile land unit from Station Cape Disappointment, and an HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Astoria, Ore., were launched to assist. The Pacific County Emergency Response Team also dispatched a unit to help the man. The Pacific County Emergency Response Team pulled the man to shore. He was administered first aid for minor injuries and released 2006 - Lockheed Martin launched Lider, the first of two SLICE Crew Transport Vessels (SCTV) the company is building for Hoteleria y Servicios Petroleros, S. A. de C.V. of Mexico on Saturday. HSP in conjunction with Consultoria y Servicios Petroleros, S.A. de C.V. (COSEPE) will operate the two vessels, under contract with Mexico's national oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), to transport workers and limited cargo from Ciudad del Carmen to the Gulf of Mexico's Campeche Basin Oil Field, approximately 90 miles offshore. Constructed at the FBMA shipyard in the Philippines, Lider and its sister ship, Tenaz, which will be launched this spring, feature Lockheed Martin's innovative SLICE design. The company first used this i design for a vessel it developed, built and tested for the United States Office of Naval Research. Based on Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) design, the SCTV hull form will improve the operational efficiency and lower the costs for PEMEX by enabling Lider and Tenaz to operate faster in more challenging sea conditions and still provide a safer, more comfortable ride. Following the dock and sea trials over the next several months, Lider and Tenaz will be transported together to Mexico for final delivery to HSP this summer. The development of the detailed engineering and construction work for Lider and Tenaz took place in Baltimore, MD; Sunnyvale, CA; Cebu, Philippines; and Southampton, UK 2006 - Naval Reserve Patrol Squadron (VP) 65, stationed at Naval Air Station (NAS) Point Mugu, was formally disestablished during a ceremony at the VP-65 hangar 2008 - USCG Commandant Admiral Thad Allen will testify before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security on protecting our shores from oil spills ============================================================= Sources: Colton Shipping Report, NOAA, MARAD, Marine Digest, Leo Pettipas, Kommersant, Samuel Loring Morison, Frank Pierce Young, Navy Times, Naval Institute Proceedings, www.uboat.net, Andrew Etherington, John Nicholas, US Naval Historical Center, Ministry of Defense, US Coast Guard, Thomas N. Carlson, Jack Arrowsmith, Allan Snowie, Ken Hansen, Andy Barber, John Weiss, Jack McKillop, Bernard de Neumann, Sympatico Today in History, Washington History Link, Lloyds List, Fairplay, New York Times, I-Newswire and other news sources in the public domain. Additions, submissions and corrections are always welcomed. ============================================================= Today in History Archives at: http://www.seawaves.com/newsletters/today_in_history_archive.htm Copyright 2008 Shirlaw News Group ISSN 1710-6966 Photos courtesy of US Naval Historical Center, US Coast Guard Historical Center, Wikipedia Encyclopedia or Naval Museum of Manitoba unless otherwise noted. Images may be subject to copyright. Ask before you right-click.