SeaWaves Today in History March 5, 2009 1512 - Birth of Gerhardus Mercator, cartographer, in Rupelmonde, Belgium 1849 - Zachary Taylor took the oath of office at his presidential inauguration 1850 - The Menai tubular bridge, joining Wales and Anglesey, constructed by Robert Stephenson, was opened 1881 - On this date the crew of Life-Saving Station No. 10, Ninth District (Louisville), won acclaim with a great rescue at the wreck of James D. Parker, a well-known river boat lost in the Indiana chute of the Ohio Falls. She was a stern-wheel steamer of over 500 tons owned by the Cincinnati and Memphis Packet Company and bound from Cincinnati to Memphis. Her crew numbered fifty, including the captain, and she had fifty-five passengers on board, a number of who were women and children 1918 - Destroyer HMS Mackay laid down 1919 - Submarine USS S-40 laid down 1920 - Destroyer HMS Thracian launched 1920 - Battlecruiser HMS Hood commissioned 1924 - Destroyer FS Trombe laid down 1927 - Soviet submarine D-2 laid down 1927 - Light cruiser FS Lamotte-Piquet commissioned 1931 - Destroyer FS Basque commissioned 1933 - In German parliamentary elections, the Nazi Party won 44 percent of the vote, enabling it to join with the Nationalists to gain a slender majority in the Reichstag 1935 - Torpedo boat FS La Flore launched 1937 - Light cruiser HMS Newcastle commissioned 1939 - Battleship HMS Prince of Wales launched 1939 - U-122 laid down 1940 - Canada promises to send 1,000 volunteers to fight with the Finns 1940 - Six Italian ships carrying cargoes of German coal were arrested in mid-Channel today after a warning that Britain will seize all German coal found at sea. The ships are anchored off the Kent coast while the government decides whether their cargoes should be unloaded. Four more Italian colliers sailed into Rotterdam today, and a further six are loading with Rhineland coal destined for Italian ports. All are likely to be seized following an announcement by the Ministry of Economic Warfare that German coal exported to any foreign port would be regarded as contraband. Severe weather in Germany has reduced normal supplies of coal to Italy, where rationing is now in force. Many Italians believe that the seizure of the ships is a deliberate attempt to force them to buy British coal on British terms. British sources are insisting that the blockade of German produce applies to all neutral ships and deny discrimination against Italy 1940 - RAF Bomber Command reconnaissance of German naval bases 1940 - Patrol vessel HMCS Sans Peur commissioned 1940 - Destroyer HMS Pathfinder laid down 1940 - Destroyer USS Morris commissioned 1940 - At 2015, SS Grutto was spotted by U-17, heading ENE with all navigation lights burning. At 2040, a torpedo was fired, which missed. 18 minutes later, a second torpedo was fired and struck the ship amidships, breaking her in two. The stern section sank within one minute and the bow followed six minutes later. In the early morning of 6 March, a ship of the Dutch Batavier-line spotted wreckage and a raft marked Grutto 7.5 miles SW of Thornbank. The Belgian pilot-boat #8 also reported this raft and later picked up debris two miles west of the Belgian lightship Wandelaar. This wreckage was later identified as belonging to Grutto. The Belgian Pilot boat #5 salvaged the raft and delivered it to Oostende. On 29 March, the bodies of two crewmen washed ashore on the Dutch coast, the body of sailor B van der Spek near Callantsoog and the one of first steerman R. Teensma on Texel. Their families identified both 1941 - U-451 launched 1941 - Corvettes HMS Bittersweet & Fennel departed Halifax with 27 ship Convoy HX-113 for Liverpool. HX-113 arrived safely in Liverpool on 21 Mar 41 with all of its merchant ships intact, subsequently for completion Bittersweet to the Tyne, & Fennel to Greenock. Under normal circumstances, an early version of the Flower-class corvette did not have the endurance for an operational transit across the Atlantic, particularly in the stormy weather typically experienced during late winter. This indicates that Bittersweet & Fennel were attached for transit but likely did not actively engage in anti-submarine screening, especially in view of their uncompleted condition 1941 - Corvette HMS Auricula commissioned 1941 - Destroyer USS Ludlow commissioned 1941 - Operation Lustre, the transporting of British and Commonwealth troops from Alexandria, Egypt, to Greece, begins. An advance party of I Australia Corps and the Australian 6th Division embarks for Greece in the light cruisers HMS Gloucester, Bonaventure & York 1941 - At 0525, MS Murjek was hit by one torpedo from U-95 WNW of Rockall. The ship had been missed by a first torpedo at 0506 hours & sank only after four additional hits at 0533, 0551, 0625 (dud) & 0655 1941 - U-106 refueled from the German supply ship Charlotte Schliemann at Las Palmas 1941 - HMS Triumph torpedoes sinks the Italian merchantmen Marzamemi and Colomba Lofaro near Capo dell'Armi, Calabria, Italy 1942 - U-167, U-168 launched 1942 - U-462, U-612 commissioned 1942 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Ensay & Sir Argavaine launched 1942 - Submarines HMS Trooper & P-311 launched 1942 - HMS Torbay torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Maddalena G. off Korfu, Greece 1942 - HMS Thorn sinks the Italian auxiliary patrol vessel AS 91/Ottavia with gunfire of Kefalonia, Greece 1942 - HMS Uproar torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Marin Sanudo about 10 nautical miles south-west of Isola di Lampione. Uproar was depth charges by the Italian torpedo boats Cigno and Procione following this attack 1942 - Escort carrier HMS Stalker launched 1942 - Destroyer HMS Melbreak launched 1942 - Corvette HMCS Moose Jaw completed temporary repairs St John's 1942 - Corvette HMCS Morden departed refit Clyde to escort Convoy ON-73 1942 - Japanese convoy bound for Huon Gulf, New Guinea, sails from Rabaul, New Britain Island, during the night 1942 - Carrier-based Japanese aircraft mount a damaging raid on the naval base at Tjilatjap, Java sinking 17 ships & completely destroying the harbor 1942 - Imperial General Headquarters issues Navy Directive No.62 ordering Commander-in-Chief, Combined Fleet, upon completion of the Java operation, to annihilate the remaining enemy force in Dutch New Guinea and to occupy strategic points of that territory. The objectives of the occupation are to survey the country for possible sites for air bases, anchorages and oilfields, as well to secure a good communication and supply line with British New Guinea 1942 - Japanese transport Takao Maru, damaged and driven aground off Vigan, Luzon, on 10 December 1941, is destroyed by Filipino saboteurs 1942 - Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound is replaced by Field Marshall Sir Alan Brooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, as Chairman of the British Chiefs of Staff Committee. This appointment improves relations between Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the Committee as Admiral Pound was noted for a strictly maritime point of view 1942 - Minesweeper HMS Hythe commissioned 1942 - Corvette HMS Pennywort commissioned 1942 - Name "Seabees" and insignia officially authorized 1942 - At 2244, the unescorted and unarmed SS Mariana was hit aft of the mast by one torpedo from U-126 off Turks Island & sank within five minutes. The crew of eight officers and 28 crewmen all perished 1942 - At 1533, the unescorted OA Knudsen was hit on the port side in tank #6 by one torpedo from U-128 east of Abaco Island, Bahamas. The ship started listing and the engines were stopped. The crew abandoned ship in the starboard lifeboat and a motorboat, but eight men remained on board, managed to restart the engines and head for land. A first coup de grâce at 15.42 hours missed, but a second fired at 16.42 hours hit on the port side in tank #9, killing a British deckboy. The remaining men abandoned ship in the port lifeboat and the master ordered the starboard lifeboat containing 24 men to head for nearest land while the motorboat and the port lifeboat stayed near the ship. The master and four crewmembers then reboarded the tanker, rigged up a new antenna and managed to establish a radio contact with a land station. They also transferred some petrol to the motorboat and abandoned the vessel. At 0230 on 6 March, the master and six crewmen again reboarded the OA Knudsen in order to save the vessel. 15 minutes later, U-128 began shelling the tanker, which caught fire and eventually sank. Shrapnel had injured the master and five men during the shelling before they were able to leave the ship with the motorboat. In the evening, they spotted the starboard lifeboat and took it in tow. Land was reached in the night, but they gave up trying to find a suitable landing place. On 7 March, the boats were taken in tow by a schooner, which landed them at Cornwall, Abaco Island. On 10 March, an able seaman died of wounds in a hospital and was buried on Abaco Island 1942 - The unarmed Collamer had lost Convoy HX-178 in heavy seas, unable to maintain convoy speed and with damage to her deck cargo, the master decided to return to Halifax. At 1135 hours on 5 Mar 1942, the Collamer was hit by one torpedo from U-404 off the coast of Nova Scotia, while proceeding on a nonevasive course in rough seas at 9 knots. The torpedo struck the starboard side amidships, causing the boilers to explode and killed the engine room crew of three officers and four men. The ship began to sink fast by the stern and the crew of seven officers and 31 men abandoned ship in two lifeboats. But before they could get away, a second torpedo struck the ship underneath the bridge just aft of the #2 hatch on the port side. A terrific explosion caused the ship to sink immediately by the stern. The radio operator had managed to send a SOS to Halifax. After several hours, two aircraft appeared and signaled the British SS Empire Woodcock, which picked up the survivors 1942 - At 2307, the unescorted Benmohr was torpedoed & sunk by U-505 about 210 miles SSW of Freetown. The master, 51 crewmembers and four gunners were rescued by an RAF 95 Sqn Sunderland & landed at Freetown 1943 - Submarine USS Grampus probably sunk by Japanese destroyers Minegumo and Murasame off New Georgia 1943 - Minesweeper HMCS Goderich arrived Liverpool NS for refit 1943 - U-391 launched 1943 - Submarine Grampus, commanded by John R. Craig, is sunk by Japanese destroyers in Blackett Strait-Solomon Islands. All hands are lost 1943 - USS Bogue begins first US anti-submarine operations by escort carrier 1943 - At 1745, U-130 attacked Convoy XK-2 NW of Lisbon & sank four ships, SS Fidra, Empire Tower, Trefusis and Ger-y-Bryn. Empire Tower sank within 60 seconds. The master, 35 crewmembers and six gunners were lost. Three crewmembers were picked up by armed trawler HMS Loch Oskaig & landed at Londonderry. The master, 13 crewmembers & three gunners from Fidra were lost. Nine crewmembers and three gunners were picked up by corvette HMS Coreopsis, transferred to armed trawler HMS Loch Oskaig & landed at Londonderry. The master, the crew of 37 & nine gunners from Ger-y-Bryn were rescued by corvette HMS Coreopsis, transferred to armed trawler HMS Loch Oskaig & landed at Londonderry 1943 - At 0926, U-255 fired a spread of three torpedoes at Convoy RA-53 & heard two detonations. Hog Islander SS Executive was sunk & Richard Bland was damaged, but five days later finished off by the same U-boat. Lookouts on the Executive in station #52 (originally in #51) spotted the first torpedo, which crossed the bow of the ship. But the second torpedo struck on the starboard side between the #4 hatch and the engine room. The explosion blew the hatch covers off the #4 hatch and demolished the booms, the engine, the dynamos and all the equipment in the immediate area. The #4 hold was rapidly flooded and the ship began to settle slowly by the stern. The eight officers, 30 men & 24 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, two .50cal and two .30cal guns) abandoned ship without orders in three lifeboats and one raft. One armed guard, three officers and five crewmen died. The survivors were picked up immediately by armed trawlers HMS St Elstan & Northern Pride (42 men) & landed in Iceland five days later. The drifting ship was scuttled by gunfire from a destroyer about one hour after the attack 1944 - While submarine USS Tullibee was attacking a merchantman in the Palaus area, one of her own torpedoes circled back & hit the boat, sinking it. There was one survivor who became a POW & was freed after the Japanese surrender to tell the story 1944 - Destroyer USS Willard Keith laid down 1944 - Destroyer minelayer USS Lindsey launched 1944 - Minesweeper USS Instill launched 1944 - Destroyer USS Collett launched 1944 - The unescorted SS John Holt was torpedoed & sunk by U-66 60 miles south of the Opobo River in the Gulf of Guinea. The master and one passenger were taken prisoner and were later lost with the U-boat. 41 crewmembers, nine gunners, three passengers and 40 Krooboys were picked up by the British tanker Empire Ruby & landed at Port Harcourt 1944 - U-366 sunk in the Arctic Ocean NW of Hammerfest, in position 72.10N, 14.44E, by rockets from an RN 816 Sqn Swordfish off escort carrier HMS Chaser. 50 dead (all hands lost) 1945 - Submarine USS Remora laid down 1945 - Escort carrier USS Cape Gloucester commissioned 1945 - USS LCS(L)(3)-127 sunk off California stricken from Navy List 30 March 1945 1945 - Minesweepers USS Quail & Scoter commissioned 1945 - U-2542 commissioned 1945 - HMS Sea Scout sinks a Japanese sailing vessel with gunfire in the Strait of Malacca 1945 - HMS Sturdy sinks two small Japanese landing craft with gunfire in the eastern part of the Java Sea 1945 - HMS Supreme sinks a Japanese sailing vessel with gunfire of the east coast of Sumatra, Netherlands East Indies 1946 - Light cruiser USS Manchester launched 1946 - Winston Churchill delivered his famous "Iron Curtain" speech at Westminster College in Fulton MO 1946 - Destroyer USS Ozbourn commissioned 1953 - Soviet dictator Josef Stalin died at age 73 after 29 years in power 1955 - Submarine HMS Explorer launched 1959 - RCN VS 880 Tracker #1542 lost overboard from HMCS Bonaventure. Crew recovered USS Newport News & personnel from Port Lyautey complete emergency relief operations at Agadir, Morocco after earthquake on 29 February 1966 - Completion of CHSS-2/DDH compatibility trials aboard HMCS Annapolis, during which scheduled, unscheduled and deliberate maintenance tasks were conducted. It was established that effective CHSS-2 maintenance could be conducted in the DDH 1967 - USS Enterprise port call Subic Bay 1969 - USS Coral Sea port call Subic Bay 1970 - USS Shangri-La commenced her only Vietnam deployment 1975 - USS Enterprise port call Subic Bay 1991 - Naval forces are conducting counter-air, reconnaissance, maritime interception operations and mine removal. To-date, 140 mines destroyed 1991 - USS Samuel B. Roberts diverts freighter in N. Red Sea 1991 - Based on the end of hostilities with Iraq, USS Forrestal Carrier Battle Group will not deploy on March 7 as previously announced. The eight ships and embarked air wing will be ready to deploy should circumstances warrant 1991 - Sealift update: 247 ships in support, 211 under MSC operational control; 450 offloads completed (18.3 billion pounds of fuel and equipment involving 2,000+ tanks, 2,200 armored vehicles, 1,000 assorted helos, aircraft, trucks and other combat equipment for the Marines and Air Force, hundreds of self-propelled Howitzers for the Army, and equipment for three Navy Fleet Hospitals) 1995 - An Australian yacht broke in two and sank in fierce winds off the Southern California coast, the first sinking in the history of America's Cup racing; all 17 crewmembers were rescued 2003 - Destroyer HMCS Iroquois & frigate Fredericton depart Halifax for Persian Gulf 2004 - USS Coronado departed San Diego to temporarily relieve USS Blue Ridge testing a new concept of manning during its trip to Japan. Usually a crew of 481 sailors mans a ship of this type. Coronado will have only 117 Sailors--and 146 Civilian Mariners 2004 - Integrated Coast Guard Systems (ICGS) delivered the first of the 110-foot to 123-foot Patrol Boat conversions, the USCGC Matagorda under the Deepwater Program during a ceremony at Bollinger Shipyards’ Lockport, La., facility 2005 - A Norwegian-flagged oil tanker caught fire a few kilometers offshore, forcing the ship's crew to evacuate early Saturday, rescue officials said. The Fjord Champion was still ablaze at 1130 but no oil spill had been detected in the water, authorities said. The 28 crewmembers, all Indian citizens, tried to put out the fire, which apparently started in the machine room Friday night. The cause was still unknown. The crew was evacuated overnight to the nearby city Kristiansand, Arvesen said. No serious injuries were reported. Without the crew, the tanker drifted aimlessly toward the Norwegian shore, but apparently ran aground a few kilometers off the southern coast, Arvesen said. "The ship is standing still now," he said. "It's still burning, and the fire is not very easy to get to." The tanker, which was en route from Liverpool to Rostock, was not carrying a shipment but contained 746 tonnes of heavy oil and 83 tonnes of diesel fuel for its own use 2005 - Two Iranian warships will carry out joint exercises with Pakistan navy ships in the open sea which involves joint maneuvers and advance tactical exercises, a Pakistani Navy statement said. The Iranian Naval Ships IRIS Bandar Abbas and IRIS Larak left Karachi port Saturday morning on completion of five-day goodwill visit of Pakistan but they will hold joint exercises with Pakistan Navy while returning, it said 2005 - The Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers as well as the Seattle Harbor Patrol responded to a reported oil sheen today in Lake Washington that is now dissipating. At approximately 1100 the Coast Guard Command Center received three separate reports of an oil sheen in Lake Washington. The sheen was reported by a Lake Washington boater and the Seattle Harbor Patrol. The sheen was spotted in Lake Washington, between the ship canal and Lake Union. Investigators from Coast Guard Marine Safety Office responded and traced the sheen to the 33-foot Motor Yacht Sea Horse. The size of the sheen was estimated to be about 300-feet to 1300-feet in length. The cause of the sheen is attributed to diesel fuel leaking out of the Sea Horse's fuel vent as the vessel transited Lake Washington. The Army Corps of Engineers deployed absorbent material on the sheen but recovered very little as the sheen was too thin. Coast Guard investigators reported that approximately 1 to 2 gallons of diesel fuel entered the water and dissipated rapidly. The operator of the Sea Horse plugged the vent to prevent any further leaking of diesel fuel 2006 - A man is safe after his 16-foot fiberglass boat struck a log and capsized in Siletz Bay OR. The Coast Guard received a call on VHF channel 16 at 1524 from a recreational vessel reporting a capsized boat with one person sitting on top of the hull near the Siletz Bay Bridge. A mobile land unit was dispatched from Coast Guard Station Depoe Bay, Ore., and an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter was launched from Coast Guard Air Facility Newport, Ore. The helicopter located the man at 1550 and monitored the situation as a jet ski from the North Lincoln City Fire and Rescue reached the man and safely transported him to shore. He was released without injury. The boat was not recovered and remains adrift. The man reportedly struck a log, which tore into the vessel causing it to flood and capsize. He was not wearing a lifejacket 2006 - Three people are safe and one is dead after the lifeboat they were in capsized during a drill at Terminal 18 in Seattle. Four crewmembers from the container ship Britain were conducting drills when the lifeboat capsized. Coast Guard Sector Seattle was notified by 911 of the accident at 0850 and diverted a 25-foot response boat. The Coast Guard rescued all four of the crewmembers within 20 minutes. Two crewmembers were returned to the ship and two were taken to Harborview Medical Center. Those taken to the hospital were a 50-year-old Philippine crewmember, who is recovering, and a 26-year-old Chinese crewmember who died. Port of Seattle Police and a fireboat also responded to the accident. Coast Guard Sector Seattle is investigating 2006 - A husband and wife are safe after their boat capsized near Camano Island, Wash., this morning. The Island County Sheriff’s office received an emergency cell phone call from an individual who said their boat was sinking near Camano Island and those aboard were putting on lifejackets. The call was cut off before any other information could be gathered. The Coast Guard was contacted by 911 at 0832 and launched a 41-foot utility boat and a 25-foot response boat from Coast Guard Station Seattle and an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles. The husband and wife, who are in their 50s, were rescued by a Good Samaritan at 0912 and transported to awaiting emergency medical technicians who treated them for hypothermia 2006 - Coast Guard Station Maui's 47-foot Motor Lifeboat is currently towing the ferry, Molokai Princess, into Lahaina Harbor after it was reported disabled and adrift at 1700. This is the first assistance case for Station Maui's newest asset since it was dedicated February 24th. Molokai Princess, a 96-foot ferry, was en route from Manele Harbor, Lanai to Lahaina, Maui when it contacted Coast Guard Sector Honolulu Command Center and reported it was disabled and adrift. Molokai Princess has 86 passengers on board and there are no reports of injuries. The cause of the incident is under investigation 2006 - Rear Admiral David Ledson RNZN has had his term as Chief of Navy extended to 30 April 2009, to bring the appointment into line with the other senior roles 2007 - Six US service members were safely rescued and evacuated to USS Bataan after their UH-1N Huey helicopter crashed near Manda Bay, Kenya, during a scheduled training exercise with Kenyan armed forces 2007- Iranian Navy commander Rear Adm. Sajjad Kouchaki met with his Indian counterpart Adm. Sureesh Mehta to discuss the implementation of a protocol 2007 - US Naval Institute announced that Admiral James Loy, currently a senior counselor at The Cohen Group, will join the Board of Directors 2007 - The largest yacht in America—the 453-foot Rising Sun owned by Oracle CEO Larry Ellison—will soon be able to sail and dock in New England waters. Today, O’Neill Properties Group announced its plans for The Newport Club, 44.5 acres of picturesque waterfront property on Aquidneck Island plus 100 acres out into the cove itself. When complete, The Newport Club will feature nearly 1,500 marina slips with retail shops, restaurants, waterfront residences, and marine-related support facilities 2007 - Honorable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, announced the appointment of Captain Ian C. Swan as the Canadian Marine Pilots' Association representative to the Atlantic Pilotage Authority board of directors, for a period of four years 2007 - Honorable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, today announced the appointments of Mr. James G. Doody and Mr. John J. Henley to the board of directors of Marine Atlantic Inc 2007 - The Saigon Shipbuilding and Maritime Industry Company (Saigon Shipmarin) has started building two 8,000-ton cargo vessels for Japan. These are the first cargo vessels that Saigon Shipmarin, a member of the Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (Vinashin), has built for foreign customers. They are expected to be completed by the end of 2007 2007 - Lloyd’s Register published its first issue of Human Focus, a magazine dedicated to the human element in ship operations. The publication contains 12 pages of information and news relevant to all owners and operators and covers a range of issues related to the interaction between people and ships 2007 - Sixth trial session of the sinking of a ferry in February 2006 into the Red Sea opens 2007 - The Malta-flagged "Tzini" that spilled over 100 tons of oil into the waters of northern Taiwan left Taiwan after agreeing to pay compensation of at least NT$50 million to related agencies. The 23,000-ton Tzini ran aground off Suao Port in Yilan last December, leaving the area heavily polluted with oil. The Environmental Protection Administration gave the vessel owner a NT$3 million fine for the spill during the same month 2007 - A Japanese captain caught poaching off Russia's Pacific coast must forfeit his ship and pay a fine of $13,800 2007 - President Bush announced the deployment of hospital ship USNS Comfort to Latin America for a series of humanitarian relief missions 2007 - Ex-Canadian Navy & Coast Guard officer Mark Livingstone killed in accident at Ucluelet 2007 - Following its official naming ceremony in Venice March 4 presided over by godmother Kathy Ireland, Carnival Freedom will sail on its inaugural voyage - a nine-day Mediterranean cruise from Venice 2007 - The Navy Seabee’s “Can Do!” legacy was officially honored during a groundbreaking ceremony in Port Hueneme Calif., for the new Seabee Museum. Scheduled to open in 2009, the new 35,000 square foot museum will be a world-class facility dedicated to honoring and commemorating the extraordinary accomplishments of the Seabees and Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) officers 2008 - USCG Commandant Admiral Thad Allen will testify before the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Homeland Security on the US Coast Guard fiscal year 2009 budget request, maritime security and marine enforcement programs 2008 - Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter, CNO Adm. Gary Roughead and Commandant USMC Gen. James Conway testify at a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee on the fiscal year 2009 Department of the Navy Budget Overview 2008 - Commander, US Central Command Adm. William J. Fallon and Commander, US Special Operations Command Admiral Eric T. Olson testify at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee on fiscal year 2009 National Defense Authorization Budget Request from the US Central Command and the US Special Operations Command 2008 - Commander, US Special Operations Command Admiral Eric Olson and Commander, NORAD/US Northern Command Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr. Testify at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee on fiscal year 2009 National Defense Authorization Act Budget Request from US Special Operations Command and US Northern Command 2008 - Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead announced the following flag officer assignments: Rear Adm. John W. Miller as commander, Carrier Strike Group Eleven. Rear Adm. Brian C. Prindle as director, Assessment Division, N81, OPNAV, Washington. Rear Adm. (lower half) Thomas P. Meek as director of intelligence, J2, US Southern Command. Rear Adm. (lower half) Kurt W. Tidd as commander, Carrier Strike Group Eight 2008 - Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced today that the President has made the following nominations of US Navy Reserve captain for promotion to rear admiral (lower half): Mark J. Belton, Bruce A. Doll, Nicholas T. Kalathas, Steven M. Talson & Scott A. Weikert http://www.psychics.co.uk/images/helenduncan.jpg 2008 - MSPs have rejected calls for the last woman to be convicted under witchcraft legislation to be pardoned. Helen Duncan, from Callander, served nine months in Holloway prison in 1944 after telling a seance a warship had sunk, before the news was made public. She was convicted under the Witchcraft Act of 1735 for pretending to exercise or use any kind of "witchcraft" or "sorcery" to tell fortunes 2008 - A former USN signalman leaked details of ship movements to a Website that supported al-Qaeda, a federal jury decided today. Hassan Abu-Jihaad, a US-born Muslim convert from Phoenix, faces up to 25 years in federal prison when he's sentenced 2008 - NAS Fallon received the first of two refurbished E-2C Group II Hawkeye aircraft for training aircraft carrier pilots at the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center 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