SeaWaves Today in History March 6, 2008 ********************************************************************* March 6 1822 - USS Enterprise captures four pirate ships in Gulf of Mexico 1862 - USS Monitor departed New York for Hampton Roads, VA 1902 - Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service was established 1908 - Submarine HMS C28 laid down 1917 - Cruiser HMS Caledon commissioned 1917 - Submarine HMS K8 completed 1917 - Submarine HMS H22 laid down 1918 - USN collier "Cyclops" vanishes in the Bermuda Triangle 1918 - Destroyer USS Leary laid down 1918 - Minesweeper USS Oriole laid down 1918 - Submarine USS R-9 laid down 1920 - Destroyers USS Welborn C Wood & George E Badger launched 1928 - Heavy cruiser USS Chester laid down 1932 - Submarine USS Dolphin launched 1934 - Light cruiser HMS Arethusa launched 1937 - Light cruiser HMS Southampton commissioned 1939 - Destroyer USS Livermore laid down 1939 - Destroyer FS Volta commissioned 1940 - British experts examine the captured RDF (radar) system of the Graf Spee 1940 - Two Norfolk lighthouses and two convoys are bombed & machine-gunned by German aircraft. Little damage caused 1940 - Battleship FS Jean Beart launched 1941 - Destroyer HMS Greyhound sank Italian submarine Anfitrite, while escorting Convoy GA-8 east of Crete 1941 - U-567, U-568 launched 1941 - U-560 commissioned 1941 - German planes lay mines in the Suez Canal, blocking the British supply route to Greece and North Africa 1941 - Italian submarine Anfitrite attacks a troop convoy east of Crete & is sunk by escorting destroyer HMS Greyhound 1941 - The workers at John Brown's shipyards, in Glasgow, go out on strike 1941 - Churchill issues his Battle of the Atlantic directive. Catapult armed merchantmen (CAM) are to be fitted out, merchant ships to be given AA weapons as a first priority, and more Coastal Command squadrons formed & fitted with radar. Port and dockyard congestion is to be dealt with and the defense of ports greatly improved. These and numerous other matters are to be dealt with as a matter of the very highest priority. The survival of Britain depends on them. Overall direction is to be exercised by a Battle of the Atlantic Committee chaired by the Prime Minister himself 1941 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Kiryado mined & sunk in English Channel 1941 - Tug HMS Sun VII lost due to unknown reasons 1941 - Patrol vessels HMCS Talapus & Kuitan ordered 1941 - Minesweeper HMAS Ipswich laid down 1941 - Corvette HMS Hepatica completed fitting out Greenock & left for workups 1941 - Destroyer HMS Puckeridge launched 1942 - SS Steel Age sunk by U-129 at 06.45N, 53.15W with 33 crewmembers lost. One man captured by the U-boat & became a POW 1942 - Motor tanker Sydhav sunk by U-505 at 04.47N, 14.57W 1942 - U-587 erroneously reported the name of the ship as Hawse Gude, but it must have been Hans Egede, which was reported missing in Canadian waters on 4 March 1942 - At 2306, steam trawler Rononia was hit amidships by one torpedo from U-701, broke in two & sank within a few seconds 1942 - U-535 laid down 1942 - Minesweeper Pieter de Bitter scuttled at Surabaya to prevent capture by the Japanese 1942 - Submarine USS Scamp laid down 1942 - Minesweeper HMCS Canso commissioned 1942 - HMC ML 066 commissioned 1942 - Submarine USS Amberjack launched 1942 - Spain severed diplomatic relations with Norway 1942 - Aircraft carrier HMS Eagle brings 18 Spitfires to Malta. Seven Blenheim bombers are also sent to aid in the defense of the island and offensive actions against Axis convoys 1942 - German battleship Tirpitz sets sail from her base in Trondheim along with her escorting destroyers Paul Jacobi, Friedrich Ihn, Hermann Schoemann & Z-25 to intercept the ships of convoys QP-8 & PQ-12 sailing from Iceland to Archangel. Despite information sent to aircraft carrier HMS Victorious; no contact is made between the forces. The British Admiralty draws criticism because of its inaction. Submarine HMS Seawolf briefly spotted the German force 1943 - U-1302 laid down 1943 - U-284, U-471, U-472 launched 1943 - U-739 commissioned 1943 - MS Thorstrand sunk by U-172 at 41.23N, 42.59W 1943 - At 1520, 1943, U-410 attacked Convoy KMS-10 west of Gibraltar & reported two ships damaged and one possible hit on a third ship. In fact, the Fort Battle River was sunk and the Fort Paskoyac was damaged. The master, 45 crewmembers, 10 gunners and nine passengers (army personnel) from Fort Battle River were picked up by corvette HMCS Shediac & the British SS Empire Flamingo & landed at Gibraltar 1943 - Frigate HMCS Wentworth launched Esquimalt BC 1943 - Fairmile depot ship HMCS Sambro renamed HMCS Venture II 1943 - AMC HMCS Prince Henry arrived Burrard Dry Dock for conversion to infantry landing ship 1943 - Minesweeper HMCS Transcona completed engine repairs Halifax & left for workups 1943 - Light cruiser USS Little Rock laid down 1943 - Destroyer USS Uhlmann laid down 1943 - Destroyer USS Luce launched 1943 - Light cruiser USS Astoria launched 1943 - Frigate HMS Byard launched 1943 - Boom defense vessel HMS Barleycorn launched 1943 - US Cruisers and destroyers bombard Vila and Munda, Solomon Islands, sinking 2 Japanese destroyers 1944 - LCT(5)-340 sunk 9 February 1944 stricken from Navy List 1944 - LCT(5)-26 sunk 25 February 1944 stricken from Navy List 1944 - Submarine USS Scorpion missing in the western Pacific 1944 - U-973 sunk NNW of Narvik, in position 70.40N, 05.48E, by rockets from an RN 816 Sqn Swordfish from escort carrier HMS Chaser. 51 dead and 2 survivors 1944 - U-737 damaged an RAF 120 Sqn Liberator that was destroyed when forced to crash land 1944 - Corvette HMCS Wetaskiwin completed forecastle extension refit Galveston TX 1944 - Submarine USS Dragonet commissioned 1944 - Destroyer escort USS Hubbard commissioned 1944 - Frigate USS Rockford commissioned 1944 - Submarine USS Atule launched 1944 - XE11 was lost while exercising in Loch Striven when she collided with a boom defense vessel that was laying buoys 1944 - Destroyer minelayer USS Henry F Bauer laid down 1944 - Destroyer escort USS Johnnie Hutchins laid down 1944 - HMCS Gatineau, Chaudiere, St Catharines, Chilliwack, Fennel, HMS Icarus & Keniworth Castle after 32 hours of attack U-744 OLtzS Heinz Blischke, CO, was forced to surface, at 52-10N 23-37W in the North Atlantic. Of the crew of 51, 4 senior ratings, 33 junior ratings survived. Members of Chilliwack boarded U-744 prior to her sinking, OLtzS Blischke, was among those lost in this action. U-744 was considered to be one of the classic U-boat hunts of the war. The C2 support group was searching 4 miles ahead of the 63-ship convoy HX 280, en route from New York City for Liverpool. Icarus obtained an HF/DF bearing & Gatineau obtained a sonar contact at 1000. U-744 was a captained by a highly competent commander who proved to be a very wily opponent. Blischke repeatedly avoided attacks & evaded effectively in the disturbed water caused by depth charge explosions. The attackers expended every weapon in their inventory, including over 290 depth charges & there seemed to be no solution other than waiting for the U-boat to surface. After 32 hours of depth charge attacks, the German crew was at the extreme limit of their endurance & the submarine was seriously damaged. U-744 surfaced and the crew unsuccessfully attempted to scuttle her. Members of Chilliwack boarded the boat & gathered papers & documents. ICARUS torpedoed U-744 but she did not sink. Then, after unsuccessful attempts at towing the boat to port, U-744 was sunk by shallow-set depth charges. U-744 was a type VIIC U-boat built by F, Schichau GMBH, Danzig, launched 11 Mar 43 commissioned 5 Jun 43, in service 9 months, with a record of sinking 3 ships, for a total of 10,609 tons. OLtzS Blischke was her only commander. Heinz Blischke was born in 1919, in Schwiebus, Silesia. He joined the navy in 1938. He transferred to the U-boat force in Feb 41. His first operational assignment was from Nov 41 to Mar 43 as the First Weapons Officer in the Type VIIC boat U-755, Kptlt Walter Going, CO, (3 ship sunk, 3,900 tons). Blischke was selected for command & underwent his U-boat commander's course from Mar to Apr 43. He was assigned to command U-744 on 05 Jun 43 1945 - HMS LST 3555, 3556, 3557, 3558, 3559 ordered in Canada. Cancelled 18 Aug 45 1945 - Canadian Park Steamship Company freighter SS Green Hill Park caught fire & exploded while loading cargo in Vancouver BC. In explosion two crewmembers & six longshoremen were Lost. The ship was declared a Constructive Total Loss but was sold to a Greek owner who had the hulk repaired and operated under the name Phaeax II 1945 - U-681 shot a T-5 at an ASW trawler, but missed 1945 - Submarine USSR SC-307 received the Red Banner Award. Her commander M.S. Kalinin received the honorable rank of The Hero of the Soviet Union 1945 - SS Empire Geraint damaged by U-775 at 51N, 05W 1945 - Frigate HMCS Sussexvale arrived Londonderry to join EG-26 1945 - General MacArthur meets his wife Jean and son Arthur in Manila Harbor aboard the Columbia Express 1964 - Minesweeper HMCS Thunder paid off 1965 - USS Coral Sea port call Cubi Point 1965 - USS Midway commenced Vietnam deployment 1968 - USS Ticonderoga port call Subic Bay 1970 - USS Constellation port call Yokosuka 1987 - The ferry Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes with her bow door open leaving Zeebrugge - 193 died 1991 - US POWs are transferred to USNS Mercy for medical treatment 1991 - Naval forces continue to conduct defensive counter-air operations to protect US fleet, combat air patrols, maritime interceptions and minesweeping to clear A1 Ashwaba and other mined Kuwaiti ports. USS New Orleans, an embarked mine countermeasures squadron and four mine countermeasures ships, are leading minesweeping activities, aided by ships from UK, Holland and Belgium 1991 - USS Wisconsin sails for home 1991 - DOD announces list of units in initial redeployment to home stations: USN Medical staff (USNS Mercy, Comfort, Fleet Hospital Five (1,742 pers) - to arrive in CONUS 8 March at various destinations via Norfolk, Travis/Andrews AFB. Naval Special Warfare Trng Grp 1 (115 pers) - to NAB Coronado. Naval Beach Group ONE (210 pers) - to NAS North Island. Amphibious Medical Support Unit (95 pers) - to Philadelphia. 303 Security Unit (15 pers) - to Andrews AFB 2003 - Never commissioned USCGC Chinook stricken & transferred to Philippines as General Mariano Alvares 2003 - Buoy tender USCGC Hickory delivered 2004 - Six suspects in the 2000 attack on destroyer USS Cole surrendered to security forces after a week-long hunt for suspected Islamic militants in remote areas southern Yemen. They said the six were among eight men who gave themselves up Saturday to security forces surrounding mountain hideouts in Abyan province, 400 kilometers SE of Sanaa 2004 - Crane ship SS Flickertail State placed in USMC service for duty at Haiti 2004 - SS Cape May laid up Baltimore RRF 2005 - USS Monitor replica keel laying ceremony at Northrop Grumman Newport News 2005 - Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed to conduct joint patrols of a disputed maritime border, amid rising tensions over an oil concession in the area 2005 - Two more bodies from a boating accident in southern Thailand found by marine police and navy officials. The bodies - a 4-year old boy and a 6-year old girl - bring the death toll from the capsized ferry on the 5th off the southern resort island of Phuket to 12, the Thai News Agency quoted a senior marine police officer as saying. The boat, Rungroj, capsized around a nautical mile from Yao Yaiisland where the water is 20 meters deep. Thirty-five survivors from the accident have reported to local hospitals. The police believe a number of survivors may have returned to their homes or hotels after the mishap 2006 - Gary Pearson and Michael J. Daggett presented public service commendations by Capt. Glenn Wiltshire, Captain of the Port of New York and New Jersey, at Coast Guard Sector New York on Staten Island at 1000. Daggett and Pearson rescued two boaters from the water following a boat and tug collision in Raritan Bay, NJ, June 8, 2005. The victims were ejected from their small pleasure boat following the collision with the tug. The crew of the tug threw a life ring to the first victim but he could not be pulled from the water because of dangerous currents. Pearson, who was operating the launch at the nearby Raritan Bay Yacht Club, immediately responded to the scene by boat when he heard the distress call. Pearson passed the first victim a second life ring that allowed him to be pulled from the currents surrounding the tug and recovered from the water. Dagget, who was fishing with friends on a boat nearby, was directed by the crew of the tug to the second victim who was floating face down. Without regard for his personal safety, Daggett jumped into the water and rescued the second victim before he submerged. Both victims were taken ashore safely to waiting medical crews. The actions of Pearson and Daggett saved the lives of the two victims. Their decisive actions and selfless concern for others are most heartily commended and are in keeping with the highest traditions for public service 2006 - The storm that lashed the lower North Island has caused wreckage from an old navy frigate sunk near Wellington last year, to be washed ashore. The former HMNZS Wellington was sold to the Sink F69 Trust, which sunk it about 500 meters off Island Bay – virtually in Cook Strait – on November 14. Prior to the sinking Island Bay man, some warned that the lightly built ship would break up very quickly and become a danger to divers, not the tourist and diving area the trust claimed it would be. Residents in the area found the ship’s wreckage, scattered along the length of the beach. The Wellington Police notified them of the wreckage at 1645. A diving team would go down once the weather settled down and check out the wreckage 2006 - Rodriguez Cantieri Navali presented a new vessel dubbed V.Cat40 from its shipyard of Pietra Ligure the 40m for the Shipping Company Bahamas Ferries. Completely in aluminum, this fast catamaran - part of the City Cat series – has a crew of six people and can hold up to 320 passengers on its two decks – 222 on the main deck and 98 on the upper deck. The propulsive system consists of two engines MTU 16 V 396 TE 74L each one producing 2000 kW at 2000 rpm combined with two Rolls Royce water-jets – model Kemewa 63 SII. The cruise speed for this ship is of 29,5 knots while the maximum speed is of 32 knots. The ship stabilization is guaranteed by its intruders and by two anti-roll and anti-pitching T-Foils. The above mentioned stabilization system as well as the monitoring and control system have been entirely realized by Rodriquez Marine System, a company of the RCN group specialized in this field. The CityCat 40 has been designed for a high level comfort for a high number of passengers. The bottom shapes, in particular the bow inlets, have been conceived to reduce the seakeaping effects and minimize the vertical acceleration level in order to guarantee the maximum comfort, as well as the division of the spaces destined to passengers has been studied to maximize the visibility of the spaces available and therefore contribute to an enjoyable stay onboard 2006 - Green Reefers has concluded sale of the M/V Green Igloo for $2.1 mill. The vessel is 73,000 cu. ft. and built in 1983. Delivery to new owners will take place during April 2006 2006 - Xtreme Companies Inc announced the sale of a first responder Fire-Rescue Boat to the Squantz Engine Fire Company located in New Fairfield, CT. The sales price of the boat was approximately $70,000 2006 - The Manitowoc Company, Inc. announced that US Shipping Partners LP has awarded the Manitowoc Marine Group a contract for the construction of two 156,000-barrel, ocean-class, double-hull tank barges. The vessels will be built by its Bay Shipbuilding subsidiary located in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. The barges, which are scheduled for delivery in the third and fourth quarters of 2008, will measure 521 feet in length, 72 feet in width, and 41 feet in molded depth. The contract also includes options for two additional vessels 2006 - A landmark agreement between the UK and French Governments on cooperation on aircraft carriers was signed in Innsbruck by UK Defense Secretary John Reid and French Defense Minister Madame Michele Alliot-Marie 2006 - A rescue helicopter from USCG Air Station Borinquen hoisted a man from the cruise ship Black Watch at approximately 2222 100 nautical miles southwest of St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles. Christopher Winborne, 65, a United Kingdom national, suffered from a possible heart attack Monday and required immediate medical attention ashore. Coast Guard controllers coordinated a rescue helicopter from Air Station Borinquen, Aguadilla to conduct the medical evacuation, and a HU-25 Falcon Jet from Air Station Miami to escort the helicopter during the medevac. Once on scene with the Black Watch, the helicopter crew hoisted Winborne and his wife up to the aircraft and transported them to the Princess Juliana Airport, St. Maarten. Winborne was transferred in stable condition to local emergency medical service personnel who transported him to the St. Maarten Medical Center 2007 - Saab TransponderTech R40 Automatic Identification System (AIS) base station type approved by the German technical body, Bundesamt für Seeschiffahrt und Hydrographie (BSH) 2007 - There has been a fire onboard HMAS Adelaide while she was conducting exercises off the Western Australian coast. The Dept of Defense says the fire in two of the gas turbine engines was extinguished without incident. No personnel on board were injured. Adelaide is returning to base at HMAS Stirling near Perth to conduct further investigations into the cause of the blaze 2007 - US Navy confirmed officials made a deliberate decision to block WorldNetDaily's news from computers on Navy and Marine bases nationwide, but in a prepared statement said it had nothing to do with the "content" or "views" of the news site 2007 - RFA Cardigan Bay commissioned 2007 - Contracts for construction of six French Scorpene-class submarines at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL), Mumbai under Transfer of Technology from Armaris, France were signed 2007 - Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. entered into a definitive agreement to build three new Articulated Tug Barges (ATBs), each with a carrying capacity of approximately 290,000 barrels. Each barge will be connected to a new 12,000 horsepower tug boat and will be capable of carrying refined petroleum products as well as crude oil within the US Jones Act market. The units are scheduled to be delivered from late 2009 through late 2010 2007 - Smit Tug crews in Rotterdam stage 24 hour strike 2007 - Diana Shipping Inc. signed a Memorandum of Agreement with an unaffiliated third party for the purchase of a Capesize dry bulk carrier of 180,235 dwt, built in 2005 by Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., for the price of $110 million. The vessel, to be renamed Aliki, is expected to be delivered to the Company by the sellers on or about April 30, 2007. The Company also announced that it has entered into a time charter contract with Cargill International S.A. for the Aliki for a minimum 46 to maximum 49 month period at an average rate of $48,500 per day with one year extension at the charterer's option at the same rate. During the first two years of the charter the gross daily charter hire rate will be $52,000 and during the third and fourth years of the charter $45,000. The charterer has the option to employ the vessel for a further 11-13 month period at a daily charter rate of $48,500. The time charter contract is expected to commence immediately after the delivery of the vessel to the Company 2007 - The US Army Corps of Engineers New York District and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announce the completion of the Arthur Kill Channel 41-foot navigation project. The project entailed deepening the channel from 35 to 41 feet in the Elizabeth NJ Port Reach and the North of Shooter's Island Reach NY areas of the channel 2007 - Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS) 11 rescued a sailor stationed aboard nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise who fell overboard shortly before midnight 2007- While conducting Operation Resolute border patrols, minehunter HMAS Gascoyne lived up to her motto ‘Return to the Sea' when the crew released a number of marine life back into the ocean after discovering them entangled in a three-kilometer gillnet. Coordinated by Border Protection Command, Gascoyne and Australian Customs Vessel Storm Bay responded to a Coastwatch sighting in the Gulf of Carpentaria. After locating and apprehending an illegal fishing vessel, a further inspection of the area was conducted and a gillnet was found stretching three kilometers along the ocean floor 2007 - Portsmouth based Royal Navy Battle Staff will commence maritime security operations in the Northern Arabian Gulf onboard HMS Cornwall. Relieving Rear Admiral Garry Hall USN, Commodore Nick Lambert will command Combined Task Force 158 (known as "CTF 158"), a coalition force comprising up to 12 units from the US, UK, Australian and Iraqi navies 2007 - Sailors from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 85 held a decommissioning ceremony for the Navy’s last H-3 Sea King helicopter 2007 - The gifting of the ship's bell from the former HMNZS Canterbury was conducted by the Chief of Navy at Te Rawhiti, Northland. The bell was given in reciprocation for the gift the two hapu presented to the Navy during the signing (the hoe) 2008 - The North Atlantic Council (NAC) at the level of Foreign Ministers will meet at NATO Headquarters in Brussels 2008 - USCG Commandant Admiral Thad Allen will testify before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard on the U.S. Coast Guard fiscal year 2009 budget request ============================================================= 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.