SeaWaves Today in History March 16, 2009 1606 - Samuel de Champlain c1570-1635 sets out on abortive expedition, reaching only as far as Port aux Coquilles on the Ste-Croix River; he returns to Port Royal when his party meets dangerous Indians 1899 - Ottawa passes Pacific Cable Act, to subsidize a line from Vancouver to Australia & New Zealand 1900 - Sir Arthur Evans uncovers the ancient city of Knossos, Crete 1909 - Assateague Beach, VA- schooner Charley C. Weaver- One of the crew notified the keeper that the schooner was leaking. The surfboat proceeded to the scene, 1 5/8 miles S. of the station. The schooner's crew was nearly exhausted from a long spell at the pump. Surfmen shifted her cargo of oysters. They also tried to locate the leak, but were unsuccessful. They then went ashore and returned with the power lifeboat, which towed the schooner over the bar. 1911 - Hulk of USS Maine sunk at sea in deep water with full military honors 1914 - Battleship USS Arizona laid down 1915 - Battleship USS Pennsylvania launched 1918 - Destroyers HMS Vanessa & Wolsey launched. Mrs. Frederick Elvy launched Vanessa 1926 - Heavy cruiser HMS Devonshire laid down 1926 - Dr. Robert H. Goddard successfully launched the first liquid fueled rocket at Auburn MA. Regarded by flight historians to be as significant as the Wright Brothers flight at Kitty Hawk 1926 - Submarine FS Phoque launched 1926 - Heavy cruisers HMS Kent & Cumberland launched 1934 - Submarine HMS Sealion launched 1934 - Destroyer USS Farragut launched 1935 - Adolf Hitler denounces any arms restrictions of the Versailles treaty and decrees a law establishing a peacetime army of 500,000 men. The Versailles treaty allowed Germany to have no more than 100,000 men under arms thus; Germany abrogates another provision of the agreements that had aimed to contain it 1936 - Destroyers HMS Ilex & Icarus laid down 1938 - Torpedo boats FS L'Incomprise & Branlebas commissioned 1939 - The prototype Mitsubishi A6M Type 0 (Zero/Zeke) fighter is declared ready for tests 1940 - U-334 laid down 1940 - Destroyer HNLMS Isaac Sweers launched 1940 - The British Home Fleet is bombed in its Scapa Flow base and cruiser HMS Norfolk damaged. 15 Ju-88's of 1st Group, 30th Bomber Wing (1st Gruppe of Kampfgeschwader 30]. The first civilian to be killed in an air raid during the present war died today during a German raid on the naval base at Scapa Flow. James Isbister, aged 27, who lived in the village of Bridge of Waithe on Loch Stenness, was standing in the doorway of his home. An enemy aircraft that had fled dropped 19 bombs wounding seven civilians and killing Mr. Isbister. Apparently he had been about to run across the road to help a neighbor whose cottage had been hit. He leaves a widow and an infant son. According to an Admiralty communiqué, the raid on Scapa Flow began at 7.50 PM. "About 14 enemy aircraft reached the objective. A considerable number of bombs was dropped, one hitting a warship [HMS Norfolk] which sustained only minor damage." Six crewmembers were killed in the raid and seven injured. The raid was the first on Scapa Flow since 17 October when the old battleship Iron Duke was hit. None of the enemy aircraft was shot down, although several of them were claimed as damaged in fights with RAF machines. It was reported, but not confirmed, that the raiders also tried to reach the Forth Bridge, but failed 1940 - The Government of Argentina deports the German crew of Admiral Graf Spee into the interior and forbids them to wear their uniform 1940 - The President of Panama transmits a protest to King of England over British violation of the Pan-American Neutrality Zone in the Wakama Incident that took place off the coast of Brazil on 12 February. On that date, heavy cruiser HMS Dorsetshire stopped the German freighter SS Wakama 12 miles off Cabo Frio, Brazil and Wakama's crew scuttled her so that their ship will not fall into British hands 1941 - Today and tomorrow, German ships Scharnhorst & Gneisenau sink or capture 16 unescorted ships in the Newfoundland area 1941 - Two transports sail from Brisbane, Queensland, with troops bound for Thursday Island off the north coast of Queensland; Port Moresby, New Guinea; and Rabaul, New Britain Island, Bismarck Archipelago 1941 - The Portuguese capital of Lisbon, has become a haven for refugees from all over Europe fleeing from Nazi persecution. Many spend weeks in miserable accommodation here waiting in terror for a passage on a ship to Australia or the Americas, as far as possible from the Third Reich. There are now so many refugees in the Atlantic port that the American Export Line, the only US shipping line with a regular European service, has stopped taking bookings until existing ones are cleared 1941 - U-106 was chasing Convoy SL-68 when the unescorted Almkerk crossed the way of the convoy and the U-boat. At 1636, a torpedo hit MS Almkerk on the starboard side and a minute later a second hit on the portside. All hands abandoned the ship unhurt and she sank after 15 minutes. The ships of SL-68 sighted this. The British SS Martand picked up one lifeboat on 18 March. The other boat landed in Vichy-French Guinea. After some time in captivity, the lifeboat was allowed to depart for Freetown, where it arrived on 30 March 1941 - At 0018 & 0022, U-110 fired torpedoes at Convoy HX-112 and reported one tanker sunk and a possible hit on a steamer. At 0632 hours, the U-boat attacked again in grid AE 8781 and reported another tanker sunk. However, Allied reports only mention the damaging of the tanker Erodona at the time of the first attack 1941 - U-99 attacked Convoy HX-112 several times & sank five ships, Venetia, J.B. White, Ferm, Beduin and Korshamn & damaged the Franche-Comte. Attempts to save the Beduin failed, because she broke in two in 61°20N/11°55W. The forepart was shelled and sunk by a British trawler in 61°02N/11°53W on 19 March, while the afterpart was sunk in 61°07N/10°50W on 20 March. The escorts picked up 20 survivors while ten the Icelandic trawler Hilmir put others ashore at Fleetwood on 23 March. Ferm caught fire after she was torpedoed. All crewmembers abandoned ship and were picked up by an escort vessel. The floating tanker was taken in tow the next day, but she sank in 61°30N/09°30W on 21 March. J.B. White was first torpedoed and then sunk by a coup de grâce from U-99 WSW of the Faroes. Two crewmembers were lost. The master and 37 crewmembers were picked up by destroyer HMS Walker & landed at Liverpool 1941 - A small British force captures the port of Berbera, East Africa. The force arrives from Aden 1941 - Hitler again predicted British defeat 1941 - Two He 111s of the German 10th Air Corps went on an armed reconnaissance flight during which they attacked units of the British Mediterranean Fleet west of Crete. Upon returning to base the crews report torpedo hits on two heavy naval vessels that they describe as battleships. This supposed success meant a substantial reduction in the Royal Navy's strength in the Mediterranean. German leaders urge the Italian navy to get involved and to co-operate with the German attack on Greece that is planned for April 6, by sending their vessels forward into the eastern Mediterranean north and south of Crete 1941 - ASW trawler HMS Lady Lilian sunk by German aircraft west of Ireland 1942 - At Del Monte Airfield on Mindanao, General Douglas MacArthur, Commanding General US Army Forces, Far East, and his party wait for B-17 Flying Fortresses to take them to Australia. Officers in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, are trying to scrape together the necessary aircraft. While MacArthur waits, his aide, Sid Huff, takes Jean MacArthur's mattress off motor torpedo (PT) boat PT-41 which leads to a wild story that the mattress is supposedly full of gold bars. In fact, it's full of feathers 1942 - U-706 commissioned 1942 - U-423 laid down 1942 - U-187 launched 1942 - At 1955, the unescorted, unarmed & zigzagging tanker Australia was spotted by U-332 off the Diamond Shoals Lighted Buoy and within sight of the steam merchant William J. Salman and several other ships. Lighting in the distance outlined the ship against the sky, making the tanker a better target. A torpedo struck the starboard side in the engine room about 12 feet below the waterline. The explosion sent flames and smoke through the engine room skylights, destroyed the engine room fuel lines and auxiliary pipes and killed the officer and three men on watch below. Water flooded in the compartment, extinguishing the blaze as the tanker settled quickly by the stern. The surviving seven officers and 29 men abandoned ship in three lifeboats. The William J. Salman picked them up within one hour and 35 minutes and delivered them to armed yacht USS Ruby. On 17 March, they were landed at Southport, North Carolina. The stern of the Australia rested on the bottom on an even keel and was submerged with only her masts visible but all her cargo tanks intact. The total loss committee of the WSA sent a notice to the Texas Company that they could collect insurance for total loss by sinking the vessel and she was sunk on 20 March. William J. Salman was herself torpedoed and sunk by U-125 on 18 May 1942 1942 - At 1824, the unescorted Manaqui, dispersed from Convoy OS-20, was torpedoed & sunk by U-504 SE of Barbuda, Leeward Islands. The master, 34 crewmembers & six gunners were lost 1942 - At 2317, the unescorted Baron Newlands was torpedoed & sunk by U-68 six miles south of Cape Palmas, Liberia. 14 crewmembers & four gunners were lost. The master, 17 crewmembers & two gunners landed at Grande Sesters and Piccaniani Cess, near Cape Palmas 1942 - Light fleet carrier USS Cabot laid down 1942 - Submarine USS Permit delivers ammunition to Corregidor Island, and evacuates the second increment of naval radio & communications intelligence people 1942 - US Maritime Commission places orders for another 234 "Liberty" ships -- slow-moving 10,500-ton merchant vessels 1942 - Destroyer USS Murray laid down 1942 - Frigate USS Natchez laid down Montreal PQ 1942 - Minesweeper USS Tide laid down 1942 - Destroyer USS Charles Ausburne launched 1942 - Destroyer KNM Eskdale launched 1943 - Corvette HMS Godetia rescued the crew of minesweeping trawler HMS Campobello after this ship hit an iceberg the day before and as a result of the collision she had a leak in her boiler room. HMS Campobello was beyond salvage and her crew (35 men) was taken off. Godetia finally sank Campobello with shallow set depth charges 1943 - Gate vessels HMC GV 3, 4 & 5? ordered 1943 - Destroyer HMCS Griffin (ex-HMS Griffin) commissioned 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Chase, Ricketts & Sellstron laid down 1943 - Destroyer USS Wadsworth commissioned 1943 - U-1168 laid down 1943 - At 2048, U-172 fired a spread of four torpedoes at Convoy UGS-6 & heard a detonations after 2 minutes 50 seconds, 3 minutes 10 seconds and two after 3 minutes 20 seconds. At 20.50 hours, a stern spread was fired and two hits were observed after 56 seconds and 58 seconds, both torpedoes probably hit SS Benjamin Harrison in station #73. The other detonations must have been depth charges dropped by the American escorts. Benjamin Harrison was hit by two torpedoes on the starboard side in the #5 hold, began to settle slowly and appeared to be in no great danger of sinking quickly. The master did not order the eight officers, 35 men, 27 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, one 3in and four 20mm guns) and one passenger to abandon ship. Some men shouted this order, creating a great confusion and they began leaving the ship in a chaotic manner. The explosion had damaged one of the lifeboats and in their haste two others were improperly launched, causing the occupants to fall into the sea. Only one boat was launched effectively with 16 men clung to the full boat and 15 had to swim with their life preservers until they were picked up by the Panamanian motor merchant Alan-A-Dale and were landed at Oran, Algeria on 24 March. Three other survivors were picked up by destroyer USS Rowan, which sank the wreck with gunfire at 2130 about 150 miles ENE of Terceira, Azores and were landed at Casablanca. Two officers and one armed guard died in this sinking 1943 - At 2300, U-603 fired three FAT & one G7e torpedoes at Convoy HX-229 & heard one certain and one possible detonation. The only ship hit was the Elin K, which was hit by one torpedo & sank. All crewmembers abandoned ship in the lifeboats and were picked up by corvette HMS Pennywort 1943 - Admiral Carpender commands the US 7th Fleet as it becomes operational. It is formed to control naval operations around New Guinea 1943 - About 1120, U-77 fired torpedoes at Convoy ET-14 NW of Oran and hit the Hadleigh & Merchant Prince. Two crewmembers from the Hadleigh were lost. The master, 41 crewmembers & eight gunners abandoned the vessel & were picked up by HMS Tynedale. The next day, the vessel was towed to Oran by tug HMS Restive, then to Mers el Kebir, where she was beached & later declared a total loss after the vessel broke in two. Merchant Prince was first abandoned, but reboarded the next day and towed to Oran where the ship was beached. On 8 April, the ship was refloated and continued to the UK after temporary repairs were made at Oran, she arrived in Glasgow on 2 August for permanent repairs 1944 - Frigate HMCS Teme commissioned 1944 - HMC MTB 463 commissioned 1944 - U-801 attacked by an Avenger aircraft from escort carrier USS Block Island in the Mid Atlantic. One man died and 9 men were wounded. The U-boat was sunk the next day 1944 - U-1206 commissioned 1944 - U-828 launched 1944 - U-392 sunk in the Straits of Gibraltar, in position 35.55N, 05.41W, by depth charges from frigate HMS Affleck, destroyer HMS Vanoc & depth charges from 3 USN VP-63 Catalinas. 52 dead (all hands lost) 1944 - Escort carrier USS Attu laid down 1944 - Submarine USS Clamagore laid down 1944 - Minesweeper USS Quest launched 1944 - Escort carrier USS Thetis Bay launched 1944 - Destroyer escort USS Hayter commissioned 1944 - Frigate USS Muskogee commissioned 1944 - US aircraft raid a Japanese convoy off Wewak, New Guinea 1945 - Destroyer HMS Fandale collided with HMS Wallace off the Humber 1945 - U-367 sank in the Baltic Sea near Hela, in position 54.25N, 18.50E, after hitting a mine laid by the Soviet submarine L-21 three days earlier. 43 dead (all hands lost) 1945 - At 0920, the Inger Toft in Convoy RU-156 was torpedoed & sunk by U-722 3 miles 270° from Neirst Point, Isle of Skye. The master and 29 crewmembers were picked up by armed trawler HMS Grenadier & landed at Loch Ewe 1945 - Destroyer HMS Gabbard launched 1945 - Submarine HMS Scorcher commissioned 1945 - Iwo Jima declared secure 1945 - US troops land on Basilan Island 1945 - Matsuwa in the Kurile Islands is bombarded by US Forces 1945 - The Coast Guard-manned destroyer escorts USS Lowe, Menges, Pride, and Mosely, which comprised Task Group 22.14, located the submerged German submarine U-866 off the coast of Sable Island and sank it with a loss of all hands 1946 - HM MTB-313(PT-55 USN BPT-7) Surveyed in Alexandria (did not have engines or propellers) and later turned over to US Navy at Palermo 1948 - Submarine HMS Andrew commissioned 1949 - Clothes rationing ends in England, nearly 4 years after the end of WW II. Food rationing will continue until June 1954 in Britain. July 1948 Bread. December 1948 Jam. October 1952 Tea. February 1953 Sweets. April 1953 Cream. March 1953 Eggs. September 1953 Sugar. May 1954 Butter, cheese, margarine and cooking fats. June 1954 Meat & bacon 1950 - Commencement of "Caribex 50", the first opportunity for the RCN 18th CAG, equipped with Firefly FR Is and AS 5s and operating from Magnificent, to engage a major group of ships in simulated combat. The Canadians were pitted against an American fleet comprising the carrier Philippine Sea, battleship Missouri, five cruisers, a screen of 16 destroyers, and Bearcats, Skyraiders and Phantom jets 1951 - Destroyer HMCS Cayuga departed Korean War for Esquimalt 1959 - RCN VF 871 disbanded 1966 - Launch of Gemini 8. Former naval aviator Neil Armstrong flew on this mission which completed 7 orbits in 10 hours and 41 minutes at an altitude of 161.3 nautical miles. Recovery was by USS Leonard F. Mason Tracker aircraft from HMCS Bonaventure ditched after flight deck collision on takeoff 1973 - The Queen opens the New London Bridge. The old one is sold to an oil tycoon for £1 million, and rebuilt at Lake Havasu in America 1978 - Ottawa to finance 50% of three-year feasibility study of $3-billion Bay of Fundy tidal-power; delayed from 1974 1988 - Vice Admiral John M. Poindexter and Lieutenant Colonel Oliver L. North indicted on charges of conspiracy (Iran Contra) 1991 - Naval forces continue counter air-defensive, combat air patrols and minesweeping operations. Marine forces maintain defensive positions. 81 crewmembers of USS Leader, whose minesweeping efforts enabled the battleships USS Missouri and Wisconsin to safely transit mine infested waters for close-in gunfire support, return from six-month deployment in the Arabian Gulf to NAVBASE Charleston SC. Ship remains overseas, manned by crew of USS Exultant, as part of crew rotation policy for minesweepers 1998 - Titanic surpassed Star Wars as the highest-grossing US film of all time 2004 - The Chinese Navy held its first-ever maritime drill with its French counterpart, off the coast of east China's Qingdao City 2005 - The US military ended its tsunami relief in Aceh Province when hospital ship USNS Mercy steamed out of the Indonesian region most devastated by the disaster 2005 - President Bush names Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz as head of World Bank 2005 - President Bush nominated eight people March 15 to serve on 2005’s Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission. Their names go to Capitol Hill for Senate confirmation. The nominees are: Former Nevada Rep. James H. Bilbray, who was a member of committees on foreign affairs, armed services and intelligence. He served in the Army Reserve from 1955 to 1963. Philip Coyle of California, a senior adviser to the Center for Defense Information. He has served at DoD as an assistant secretary of defense and as director of operational test and evaluation. Retired Navy Adm. Harold W. Gehman Jr. of Virginia. He served more than 35 years on active duty, and his last assignment was as NATO’s supreme allied commander, Atlantic, and as commander of US Joint Forces Command. Former Utah Rep. James V. Hansen, who served on the House Armed Services Committee. He served in the Navy from 1951 to 1955. Retired Army Gen. James T. Hill of Florida. He served 36 years, and his last assignment was as commander of US Southern Command. Retired Army Lt. Gen. Claude M. Kicklighter, assistant secretary for policy and planning at the Veterans Affairs Department. He served in the Army for nearly 36 years. Samuel Knox Skinner of Illinois, who served as President George H.W. Bush’s chief of staff and as secretary of transportation. He served in the Army Reserve from 1960 to 1968. Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Sue Ellen Turner of Texas, a member of the American Battle Monuments Commission. She served for 30 years, most recently as the director of nursing services in the Office of the Air Force Surgeon General. Base realignment and closure is the process DoD uses to reorganize its installation infrastructure. This reorganization allows more efficient and effective support of forces as well as a way to increase readiness, officials said. Defense officials said DoD’s process will not vary much from the past BRAC rounds. But this year’s BRAC process includes a statutory requirement that the military value of an installation be a primary element of the criteria used in deciding whether an installation needs to be closed or realigned. Military value includes criteria such as bases’ mission capabilities now and in the future, and space available for force maneuver. The review will also consider the bases’ ability to accommodate contingency and future force requirements and will look at the bases’ operations costs and manpower implications. The secretary of defense must submit a list of installations recommended for closure or realignment to Congress and the BRAC commission by May 16. By Sept. 8, the commission must send its recommended BRAC list to the president, who has till Sept. 23 to approve or disapprove the findings 2005 - The French Polynesian atoll of Tetiaroa, owned by the late Marlon Brando, is to be the site of a lavish new Eco-hotel, called The Brando. Slated to open in 2008, and consisting of 30 deluxe fares (villas), it will be the only hotel on Tetiaroa. The project is being overseen by Tahiti Beachcomber SA, whose CEO Richard Bailey, the owner of several luxury resorts in French Polynesia, had been in contact with the actor for a number of years and has continued meeting with the Brando Estate to fulfill Brando and Bailey's joint vision for an environmentally enlightened project 2005 - South Korea filed an official complaint Wednesday over a Japanese prefectural ordinance aimed at boosting its claim to a group of South Korean islets in the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan 2005 - The Coast Guard rescued two people after their 33-foot pleasure craft began taking on water and sank near Bellingham WA. The master contacted Coast Guard Station Bellingham by cell phone after the vessel began to quickly take on water from an unknown source. The station launched a 25-foot response boat at 1310 to assist the crew of the sinking vessel. Both people were taken aboard the response boat and were transported to Station Bellingham. There were no injuries. Their boat sank as Coast Guard crewmembers attempted to dewater the vessel. The boat drifted into the breakwater where a salvage crew has anchored it in place until it could be safely moved 2005 - SEACOR Holdings Inc. and Seabulk International, Inc. announced today that they have signed a definitive merger agreement. The Boards of Directors of both companies have unanimously approved the transaction. Under the terms of the merger agreement, SEABULK's stockholders will, subject to limited adjustments, receive 0.2694 of a share of SEACOR common stock plus cash of $4.00 for each issued and outstanding share of SEABULK common stock, which represents a 29% premium over SEABULK's closing share price on March 16, 2005 (based on SEACOR's closing share price of such date). In certain circumstances, the portion of the merger consideration payable in cash may be reduced and shares of SEACOR common stock, having a value on the closing date equal to the cash reduction, may be substituted therefore. The aggregate equity value of the transaction is approximately $532 million, based on SEACOR's closing share price as of March 16, 2005. In addition, approximately $471 million in net debt obligations will be assumed by SEACOR. The transaction is expected to be tax-free to SEABULK stockholders, other than with respect to any cash received. After giving effect to the transaction, the combined company will be a leader in world-wide offshore support services, domestic Jones Act tankers, domestic helicopter services to the offshore oil and gas industry, domestic inland river barge transportation, environmental services, and domestic harbor tugs. Additionally, the companies have investments in international product tankers and dry bulk shipping 2005 - Malaysia's Marine Police are looking at ways to step up security in the Malacca Strait following the abduction of three crewmembers of a Japanese-owned tugboat, but a senior officer rejected a proposal to allow the Japan Coast Guard to patrol the busy sealane 2005 - Damage has been estimated in the millions of dollars after a heavy storm surge pounded Newfoundland's east coast, washing out roads, wharves and breakwaters 2005 - The US Navy's Military Sealift Command awarded a one-year, $23 million contract to Maersk Line Limited of Norfolk for the operation and maintenance of four ocean surveillance ships and two missile range instrumentation ships. The contract includes four one-year options and five six-month award term options, which, if awarded, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to $190 million. The ocean surveillance ships -- USNS Effective, Impeccable, Loyal and Victorious -- work directly with the Navy fleets to listen for undersea threats. The range instrumentation ships -- USNS Invincible and Observation Island -- support the US Air Force by serving as seaborne platforms for radar systems 2006 - Destroyer KDS Gang Gam Chan launched at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering dockyard in Okpo, Geoje Island, South Gyeongsang Province 2006 - Shell International Trading and Shipping Company (Shell) has obtained Green Passports for all 25 of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers in its managed fleet. The Green Passports were awarded by Lloyd’s Register, following the necessary surveys and audits and a review of the relevant documentation. Shell and Lloyd’s Register have led the way in the application and adoption of the Green Passport - Shell’s LNG carrier Granatina was the world’s first vessel to be awarded this recognition 2006 - US citizen was rescued Wednesday by the crew of a fishing vessel after being located by a Dutch aircraft approximately 38 nautical miles west of Grenada, after he had gone missing Monday while sailing a Hobbie Cat in the vicinity of Glover Island, Grenada. Dempsey Holleron, 58, a native of Pennsylvania, went sailing out of True Blue Bay Resort in Grenada with his sons; John, 28, Joseph, 20, Jessie, 17 and his daughter; Jennifer, 13. At approximately 1430 the Holleron family rented two Hobbie Cats and went sailing from True Blue Bay Resort. About two hours later, John and Jennifer were dropped off by their father at a beach in Point Salines, Grenada. Dempsey was last seen by John and Jennifer as they watched their father sail out from Point Salines on his own. At 2000 John and Jennifer reported to security at the Grenada School of Medecine, that their father and brothers were overdue to arrive. The second Hobbie Cat manned by Joseph and Jessie Holleron capsized on the lee shore of Glovers Island, Grenada, where they were found and rescued Monday at 2250 by coast guard Grenada. The USCG Joint Rescue Sub Center (JRSC) assumed Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator responsibilities, planning and coordinating the search for Holleron. The crew of a Dutch Fokker 60 aircraft, provided by Rescue Coordination Center Curacao, spotted Holleron still aboard the 16-foot Hobbie Cat Wednesday. The crews of a US Coast Guard HU-25 Falcon jet from Air Station Miami and the Fokker 60 located a nearby fishing vessel, the Chinca I, and obtained their assistance in rescuing Holleron. Chinca I was directed to the Hobbie Cat's position, where they recovered Holleron who was slightly dehydrated but in otherwise good health. RCC Trinidad and Tobago, the initial Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator in this case, coast guard Grenada and the Regional Security System Air Wing based in Barbados were also actively engaged in the joint effort to find Holleron. These agencies provided communications support and several search and rescue platforms including a C-26 aircraft and rigid hull inflatable boats 2006 - The Coast Guard medevaced a 51-year-old man after he was injured aboard a 653-foot container ship 9 miles off Ilwaco, Wash. At about 1000 Coast Guard Sector Portland, Ore., received a phone call from the Merit Steam Ship Agency informing them that a Chinese crewmember aboard the Saga Crest injured his hand. The Coast Guard flight surgeon at Coast Guard Group Astoria, Ore., was informed of the man's injuries and recommended a medevac. An HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Astoria was launched and hoisted the man. The injured man was transferred to a Life Flight helicopter at Air Station Astoria, which flew the man to Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Ore., for further medical treatment 2006 - Clyde Coastguard were contacted this evening at twenty to eight by the 1400 tonne Russian Bulk Carrier Aeksandr Nevskiy reporting a stowaway on board. The Aleksandr Nevskiy is a Murmank registered vessel currently on route to Russia from Newport. The crew made the discovery when the Carrier was just off the Mull of Kintyre. The skipper immediately contacted Clyde Coastguard for advice on what to do. Clyde Coastguard put the vessel in touch with the police, who have advised that they drop the man off at Stornoway in the morning where the police will meet him 2006 - MV Saruna was detained as dangerously unsafe by the MCA in Falmouth Roads on 4th March following a failure of her engines which resulted in the vessel running aground. Following a re-inspection of the vessel by her Classification Society, the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, (RS), the MCA were informed that the vessel's engines were fit for purpose and that in their opinion the vessel was ready to depart from Falmouth. The vessel was therefore released from detention on 14th March by the MCA for a single ballast voyage to a nominated repair yard in Romania. Saruna attempted to leave Falmouth on Wednesday afternoon, the15th March. The vessel was being towed by two Falmouth Harbor Commission tugs to the Harbor limits. Whilst under tow, the vessel's engines suffered another failure, believed to be related to the engine cooling water system. The Falmouth pilots contacted Falmouth MRCC who in turn contacted an MCA Surveyor. A decision was made by the MCA to detain Saruna again as an unsafe vessel due to the unreliability of her engines. The MCA have informed the Russian Maritime Register of the current situation and have requested that they attend the vessel at the earliest opportunity. Saruna has been towed back to the Crossroads Buoy in Falmouth Roads where she currently remains under detention 2006 - Frigates BAP Bolognesi and Quiñones officially commissioned at Callao 2007 - Boeing delivered 200th USN T-45C Goshawk, a significant milestone in naval aviation 2007 - AIG Global Investment Group announced that it has completed the purchase of 100% of the stock P&O Ports North America ("POPNA") from P&O Holdings, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of global marine terminal operator, DP World. Following the closing of the transaction, the company will operate as Ports America Inc 2007 - UNHCR welcomed decision by Greek authorities to allow 16 mostly Iraqi stowaways on a cargo ship to disembark in Piraeus and to be granted access to the country's asylum system 2007 - Chief of Staff of the Malaysian Navy, Admiral Ramlan, accompanied by Admiral Boiffin, Commander of the Submarine Fleet and Strategic Forces of the French Navy, the directors of ARMARIS, the prime contractor of the Malaysian submarine program and directors of DCI’s (Défense Conseil International) submarine training unit, NAVFCO, today handed out certificates and insignia to 29 Malaysian students at the Naval Training Center. The new submariners had been training in France since 2005, among a total of 146 Malaysians stationed in Brest 2007 - Seven months after a sunken tanker caused a major oil spill in the Philippines, a ship has begun siphoning the remaining fuel from the wreckage 640 meters (2,000 feet) under water 2007 - APL announced today it will convert vessels to cleaner-burning, low-sulfur fuel when they call the Port of Seattle 2007 - South West Regional Assembly informed that Devon County Council is planning to conduct a public inquiry into the beaching of Container Carrier MSC Napoli in Lyme Bay 2007 - Three divers died while diving on Spiegel Grove artificial reef off the Florida Keys 2007 - The top-rated enlisted man at Naval Base Kitsap arrested on suspicion of attempted child rape following a sting operation at a Bremerton hotel. Edward E. Scott, 43, the base's command master chief, is suspected of arranging a sexual meeting with an undercover police officer posing as the mother of 12-year-old twins, according to Bremerton police. Police allege that Scott had been chatting over the Internet with the officer with Kitsap County's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force who was posing as the mother of the twins, a boy and a girl 2007 - Tug/icebreaker Bohus (357 gt, built 1974) ran aground slightly north of Kaeringoen at approximately 1500, local time and has a hole in its hull and bottom. The four man crew was rescued by helicopter 2007 - Greece has become the proud owner of two former US Navy minesweepers after ceremonies at Naval Station Ingleside. Osprey-class minehunters Heron and Pelican are now HS Kalipso and Evniki respectively 2008 - Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced discovery of wreckage of German raider Kormoran off Western Australia. The Finding Sydney Foundation has been searching for the vessel in the hope of finding the location of HMAS Sydney, which was sunk following a battle off the WA coast in November 1941 2008 - Indonesian Navy looking to add more multipurpose support ships (MPSS) to beef up fleet 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