SeaWaves Today in History March 17, 2009

 

1577 - Martin Frobisher c1539-1594 gets commission from the Cathay Company to hunt for gold in the Arctic; he will return with tons of worthless pyrites, which are dumped as street ballast in London, giving rise to the legend that the streets of London were paved with gold
1776 - British forces leave Boston for Halifax after General George Washington seizes Dorchester Heights in a night attack
1845 - St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad Company gets charter to build to US border and Portland, Maine; to give Montreal year-round access to a winter port 
1863 - USRC Agassiz defends Fort Anderson at New Bern, NC from a Confederate attack. 
1864 - The Blockade Squadron in the eastern part of the Baltic, composed of the Ship-of-the-line Skjold, the frigate Sjælland and the corvettes Hejmdal and Thor, squadron commander Rear Admiral Carl E. van Dockum, fire at and drive away the Prussian frigate Arcona, the corvette Nymphe, the paddle steamer Loreley and 5 steam gunboats, commanded by Kapitän zur See Jachmann, off Swinemünde
1866- United States unilaterally ends Reciprocity Treaty, after Canadian fishing concessions to Americans end; operating since June 5, 1854; end of free trade starts a recession in Canada; causes public opinion in Maritimes to move toward Confederation
1890 - Prince Bismarck resigns the Chancellorship of Germany
1898 - USS Holland, first practical submarine, launched
1902 - All but one of the members of the crew of the Monomoy (MA) Life-Saving Station perish during the attempted rescue of the crew of the wrecked coal barge Wadena
1916 - Cruiser HMS Caledon laid down
1916 - Submarine HMS E37 completed
1917 - Submarine HMS A10 foundered while moored alongside HMS Pactolus, at Eglinton Dock, Ardrossan. She was re-floated and sold two years later
1919 - Destroyer USS Hatfield launched
1919 - Destroyers USS Cowell & Laub commissioned
1927 - Heavy cruiser HMAS Australia launched
1933 - Destroyer HMS Fearless laid down
1936 - Destroyer USS McCall laid down
1937 - Submarine USS Permit commissioned
1937 - Torpedo boat FS Baliste launched
1938 - Light cruiser HMS Belfast launched
1940 - On 13 Mar 1940, MS Argentina left Copenhagen & radioed for the last time on 17 March. She was reported missing thereafter west of Scotland. At 2325 hours on 17 Mar 1940, U-38 torpedoed & sunk an unknown steamer of 5000 GRT west of Scotland. This must have been the Argentina
1940 - Collier & 3 trawlers attacked off Scottish coast. Enemy a/c driven off
1941 - U-218 laid down
1941 - At 2107, U-106 attacked Convoy SL-68 north of the Cape Verde Islands & reported three ships with 21,000 tons sunk & another with 7,000 tons damaged. In fact, only two ships, Andalusian & Tapanoeli were hit & sunk. The master, 39 crewmembers & two gunners from Andalusian landed on Boavista, Cape Verde Islands. They were brought to Funchal by the Portuguese merchantman Nyasa 
1941 - U-100 was the first U-boat sunk after being located by radar. HMS Vanoc discovered her during an overcast night that would have kept U-100 safe from lookouts
1941 - U-99 scuttled at 0343 SE of Iceland, in approximate position 61N, 12W, after being depth charged by destroyer HMS Walker. 3 dead and 40 survivors
1941 - Destroyer KNM Arendal (ex-HMS Badsworth) launched
1941 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Orfsay launched
1941 - Corvette HMCS Kamloops commissioned
1941 - Corvette HMS Dianthus commissioned
1941 - Corvette HMCS Wetaskiwin departed Esquimalt for Halifax via Panama Canal
1941 - SS J.B. White, Canadian merchantman, torpedoed & sunk between Iceland & the Faeroe Islands by U-99, Kptlt Otto Kretschmer, Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, CO. Two lives are lost from her crew of 40 men
1941 - Italian torpedo boat Andromeda is sunk off Albania by RAF bombers
1941 - The Admiralty sends plans are sent to the C-in-C Med concerning the intended sailing of the SS Parracombe early in April carrying about 12 Hurricanes, a number of Harvey projectors with their ammunition and other stores direct to Malta. SS Parracombe will be disguised as Vichy French, unescorted & manned by picked crew. It will be scuttled if captured
1941 - USCGC Cayuga leaves Boston, Massachusetts, with the South Greenland Survey Expedition, composed of State, Treasury, War, and Navy Department representatives, on board to locate airfields, seaplane bases, radio & meteorological stations, and aids to navigation in Greenland. This ship will be transferred to the Royal Navy on 12 May 1941
1941 - The USN Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics approved a proposal for establishing a special National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) committee to promptly review the status of jet propulsion and recommend plans for its application to flight and assisted takeoff
1942 - Submarine HMS Unbeaten torpedoed & sank Italian submarine Guglielmotti near Cape Spartivento
1942 - Submarines HMS Upstart & Vandal laid down
1942 - Destroyers USS Eaton, McCord & Trathen laid down
1942 - Destroyer HMS Penylan launched
1942 - Corvette USS Fury commissioned
1942 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Skye launched
1942 - Destroyers USS Doyle & Frazier launched
1942 - At 2352, the unescorted & unarmed Acme was hit in the stern directly aft of the stack by a torpedo from U-124 about one mile west of the Diamond Shoals Light Buoy, off the coast off of North Carolina. The explosion destroyed the engine room, killing the three men on watch and blew away the rudder and propeller, however the bulkheads forward of the engine room held. In all one officer and ten men died in the explosion and four men were wounded. When she was hit, the Acme had proceeded completely blacked out and on a nonevasive course, because many other ships were in the vicinity. Two tankers and two freighters lay ahead and the Greek steam merchant Kassandra Louloudis and two other tankers astern. Destroyer USS Dickerson & USCGC Dione were two & four miles distant, respectively. The remaining crew of six officers and 14 men abandoned ship in two lifeboats at 0120 on 18 March, but before they left they searched the ship and found the 2nd Engineer and a fireman with both legs broken. They were helped into the boats & Dione picked up all ten minutes later and landed them at Norfolk. Acme settled by the stern and came on ground in the shallow water. The tanker was later towed to Lynnhaven Roads, Virginia by Navy and Coast Guard vessels, where she was anchored. The ballast was shifted until they were able to negotiate the channel into Hampton Roads and was towed to Newport News where she was repaired and returned to service. 3 Nov 1943 requisitioned by US Navy, renamed and classified Abarenda (IX 131) and converted to a floating storage tanker. 26 Feb 1944 purchased by the Navy and commissioned on 18 Apr 1944 under LCDR Benjamin F. Langland, USCGR. Assigned to Service Squadron 10 and served at Manus, Admiralty Islands until 20 Feb 1945. 13 Mar 1945 stationed at Leyte until VJ and dispensed fuel to the warships of the 3rd and 5th Fleet. Then fueled the ships supporting the occupation forces in the Far East until decommission on 26 Feb 1946. Returned to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) reserve fleet at Subic Bay as Acme. 3 Mar1948 sold for scrapping to the Asia Development Corporation
1942 - Banana boat Ceiba sunk by U-124 at 35.43N, 73.49W. Six men on a raft were picked up two days later by destroyer USS Hambleton. Among the dead were wives & children of some crewmembers
1942 - At 1508, U-373 sank an unescorted ship with two torpedoes. This vessel must have been Mount Lycabettus, which was reported missing after 14 March
1942 - U-850 laid down
1942 - U-521 launched
1942 - Motor tanker San Demetrio sunk by U-404 at 37.03N, 73.50W. The U-boat inspected the lifeboats but did not communicate with the survivors & soon submerged again. The survivors drifted for 2 days before being rescued
1942 - At 2153, the unescorted Allende was torpedoed & sunk by U-68 20 miles south of Cape Palmas, Liberia. Six crewmembers were lost. The master, 30 crewmembers and two gunners landed at Taba, French Ivory Coast and were interned by the Vichy French authorities at Bobo Dinlassu
1942 - At 0635, the unescorted Ile de Batz was torpedoed & damaged by U-68 28 miles SW of Cape Palmas. The ship was sunk after 0751 with 33 high explosive rounds of 10.5cm gunfire. Four crewmembers were lost. The master, 34 crewmembers & four gunners landed at Cape Palmas and were brought to Freetown by corvette HMCS Weyburn 
1942 - MS Scottish Prince sunk by U-68 at 04.10N, 08W 
1942 - At 1858, the unescorted Ranja was hit near the bridge by two torpedoes from U-71 about 450 miles ESE of Philadelphia. The tanker caught fire in the foreship and developed a port list. A coup de grâce at 1954 hit under the forward mast & stopped the vessel that was now on fire from stem to stern. The U-boat left the area at 2000 when it became clear that the ship would sink. The master, 31 crewmembers and two gunners were lost
1942 - Motor tanker Crista damaged by U-83 at 32.21N, 25E 
1942 - United States Naval Forces Europe established to plan joint operations with British
1942 - General Douglas MacArthur arrived in Australia after secretly leaving the Bataan Peninsula, to assume supreme command of the United Nations forces in the SW Pacific area
1942 - Off Sicily, British submarine HMS Unbeaten sinks Italian submarine Guglielmotti
1942 - SS Claire Lilley, British merchantman, after being loaded with small arms & munitions in New York City, foundered on rocks off Portuguese Cove, NS while waiting for a pilot in stormy weather. Five of her crewmembers were lost in this incident. The last of the ammunition was not removed & disposed of until the summer of 1999
1942 - HMS Unbeaten torpedoed & sank Italian submarine Guglielmotti near Cape Spartivento
1943 - Submarine USS Cobia laid down
1943 - USS PT-67 destroyed by accidental fire while refueling in port Tufi New Guinea 
1943 - USS PT-119 destroyed by accidental fire in port Tufi New Guinea 
1943 - Submarine USS Pompon commissioned
1943 - At 2034, U-167 fired one T-3 and three FAT torpedoes at Convoy UGS-6 about 500 miles west of Lisbon and heard one detonation after 3 minutes and sinking noises. Molly Pitcher on her maiden voyage in station #82 was struck by one torpedo on the port side at the #3 hold. The blast damaged the forward bulkhead between holds #2 and #3, resulting in the flooding of both compartments. The helmsman deserted the wheel and the ship veered to port toward the center of the convoy. After getting the ship under control, the master ordered the eight officers, 34 crewmen, 27 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in and nine 20mm guns) and one passenger (US Army Major) on board to abandon ship. They left the vessel with great confusion in three lifeboats and by jumping overboard, the engines still running and leaving 17 men behind. Two officers and two armed guards drowned. The ship began making circles and those left on board under command of the third mate managed to avoid the survivors and get the ship under way at 10 knots to rejoin the convoy. But the compass had been damaged and they were not able to find the convoy, so they abandoned ship at 23.30 hours on one raft and two improvised ones. 66 survivors were rescued by destroyers USS Champlin & Rowan along with the American SS William Johnson & landed at Casablanca on 20 & 21 March. The license of the master was later suspended on a charge of misconduct. Champlin tried to scuttle Molly Pitcher by a torpedo, but the ship remained afloat and was sunk by a coup de grâce from U-521 at 0550 on 18 March
1943 - At 2309, U-305 fired a spread of two torpedoes at Convoy SC-122 southeast of Cape Farewell and hit the Port Auckland in station #93 in the engine room on the starboard side and Zouave in station #84, which sank within five minutes. A second spread of two torpedoes was fired at 2310 & one of them hit again the Port Auckland, which sank behind the convoy after her back was broken by a coup de grâce at 00.41 hours on 18 March. Eight crewmembers from the Port Auckland were lost. The master, 87 crewmembers, 12 gunners and ten passengers (RAF personnel) were picked up by HMS Godetia & landed at Gourock 
1943 - At 0305, U-338 fired a spread of two torpedoes at Convoy SC-122 SE of Cape Farewell and Kinzel thought that he had hit one ship, but in fact the Kingsbury in station #51 and the King Gruffydd in station #52 were hit and sunk. At 0306, a second spread of two torpedoes was fired, one of them struck Alderamin in station #61, which sank later in 51°30N/34°55W. At 0307, the stern torpedo was fired, which missed the intended target, the Alderamin, but damaged the Fort Cedar Lake in station #124. Fort Cedar Lake on her maiden voyage fell behind the convoy and was finished off by U-665 with a coup de grâce at 1157. The master, 42 crewmembers and seven gunners were picked up by the British rescue ship Zamalek & landed at Gourock on 22 March. The master, 21 crewmembers and two gunners from the King Gruffydd (Master Hywell Griffiths) were lost. 18 crewmembers and seven gunners were picked up by Zamalek & landed at Gourock on 22 March. Three crewmembers and one passenger from Kingsbury were lost. The master, 36 crewmembers, six gunners and one passenger were picked up by the British rescue ship Zamalek & landed at Gourock on 22 March
1943 - At 1452, U-338 fired torpedoes at Convoy SC-122, observed one hit and heard three detonations, which were probably depth charges. Granville was struck by one torpedo on the port side at the #2 hatch, starting a fire in the hold. The engine room flooded as the watertight door between the coalbunkers and fireroom was open, because coal was being transferred from the bunkers to the fireroom. Ten crewmembers working in the engine room were killed. The vessel broke in two amidships and sank within 15 minutes, taking two armed guards with her. The surviving men of her complement of 35 crewmembers, eleven armed guards and one passenger (a US Army Lt. Colonel) abandoned ship in lifeboats and rafts. The survivors, including the master, were picked up about an hour later by corvette HMS Lavender & landed at Liverpool on 23 March. The second mate was rescued but died of wounds on the corvette and was buried at sea
1943 - At 1405, U-384 fired three torpedoes at Convoy HX-229 NE of St John's, heard three detonations and claimed two ships sunk and another as damaged. At the same time U-631 reported the sinking of a tanker with one torpedo. It is unlikely that the Coracero in station #92 and the Terkoelei were hit by the same U-boat, apparently U-384 sank the first ship and U-631 the latter. Five crewmembers from Coracero were lost. The master, 44 crewmembers, seven gunners and one passenger (DBS) were picked up by destroyer HMS Mansfield & landed at Gourock
1943 - SS William Eustis sunk by U-435 in Convoy HX-229 at 50.10N, 35.02W 
1943 - At 0556, U-600 fired a spread of four FAT torpedoes at Convoy HX-229 in 50°36N/34°30W and observed a hit amidships on the Nariva in station #91 and two on the Irenee Du Pont in station #81. A further detonation was heard, this was the hit on the Southern Princess in station #72, which caught fire and sank during the morning. At 0558, the stern torpedo was fired and was seen to hit another freighter amidships, which sank after 10 minutes, but this cannot be confirmed from Allied sources. Southern Princess suffered 4 killed with 96 survivors. At 0839 the same day, U-91 fired a spread of three torpedoes at some ships behind the convoy in 50°38N/34°46W and noted two hits, one on a moving freighter and the other on a burning ship. These hits finished off Nariva and Irenee Du Pont and their sinking in 51°05N/33°55W was observed by U-91 in the afternoon and reported at 1608 by a radio message. Two torpedoes struck Irenee Du Pont on the starboard side at holds #2 and #3. The explosions knocked out the generators, flooded both holds and also flooded slowly the engine room and hold #1. The ten officers, 39 crewmen, 26 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) and nine passengers (naval personnel) abandoned ship 45 minutes after the hits in two lifeboats and three rafts. Some of the men jumped overboard because a third lifeboat fouled a cargo net and other rafts could not be launched. Six armed guards, six crewmen and one passenger drowned. The Dutch steam merchant Tekoa picked up 55 survivors & destroyer HMS Mansfield rescued 16 others, of which one later died from shock and was buried at sea. Corvette HMS Anemone tried to sink the ship with 4in gunfire and a depth charge, but the ship remained afloat and was later finished off by U-91. The master of the Irenee Du Pont asked to leave the convoy since his ship could steam at 16 knots, but this permission was denied. HMS Mansfield & Anemone had tried to scuttle the Nariva by gunfire after the corvette picked up the master, 86 crewmembers and seven gunners 
1943 - SS Terkoelei sunk by U-631 in Convoy HX-229 at 51.45N, 31.15W
1943 - Between 0023 & 0025, U-758 fired two FAT and two G7e torpedoes at Convoy HX-229 & reported three ships sunk and another damaged. In fact, Zaanland & James Oglethorpe were sunk and the Dutch motor tanker Magdala (8248 tons) missed. James Oglethorpe on her maiden voyage in station #93 was struck by one torpedo on the starboard side at the forward section of the #2 hold. The ship began settling by the head with her rudder stuck and a starboard list. A fire in the #1 hold was extinguished within 15 minutes by the crew. 43 men of the eight officers, 36 crewmen, 26 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) and four passengers (US Navy personnel) abandoned ship without orders in two lifeboats, while the vessel made large circles to port at 8 knots. The fall of one boat was cut prematurely and threw its occupants into the sea, drowning 13 men. Another man died when he fell into the water while trying to get into the second boat. The three officers, 10 crewmen, two passengers and 15 armed guards in the second boat were picked up by HMS Pennywort & landed at Londonderry on 22 March. James Oglethorpe tried to reach St John's, but was never seen again. The master and 29 men who remained on board were lost. The ship probably foundered en route by the damage received by the torpedo hit or she was sunk in the morning by a coup de grâce from U-91. But this U-boat is credited with sinking the stragglers Irenee Du Pont & Nariva
1943 - Between 0337 & 0341, U-91 fired five torpedoes at Convoy HX-229 about 400 miles ESE of Cape Farewell and observed detonations on two ships, but in fact only the Harry Luckenbach was hit and sunk. Harry Luckenbach was assigned to station #111; the ship had been so exposed that the master had nervously steamed a zigzag course out in front of the convoy until ordered to return to his station. Two torpedoes struck the vessel on the starboard side amidships in the machinery spaces, causing her to sink within 3 minutes in the rough seas. However, some of the nine officers, 45 crewmembers and 26 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) abandoned ship in three lifeboats, which were first spotted by destroyers HMS Beverley & Volunteer but not picked up. Corvette HMS Anemone was ordered to find the lifeboats, after corvette HMS Pennywort had come across them and could not pick up the men because she already had 108 survivors on board. But the other corvette was unable to locate the boats and it is possible that the boats were also seen by corvette HMS Abelia on her way from St John's to join the convoy. None of the men from the Harry Luckenbach were seen or heard from again
1943 - Minesweepers HMCS Caraquet, Ingonish, Lockeport & Guysborough departed Esquimalt for Halifax via Panama Canal
1943 - U-874 laid down
1943 - U-546 launched
1943 - U-715 commissioned
1943 - U-69 sunk in the North Atlantic east of Newfoundland in position 50.36N, 041.07W, after a depth charge attack by destroyer HMS Fame
1943 - HMS Splendid torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Devoli 6 nautical miles bearing 245 of Cape San Vito, Sicily
1943 - HMS Trooper torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Forli south of Naples
1944 - Corvette HMCS Calgary completed refit Liverpool NS
1944 - Minesweeper USS Augury commissioned
1944 - Destroyer USS Gendreau commissioned
1944 - Frigate HMCS Valleyfield escorting damaged HMCS Mulgrave under tow of HMS Dundee from Clyde, joined Convoy SL-151
1944 - U-801 is sunk today in the mid-Atlantic near the Cape Verde Islands, position 16.42N, 30.28W, by a Fido homing torpedo from 2 Avenger aircraft (VC-9) of the US escort carrier USS Block Island and depth charges and gunfire from the US destroyer USS Corry and the destroyer escort Bronstein. 10 dead & 47 survivors. The boat was attacked by an Avenger aircraft from the escort carrier USS Block Island in the Mid Atlantic on 16 Mar 1944. One man died and 9 men were wounded. The U-boat was sunk the next day
1944 - U-286 Type VIIC sank for the first time in the Baltic Sea after collision with U-1013. 26 survivors rescued. Raised and repaired and returned to duty. On 18 July 1944 a Norwegian Mosquito aircraft (Sqn 333/K) attacked the boat, causing damages and killing 1 man and wounding 7 more. The boat reached Kristiansand, Norway on the same day. Finally sunk on 29 April, 1945 in the Barents Sea north of Murmansk, Russia, in position 69.29N, 33.37E, by depth charges from the British frigates HMS Loch Insh, Anguilla and Cotton. 51 dead (all hands lost) 
1944 - U-28 sunk at Neustadt U-boat pier, in position 54.07N, 10.50E in an operational accident. Raised March 1944 & stricken on 4 August 1944
1944 - U-1013 sunk in the Baltic Sea east of Rügen, in position 54.21N, 13.58E, after collision with U-286. 25 dead and 26 survivors
1944 - At 0938, U-371 fired a Gnat at Convoy SNF-17 about 30 miles MME of Bougie and observed a hit on a ship, which settled by the stern after the hit. At 0942, a spread of three torpedoes was fired and two hits were heard. After another Gnat at 0948, a further detonation on another ship was heard. The first torpedo struck Maiden Creek in station #52 & the second troop transport Dempo. The first ship was sunk at 1350 by a coup de grâce. A torpedo hit Dempo on the starboard side. Against orders, the crew immediately began to abandon ship, while the master tried to beach his ship, but she settled slowly and sank around 1055. Maiden Creek was hit by a torpedo forward of the #4 hatch. The explosion broke the shaft, the back of the ship and filled the #4 hold and the engine room with water. The eight officers, 40 crewmen, 29 armed guards (the ship was armed with two 3in and eight 20mm guns) and one passenger abandoned ship in two lifeboats and a raft as the ship slowly settled by the stern. The boats waited two hours near the vessel until an escort appeared and ordered the men back on the vessel to prepare her to be towed by a tug. They tied up the boats at the stern and reboarded the ship. At 1350, the U-boat fired a coup de grâce, which struck on the port side in the stern. The explosion lifted the ship out of the water, destroyed the lifeboats and killed one officer, two armed guards and five crewmen. The survivors jumped overboard and swam to a single raft near the ship. They were rescued after 30 minutes by motor launches from a British destroyer and brought to Bougie. The badly damaged Maiden Creek was towed by a British escort vessel to Bougie on the morning of 18 March and beached, but broke in two forward of the #4 hold and was declared a total loss
1945 - U-321 sailed from Kristiansand on her first & final patrol
1945 - Minesweeper HMCS Guysborough damaged @ 1835 by U-878 off Ushant, at 46-43N 09-20W, Bay of Biscay, hit by Gnat first & sunk at 2000hrs. 51 crew lost
1945 - The Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen collapses. It is caused by the combined strain of bomb damage and heavy use. The advance continues over other bridges now in place
1945 - Destroyer USS Newman K Perry launched
1945 - Escort carrier USS Saidor launched
1945 - Submarine USS Cutlass commissioned
1945 - Destroyer USS Bristol commissioned
1945 - U-2367 commissioned
1946 - 803 & 825 RCN squadrons conducted deck-landing qualifications aboard newly-acquired HMCS Warrior off the Isle of Wight
1954 - Crewmembers from destroyer HMCS Cayuga conduct ceremony at Commonwealth Cemetery, Yokosuka, Japan
1954 - Destroyer HMCS Huron arrived Halifax from Korea by way of Suez Canal
1958 - Navy Vanguard rocket launches 3.25 pound sphere from Cape Canaveral
1959 - USS Skate surfaces at North Pole
1959 - Ferry Evergreen State rams the south slip at Colman Dock in Seattle
1966 - USS Kitty Hawk port call Subic Bay
1967 - USS Ticonderoga port call Subic Bay
Canadian CS2F-3 1572 from VS 880 crashed. It was s/o/s on 28 April 1969
Aircraft carrier ARA Indepencia (ex-HMS/HMCS Warrior) sold for scrap
1978 - The oil tanker Amoco Cadiz runs aground on the coast of Brittany, breaks in half and spills 220,000 tons of crude oil
1982 - Navy Secretary John Lehman testified before Congress on behalf of the Coast Guard. He characterized the relationship between the Navy and the Coast Guard as being "close and warm." He also praised the new NAVGARD Board, created in November 1980, to formalize the relationship between the two services
1984 - Submarine HMS Tireless launched
1989 - Transport Secretary Paul Channon pushed the button which begins the machine to bore the Channel Tunnel through chalk beneath the sea at Dover
1991 - Naval forces continue counter air-defensive, combat air patrols and minesweeping operations
1991 - Crew of USS Tripoli awarded Combat Action Ribbon for being endangered by enemy mine attack on 18 February. Tripoli still in Bahrain undergoing repair
1999 - MCDV HMCS Brandon departed Halifax for Esquimalt via Panama Canal
2003 - Possible suicide attack on the anchored RFA Sir Bedivere by a 500 tonne vessel driven off by machine gun fire from USS Ardent
2004 - Former landing ship USS Portland sunk as a target
2005 - Destroyer USS Sampson laid down Bath Iron Works
2005 - The Bulgarian government approved a $30.6 million deal to buy the Belgian Navy’s Wielingen-class frigate BNS Wandelaar. A preliminary agreement had been worked out during a December 2004 visit by Belgium’s Minister of Defense and Chief of the Navy to Bulgaria. 
Bulgaria is continuing the process of complying with NATO standards by upgrading its former Soviet bloc Navy to more modern NATO vessels. The Bulgarian Navy plans to modernize the ship for an additional $46.6 million, upgrading radar, weapon and communication systems on board. The Wandelaar is expected to be transferred to the Bulgarian Navy by the end of 2005, at which time modernization and upgrades will begin in Bulgaria
2005 - The deep-diving scientists of the University of Hawaii have discovered another monster lurking in the waters off Oahu. During test dives Thursday, the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory's Pisces submarines found the remains of the Imperial Japanese Navy's I-401 submarine, a gigantic underwater aircraft carrier built to bomb the Panama Canal
2005 - The Latvian Defense Ministry plans to set up a NATO naval base in Liepaja and use it for military exercises and joint security operations
2005 - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in South Korea conducting technological and economic feasibility studies to materialize a wing-in-ground (WIG) effect craft service that would revolutionize marine transportation in the future. The ministry intends to finish the feasibility studies in the first half of the year and to proceed with developing the WIG craft with an eye to commercializing innovative shipping methods in five years at a cost of 120 billion won. It will set up a task force to carry out the project by the time the studies are completed. The initial phase calls for developing a WIG effect vehicle with the capacity for 200 people. The ministry forecast demand for the vehicle will be as many as 50 by 2010 and its economic effect to reach 1.25 trillion won. The WIG craft is a ship that cruises just above the water surface, thereby reducing its drag to a minimum so that speeds well in excess of 200 kilometers per hour are achievable, which is not possible for conventional ships. It can save a lot of time and money. It is expected that WIGs will fill a niche between expensive aircraft and slow ships. WIGs are being considered for operations involving inter-island passenger transportation, water-taxi operations and many other uses. A commercialized WIG will reach China’s eastern coast and Japan in one to three hours at half the cost of airfare, according to the ministry
2005 - A NASA-funded study of marine pollution in Southern California concluded space-based synthetic aperture radar can be a vital observational tool for assessing and monitoring ocean hazards in urbanized coastal regions
2005 - The MCA took action in the dispute between UK-registered trawlers and a Greenpeace vessel following the protest by Greenpeace against the indiscriminate catching of dolphins while the fishing vessels were trawling for bass off the Cornish coast. Letters have been issued to all the vessels involved, including the UK-registered fishing vessels Ocean Crest, Ocean Dawn; Ocean Star and Sunrise and Greenpeace's Dutch-registered vessel Esperanza, reminding them of the importance of keeping the safety of both personnel and vessels, and the prevention of pollution, paramount. They have been further reminded of the requirements of the International Regulations for Prevention of Collision, and the International Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter. The current action between UK registered trawlers and the Dutch registered Greenpeace vessel and operatives in the Western approaches is outside the United Kingdom's territorial water limit, but falls within both the UK Search and Rescue region and the UK Pollution Control Zone. The Agency has taken this action at the stage where the lives of both protestors and fishermen have been endangered, collision regulations have been given low priority, international distress signals have been misused, and metallic buoys with hazardous chains and grapnel hooks have been dumped at sea. There is also now a distinct potential for serious pollution should a vessel not involved in the fishing/ protesting run into the dropped buoys, or find that the collision regulations are not being strictly observed by the fishing vessels or Greenpeace vessels. The Agency is closely monitoring events as they unfold along with other interested parties in the South West
2005 - Chief Petty Officer Matthew Stephen Fisher RN is awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal for his actions in Grenada following the devastation of Hurricane Ivan in September 2004.  With law and order rapidly breaking down following the hurricane, CPO Fisher seized the initiative and created a path to the main hospital, ensuring the safe arrival of first aid teams and the maintenance of medical supplies.  The citation praises his "calm demeanor, exemplary leadership and bravery in the face of adversity"
2005 - US Coast Guard Cutter USCGC Munro, working with HMS Invincible and Nottingham in the Gulf of Aden, intercepted a hijacked Thai fishing vessel at around noon.  Commander, US Naval Forces Central Command (COMUSNAVCENT) received telephone reports from the International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, concerning the hijacking of Thai-flagged fishing vessel Sirichai Nava 12 by three Somali crewmembers the evening of March 16, as well as a fax indicating that the hijackers demanded $800,000 in ransom for the vessel’s crew. Commander, Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, under the direction of COMUSNAVCENT, tasked British Royal Navy aircraft carrier Invincible, destroyer Nottingham and Munro to investigate the situation. A Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) team from Munro boarded Sirichai Nava, while a boarding team from Nottingham boarded a second fishing vessel, Ekhwat Patana, which was with the Thai vessel. Munro’s boarding team detained the Somalis without incident. One of the crewmembers of the Thai vessel had a minor flesh wound, which was treated by the Munro boarding team. The Coast Guardsmen also discovered four automatic weapons in the pilothouse, expended ammunition shells on the deck of the vessel, as well as ammunition on the detained suspects. The three suspects were transferred to Munro pending follow-on disposition guidance from higher authority
2005 - US Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta today announced the resignation of Robert B. Ostrom, Chief Counsel for the US Maritime Administration. The Secretary recognized Ostrom for his outstanding service as Chief Counsel and specifically for his numerous legal successes during his tenure
2006 - Commander Nico Vasseur, Royal Netherlands Navy handed over command of NATO’s Standing NATO Response Force Mine Countermeasures Group One to German Commander Andreas Stricker in an Operational Handover Ceremony
2006 - Russia's Navy started centennial celebrations for its submarine fleet off the country's Far East region. The celebrations will include concerts, conferences, and veterans parades, and will culminate March 19 with a parade and unveiling of a monument in the submarine fleet's hometown of Vilyuchinsk on remote Kamchatka Island, referred to for many years in NATO handbooks as the "hornet's nest". Russia's submarine fleet officially dates its foundation to March 19, 1906, when Emperor Nicholas II signed a decree making submarines an independent class of military ship. The Kamchatka fleet was founded in 1938, and the Soviet Union launched its first nuclear subs off Kamchatka in 1963
2006 - TITAN, after successfully refloating the 835-foot containership APL Panama last week from a beach in Ensenada, Mexico, redelivered the vessel safely to her owners this week thus concluding one of the largest commercial salvage endeavors ever undertaken and one which has held the industry captivated since first reports the vessel had run aground on Christmas Day 2005
2006 - The Government of Canada has transferred the ownership of the Port of Havre-Saint-Pierre to the Corporation de development et de gestion du port de Havre-Saint-Pierre
2006 - The United Nations Security Council has urged Member States to use naval vessels and military aircraft in the fight against piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia
2007 - The first of 72 blocks of the new 122,000-gt passenger cruise vessel "Celebrity Solstice" for Celebrity Cruises (Miami, USA) was laid in the roofed-over building dock II at MEYER WERFT in Papenburg (Germany). Dan Hanrahan (President), Harri Kulovaara (Executive Vice President Maritime & Newbuilding) and Project Director Jarmo Laakso of Celebrity Cruises put the "lucky coins" on the keel blocks before the first block of the new ship was put in position by the yard´s 800-ton crane. The first block weighs more than 430 tons, is 16 m long, 36.8 m wide and approx. 8 m high. MEYER WERFT was represented by its managing directors, Bernard Meyer and Lambert Kruse, and by Project Manager Uwe Wulff
2007 - Solent Coastguard is coordinating a search for a missing fisherman after his abandoned vessel is found two miles off Littlehampton
2007 - Philippine Navy intercepted three Chinese fishing boats and held 45 Chinese crewmen for questioning after they were caught in Philippine waters near Basilan. Rear Adm. Emilio Marayag, Naval Forces Western Mindanao combined commander, said the Chinese-registered fishing boats were intercepted while steaming through the channel between Basilan and Sta. Cruz Island off Zamboanga City
2007 - Island Global Yachting (IGY) held the Grande Opening of its first luxury yacht development Yacht Haven Grande in St. Thomas, USVI, with more than 50 megayachts in attendance. Dignitaries from the USVI, including Governor John P. DeJohngh, as well as dignitaries and heads of state from around the Caribbean islands, also attended
2008 - USCG Commandant Admiral Thad Allen delivers keynote address at the Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association Conference Stamford CT
2008 - USCG Commandant Admiral Thad Allen in the Experts Panel at the Annual Connecticut Maritime Association Conference Stamford CT
2008 - USN’s first Littoral Combat Ship, Freedom (LCS 1), has successfully completed another testing milestone with the “light off” and test of the new warship’s electric plant





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