SeaWaves Today in History May 4, 2009 1493 - Pope Alexandre VI divides up the New World between Spain and Portugal and forbids further exploration; France respects the ban, but England sends off John Cabot to stake claims in defiance of the order. In 1481, years prior to Columbus, Pope Sixtus IV, issuing Bull Aeterni regis, divided the world between Spain and Portugal, the latter to get everything below the Canary Islands. Thus the above is something of a half-truth. Problem is that in 1493, nobody (least of all Columbus) yet realized that the New World actually WAS just that -- and not just a bunch of islands off Asia. Moreover, when Columbus sailed westward in search of "Asia", he very deliberately sailed southwestward, when he already well knew that there was land far to the north. Why? Because he had sailed with Portuguese who knew the North Atlantic because of its vast fisheries, and knew Iceland, and there had almost surely seen the some of the lengthy old travelogues by Norse explorers who'd long used those routes and been engaged in bringing timber and furs from upper North America to colonies in Greenland and Iceland, which needed wood for vessels and fires because there were no trees on either, and furs as clothing. Then followed a second Papal Bull, this time by Pope Alexander VI in 1493 -- the one referred to above -- which amended the first and enlarged its scope. And what maps and charts existed did not even hint at a northern continent. (And in fact did not for quite some years after.) Cabot sailed in 1497. Quite differently, he never attempted a southern direction for the simple reason that he already knew of a northern one, and was not after gold and spices, but timbers and furs. Why? Because, more than a century earlier, English sailors working a pickup trade out of Iceland had gotten into a deadly hassle with Icelanders and murdered their governor, with the result that English vessels were thereafter prohibited. That killed the trade. Cabot aimed to avoid Iceland and Greenland and deal direct. It was this intent that got his plan the official approval of Henry VII, who was nothing if not interested in possible revenues from a trade with known values, and the initial support of Bristol's Society of Merchant Venturers -- which still exists, by the way. A third Papal Bull on the matter of world-dividing was issued by Pope Julius II in 1506, by which time the existence of a central/southern continent was known -- but a northern one was still not on any Spanish or Portuguese maps or charts. I think this lack of mention or notice might have one of three rationales. One, obviously, would be that the Spanish and Portuguese were by then aware of the vast likelihood of gold in "them thar" hills, had no interest in anywhere else, and it never occurred to them to bother to look. A second rationale might well be that they were indeed aware of a northern land mass, but had no interest in it because they knew it held only bad weather and no gold. But then to the third. To put even a hint of northern lands on a chart would be acknowledgement of its existence, which in turn would demand that they protect it from English (and any other) explorers and traffickers, which would also compel the Spanish, Portuguese, and the Pope to recognize their existence in such places at a time when planting a flag and making announcements was tantamount to ownership, which would have meant openly addressing English indifference to Papal Bulls and their ability to be that way, which would acknowledge Spanish and Portuguese inability to force England into compliance, which would compel acknowledging their control over large regions, and then compelled all sorts of unpleasant contacts and diplomacy, not to mention the possibility of a war. Not to mention its effect on Papal influence 1494 - Christopher Columbus discovered Jamaica while in search of a westward route to the East 1626 - Dutch explorer Peter Minuit landed on present-day Manhattan Island 1776 - Rhode Island declared its freedom from England, two months before the Declaration of Independence was adopted 1783 - First United Empire Loyalists settle in the Maritimes 1814 Louis XVIII took the throne of France after Napoleon's defeat and exile by the allies 1908 - Battleship FS Mireabeau laid down 1910 - Parliament votes to create a Royal Canadian Navy in Ottawa 1917 - First US Navy ships, Destroyer Division 8, arrive at Queenstown, Ireland, to provide convoy escorts against German U-boats 1926 - Destroyer FS Boulonnais laid down 1931 - Submarine FS Ondine launched 1935 - Stalin gives a speech before graduates of military academies pronouncing the famous “Cadres determine everything” 1937 - Aircraft carrier HMS Victorious laid down 1938 - Destroyer FS Le Hardi launched 1940 - U-355 laid down 1940 - San Tiburcio struck a mine laid on 9 February by U-9. She broke in two after 40 minutes and sank 4 miles SE of Tarbett Ness, Moray Firth. The master & 39 crewmembers were picked up by HMS Leicester City and landed at Invergordon. The master Walter Frederick Fynn died when his next ship, the San Arcadio was sunk by U-107 (Gelhaus) on 31 Jan 1942 1940 - During the Norwegian campaign, ORP Grom was sunk in the Rombaken Fjord near Narvik by a German He111 (Lt Korthals) aircraft of the KG 100. There were 59 causalities and 154 survivors. Before being lost she bombarded the German troops in the Narvik area 1940 - Boom defense vessel HMAS Kangaroo launched 1940 - Corvette HMS Amaranthus laid down 1940 - Corvette HMCS Camellia launched 1940 - HMS Ark Royal departs Scapa Flow at 1620, escorted by the anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Curlew and six destroyers, HMS Inglefield, Sikh, Mashona, Tartar, Jaguar & Encounter. Enroute she flies aboard replacement aircraft (six Swordfish, seven Skuas) and the regrouped 803 Squadron, giving her the following air group - 810 Squadron - 11 x Swordfish, 820 Squadron - 8 x Swordfish, 800 Squadron - 9 x Skuas, 801 Squadron - 8 x Skuas, 803 Squadron - 9 x Skuas. Her mission will be to provide air support for the beleaguered Allied Forces in Narvik area 1940 - HMS Glorious arrives at Greenock for reprovisioning, rearming, and to prepare for her new mission of ferrying the 18 Hurricane Is of 46 Squadron, RAF, to Norway 1941 - At 1829, the Japan, dispersed from Convoy OB-310, was shelled by U-38 249 miles NW of Freetown and caught fire. At 1915 the ship was hit by a coup de grâce and sank in grid ET 2461. No casualties among the 44 crewmembers and four passengers 1941 - Minelayer HMS Latona commissioned 1941 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Ben Gairn mined & sunk off Lowesoft 1941 - MV Kipawo arrived Montreal for refit & conversion to HMCS Kipawa 1942 - Minesweeper USS Tanager sunk shore batteries off Corregidor 1942 - SS Tuscaloosa City sunk by U-125 at 18.25N, 81.31W 1942 - At 0943, the unescorted and unarmed Eastern Sword was torpedoed by U-162 about twelve miles off the Georgetown Light. Two torpedoes struck in quick succession on the port side at the #4 hold aft of the midship house, causing the ship to settle rapidly by the stern. Two minutes later water reached the decks and she sank on an even keel with 15 feet of her mainmast above water. The explosion had destroyed the radio shack, preventing the sending of a distress message. Three officers and nine crewmen of seven officers and 22 men abandoned ship in one lifeboat and landed the next day at Georgetown. One crewman was picked up from a raft by the fishing boat Ocean Star on 6 May and landed in Georgetown 1942 - Sailing vessel Florence M. Douglas was sunk by gunfire from U-162 1942 - At 1742, the unescorted and unarmed Norlindo was torpedoed by U-507 about 80 miles NW of Dry Tortugas Island. One torpedo struck on the starboard side aft between the #3 and #4 hatches, causing the mainmast to fall. The ship began sinking quickly, listed to starboard and finally sank by the stern. The seven officers and 21 crewmen on board did not have the time to launch the lifeboats and jumped overboard, but five men working in the after hold went down with the ship. The survivors were picked up from four rafts by San Blas two days later and landed at Cristobal on 11 May. At the time of the attack, two tankers lay in view of the Norlindo, the Joseph M. Cudahy and Munger T. Ball, one about ten miles to the east and the other just over the horizon. Schacht questioned the survivors, even providing them supplies and then went on to chase the other ships and managed to sink both 1942 - At 1904, U-564 torpedoed the Eclipse and observed the tanker grounded by the stern, but the ship was later salvaged 1942 - Due to technical problems U-590 had to return to base 1942 - U-507 gave water and food to shipwrecked survivors of the sunken ship Norlindo 1942 - U-965 laid down 1942 - U-456 encountered a Soviet submarine in the Arctic Sea, but neither boat attacked 1942 - Boom defense vessel HMS Barbourne launched 1942 - Destroyer USS Harrison launched 1942 - Submarine USS Rasher laid down 1942 - Submarine USS Herring commissioned 1942 - Submarine HMS P222 completed 1942 - Minesweeper USS Tananger sunk by shore batteries off Corregidor 1942 - The British attacked the French Island of Madagascar 1942 - In the Battle of the Coral Sea the United States Navy inflicted great losses upon the Japanese Navy. First carrier vs. carrier battle, begins 1943 - SS Lorient, a straggler from Convoy ONS-5, was torpedoed and sunk by U-125 south of Cape Farewell. The master and 39 crewmembers were lost 1943 - At 1418, the Panam was hit by one torpedo from U-129 off the coast of North Carolina. The ship had become a straggler from Convoy NK-538 since 0700 the same day due to engine troubles. The torpedo hit on the port side in the engine room, completely wrecking it and killing two crewmembers on watch below. Six minutes later a second torpedo struck on the port side amidships, wrecking the pumproom and caused the ship to sink at 1455. The remaining 35 crewmembers and 14 armed guards abandoned ship in three lifeboats and were picked up by submarine chaser USS SC-664 about 2000 and landed four hours later at Morehead City, North Carolina 1943 - U-345 commissioned 1943 - The II WO on U-601 was killed in a machine gun misfire 1943 - U-218 laid 15 mines in the North Channel, but without any result 1943 - U-109 sunk south of Ireland, in position 47.22N, 22.40W, by 4 depth charges from an RAF 86 Sqn Liberator. 52 dead (all hands lost) 1943 - U-439 sunk at 0030 in the North Atlantic, west of Cape Ortegal, Spain, in position 43.32N, 13.20W, in a collision with U-659. 40 dead and 9 survivors 1943 - U-659 sunk at 0030 after a collision with U-439. 44 dead and 3 survivors 1943 - A Canso from RCAF 5 Sqn attacked and damaged U-209, Kptlt Heinrich Brodda, CO, in the North Atlantic, 270 NM south of Cape Farewell, in approximate position 52.00N, 032.00W. It is thought that U-209 was lost three days later, on 07 May, in a diving accident that may have been related to the damage inflicted in the earlier attack. There were no survivors from U-209's crew of 46 men. U-209 was a medium-range Type VIIC U-boat, built by Germaniawerft, at Kiel. She was commissioned on 11 Oct 41. U-209 conducted nine patrols & compiled a record of four ships sunk for a total of 1,356 tons. Kptlt Heinrich Brodda was her only commanding officer. Heinrich Brodda was born in 1903, at Altenessen, Essen. He joined the navy in 1921. His first operational duty was from Jun 39 to Jan 40 in the U-boat tender Lech. Next, he was promoted to Kapitaenleutnant and assigned as the commander of the R-class patrol boat depot ship Nettlebeck. In Nov 41 he was assigned as the commander of the escort vessel F-6. Kptlt. Brodda transferred to the U-boat force in Mar 41 and underwent conversion training until Jul 41, when he was immediately selected for command and assigned to the 24th U-Flotilla for his U-boat Commander's Course. He was assigned to commission U-209 on 11 Oct 42, at the age of 39. Heinrich Brodda is officially listed as missing after U-209 disappeared east of Newfoundland 1943 - Minesweeper USS Scuffle laid down 1943 - Destroyer escort USS Steele commissioned 1943 - Submarine HMS Venturer launched 1943 - Escort carrier HMS Vindex launched 1944 - U-825, U-1019 commissioned 1944 - U-371 sunk at 0409 in the Mediterranean north of Constantine, in position 37.49N, 05.39E, by depth charges from destroyer escorts USS Pride & Joseph E. Campbell, the French Senegalais and destroyer HMS Blankney. 3 dead and 49 survivors 1944 - U-846 sunk in the Bay of Biscay north of Cape Ortegal, Spain, in position 46.04N, 09.20W, by depth charges from an RCAF 407 Sqn Wellington aircraft. 57 dead (all hands lost) 1944 - Tug HMCS Marysville raised & went to Prince Rupert for refit 1944 - Minesweepers HMCS Maple Lake & Oak Lake laid down Meteghan NS 1944 - Corvette HMCS St Thomas commissioned South Bank-on-Tees UK 1944 - Escort carriers USS Commencement Bay & Kwajalein launched 1944 - Destroyers USS English & Killen commissioned 1944 - Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-168 was commissioned. She had as commanding officers, LTJG Richard W. Jones, USCG, who was succeeded 27 September 1944 by LTJG Joseph A. Kean, USCGR. She was assigned to the Southwest Pacific area and operated at Mindoro, Tacloban, Zamboanga, etc. She was decommissioned 2 October 1944. 1944 - Coast Guard-manned Army FS-169 was commissioned and assigned to the Southwest Pacific area. She was decommissioned 5 October 1945. 1945 - Motor tanker Empire Unity damaged by U-979 at 64.23N, 22.37W 1945 - U-711 sunk in the Arctic near Harstad, Norway, in position 68.43,717N, 16.34,600E, by depth charges from Avenger and Wildcat aircraft of escort carriers HMS Searcher, Trumpeter & Queen. 40 dead and 12 survivors 1945 - Motor Gunboat USS PGM-17 destroyed by grounding off Okinawa 1945 - U-2338 sunk ENE of Frederica, position 55.34N, 09.49E, by RAF 236 & 254 Sqn Beaufighters. 12 dead & 1 survivor 1945 - USS Lagarto, a 1,500 ton Balao-class submarine, disappeared without trace after attacking a Japanese tanker and destroyer convoy around 100 miles off the southeast coast of Thailand. It is believed a Japanese minelayer sank Lagarto. A team of deep-sea divers has discovered the wreck of in May 2005 1945 - U-155 shot down an RAF 126 Sqn Mustang 1945 - Frigate HMCS Teme paid off & returned to RN as constructive total loss for disposal. Scrapped Llanelly, Wales in 1946 1945 - HMS Victorious struck by Kamikaze, saved by armored flight deck 1945 - Japanese attempt to land on Okinawa repulsed 1945 - LCT(6)-1358 sunk off California 1945 - USS LSMR-190 sunk by Kamikaze attack off Okinawa 1945 - USS LSMR-194 sunk by Kamikaze attack off Okinawa 1945 - Off Okinawa, kamikazes sink the destroyers USS Luce & Morrison and two medium landing craft (LSMs); the kamikazes also damage the aircraft carrier HMS Formidable; light cruiser USS Birmingham; escort carrier USS Sangamon; destroyers USS Ingraham, Cowell & Lowry, light minelayer USS Gwin; high-speed minesweeper USS Hopkins and a motor minesweeper (YMS). The Japanese also launch Yokosuka MXY7 Navy Suicide Attacker Ohka (Cherry Blossom) Model 11 rocket-propelled glide bombs known as "Baka;" they damage the light minelayer USS Shea & minesweeper USS Gayety which is also attacked by a kamikaze 1946 - A two-day riot at Alcatraz prison in San Francisco Bay ended after five people were killed 1946 - Destroyer HMCS Athabaskan launched Halifax NS 1954 - RCN accepts first Piasecki HP-3 at factory; destined for VH 21 at HMCS Shearwater 1954 - Minesweeper HMCS Miramichi launched Saint John NB 1956 - Patrol craft HMCS Cougar commissioned 1959 - RCN VT 40 was disbanded and its personnel and assets incorporated into VU 32. The latter now comprised three flights - (1) Piston Flight, flying Expeditors, assumed control of proficiency flying; piston fixed-wing training; and piston-engine instrument instruction; (2) Jet Flight took over jet fleet requirements and jet proficiency and instrument training in T-33s; and (3) Utility Flight, equipped with Trackers and Avengers, became responsible for Observer's Mate training, fleet piston-engine requirements (e.g., target-towing) and transport 1959 - Frigate HMCyS Mahasena (ex-HMCS Orkney) commissioned 1959 - Submarine HMS Narwhal completed 1961 - Pilot CDR Malcolm D. Ross, USNR, and medical observer LCDR Victor A. Prather, Jr., ascended in two hours to over 110,00 feet in Strato-Lab 5, a 411-foot hydrogen filled balloon launched from the deck of USS Antietam. This was the highest altitude attained by man in an open gondola. Tragically, Prather drowned during the recovery 1967 - USS Ticonderoga port call Hong Kong 1967 - USS Constellation port call Pearl Harbor 1969 - Ottawa bans fishing in Placentia Bay because of pollution 1970 - Destroyers HMCS Mackenzie, Yukon & Terra Nova with supply ship Provider departed Esquimalt for Far East 1971 - Damage to upper front part of fin and both scopes of submarine HMS Opportune in collision with Merchant Ship, SW Approaches 1972 - USS Hancock port call Subic Bay Submarine HMS Andrew scrapped 1982 - At 1800, container ship Atlantic Conveyor departed the piers at Dundalk Marine Terminal in Baltimore for the last time. Through an MoD requisition program called Ships Taken Up From Trade, Atlantic Conveyor was ordered to Southampton, England, and converted to a warship. Britain was at war for repossession of the Falkland Islands from Argentina. Merchant vessels were needed to transport equipment and stores to the southern coast of Argentina 1994 - Operation Restore Hope begins in Somalia 1996 - Frigate HMCS Ottawa launched Saint John NB 2003 - MV Cape Victory laid up Beaumont TX RRF 2003 - HMCS Unicorn granted Freedom of the City in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 2003 - USS Winston S Churchill arrives in Portsmouth for drydocking to repair propeller damage 2004 - Assault ship USS Bataan begins overhaul at NORSHIPCO Portsmouth VA 2004 - Destroyers DDG 102-105 named USS Sampson, Truxtun, Sterett, Dewey respectively 2005 - The Naval Undersea Warfare Museum at Keyport welcomed 13 World War II Mk 14 Torpedoes into their space May 4 after 11 years of paperwork, preparation and persistency. The journey began in 1994 when Dusty Rhodes, Industrial Specialist (Ordnance and Electronics) and a former Master Chief Torpedoman of Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Keyport, discovered the historical torpedoes at the Army Ammunition Depot in Hawthorne, Nev 2005 - The Navy will launch another Korean Destroyer Experimental (KDX) II class destroyer armed with the latest anti-ship and anti-air missiles on Wednesday, when the "Wang-geon" steams out of the Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in Ulsan. The 4,200-ton stealth destroyer, the fourth KDX-II class destroyer after the Chungmugong Yi Soon-shin, Munmudaewang and Daejoyeong, takes its name from the founder of the ancient Korean kingdom of Goryeo. It's 150 meters long with a beam of 17 meters and height of 9.5 meters and has a top speed of 30 knots. The Wang-geon packs a powerful punch with its Harpoon anti-ship missiles with a range of 130 km and Standard SM-II anti-air missiles capable of accurately intercepting aircraft and cruise missiles 100 km away. It also features the 30mm Thales Nederland Goalkeeper close-in weapon system (CIWS) for downing incoming missiles and can carry two Super Lynx anti-submarine helicopters. The ship's hull incorporates stealth technology to frustrate attempts by enemy radar to detect it 2005 - Odyssey Marine Exploration has begun search operations on its 2005 shipwreck search program, code-named the "Atlas" project. The "Atlas" project is the result of an extensive target development program conducted over the past year and consists of five target shipwrecks. The Company's research indicates the ships are beyond any country's territorial waters and are not believed to be subject to sovereign immunity. Therefore, the shipwrecks can be archaeologically excavated immediately upon discovery. The Company believes that only two of the five targets may have any potential insurance claimants, and it is anticipated they would be resolved in a manner consistent with the resolution of the Republic insurance claims. Odyssey's 230-foot search vessel has been equipped with a newly designed, state-of-the-art search system that employs the latest technologies. The new side-scan sonar, which is one component of the search system, performed above expectations during sea trials held off the coast of Florida during the month of April. The total system allows the Company to explore twice the area on a daily basis than was previously possible while producing deep-ocean images at much higher resolutions. Odyssey crews can therefore work faster and more efficiently than previous shipwreck search efforts 2005 - CP Ships Limited announced it has acquired Borg International Freight Services Inc. Based in Montreal, Borg specializes in ocean and air freight forwarding and employs 22 people. Its annual gross revenue in 2004 was US $14 million 2005 - The Coast Guard rescued a 55 year-old man after his 42-foot fishing vessel capsized at the entrance of the Columbia River. At 0018 Coast Guard Group Air/ Station Astoria received a call on VHF-FM channel 16 from the master of the Laura E reporting his boat had lost power. A 47-foot motor lifeboat from Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment, Wash., was launched to assist the Laura E. The 47-foot motor lifeboat arrived at 0100 to find the Laura E had capsized and the master was hanging onto the hull. The crew of the 47-foot motor lifeboat pulled him aboard and he was transferred to Station Cape Disappointment where awaiting emergency medical technicians treated and released him. Weather conditions at the time of the accident were 11 mph winds with 2 to 4 foot waves and the water temperature was 54-degrees. Because the man was able to pass the vessel's position to the Coast Guard in a timely and accurate manner by using his VHF-FM marine radio, the Coast Guard was able to arrive and rescue him quickly. The master was wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident 2005 - Maritrans Inc. announced that the Company agreed to settle its pending lawsuit against Penn Maritime Inc. and Penn Tug & Barge Inc. (together "Penn Maritime") on Maritrans' claims for patent infringement and misappropriation of trade secrets. Penn Maritime agreed to pay Maritrans $4 million to settle all of Maritrans' claims. Penn Maritime agreed that the Court will issue a judgment attesting to the validity of Maritrans' patents for the process of converting single hull barges to double hull. Maritrans agreed to give Penn Maritime a license of Maritrans' patent covering all barges presently owned by Penn Maritime. The $4 million payment is to be made by June 1, 2005. The settlement is subject to the execution of definitive releases and settlement documentation 2005 - Qatar Petroleum, ExxonMobil and Edison awarded Aker Kvaerner a USD 900 million contract for engineering, procurement and construction management services associated with development of the Isola di Porto Levante liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, to be located offshore the coast of Italy in the North Adriatic Sea. The contract comprises engineering, procurement, and construction management of the concrete gravity based structure, LNG storage tanks and topside regasification facilities. The contract will be booked as order intake in the 2nd quarter 2005 2005 - Leading experts on Asia Pacific maritime security will converge on Victoria for a two-day conference hosted by the Navy’s Maritime Forces Pacific from May 5-7. Over 150 participants representing 11 nations will take part in the conference aimed at sharing information on issues affecting current maritime security challenges in the Asia Pacific region. The conference brings together international specialists on regional navies, port security, commercial shipping, maritime regulatory regimes, maritime terrorism, piracy, and coast guards to debate the dramatic developments in maritime security in the post 9/11 era and the interrelationship among them 2005 - The Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries has decided to prohibit the operation of foreign fishing vessels in Indonesian waters as of 2007. Indroyono Susilo, head of the ministry's maritime and fisheries research agency, said there would no longer be bilateral cooperation in fish catching by 2007 2005 - At 1415 the Master of the British registered coaster Sea Humber reported to Clyde Coastguard that they were without power and drifting. Clyde Coastguard RCC put out a Pan Pan broadcast on behalf of the master. Arran Coastguard Rescue Team were called out and the Campbeltown RNLI Lifeboat were requested to launch. The ferry Loch Tarbert responded to the Pan Broadcast and are assisting the Campbeltown Lifeboat with securing lines to the vessel to keep it from drifting onshore. The Coastguard team are keeping observations on the operation from the shore. Salvage tug Willowgarth is proceeding to the vessel with an estimated time of arrival of one and a half hours. The 1600 GRT Sea Humber was heading north in ballast past the Mull of Kintrye when she got into difficulty 2005 - Golden Ocean Group Limited is pleased to advise that an agreement has been reached with Louis Dreyfus Grain Division to take over the time charter commitment for a fleet of 10 (ten) modern Panamax bulk carriers. Two vessels are built in 2001 and four vessels in 2004, all these vessels are fixed out at favorable time charter agreements through 2006. Four newbuildings are going to be delivered during 2007, these vessels are unfixed. For five of the vessels purchase options are attached to the time charter agreements. Golden Ocean is paying a lump sum of USD 143 million against taking over the commitments 1 June 2005. The deal will generate in excess of USD 100,000 in daily cash flow for the next year. Based on existing market valuations for similar kind of tonnage there is today material value in the purchase options. The charter-in agreements have an average maturity of 8 years at rates between USD 9,000 and USD 12,000 per day. A significant part of the charters is structured as options in favor of Golden Ocean. The Board of Golden Ocean expects that the transaction can be financed without raising any new equity 2005 - Indian Navy approved shipboard installation of the BrahMos missile system 2005 - The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Dependable repatriated 132 Haitian migrants to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, this morning at 1000. The migrants were rescued from their dangerously overloaded 50-foot sail freighter after five days at sea 10 miles south of West Caicos Island in the Caribbean. The migrants were spotted by an Operations Bahamas and Turks and Caicos helicopter early in the morning. That evening, the Dependable and an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Traverse City MI were on scene to assist with disembarking the migrants from the sail freighter. The migrants were in good condition, and their vessel was destroyed as a hazard to navigation. Once on board Coast Guard cutters, all migrants receive food, water, and any necessary medical attention. Determination of a migrant's status is made by the US Government and coordinated by Homeland Security immigration officials. Dependable is a 210-foot medium endurance cutter out of Cape May NJ 2005 - A Coast Guard helicopter crew airlifted a man from his boat near Cordova, east of Kodiak. The Coast Guard received a call at 1321 from a Cordova Police Department official reporting that Gus Arbotson called them on a cell phone after becoming stranded on the mud flats. His skiff grounded and he struck his chest causing severe pain. Air Station Kodiak dispatched a helicopter crew to the scene. The helicopter crew transported the injured man an area hospital. Arbotson's boating passenger, Mike Arbotson, required no medical attention. He planned to float the vessel free during high tide 2005 - Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announced today that two Vancouver residents, Den Van Ta and Hue Ngoc Phan, pled guilty for breaching the conditions of license in the groundfish trawl fishery, and were fined a total of $3,500. On October 9, 2003, fishery officers were on routine patrol of the Steveston marina area, when they observed suspicious activity near Steveston market. Fishery officers intercepted Mrs. Phan to discover she was in possession of a large Skate that was just removed from a commercial fishing vessel, The Rookie. Numerous groundfish were found aboard The Rookie as well. In Richmond provincial court, Mr. Ta pled guilty for illegal possession of fish, for failure to record catch in the fishing log book, and for retention of prohibited species under license conditions. Mr. Ta was fined $3,000. Mrs. Phan pled guilty to one count of illegal possession of fish, and was fined $500 2005 - A ceremony held aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt recognized the ongoing friendship between Spain and the United States with the joining of a Spanish ship to the TR Carrier Strike Group. Alvaro de Bazan, a medium-size Spanish frigate, is now officially a part of Carrier Strike Group 2 2005 - Carnival Cruise Lines' new 110,000-ton Carnival Liberty is in the Adriatic Sea during ongoing sea trials. Currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, the 2,974-passenger Super Liner is scheduled to enter service July 20, 2005, operating Carnival's first-ever Mediterranean cruise program 2005 - Norwegian Cruise Lines has ordered yet another ship of 93,000 grt from Papenburg specialist Meyer Werft, bringing the total of ships ordered from the shipbuilder in this class to four, writes Katrin Berkenkopf in Cologne. A spokesman for the yard said that NCL had agreed to the delivery date of October 2007, which the company had previously found too late. After its delivery, it will be number eight in NCL's fleet that was built by Meyer Werft. The yard is thus fully utilized throughout 2007. It has no orders yet for 2008, but will build another 68,500 grt vessel for Carnival subsidiary Aida Cruises in 2009 2005 - The Maritime Administration (MARAD) has approved four applications under Section 9 of the Shipping Act, 1916, as amended. They include: Crowley Marine Services, Inc., Seattle, WA, has received approval to sell the 7,979-gross-ton tank barge, Barge 102 to Farham Enterprises, Inc., a Panamanian corporation, and transfer said Vessel to Panamanian registry and flag. The vessel was built in 1970 in Galveston, TX. Noble Asset Mexico LLC, Sugar Land, TX, has received approval to transfer the 5,924-gross-ton mobile offshore drilling unit Noble Sam Noble, to Liberian registry and flag, without change in the ownership of said Vessel. The vessel was built in 1982 in Orange, TX. American Commercial Lines LLC Jefferson IN has received approval to sell the 1,038-gross-ton tank barge NMS NO 1802 and the 1,919-gross-ton tank barge NMS NO. 3100 to Fransisco Javier Carstensen Lanz, a Mexican corporation, for scrapping in Mexico. The NMS NO 1802 was built in 1975 in St. Louis, MO, and the NMS NO 3100 was built in 1972 in St. Louis MO 2005 - Italian Minister of the Defense, Antonio Martino officially opened the Sixth Squadron of the Coastguard at Messina 2006 - Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) receives a Unit Commendation for their successes in the war on drugs. To date, HITRON has assisted in stopping more than 269,379 LBS of illegal drugs valued at more than $8.1 billion in import value 2006 - Teams continued to search yesterday for 26 missing crewmembers from the Capesize Alexandros T which sank off the South African coast on Wednesday evening in heavy seas and 45 knot winds. The 171,875-dwt vessel, laden with 155,000 tonnes of iron ore, was on a voyage from Ponta da Madeira in Brazil to China when it suffered heavy water ingress and flooding in several cargo holds. The master ordered the crew to abandon ship, after which seven crewmembers were rescued from a life raft and one from the water by the CSE Fortune Express, which reported the vessel went down at 1752Z. A spokesman for Greek managers overseas Marine Enterprises said a further four empty life rafts had been spotted but these were empty. South African aircraft are continuing to look for survivors. While Craig Lambinon, of the National Sea Rescue Institute in Cape Town said the weather improved yesterday morning the missing crewmembers "have been in the water a long time". Overseas Marine Enterprises' spokesman reported 20 ft swells and said that a storm is now forecast. Dutch company Smit signed a Lloyd's Open Form contract for the vessel's salvage and tug Smit Amandla is continuing to proceed towards the site of the casualty to join the rescue efforts, the Overseas Marine Enterprises' spokesman said. He could not confirm ownership of the cargo. The company is in close contact with or is trying to contact all the families of the crew. The nationalities of the crew are four Greeks, 24 Filipinos, four Romanians and one Ukrainian. The ship, which was built at Santierul Naval Constanta of Romania in 1989, is flagged in St Vincent & the Grenadines, classed by Lloyd's Register and entered with the London Steamship Owners Mutual Insurance Association 2006 - President Michelle Bachelet travels to Easter Island (Rapa Nui) to inaugurate “Month of the Sea” celebrations on Chile’s Pacific Ocean territory. Traveling with the President are Defense Minister Vivianne Blanlot and Interior Minister Andrés Zaldívar 2006 - A Spanish fishing vessel owner charged with illegally importing over 26,000 kilos of Chilean sea-bass or Patagonian toothfish pleaded not guilty Thursday in his first appearance in a United States Florida court 2006 - A group of former Argentine Navy crew members of the auxiliary ketch Penelope during the 1982 South Atlantic war were able to visit their old ship as it stopped over in Buenos Aires en route from the Falkland Islands to Germany after 70 years in South Atlantic waters 2006 - Corpus Christi Day Cruise Ltd., operator of the gambling ship Texas Treasure, was sentenced in the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas to pay $300,000 in criminal penalties and to serve four years of probation. The ship's chief engineer, Gojko Petovic, was fined $5,000 and sentenced to three years of supervised probation. Corpus Christi Day Cruise, Ltd., pleaded guilty to obstruction and Gojko Petovic pleaded guilty to making false statements during a Coast Guard investigation into whether the Texas Treasure had illegally discharged waste oil and deliberately bypassed its pollution prevention equipment 2006 - USCGC Healy safely transferred aboard a man from British sailing vessel Jersey Clipper 680 miles southeast of Dutch Harbor. The Coast Guard command center in Juneau and RCC Halifax received a call from the UK Coastguard requesting a medical evacuation of the man from the Jersey Clipper. The sailor is being transported aboard the Healy to Dutch Harbor for further medical treatment 2006 - Patrol craft NRP Limpopo sunk as target in NATO exercise 2007 - Argentina Navy hold memorial service on 25th anniversary of sinking of General Belgrano 2007 - Latest addition to Caledonian MacBrayne fleet, MV Argyle, sistership of MV Bute named at Rothesay 2007 - A boat loaded with Haitians capsized early morning. 20 bodies have been found, some partially eaten by sharks. A USCG helicopter was searching for 58 other passengers. Police recovered 63 from the vessel after it capsized about a half-mile south of Providenciales Island. The island belongs to the Turks and Caicos, a British territory. Survivors told police there had been about 150 people aboard the boat 2007 - CCGC Kestrel, Port Hardy, Tofino, Kestrel, Revisor & Raven for sale by Crown Assets 2008 - USNS Kanawha and USS Shoup responded to a ship in distress in the Gulf of Aden, May 4 and towed the boat to Yemeni territorial waters, where it arrived May 6, so the dhow could be repaired 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