SeaWaves Today in History May 9, 2009 Romania - Independence Day, Victory Day, and All Heroes Day. Visiting warships Dress Ship overall. A 21-gun salute is fired at sunrise and a 1-gun salute at sunset 1502 - Christopher Columbus left Cadiz, Spain, on his fourth and final trip to the Western Hemisphere 1641 - Jeanne Mance 1606-1673 leaves France with settlers bound for Montreal in two ships; with Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve 1671 - Irish adventurer Capt Thomas Blood makes an unsuccessful attempt to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower Of London 1760 - François, Duc de Levis retreats upriver, abandoning Quebec when the frigate Lowestoft arrives to relieve Murray and the British; rest of British fleet appears later that day 1788 - Britain passed a parliamentary motion for abolishing the slave trade 1789 - HMS Sirius, Captain John Hunter, RN, arrived at Port Jackson (Sydney Australia) after circumnavigating the world in a desperate bid to obtain supplies for the colony in New South Wales. The voyage took 219 days, of which 51 days were spent at Cape Town to allow the crew to recover from scurvy Alexander Mackenzie 1764-1820 leaves Fort York at the forks of the Peace and Smoky rivers; heads west towards Pacific with party of nine, eventually reaching the Pacific Ocean via the Bella Coola River, becoming the first European to cross North America using a route north of Mexico 1831 - The Sydney Herald reported ' A Greek captain named Domini Neni is at present an inmate of Hyde Park Barracks. He was the commander of a piratical vessel in the straits. She mounted 17 guns and had a large crew belonging to her and had committed several acts of piracy upon British vessels, when she was captured after a desperate engagement by one of His Majesty's vessels. The captain had just completed 21 days exercise on the mill in consequence of his attempting to escape from the Colony' 1885 - The steamer Northcote approaches Metis positions near the town of Batoche. The Metis stretch a ferry cable wire across the South Saskatchewan River to capture the steamer. Instead, the cable drags down the ship's masts, funnels and steam whistle and does not prevent the steamer from reaching Prince Albert. The action is described by some as "the first naval battle on the Canadian Prairies" 1899 - Columbia River Quarantine Station at Knappton is established 1905 - Submarine HMS C8 laid down 1917 - Submarine HMS K9 completed 1918 - The St George's Day raid on Zeebrugge and Ostend had only proved partially successful in denying the Flanders U-boat flotilla access to the sea. A second attempt to seal off the harbor and canal system was therefore mounted. The much-battered old cruiser HMS Vindictive, used as an assault ship at Zeebrugge, was once again used. This time the intention was to sink her as a block ship in Ostend harbor. Accompanying Motor Launches would take off her crew once she was in position. Vindictive was swept with fire as she entered the harbor in fog. Her Commanding Officer was killed, and First Lieutenant badly wounded. Lieutenant Crutchley took command, but despite the best efforts, the ship was sunk short of her target. Despite himself being badly wounded, Lieutenant Drummond RNVR brought ML254 alongside Vindictive and took off 40 survivors including Crutchley. Drummond then managed to take the launch back out to sea before collapsing from his injuries. Crutchley again took over command, and managed to keep the launch afloat until help arrived from the supporting squadron. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Bourke RNVR in ML216 took his launch in a sweep around the harbor looking for any further survivors, all the time under heavy fire. Initially none were found, but as the launch left the area, cries for help were heard. Bourke turned back into the barrage and found three men clinging to an upturned boat. They were picked up, and the badly damaged launch, hit 55 times, limped back out to sea where she was taken in tow. Crutchley, Drummond and Bourke all received the Victoria Cross 1919 - Destroyer USS Greene commissioned 1925 - Submarines FS Morse & Narval launched 1926 - US Navy pilots Richard Evelyn Byrd 1888-1957 and Floyd Bennett 1890-1928 leave Spitsbergen Island in three-engined Fokker monoplane; fly over North Pole at 9 -04 am; both receive Congressional Medal of Honor 1933 - Light cruiser FS Emile Bertin launched 1934 - Longshoremen and maritime workers strike West Coast and Seattle 1936 - Italy annexed Ethiopia as Benito Mussolini celebrated in Rome 1936 - Submarine USS Perch launched 1940 - At 0014, submarine FS Doris was torpedoed and sunk NW of the Dutch Coast by the German submarine U-9 1940 - Destroyer HMS Bulldog during the night of 9/10 May, the destroyer was searching in the Skagerrak for German minelayers with other destroyers from Scapa Flow. During an attack by German MTBs at another task force with the same task, the HMS Kelly was badly damaged by a torpedo and towed to Newcastle by HMS Bulldog 1940 - The minelaying destroyers HMS Express, Esk & Intrepid lay 180 mines in known German swept channels in operation XMG 1940 - Corvette HMCS Quesnel laid down Victoria BC 1940 - With 806 Squadron newly operational, the base commander, Acting Captain C. L. Howe, RN re-instituted his attacks on shipping at Bergen. Lieutenant C. P. Campbell-Horsfall, RN led off eight Skuas, each armed with a single 500-lb. SAP bomb. They are joined by six Blenheim fighters of Coastal Command's 254 Squadron; each armed with 8 x 20 lb. Cooper bombs. Even at this late date, the Germans have been unable to get a substantial amount of AA to Bergen, and the attack meets little opposition. One hit is obtained on a docked merchant vessel, an oil tank is hit, and several small warships are strafed in the harbor. One Blenheim (L9482 - B Flight Lieutenant Alick Charles Heath, RAF 37173 (P), Lt (A) Robin Baillie Nuthall, RN (O), Sgt. Stanley Arthur Nicholls, RAFVR 749976) and crew is lost to fire from 6.Batterie/Flakregiment 33, and Skua L3014, damaged by Flak as well, was wrecked on landing though the crew, Petty Officer Airman A. Jopling, RN D/Jx.135989 (P) and Naval Airman first class K. L. Jones, RN Jx.152768 (AG) were okay 1940 - After an air strike by Skua and Swordfish aircraft from HMS Ark Royal in Norway, Midshipman (A) C. Treen, RN (P) and Naval Airman A. E. T. Goble, RN (AG), having already survived one landing in Norway, again destroyed their plane, began the long overland trek, and eventually reached HMS Bedouin for the trip back home 1941 - At 2309, the City of Winchester, dispersed on 28 April from Convoy OB-313, was torpedoed & sunk by U-103 about 400 miles SSW of the Cape Verde Islands. Six crewmembers were lost. The master, 84 crewmembers and seven gunners were picked up by the Norwegian merchantman Herma and landed at Takoradi 1941 - At 1158, U-110 attacked Convoy OB-318 SE of Cape Farewell and sank Bengore Head & Esmond, but was then captured after being heavy damaged in the counterattack of the escort ships and foundered later. One crewmember from Bengore Head was lost. The master, 35 crewmembers and four gunners were rescued - 16 survivors by the Norwegian merchantman Borgfred and landed at Sydney on 18 May and 24 survivors by HMS Aubretia and landed at Reykjavik. The master, 44 crewmembers and five gunners from the Esmond were rescued. 22 survivors were picked up by Borgfred, 27 by the British merchantman Aelybryn and landed at Sydney on 18 May. One survivor was picked up by Aubretia & landed at Reykjavik 1941 - The Newfoundland-registered Anglo-Newfoundland Steamship Co. merchantman Edmond (4,976 GRT), was torpedoed and sunk by U-110, KptLt. Fritz-Julius Lemp, Knight's Cross, CO, in the North Atlantic, in position 60.45N, 033.02W. Edmond was proceeding from Liverpool to sea as part of convoy OB-318. There was no loss of life in this incident. The OB series of convoys was instituted early in the war and only took ships to seaward from Liverpool before they dispersed, whereupon the ships proceeded independently to their destinations. The last OB convoy sailed on 21 July 1941. Convoy OB-318 lost five of its 38 ships and had another two damaged. On 07 May U-94, KptLt. Herbert Kuppisch, Knight's Cross, CO, sank two ships, including the Norwegian-registered ship Eastern Star (5,658 GRT), which was loaded with 16 aircraft. Two days later, U-110, KptLt. Fritz-Julius Lemp, CO sank two ships and U-201, OLtzS. Adalbert Schnee, Knight's Cross, Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, CO, sank the fifth ship. Two ships were in ballast (Edmond was one) while the third carried coal. Despite the number of ships sunk and damaged, only one merchant seaman lost his life in these attacks. U-110 was a long-range Type IXB submarine built by AG Weser, at Bremen. She was commissioned on 21 Nov 40, KptLt. Fritz-Julius Lemp, CO. U-110 completed two patrols and compiled a record of three ships sunk for a total of 10,149 tons and two ships damaged for a further 8,675 tons. U-110 was captured on 09 May 1941 (the same day that she sank Edmond) in the North Atlantic south of Iceland. The boat was boarded by a party from the B-class destroyer HMS Bulldog and an Enigma signals encryption and decryption machine plus a number of other classified documents were recovered. The boat was allowed to sink a day later to preserve the secret of her capture. There were 32 survivors from her crew of 47 men. KptLt. Lemp was among the casualties. Fritz-Julius Lemp was born in Tsingtau, China, in 1913. He joined the navy in 1931 and transferred to the U-boat force in Apr 35. By the outbreak of the war he was already and experienced submariner and in command of U-30. He was awarded the Knight's Cross on 14 Aug 40, the 25th presented in the Kriegsmarine and the 9th in the U-boat force. He was appointed to commission U-110 on 21 Nov 40, at the age of 27. Lemp is notorious as the commander who sank the passenger-liner Athenia (13,581 GRT) on the first day of the war. Many stories surround the death of KptLt. Lemp. He has been reported as being rendered unconscious by the depth charging of his boat and drowned when he was thrown out the boat by his escaping crewmembers; drowned while trying to reboard the boat when he realized it was not sinking; and shot by the British boarding party. The truth will probably never be known 1941 - German submarine U-110 was captured on 9 May 1941 in the North Atlantic south of Iceland by destroyers HMS Bulldog & Broadway & corvette HMS Aubretia. The U-boat was allowed to sink the day after to preserve the secret capture. U-110 was taken on tow and Bulldog kept her afloat for 17 hours then let the towline slip. The intention was to tow U-110 into Iceland but Admiralty realized this would have been a massive error of judgement. In the event, allegedly, U-110 resolved the matter herself by sinking 1941 - At 1426 & 1428, U-201 attacked Convoy OB-318 ENE of Cape Farewell in grid AK 2181 (61°00N/32°30W), sank the Gregalia and badly damaged the Empire Cloud. The very heavily listing Empire Cloud was abandoned and ASW trawler HMS St Apollo protected the drifting ship. The Dutch tug Thames was sent out from Reykjavik, arriving on the 13 May and took the vessel in tow. With a speed of six knots they arrived at Greenock, where she was repaired and returned to service. ASW trawler HMS Daneman picked up the master, 57 crewmembers and eight gunners from the Gregalia. Later the master and 51 survivors were transferred to the British merchantman Aelybryn and 14 survivors to the Norwegian merchantman Borgfred and landed at Sydney on 18 May 1941 - U-107 was supported by the German support ship Egerland with 14 torpedoes and some food. The Egerland was camouflaged as an American ship. This is one reason for some rumors after the war that American ships supported U-boats 1941 - Minesweeper HMCS Ungava commissioned 1941 - Destroyer HMS Brocklesby commissioned 1941 - Minesweeper HMS Polruan commissioned 1941 - ASW trawler HMS Tarantella commissioned 1941 - Corvette HMCS Matapedia commissioned 1941 - A transport of the Tiger Convoy in the Mediterranean is sunk by a mine 1942 - U-371 encountered an enemy submarine, but neither boat attacked 1942 - U-352 sunk in the North Atlantic SW of Cape Hatteras in position 34.21N, 76.35W, by depth charges from USCGC Icarus. 15 dead and 33 survivors 1942 - U-415, U-416 launched 1942 - U-181, U-221, U-301, U-444 commissioned 1942 - At 0212, the unescorted Mont Louis was torpedoed and sunk by U-162 SW of Trinidad. 13 crewmembers were lost. The master and seven crewmembers were picked up by the Mona Marie and landed at Georgetown on 10 May 1942 - At 1002, the unescorted Lubrafol was torpedoed by U-564 about 3.5 miles off Hillsboro Inlet, Florida. A torpedo hit on the starboard side amidships at #5 tank, which burst into flames immediately and seconds later the #1 tank also caught fire. The explosion stopped the engines, destroyed the radio antenna and the foremast toppled on the bridge, killing two men. The survivors among the 38 crewmembers and six armed guards abandoned ship in three lifeboats, but one of them caught fire and the men had to jump overboard and were lost. The remaining two boats with 31 survivors, seven of them injured, were towed free from the burning tanker by two USCG boats and landed at Boynton Beach, Florida. The vessels also recovered seven bodies. The burning Lubrafol drifted until 11 May and then sank in shallow waters. The burnt out wreck was broken up in 1954 1942 - At 0327, U-588 fired three torpedoes at the unescorted Greylock in a fog about 10 miles from the Sambro Lightship outside Halifax Harbor in 44°14N/63°33W (grid BB 7500). Lookouts spotted the torpedoes as they approached from astern. Two missed and the third struck the ship at the stern, blowing off a section of the stern frame. The ten officers, 31 crewmembers and eleven armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, four .50cal and four .30cal guns) did not abandon ship and brought the freighter into Halifax under her own power. The Greylock was en route at 10 knots from New York having left there on 6 May to the USSR via Halifax with 8530 tons of general cargo 1942 - SS Calgarolite (11,941 GRT) Canadian tanker, Capt Tom Mountain, Master, was sunk at 0215 about 120 miles south of Isle of Pines, Cuba, in position 19.24N, 082.30W, by torpedoes & gunfire from U-125, Kptlt Ulrich Folkers, Knights Cross, CO. The entire crew survived the sinking. U-125 was a long-range Type IXC U-boat, built by AG Weser, at Bremen, commissioned on 03 Mar 41. U-125 conducted 7 patrols & compiled a record of 17 ships sunk for a total of 82,871 ton. U-125 was sunk on 06 May 43 east of Newfoundland, in position 52.13N, 044.50W, by ramming by destroyer HMS Oribi & gunfire from corvette HMS Snowflake. All 54 of her crewmembers were lost. Calgarolite was proceeding independently from New York to Cartagena, Colombia, to load oil. The ship was struck on the starboard side by 2 torpedoes, which caused the ship to stop. The crew abandoned ship & pulled away from the ship in two lifeboats. The U-boat fired a third torpedo, which struck the ship's stern, & then surfaced & shelled the ship, which finally rolled over onto her starboard side & sank by the stern about ninety minutes after she was first struck. The U-boat departed on the surface without approaching the lifeboats. The 2 boats became separated during the night. The master's boat eventually made Isle of Pine on the 13th, with the assistance of a Cuban fishing boat. The second boat landed at Mujeres, Mexico, on the 12th of May. Ulrich Folkers was born in 1915, at Kiel. He joined the navy in 1934. His first operational service was as a Watch Officer in the 1934-class destroyer Bruno Heinemann from Nov 39 to Apr 40. He transferred to the U-boat force & after his conversion training was assigned to the U-boat HQ, until Oct 40. After a time in the 27th U-boat Flotilla HQ, he was assigned as the First Watch Officer in the Type IX boat U-37, commanded by the 'ace' Kptlt. Nicolai Clausen, Knights Cross, CO. After only 3 months, he was selected for command & underwent training from Mar to Apr 41. 03 May 41, he returned to U-37, which had been transferred to a training flotilla, & assumed command. He was re-assigned to command U-125 on 15 Dec 41 & was one of the 5 boats that launched Operation Paukenschlag in Jan 42. While his first patrol was not a great success with only one ship sunk, his second & third patrols were much better & Folkers was awarded the Knights Cross, making him the 44th highest scoring 'ace' of the war 1942 - Submarine HMS Trenchant laid down 1942 - Destroyers USS Izard & Burns laid down 1942 - Destroyer ORP Slazak (ex-HMS Bedale) commissioned 1942 - Destroyer HMS Bicester commissioned 1942 - 64 Spitfire fighters are convoyed to Malta by the USS Wasp and HMS Eagle in Operation Bowery. 47 aircraft were launched from Wasp and the other 17 from Eagle 1943 - Submarine HMS Unrivalled sinks the Italian Santa Mariana Salina (763 BRT) 1943 - At 0055, the unescorted Kanbe, a straggler from Convoy TS-38, was hit by two torpedoes from U-123 and sank within two minutes about 60 miles south of Monrovia. The master, 57 crewmembers and three gunners were lost. Five crewmembers were picked up by the Spanish merchantman Rio Francoli and landed at Santa Isabel, Fernando Po 1943 - The unescorted Corneville was sunk by U-515 with two torpedoes. All 41 crewmembers survived and landed at Anamabu 60 miles east of Takoradi the next day 1943 - U-380 was on her way to Tunisia to support the German ground forces in Africa with ammunition. After receiving news of the capitulation, the crew threw the ammunition overboard off Pantelleria 1943 - U-666 shot down an RAF 58 Sqn Halifax. The boat damaged a Whitley two hours later 1943 - U-381 reported via radio for the last time from a position in the North Atlantic 1943 - Minesweeper USS Tide commissioned 1943 - Minesweeper USS Specter laid down 1943 - Submarines USS Corvina & Robalo launched 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Acree & Baron launched 1943 - Organized German and Italian resistance ceases in North Africa 1943 - HMCS Vercheres, an ex-Coast Guard ship taken into service as an auxiliary m/s, was destroyed by fire at Sorel, PQ. Little is known about this ship other than she was built at the Polson Iron Works in 1901. Her length was 104 feet and she displaced 157 tons 1943 - HMC ML 105 commissioned 1944 - Harbor Tug USS Shahaka sunk after collision with ABSD-2 midway during transit from California to Pearl Harbor 1944 - U-24 encountered a Soviet submarine, but neither boat attacked 1944 - U-313 had to return to base due to severe technical problems with the depth rudders 1944 - During the night of 8/9 May 1944, USS PC-558 was escorting a coastal convoy, sank a German one-man submarine and captured the driver (an Oberleutnant) and shortly thereafter sank a second one together with USS PC-626. At 0456, the patrol craft was hit by one torpedo from U-230 and sank quickly with the loss of many of her crew about 28 miles NNE of Palermo, Sicily. The accompanying USS PC-1235 was missed by three torpedoes and chased away the attacking U-boat. She then hurried back to the sinking position and was able to rescue 30 survivors 1944 - U-777 commissioned 1944 - Destroyer escort USS Chaffee commissioned 1944 - Escort carrier USS Makin Island commissioned 1944 - Submarine USS Segundo commissioned 1944 - Sebastopol falls to the Soviets. The Soviet Black Sea Fleet for so long unable to act for fear of the Stukas flying from the Crimea, has also played a large part in the freeing of its traditional base. Motor Torpedo boats have been out at night causing havoc among the German ships trying to evacuate their troops. Now the fleet can return to Sebastopol; the port will need much repair work, but the ships will be able to use the natural harbor as a base for operations along the Romanian coast 1944 - USSR Polar Fleet and White Sea Flotilla minesweeper "T-886" (ex-RT-15 "Zasolschik") - is sunk by aviation in the Olenii area 1944 - As Western Europe prepares for the expected Allied invasion, all Denmark's North Sea Coast has been closed to shipping. Shore batteries will fire any vessel sailing within ten miles of the coastline on, General Haneken, who is responsible for the Danish sector of the Atlantic Wall, said today. Danish islands are now isolated from the mainland, as are those of the Netherlands 1944 - Berlin - Doenitz says that he does not expect the Allies to invade in the near future 1944 - Corvette HMCS Guelph commissioned 1944 - Landing ships ordered in Canadian yards - HMS LST 3538, LST 3535, LST 3541, LST 3542, LST 3545 1944 - Minesweeper HMS Mariner launched Port Arthur ON 1944 - USS PC-558 sunk after being torpedoed by U-230 north of Palermo 1945 - Destroyer Escort USS Oberrender damaged beyond repair by a Kamikaze attack off Okinawa 1945 - Destroyer Escort USS England seriously damaged by one Kamikaze aircraft off Okinawa & not repaired at end of war 1945 - The surrender of the Channel Islands was signed on board destroyer HMS Bulldog 1945 - U-249 surfaces near the Scilly Isles off Lands End, England, and flying the required black flag indicating capitulation, surrenders to a US Navy Consolidated PB4Y-1 Liberator of Patrol Bombing Squadron One Hundred Twelve (VPB-112) based at Upottery, Devon, England. The submarine then sails to Portland, England. This is the first U-boat to surrender to Allied forces after the cessation of hostilities in Europe 1945 - Off Okinawa, kamikazes damage the aircraft carriers HMS Formidable and HMS Victorious, and the destroyer escorts USS Oberrender & England. The Royal Navy carriers are part of Task Force 57.2 and their aircraft are attacking airfields in the Sakishima Islands, which are twenty small islands in the southern Ryukyu Islands. HMS Formidable has two squadrons of Goodyear Corsair Mk. IVs (FG-1s) and a Grumman Avenger Mk I (TBF-1) squadron; HMS Victorious has two squadrons with Brewster Corsair Mk IIs (F3A-1s) and Goodyear Corsair Mk IVs and a squadron of Eastern Aircraft Avenger Mk IIs (TBM-1s). The kamikazes attack the task force between 1654 and 1705 hours and because of poorly deployed antiaircraft defenses, the Japanese aircraft crash into the flight decks of the two ships but cause only slight damage because the flight decks are armored. Both ships are forced to retire to refuel and because of aircraft loses, HMS Formidable must also replenish. On 14 May, the Royal Navy will adopt the USN-style AA defense which has aircraft controllers in escorts deployed ahead of the carriers. US Admiral Ernest J. King's statement on hearing of the damage to the USS England - "There'll always be an England in the US Navy." England had sunk 6 IJN submarines between May 19 and May 31, 1944 on one patrol 1945 - Destroyer USS Shubrick seriously damaged by one Kamikaze aircraft off Okinawa and not repaired after end of war 1945 - Frigate HMCS Cape Breton departed St John's with Convoy HX-354 1946 - Victor Emmanuel III, King of Italy, abdicates 1946 - Aircraft carrier HMS Triumph commissioned 1947 - A five-letter registration format was promulgated in Air Force Routine Order 250 in accordance with the new International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) system of registering service aircraft. For the Navy, the first two letters were VG, signifying the Royal Canadian Navy (VC was the identified for the RCAF). The next two letters represented the unit to which the a/c was assigned - AA for 883 Sqn, AB for 826 Sqn, BC for 803 Sqn, BD for 825 Sqn, and TF, TG and TH for the various units of No. 1 Training Air Group. The final letter denoted the particular a/c. These letters were all displayed on the individual a/c, as per the following example - VG, underside starboard mainplane; AAA underside port mainplane and on both sides of the aft fuselage. This system was abolished effective 19 November 1951 1955 - Ten years after the Nazis were defeated in World War II, West Germany formally joins the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a mutual defense group aimed at containing Soviet expansion in Europe. This action marked the final step of West Germany's integration into the Western European defense system 1958 - Submarine HMS Sturdy scrapped at Dunstone 1967 - USS Bon Homme Richard port call Subic Bay 1980 - 35 motorists were killed when a Liberian freighter rammed the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay in Florida, causing a 1,400-foot section to collapse 1982 - Argentine 'spy' trawler Narwhal strafed by Sea Harriers, then boarded and sunk by Royal Marines 1982 - HMS Coventry spots an Argentine C130 Hercules transport aircraft escorted by two Skyhawks heading for Stanley Airfield. The ship fired sea dart missiles at a range of 38 miles and shot down both Sky Hawks. Later in the day she also shot down an Argentine Puma helicopter 1999 - BRP LT 57 CTL after stranding in Spratley Islands & turned into an observation post 2000 - Former four-term Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards was convicted of extortion schemes to manipulate the licensing of riverboat casinos. (Edwards was later sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined $250,000) 2001 - China sought US understanding for its refusal to allow a damaged US Navy spy plane to fly home, saying public sentiment would be outraged if the aircraft flew again over Chinese territory 2003 - MV Cape Domingo laid up in Jacksonville FL RRF 2005 - Russia honored the Scots war heroes who braved the icy Arctic sea to get supplies to the Red Army. The Arctic convoys undertook some of the most dangerous missions of the Second World War as they ferried weapons to the ports of Murmansk and Archangel. More than 3,000 British sailors and merchant seamen, many of them teenagers, were killed in the onslaught by U-boats and Luftwaffe bombers between 1941 and 1945. Scottish survivors have demanded the British government create a medal for the veterans, so far to no avail. But at a ceremony in the Merchant’s Hall, Edinburgh, six convoy veterans were given special 60th anniversary medals by the Russian consul general in Scotland, Vladimir Malygin. The ceremony was held to coincide with the Russian VE Day celebrations. The remaining 18 living Scots veterans will receive their medals later this month. Among those at the ceremony was Jim Osler, 78, who was shipwrecked during the disastrous PQ-17 convoy. The convoy came under relentless attack when an intelligence error caused its warship escort to scatter amid reports that the battleship Tirpitz was heading their way. Assault from German divebombers and U-boats saw 153 sailors die and only 11 of 37 merchant ships escape. On board the ships were more than 400 tanks, 210 aircraft and 3,300 vehicles. The ceremony brought back painful memories for Geoff Shelton, 80, a lookout on the aircraft carrier HMS Vindex for eight convoys. Mr Shelton, from Netherlee, East Renfrewshire, said: "The temperatures could be 40 below freezing while you were on watch. "It was so cold you would lose a finger if you touched a metal stanchion without your gloves on. You would freeze to death in less than four minutes in the water. "This medal is for the 27 million Russians who died during the war, and for all the brave friends we lost" 2005 - President Bush joined Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders today in Moscow's Red Square to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Allied victory in Europe during World War II 2005 - Maryland Representative Steny Hoyer lead a groundbreaking for the $84.5 million Presidential Helicopter Support Facility in the parking lot of building 173 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River MD. Congressman Hoyer and State Senator Roy Dyson were the featured speakers, along with Vice Adm. Wally Massenburg, the commander of the US Naval Air Systems Command, and Capt. Bo Henry, the station commander. Scheduled for completion in July 2006, the 202,000-square foot secure facility has the floor space to accommodate four football fields and will include a hanger, parking apron, taxiway access and an adjoining support building with a series of technical laboratories and an assembly area, tool room, a strip and painting aircraft facility and office/administrative spaces. The Hensel Phelps Construction Company of Greeley, Colorado, has been selected to build the facility, which will also host 450 government and contractor employees 2005 - During WWII more than 30,000 civilian men and women from all parts of the commonwealth died at sea. Some of their wartime colleagues from the Merchant Navy have shared their memories of sea and service during WWII in a new creative exhibition from Age Exchange, Cruel Sea. The exhibition includes memories and stories never shared by the veterans before, and highlights the achievement and heroism of individuals and the important role the Merchant Navy played during the war. Following the display at the NMM, the exhibition, an accompanying theatre production and 3D portraits exhibition will tour other venues around the UK 9 May - 28 June with free admission 2005 - A 26-year-old fisherman of Mossel Bay fell overboard the chokka boat Emmanuel about 0830, barely eight hours after another fishing vessel, the Lindsay, sank after being rammed by a container vessel, the Ouro de Brasil. Clive Shamley, National Sea Rescue Institute station commander at St Francis Bay stated the fisherman apparently slipped overboard while the crew were hauling in their nets. The Emmanuel was lying about seven sea miles off Tsitsikama Point, about 25 sea miles southwest of St Francis Bay 2005 - Marking the 10th "Day of the Sea" on May 31, the ROK Oceanographic Research Institute (NORI) will invite Internet users to take part in a quiz and puzzle event on its Web site to familiarize them with the sea and the Korean marine chart. The event will last for four weeks, May 9 to June 4, and 10 winners each for quizzes and puzzles will get gift certificates. Five common sense questions on the sea and three puzzles about Dokdo islets and the East Sea will be offered. The winners will be selected by a draw if there are many who guess correctly, and will be announced on June 8 on the Web site (http://www.nori.go.kr/) or by phone call. “I hope many young people, especially elementary school pupils, will participate in the event. They are involved in the maritime era of 21st century,” a NORI official said 2005 - The US Navy announced the completion of the investigation into the Jan. 8 accident aboard the submarine USS San Francisco that claimed the life of one Sailor. San Francisco struck an undersea mountain about 360 miles southeast of its Guam homeport because its leaders and watch teams failed to develop and execute a safe voyage plan, the command investigation into the incident concluded 2005 - Diana Shipping Inc. announced that it has taken delivery today of its latest newbuilding Panamax bulk carrier, the Clio, at Shanghai, China. The Clio is a Panamax dry bulk carrier of 73,691 dwt. With the delivery of the Clio, Diana Shipping Inc. has increased its fleet to ten vessels (nine Panamax and one Capesize) 2005 - Specialist fast ferry operator Sea Containers announced a new service in Greece in a 50-50 joint venture - Aegean Speed Lines. The company is a partnership between Sea Containers and the Eugenides Group. It will be the first to operate a non- Greek flag ship on a dedicated domestic ferry line in Greece after the Government lifted the cabotage restrictions last year, opening up trade as part of its European Union membership. The service will operate between Piraeus and the Western Cyclades Islands with a start-up date of May 19th until the end of October. The craft will be a 74-metre Wave Piercing Catamaran - which formerly operated on a route from St. Malo, France to Jersey in the Channel Islands. After extensive refurbishment in a Croatian shipyard the fast ferry has been renamed SpeedRunner 1 and will sail under the UK flag. The wave-piercing catamaran - which as Hoverspeed Great Britain won the Hales Trophy and Blue Riband for the fastest crossing of the North Atlantic in June 1990 - will carry 557 passengers and 84 vehicles. The service will operate one round trip per day from Piraeus to the islands of Serifos, Sifnos and Milos which are popular with Athens residents, many of whom own holiday homes. Mr Nicolas Telionis, Executive of the Eugeniodes Gropup said it was pleased to join forces with such an experienced fast ferry operator as Sea Containers. He added the aim of the venture is to further enhance the high speed passenger and cars transportation concept primarily for The Cyclades. The new fast ferry venture is another foothold in the Greek tourist industry for Sea Containers as it operates the historic Corinth Canal under a 40 year agreement from the Greek government with plans to expand the facilities for visitors currently under progress. Sea Containers also announced today that it plans to introduce a larger vessel into its SNAV - Hoverspeed joint venture service in the Adriatic between Italy and Croatia. A SNAV-owned vessel will be renamed Pescara Jet to operate on the Pescara/Hvar/Split service providing increased capacity for 900 passengers (up from 450) and 200 cars (up from 85). The former Pescara Jet, a 74-metre SeaCat, will be renamed Zara Jet to operate a new route to Ancona from Zadar whilst the Croazia Jet will continue on the popular Ancona/Split service. All three routes will operate between June and September 2005 - The Board of CP Ships Limited announced that it intends to appoint Nigel Rich as non-executive Chairman. It also confirmed that Ray Miles will continue to exercise overall executive responsibility as acting Chief Executive Officer until the appointment of a new CEO 2005 - Excel Maritime Carriers Ltd announced that it has taken physical delivery of one Handymax bulk vessel, MV Emerald at Yokohama, Japan and one Panamax bulk vessel, MV First Endeavour at Piraeus, Greece. MV Emerald is a Handymax dry bulk carrier of approximately 45,500 dwt, built in 1998 in Japan; MV First Endeavour is a Panamax dry bulk carrier of approximately 70,000 dwt built in 1994, also in Japan. The Company agreed to acquire MV Emerald on January 24, 2005, and MV First Endeavour on December 1, 2004 2005 - As part of a five-year, $20 million Air Quality Mitigation Program to fund clean air projects at the Port of Los Angeles, one of the most visible and utilized passenger vessels at the Port of Los Angeles is getting a $1 million clean-air makeover. The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners last week approved a Memorandum of Agreement with Catalina passenger ferry operator Catalina Express that will provide $1,059,200 in air quality mitigation funding for the purchase of four new, low-emission engines for one of the operator's largest, fastest vessels, the Jet Cat Express. The first of 18 proposals selected to receive funding from the Port's $20 million Air Quality Mitigation Program (AQMP), the Jet Cat Express repower project calls for replacement of the passenger ferryboat's four existing engines with cleaner, low-emission engines. The new engines will reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 230 tons and diesel particulate matter (PM) emissions by 33 tons over the 10-year project life while providing an even speedier service along the 22-mile trip between San Pedro and Avalon 2005 - Over 200 illegal migrants landed on the small island of Lampedusa in southern Italy on Monday, after being helped to shore by Italian police and navy officers, local media reported Monday. According to the report, the group, all of whom claimed they are Palestinians, were spotted floating in a boat some 40 miles south of Lampedusa and have now been taken to the island's immigrant holding center. The tiny island south of Sicily, a stepping stone between Africa and Europe, has frequently made headlines in recent months following the arrivals of large numbers of illegal migrants and their subsequent deportation. Italian government has come under fire for its decision to collectively deport large groups of migrants under secret bilateral accords with Tripoli, report said. Over a thousand migrants thought to have started their sea voyage in Libya were airlifted back to Tripoli last October, while nearly 200 met the same fate in March. The move triggered outcry from the United Nations Refugee Agency and human rights organization Amnesty International, while the European Parliament has approved a resolution condemning the policy and urging Italy to examine all asylum requests individually. But Italian center-right government, which has made cracking down on illegal immigration a key priority since coming to power in 2001, has defended its policies, insisting that each asylum request has been examined on a case-by-case basis 2005 - A Coast Guard Auxiliary crew found a missing man on Homer Spit. The Coast Guard received a call at 1300 from the Homer Police Department reporting that a 58-year-old man suffering from psychosis wandered away from home and walked toward the beach, and they feared the man entered the water, becoming caught up in high tide. Air Station Kodiak diverted a Coast Guard helicopter crew to the scene to assist the Coast Guard Auxiliary boat crew launched from Homer. The unnamed man's wife last saw him four hours earlier. The Auxiliary crew found the man safe on Homer Spit 2005 - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration today inaugurated its third coral reef institute, The Caribbean Coral Reef Institute (CCRI) at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. The CCRI is modeled after the highly successful Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative, and is focused exclusively on the acute problems of Caribbean coral reefs. The main objective of the CCRI is to aid in the management and conservation of Puerto Rico’s coral reefs by providing timely, relevant information to the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and the scientific community at large 2005 - HMCS Shawinigan and Goose Bay stop at Larne Port Northern Ireland to disembark an injured crewmember 2005 - Hong Kong's Labor Department is conducting an investigation into what caused two accidents involving collapsing container stacks, killing one person and injuring two others. The accidents occurred around noon on Monday in high winds of up to 135 km an hour and lashing rain. In the first incident, at HIT's terminal No 9 in Tsing Yi, 23 containers fell from four stacks, crushing two trucks. One of the trucks, driven by Chan Shui-sang, 47, was buried under three containers. Mr Chan was certified dead at the scene. A second truck driver escaped with minor injuries. The second accident happened within 15 minutes of the first as a container truck was hit by one of two containers that toppled from a stack at terminal No 4. The driver was taken to Princess Margaret Hospital in a critical condition. While the weather was severe, Hong Kong is regularly a victim of typhoons, raising concern that the empty containers were not sufficiently lashed. Hong Kong Labor Department spokeswoman Susanna Ho said it was too early to come to any definite conclusions as to the cause of the accidents 2006 - Coast Guard Sector Northern New England, Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, the Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team, the Coast Guard Atlantic Strike Team, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Maine Emergency Team-WMD, the Cities of Portland and South Portland, Portland Pipeline and many other area agencies and industry partners will be participating in a full-scale maritime security exercise in the port of Portland May 9 through May 12, 2006. The exercise provides local players with the opportunity to practice interagency coordination and response to a potential attack on the Maritime Transportation System 2006 - RSS Supreme, was launched today by Dr Ivy Ng, wife of Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Defense, Dr Ng Eng Hen, at the Singapore Technologies Marine shipyard. Minister Ng officiated at the launching ceremony 2006 - In yet another grim episode of asylum-seekers and migrants dying while trying to cross the Gulf of Aden from Somalia to Yemen, people-smugglers forced some 140 Ethiopians and Somalis at gunpoint to jump overboard, drowning at least 39 of them, the United Nations refugee agency has reported. They were part of a group of 349 people on three different smugglers boats making the hazardous crossing over the weekend 2006 - Coast Guard crews responded to a request for assistance from the Oakland Police Department at 0020 regarding a man carrying a large knife who jumped into Oakland Estuary near Jack London Square. Coast Guard crewmembers on a 25-foot small boat from Station San Francisco arrived on scene at 0048 and made multiple attempts to assist the man by throwing him a life ring and using a boat hook. At each attempt, he refused assistance from Coast Guard crewmembers and swam under the water. The small boat would then back away, and the man would resurface. After the fourth attempt, the man swam under again but did not resurface. The Coast Guard crewmembers and members of the Oakland Police Department conducted an extensive search for the man on both banks of the estuary. At 0701 both agencies suspended their search pending further developments 2006 - The Viet Nam Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (VINASHIN) and its subsidiary, the Ha Long Shipbuilding Plant, fixed a deal to build eight vessels to carry autos for the Ray Car Carried Limited Company of Israel. The price tag is close to one billion USD. Designed by the Italian company, Naval Progetti, each vessel will be 185.6 m long, 32.26 m wide, and 36.56 m high. The Ha Long Shipbuilding Plant plans to launch the first of these vessels by September 2008 2006 - Aker Yards has confirmed an optional agreement with Nordcapital Holding GmbH & Cie. KG in Hamburg, Germany for the building of two Platform Supply Vessels. The Contract value is approximately NOK 290 million. Delivery is scheduled for summer and autumn 2008. The vessels have the designation UT 755LN 2006 - Three people are dead after a 17-foot boat they were on capsized south of Coos Bay 2006 - The owners & master of a Dutch fishing vessel were fined a total of £14,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,800 for fishing illegally in British waters. The vessel, a fly seiner called Zuiderkruis (UK24), was found guilty at Brighton Magistrates Court of using an illegal net and failing to stow cod separately. The routine inspection was carried out by HMS Ledbury which detained and escorted the fishing vessel to Shoreham 2006 - At 0920 Humber Coastguard was contacted via 999 by a member of the public, reporting that a female had fallen over a cliff in the Frenchman's Bay area of South Shields. It was reported that the member of public had seen the female apparently asleep, very close to the cliff edge and had approached and tried to rouse the female who woke suddenly, panicked and rolled over the cliff edge. There was an almost empty vodka bottle next to where this person had been and it would appear that this had been consumed by the casualty. Humber Coastguard immediately alerted Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team & South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade to proceed to the scene. The Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Center (ARCC) at Kinloss in Scotland was requested to scramble a helicopter. Ambulance, Fire and Police services were also notified of the incident and their units were also dispatched to attend. The casualty was found to be injured and in a precarious position approximately 25ft down the cliffs. With all six units working together, it was decided the most effective method of extracting the casualty was by Fire Brigade stretcher, this after Ambulance and Helicopter paramedics had assessed the nature of injuries and state of the casualty 2006 - Bollinger Gretna, LLC, Harvey, La., a Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. company, has delivered, B. No. 280, a double hull, 80,000 BBL oil tank barge built to meet the requirements of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA’90), to Bouchard Coastwise Management, Corp., Hicksville, N.Y. Following the delivery of the B. No. 280, Bollinger announced the signing of the sister ship, B. No. 282. The B. No. 282 will also be built at Bollinger Gretna, along with the previously announced 110,000 BBL, B. No. 205, a black oil barge measuring 430-feet long, with a 79-foot beam and a depth of 34-feet. Additionally, Bouchard has awarded Bollinger a 35,000 BBL barge, B. No. 233, which will be built at Bollinger Marine Fabricators in Amelia, La 2006 - In a ceremony held at the Herzlia Marina, the head of Navy Sailor Manpower, Colonel Ido Shabach inaugurated the Navy Information and Marketing Week. The purpose of this week is to market the Navy to high school students in Herzlia, and to raise the motivation to join the different Paramilitary corps during the summer, in preparation to join the Israeli Navy 2006 - Lieutenant-Commander John Wellham, died aged 87. Last surviving pilot of the Fleet Air Arm raid on the Italian fleet at Taranto 2007 - NYK ordered a 300,000 dwt very large ore carrier at China's Nantong Cosco KHI Ship Engineering as part of a ¥40bn ($334m) 20-year iron ore shipment contract with Brazil's Companhia Vale do Rio Doce 2007 - UAE releases 12 detained Iranian divers ahead of this weekend's visit by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 2006 - An online petition to save a Falklands warship from the scrapyard and bring it to Plymouth has closed after attracting 2,201 signatures. Campaigners want to bring HMS Plymouth back to her namesake city for use as a visitor attraction but there have been problems finding a suitable berth. The petition calling for the government to help was lodged on the Downing Street website. The anti-submarine frigate played a major part in the Falklands conflict 2007 - Coast Guard rescue crews from Air Station Elizabeth City and USCGC Tampa continue searching for four missing Rhode Island sailors from the 54-foot sailing vessel Flying Colours off the North Carolina coast 2007 - Prince Charles presents campaign medals to personnel on HMS Bulwark at Devonport 2007 - Crewmembers from Coast Guard Station South Portland and Air Station Cape Cod search for a missing 40-year-old male kayaker in the Biddeford Pool area near Saco River ME. The body of Timothy Gutmann was located by Maine Marine Patrol approximately six miles east northeast of the Saco River entrance at 1358. Coast Guard crewmembers from Station South Portland and Air Station Cape Cod secured waterside and flight search patterns and called off further search efforts following the discovery 2007 - Damage sustained by the Argentine icebreaker Almirante Irizar when fire broke out on oard, is far more serious than announced and full repairs could take more than the estimated two years 2007 - San Diego's USS Midway Museum honored at White House & named one of four recipients of the Preserve America Presidential Awards; highest award for historic preservation 2008 - Rear Adm. Richard B. Wren, Commander, Task Force 70, relieved Capt. Michael P. McNellis, Commander Air Wing FIVE, of command due to a loss of confidence. McNellis was relieved following non-judicial punishment proceedings. Capt. Michael S. White, former deputy commander, has assumed command of the Air Wing Copyright 2009 Shirlaw News Group ISSN 1710-6966 Today in History Archives This information is licensed to the recipient only. 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