SeaWaves Today in History May 19, 2009 1535 - Jacques Cartier 1491-1557 leaves on second voyage on the Grand Hermine, Petite Hermine and Emerillon with 110 men, including two priests and many of his wife's cousins; they will take 50 days to cross the Atlantic, and winter at Quebec 1587 - John Davis c1543-1605 sets sail from Dartmouth on his third voyage to the Arctic with the ships Sunneshine, Elizabeth and Ellen 1588 - The Spanish Armada set sail for England; it was soundly defeated by the English fleet the following August 1604 - Samuel de Champlain c1570-1635 sets off from Port Mouton in a long boat with a small crew to find a temporary winter quarters for the expedition, leaving de Monts and the larger vessel behind; charts coast of present-day Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Maine with Jean Ralluau for three weeks; enters St. Mary's Bay [called la Baie Française] and travels as far as the future site of Port Royal 1712 - Peter I moves the capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg 1781- Chippewas cede Michilimackinac Island (Michigan) to Britain for £5,000 1792 - Vancouver begins British survey of Puget Sound 1814 - James Yeo, commanding the Provincial Marine on Lake Ontario, establishes a blockade of Sacketts Harbor. Military authorities in Upper Canada are convinced that the Americans are planning a new invasion across the Niagara, and so send Yeo and his ships to prevent stores from moving along the lake to the western garrisons 1824 - William Parry 1790-1855 sails on another expedition to the Arctic 1845 - John Franklin 1786-1847 departs for the Arctic on the Royal Navy ships Erebus and Terror to find the NW Passage; his vessels have steam engines and ice-breaking bows, and carry enough food for three years. The entire expedition will be lost 1859 - Steamboat Pioneer arrives at Fort Garry from St. Paul, Minnesota; first steamboat on the Red River 1882 - Commodore Shufeldt (USS Swatara) lands in Korea to negotiate first treaty between Korea and Western power 1912 - US Navy establishes North Atlantic Ice Patrol following RMS Titanic disaster 1912 - Colman Dock (Seattle) gangplank failure dunks passengers boarding steamer Flyer, injuring 58 and drowning two 1919 - Minesweeper USS Willet laid down 1919 - Destroyers USS McCalla & Bernadou commissioned 1919 - Destroyer HMS Mackay commissioned 1920 - Cruiser HMS Emerald launched 1925 - Submarine HNLMS K XII commissioned 1928 - Destroyer FS Valmy launched 1928 - Sloop HMS Lulworth launched 1928 - Submarines HMS Osiris & Oswald launched 1929 - Soviet submarine D-2 launched 1933 - Destroyer HMS Fury laid down 1934 - Heavy cruiser USS Minneapolis commissioned 1938 - Minesweeper HMS Leda commissioned 1939 - Destroyer USS Anderson commissioned 1939 - Light cruiser USS St Louis commissioned 1940 - Submarine HMS P611 launched 1940 - U-357 laid down 1940 - MS Erik Frisell sunk by U-37 at 57.25N, 09.15W 1940 - Destroyer HMS Whitley was badly damaged by German aircraft and beached between Nieuport and Ostend. HMS Keith later sank her 1940 - On her first patrol, U-122 transported material to Trondheim during the Norwegian campaign - one 88-mm Flak with ammunition, some bombs, 90 cbm (some 750 barrels) fuel for aircraft and motor oil 1940 - At 0800 the three Royal Navy carriers were at position 70.27 N, 15.47 E. but weather conditions were such that no operations could be flown on this date. At 1115 word arrived that Bardufoss would be ready to receive the Gladiators of 263 Squadron on HMS Furious on 22 May, while Skaanland landing ground would not be ready for 46 Squadron's Hurricanes on HMS Glorious until 26 May 1941 - U-69 on her long voyage that paved the way for long-range U-boat operations off the US East Coast, refueled from German tanker Egerland. At this time several German tankers and supply ships were at sea partly in preparation for the breakout of Bismarck & Prinz Eugen 1941 - Submarine HMS Talisman departed Halifax to escort Convoy SC-32 1941 - At 0324, the Empire Ridge, a straggler from Convoy HG-61, was torpedoed and sunk by U-96 90 miles west of Bloody Foreland. The master, 27 crewmembers and three gunners were lost. One crewmember and one gunner were picked up by destroyer HMS Vanquisher, transferred to HMS Legion & landed at Greenock 1941 - Destroyer USS Murphy laid down 1941 - Minesweeper HMAS Pirie laid down 1942 - While at anchor at Hvalfjordur, Iceland, some of the crewmen of the US freighter SS Ironclad break into a cargo of liquor that is being shipped to the US Ambassador in Moscow resulting in fights among the crew. The officer in command of the Armed Guard reports the incident to the battleship USS Washington and a detachment of Marines board the ship and restore order 1942 - U-520 commissioned 1942 - At 1040, the unescorted and unarmed Isabela was torpedoed by U-751 35 miles south of Navassa Island Light. One torpedo struck on the starboard side at a coal bunker at the waterline slightly abaft the bridge. The explosion caused extensive damage, immediately stopped the vessel and killed two firemen and a coal passer on watch below. All partial bulkheads on the main deck and above broke and jarred the galley range off its foundation, causing it to fall through the tremendous hole in the various decks at least to the bottom of the ship and perhaps right through the bottom. The U-boat then surfaced and began shelling the ship off the port side from about 350 yards. Four shots were fired before the surviving eight officers and 26 crewmen abandoned ship in two lifeboats and three rafts and three shots after it. The ship finally sank over the bow with a port side list at 1058 hours. The men on the rafts later transferred to the boats the next morning and they rowed to Cape Briton, Haiti. One lifeboat made landfall in 18 hours and the other in 30 hours 1942 - At 08.56 hours on 19 May 1942, the unescorted Heredia was hit by three torpedoes from U-506 two miles SE of the Ship Shoal Buoy, while proceeding on a nonevasive course at 13.5 knots. The first and second torpedoes struck the port quarter aft at the #3 and #4 holds. The third torpedo struck amidships on the starboard side, causing her to sink within three minutes. The explosions blew the decks up, stopped the engines and destroyed two lifeboats and two rafts. The survivors of the eleven officers, 37 crewmen, eight passengers and six armed guards (the ship was armed with one 3in and two .30cal guns) had no time to launch boats and only two rafts got away. 23 survivors were picked up by the shrimp trawlers Papa Joe (1), Conquest (2), J. Edwin Treakle (10) and Shellwater (10) and landed at Morgan City, Louisiana. A seaplane picked up three other survivors and landed them at New Orleans. Six officers, 24 crewmen, one passenger and five armed guards were lost 1942 - At 0856, the unescorted Heredia was hit by three torpedoes from U-506 two miles SE of the Ship Shoal Buoy, while proceeding on a nonevasive course at 13.5 knots. The first and second torpedoes struck the port quarter aft at the #3 and #4 holds. The third torpedo struck amidships on the starboard side, causing her to sink within three minutes. The explosions blew the decks up, stopped the engines and destroyed two lifeboats and two rafts. The survivors of the eleven officers, 37 crewmen, eight passengers and six armed guards (the ship was armed with one 3in and two .30cal guns) had no time to launch boats and only two rafts got away. 23 survivors were picked up by the shrimp trawlers Papa Joe (1), Conquest (2), J. Edwin Treakle (10) and Shellwater (10) and landed at Morgan City, Louisiana. A seaplane picked up three other survivors and landed them at New Orleans. Six officers, 24 crewmen, one passenger and five armed guards were lost 1942 - Rescue tug HMS Empire Fairy commissioned 1942 - Frigate HMS Spey commissioned 1942 - Destroyer USS Laws laid down 1942 - Destroyer HMS Zenith laid down 1943 - At 1130, the Canadian-flagged barquentine Angelus was stopped by U-161 north of Bermuda and sunk by gunfire after the crew of ten men abandoned ship in a lifeboat. When USS Turner found the boat after five days; only two of them were still alive, the others had died from exposure. The survivors were landed at Portland ME on 27 May 1943 1943 - Destroyer HMS Cavendish laid down 1943 - Frigate HMCS Orkney laid down Esquimalt BC 1943 - Frigate HMS Bentinck commissioned 1943 - Destroyer HMS Talybont commissioned 1943 - Destroyer USS Sproston commissioned 1943 - Frigates HMS Dacres, Domett, Foley, Garlkies, Odzani launched 1943 - Minesweeping trawler HMS St Agnes launched 1943 - Destroyer HMS Urania launched 1943 - U-545, U-717 commissioned 1943 - Destroyer escort USS Schmitt launched 1943 - U-273 sunk SW of Iceland, in position 59.25N, 24.33W, by depth charges from an RAF 269 Sqn Hudson. 46 dead (all hands lost) 1943 - U-954 sunk in the North Atlantic SE of Cape Farewell, Greenland in position 54.54N, 34.19W, by depth charges from corvettes HMS Jed & Sennen. Among the crew of 47 who perished was Admiral Donitz' younger son, Peter 1943 - Tug HMCS Glendower launched Owen Sound ON 1944 - Rear Admiral Alfred E. Montgomery's Task Group 58.6, consisting of the aircraft carriers USS Essex, with Carrier Air Group Fifteen, Wasp with CVG-14, attack Marcus Island in the North Pacific. The new light aircraft carrier USS San Jacinto, with Light Carrier Air Group 51 is detached to the north to screen for the rest of the force. Two of the purposes of the raid are to test new target-briefing procedures and also determine the effect of high-velocity attack rockets (HVARs) on ground targets 1944 - The Undersecretary of the Navy, James V Forrestal, becomes the Secretary of the Navy 1944 - The Japanese establish a line of submarines in the South Pacific (Operation "NA") to intercept USN aircraft carriers however, the USN has deduced the purpose and location of these subs based on radio traffic analysis. On 18 May 1944, the destroyer escort USS England, Lt. Commander Walton B. Pendleton, got underway with two other destroyers and during the next eight days, she sinks five of the submarines, starting with HIJMS I-16, Lt. Commander Yoshitaka Takeuchi, today 1944 - Submarine USS Spot launched 1944 - U-960 sunk in the Mediterranean NW of Algiers, in position 37.20N, 01.35E, by destroyers USS Niblack & Ludlow and RAF 36 & 500 Sqn Wellingtons. 31 dead and 20 survivors 1944 - On this day U-1014 rammed U-1015 in the Baltic west of Pillau, sinking her with the loss of 36 men (14 survived) 1944 - At 1755, the Fort Missanabie in Convoy HA-43, was torpedoed & sunk by U-453 south of Taranto. The master, ten crewmembers and one gunner were lost. 35 crewmembers and 13 gunners were picked up by the Norwegian merchantman Spero and Italian corvette Urania and landed at Augusta, Sicily. The Fort Missanabie was the last success of U-boats in the Mediterranean 1944 - U-2328 laid down 1944 - HMC MTB 746 commissioned 1944 - Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-172 was commissioned. She was assigned to the Southwest Pacific area and sunk two miles off Mugil Point on Cape Croisilles, New Guinea. 1944 - Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-161 was withdrawn from Coast Guard manning on 19 May 1944 and turned over to the Army, the Los Angeles office having cognizance. Later arriving at San Francisco, she was turned over to the USSR under Lend-Lease 1944 - Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-175 was commissioned. She was assigned to and operated in the Southwest Pacific area 1945 - Submarine HMS Terrapin survived Japanese depth charge attack in the Pacific 1945 - Escort carrier USS Salerno Bay commissioned 1945 - Minesweeper HMS Pyrrhus launched 1945 - U-873 commander, Kptlt Friedrich Steinhoff, committed suicide while being kept in a street prison in Boston, USA instead of a POW camp 1945 - Corvette HMCS Barrie departed New York with Convoy HX-357 1951 - Destroyer USS Timmerman commissioned as a trials ship 1951 - French LST Adour exploded & sank after grounding Nha Trang, Indochina 1952 - Destroyer HMCS Assiniboine laid down Sorel PQ 1960 - Forty-eight ships, including HMCS Bonaventure, took part in a sail-past in Halifax this date, 29 warships manning and cheering ship for the Chief of the Naval Staff. The occasion was in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the RCN's formation. Fifty naval aircraft flew overhead in salute, and after passing the reviewing stand in the Dockyard, a Tracker of VS 880 was launched from the carrier's catapult. Also during that year, Bonaventure played host to a CBC television crew. Embarked for 10 days, the cameramen and technicians used the carrier as a base of operations and ferried about, filming and recording a special RCN Anniversary program. For the next 10 years, late-night TV viewers were treated to a front-seat landing aboard Bonnie at station sign-off time. The year 1960 was also the 15th anniversary of Naval Aviation. At the time, the RCN had more than 135 operational and support aircraft in service. Aircrew and those engaged in maintenance and support duties numbered approximately 2,050, not counting the non-air personnel manning Bonaventure and Shearwater 1964 - USS Ala sank after grounding at Adak 1965 - 30th Naval Construction Regiment activated at Danang, Vietnam 1971 - USS Ticonderoga port call Yokosuka 1972 - USS Constellation port call Subic Bay 1973 - Royal Navy frigates entered the Icelandic 50-mile limit after friction between British trawlers and Icelandic gunboats 1974 - USS Kitty Hawk port call Subic Bay 1982 - An 846 Squadron RAF Sea King 4 transferring SAS troops from HMS Hermes to HMS Intrepid, ditched in the ocean after a birdstrike. Eight survivors, including the two pilots, were picked up but the aircraft had turned over and sunk immediately. 21 men did not survive including 19 members of the Special Forces, some of whom had taken part in the Pebble Island raid and the landings on South Georgia. The crash also claimed the life of the only RAF serviceman to be lost in the conflict who had been working in support of Special Forces operations. A MoD Spokesman for the Special Forces said: "This accident represented the single greatest loss of life for the Special Forces since World War II. In common with the ethos and traditions of the units concerned there will be no public commemoration of this tragic event. However, those who died are not forgotten. They, like all Special Forces soldiers who took part in the conflict and those who worked in close support of their missions, served and fought with distinction. The memories of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country will always be cherished and remembered." Killed were A/CPL Raymond Ernest Armstrong A/SGT John Leslie Arthy A/WO1 Malcolm Atkinson A/CPL William John Begley A/SGT Paul Alan Bunker A/CPL Robert Allan Burns SGT Philip Preston Currass QGM A/SGT Sidney Albert Ivor Davidson WOll Lawrence Gallagher A/SGT William Clark Hatton QGM FLT LT Garth Walter Hawkins A/SGT William John Hughes A/SGT Philip Jones L/CPL Paul Neville Lightfoot Cpl Michael David Love DSM CPL Douglas Frank McCormack A/CPL Michael Vincent McHugh A/CPL John Newton A/WOll Patrick O'Connor CPL Stephen John Sykes CPL Edward Thomas Walpole 1988 - Frigate HMCS Vancouver laid down Saint John NB 1993 - HMNZS Endeavour & Canterbury along with HMCS Nipigon depart Halifax for 50th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic ceremonies off coast of Wales and Liverpool 2005 - ENSCO International Inc announced that wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Company have entered into a memorandum of agreement to sell six (6) Lake Maracaibo barge drilling rigs and related assets to A.P. Moller for cash consideration of $59 million. The sale does not include the ENSCO I barge drilling rig, which is currently under long-term contract in Indonesia 2005 - Ship Finance International Limited announced the sale of the three Suezmax tankers, Front Lillo, Front Emperor and Front Spirit, for a total consideration of USD 92.0 million. The vessels will be delivered to the buyers within the next two months. Concurrently, Frontline will sell three similar vessels to Ship Finance for an aggregate price of USD 92.0 million. These vessels are the Suezmax tankers, Front Traveler, Front Transporter and Front Target. Frontline will charter back these vessels on similar terms to the contracts that are being cancelled on the three vessels being sold by Ship Finance 2005 - MARAD honored four American companies for their support of the US maritime industry. The four are Carrier Corporation of Farmington, CT, Lowe’s Companies of Mooresville NC, Perini Corporation of Framingham MA, and Yowell International of Melbourne FL. All four companies received MARAD’s Shipper’s Award for voluntarily transporting significant portions of their international cargo on US-flag vessels. The awards were presented as part of the National Maritime Day observance 2005 - Andy Scott, Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs and Member of Parliament for Fredericton, announced today on behalf of Geoff Regan, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, that the Government of Canada is investing $4.8 million for improvements at nine fishing harbors in New Brunswick. Deck repairs to the only operating service wharf at Beaver Harbour are urgently required in order for the structure to maintain service to the local commercial fishery and aquaculture industry. The existing deck will be replaced with a structural concrete deck. Construction will be phased over two summers, with completion scheduled for August 2006. Other work at Beaver Harbour this year includes final planning work for a proposed large harbor improvement project for future years. Blacks Harbour serves many vessels from the commercial fishery and the aquaculture industry. The facility is also vital to the local fish processing industry. The wharf has weakened with years of use and requires bracing repairs to ensure structural stability of the timber section. Work is scheduled to begin this summer with completion by early fall. Boynes Cove is the site of a major, multi-year harbor development project. As soon as land issues are resolved and environmental and engineering design is completed, work will start on construction of a breakwater. Future work is planned to include extensive harbor dredging and improved parking facilities. Harbour planning work will be carried out at Seeleys Cove this year to determine the feasibility of extensive harbor dredging. Currently, harbor operations are severely curtailed by inadequate water depth at the wharf and within the approach channel. The planning work will include engineering design, environmental study and an evaluation of anticipated future harbor use. Grand Manan Island is at the center of a very active commercial fishery and aquaculture industry in the Bay of Fundy. Harbour facilities on Grand Manan are utilized beyond capacity, creating serious service and safety concerns. Planning and engineering studies will take place to identify the most effective and economical means of addressing these issues in the long term, particularly at Ingalls Head and Seal Cove. This work will be done in collaboration with the Harbour Authority of Grand Manan Island. At North Head harbor, also on Grand Manan Island, a severe winter storm caused extensive damage destroying 18 meters of cribwork facing along the length of the wharf. The structure was barricaded for reasons of public safety, imposing a serious hardship on local fishers. Repairs will be undertaken this summer to restore the wharf to good service. They are scheduled to be completed by early fall. A development project at Lords Cove on Deer Island will greatly improve working conditions for fishers. Work will include dredging of the harbor and removal of two aging, pilework wharves and their replacement by new, floating wharves. The project will begin this year and is expected to be fully completed by fall of next year. Reconstruction of the inner portion of the wharf at Chance Harbour will be finished shortly. This work completes the replacement of the old, timber-crib wharf with a modern, concrete pilework wharf 2005 - Charles Hubbard, Member of Parliament for Miramichi, announced today, on behalf of Geoff Regan, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, that the Government of Canada will invest approximately $1.8 million in harbor improvements at seven fishing harbors in New Brunswick. After years of use, the outer end of the wharf at McEacherns Point needs repair to bring it back to safe operating condition. The project involves installation of 175 square meters of concrete deck which will give fishers an improved working environment. Repairs are also planned for the east wharf at McEacherns Point in order to stabilize the structure. Work is expected to begin this summer and be completed by late fall. Work continues at Escuminac on a wharf reconstruction project, begun last year, with completion expected by the end of May. Also nearing completion is the installation of a new concrete deck on the east wharf at Pointe-Sapin. Additional work at Escuminac and Pointe-Sapin, this year, includes upgrades to the harbors’ electrical systems. Work this year on a major, multi-year harbor development project at Neguac involves completing construction of a new service wharf as well as the start of a large, new breakwater construction. Loggiecroft will be the site of a dredging project this summer to improve navigational safety in the channel. Work is expected to take place in July, before the start of the lobster season in August. The wharf deck at Hardwicke has deteriorated and is in need of repair. A section of the deck will be removed and replaced with a new concrete surface. Work is scheduled to take place this fall. At Burnt Church, work will involve minor repairs to the wharf as well as the application of crushed stone to the wharf approach. Work will be completed this summer 2005 - Vital shipments of oil, natural gas and seafood from Louisiana’s Port Fourchon will make it to market quicker and more efficiently thanks to a multimillion-dollar federal loan announced on Thursday by US Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta. A two-lane road leading to the port gets backed up whenever the road floods or when an accident snarls traffic, thereby hampering deliveries, wasting time, and slowing the economy. But hope is on the way. Secretary Mineta announced a $66 million loan to help Louisiana build a 17-mile elevated toll highway connecting the port to land less susceptible to flooding. The funds are made possible under an innovative financing program that targets large projects for federal credit assistance to help get them going. Louisiana already has arranged for $181 million in public grants and private debt for the first phase of the project 2005 - US Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett of the 6th Congressional District of Maryland speaks at the Military Sealift Command's annual National Maritime Day ceremony at Willard Park on the Washington Navy Yard in Washington DC. The event will honor some of the unsung heroes of national defense -- US merchant mariners. National Maritime Day is observed in May each year to commemorate the first voyage of a steam ship across the Atlantic Ocean on May 22, 1819. The day was declared a holiday in 1933 by a Joint Resolution of Congress 2005 - Misdemeanor conspiracy and other charges were filed against three fishermen accused in the spear gun killing of a protected giant sea bass in the La Jolla Ecological Preserve. Omid Adhami, 34, Nima Hodaji, 26, and Navid Adibi, 22, each face two counts of misdemeanor conspiracy for their alleged roles in the killing, according to a criminal complaint filed in San Diego Superior Court by the City Attorney's Office. Each charge could result in jail time of up to one year and a $10,000 fine, according to Deputy City Attorney Kathryn Lange. In addition to the more serious conspiracy charge, Adhami faces one misdemeanor charge of taking of a sea bass, and one misdemeanor charge of taking from the conservation area, according to Lange. Adibi faces an additional misdemeanor charge of possession of a protected species, Lange said. Hodaji faces an added misdemeanor charge of taking a sheephead, another species of fish, from the conservation area 2005 - Sea Containers launched its new Greek ferry service between Piraeus and the western Cycladic islands with the first sailing of wave piercing catamaran SpeedRunner 1, writes Nigel Lowry in Athens. Operated under the trade name Aegean Speed Lines, a 50-50 joint venture with the local Evgenides Group, the service is the first time a non-Greek flag vessel has appeared on a scheduled domestic ferry service since Greece lifted cabotage restrictions in 2002. The British flag vessel, which just undergone an extensive refit in a Croation shipyard, is Sea Containers' first Seacat-type fast ferry. It was originally delivered as Hoverspeed Great Britain, which won the Hales Trophy and Blue Riband in 1990 for the fastest Atlantic crossing 2005 - Don Bell, MP for North Vancouver, announced on behalf of Geoff Regan, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, that the federal government will invest $165,000 in repairs at two small craft harbors at Gibsons Landing and Lund, in British Columbia. Over time, the wharf and adjacent steel sheet pile retaining system at Gibsons Harbour has deteriorated and is in need of repair. This project will consist of repairs to the wharf including the replacement of deteriorated structural timbers as well as of corroded sections of the steel sheet pile wall. These repairs will ensure safe vehicle access to the wharf-head. At Lund, three concrete floating breakwaters provide wave protection to the harbor. Since their installation nearly 20 years ago, the anchor and rope mooring system has experienced significant deterioration. This project will complete recent interim repairs to damaged areas of the system and will realign breakwater sections for optimum wave protection. The completion of this project will help to ensure the viability of the harbor 2005 - Keith Martin MP for Esquimalt —Juan de Fuca, announced on behalf of Geoff Regan, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, that the federal government will invest $2 million for improvements at small craft harbor facilities on southern and northern Vancouver Island. Five harbors on southern Vancouver Island will benefit from a $700,000 investment for various improvement projects. These include French Creek, Marktosis, Ladysmith, Ganges (Outer) and Tsehum Harbour. Ten other harbors on northern Vancouver Island will benefit from an additional $1.3 million investment for various projects at Alert Bay, Campbell River, Cape Mudge, Comox, Fanny Bay, Ford Cove, Kelsey Bay, Port McNeil, Winter Harbour and Zeballos 2005 - Hedy Fry, MP for Vancouver Center, announced today on behalf of Geoff Regan, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, that the federal government will invest funding for repairs to the federal harbor at False Creek. The harbor, located on the south shore of False Creek between the Burrard and Granville Street Bridges, is the only federal commercial fishing harbor within the City of Vancouver’s boundaries. These funds will allow for the reconstruction of two lines of floats at the dock and repair of an access ramp, which has corroded over time. This project will reduce long-term maintenance costs and ensure the continued safe use of the harbor 2005 - Raymond Chan, Minister of State (Multiculturalism) and MP for Richmond, announced today on behalf of Geoff Regan, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, that the federal government will invest $930,000 in repairs to the federal harbor at Steveston, in British Columbia. Natural infilling of the harbor basin makes dredging necessary at this site. The Nelson Pond area will be dredged this year to ensure the harbor maintains an adequate depth to continue to serve harbor users 2005 - Marcel Proulx, MP for Hull - Aylmer, today announced on behalf of Geoff Regan, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, the signing of a grant agreement of $115,000 with the city of Gatineau. This grant will enable the city to repair the two breakwaters on Lake Deschenes, in the Aylmer district of Gatineau 2005 - Robert G. Thibault, Member of Parliament for West Nova announced today on behalf of Geoff Regan, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, that the Government of Canada will provide funding in the amount of $3.8 million for work at nine fishing harbors in Nova Scotia. Work will be completed this year on a major, multi-year harbor development project at Dennis Point, one of the most active harbors in southwest Nova Scotia. The project will be finalized with construction of an ‘L’ shaped section at the end of the new wharf, constructed in a previous phase of the project. Additional work planned at Dennis Point this season includes a full structural inspection of the outer section of the north wharf to plan, in collaboration with the Harbour Authority, for possible, future work. Over-crowding at Camp Cove (Lower Argyle) is impacting safety and efficiency for harbor users. Work will start this year with development of an engineering plan and be followed, next year, with dredging and the installation of floating docks. The expanded berthage capacity in the harbor will greatly improve operational utility for fishers. An active, year-round harbor, Pinkneys Point, is located about 20 kilometers west of Yarmouth. The project involves construction of a new crib wharf, adjacent to the existing slipway. This will improve service to larger vessels, increasing efficiency and cost-effectiveness for the Harbour Authority managing Pinkneys Point. Advance planning, including environmental work and the preparation of engineering plans, will start this year with construction expected to be completed next year. Sandford is an ice-free harbor in an area subject to harsh weather conditions. The northern breakwater does not provide sufficient protection to the berthing basin, causing concern for the safety of harbor users and their vessels. The project entails construction of an extension to the breakwater to shelter the full length of the wharf. When work is completed next year, the breakwater will provide berthed vessels with improved protection from all wind directions. A severe winter storm this past March damaged a section of the breakwater at Meteghan, putting the structures it shelters at risk from wind-driven waves. The project involves repairs to re-establish the integrity of the breakwater and work is scheduled to take place this summer, before the start of the hurricane season. Meteghan will also be the site of a two-year wharf repair project. The poor condition of part of the wharf is causing safety-related concerns among users. These repairs will help return the facility to safe operating condition. Work continues at Tiverton, the site of a large harbor development project. The project nears completion this year with the installation of electrical systems and preparation for construction of a possible launching ramp in the future. The outer wharf at Little River (Digby County) was damaged by a severe winter storm and is currently barricaded for safety reasons. The project will consist of replacement of the wharf’s tie-rod system as well as repairs to the interior metal sheeting. Work is scheduled to start this summer and, when completed in the fall, will ensure that the wharf is structurally sound and safe for users. The wharf at Sandy Cove East is in poor condition and in need of repairs. The project will start this year with advance planning, including environmental evaluation and the preparation of engineering plans. Fishers will have much safer working conditions at Sandy Cove East when construction is completed next year. Parkers Cove will be the site of a project designed to increase the protection offered by the harbor’s west breakwater. Currently, in bad weather, waves can wash over the structure creating unsafe conditions for vessels entering or moored in the harbor basin. Work will take place this summer and involves construction of a concrete slab at the end of the breakwater 2005 - Lawrence MacAulay, Member of Parliament for Cardigan, announced today on behalf of Geoff Regan, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, that the federal government will provide funding in the amount of $3 million for work at six fishing harbors in Prince Edward Island. A severe winter storm last December seriously damaged many Island harbors, particularly those at the eastern end of the province. The storm was accompanied by a tidal surge that battered wharves and breakwaters, eroded and destroyed shore protection, and deposited tons of sand in harbor channels and basins. Much of the work planned for eastern Prince Edward Island this year is intended to restore storm-damaged harbors to good condition. At Naufrage, the storm removed part of the deck of a wharf, lifted pilings and damaged the tie back system. The project will re-secure the piling, decking and tie back systems as well as replace the back wall and re-ballast the structure. Dredging was already scheduled for Naufrage this year and the complex environmental planning was underway when the storm forced an increase in the scale of the project. This work will now see the removal of approximately 30,000 cubic meters of material from the harbor basin. Due to contamination, the dredged material will be placed in a long-term disposal site. Both North Lake and Launching Pond will be the site of basin dredging projects this year. The work at North Lake involves the removal of approximately 15,000 cubic meters of silt and sand from the inner basin while Launching Pond will see 7,000 cubic meters of material removed. Launching Pond also suffered considerable shoreline erosion during the December storm. Armourstone will be placed to stabilize the area as it shelters structures on the south side of the harbor from weather related damage. Other work at Launching Pond this year includes final preparatory work for a proposed large, future project involving reconstruction and extension of the entrance breakwaters. At Sturgeon, damage was done to the wharf decking, fenders and stringers as well as the wharf approach. Repairs will be undertaken this summer along with the placement of additional armourstone along the wharf approach. The storm dislodged a section of the armourstone on the southern end of the breakwater at Graham Pond. The armourstone will be replaced and additional stone laid on the structure for reinforcement. Other damage occurred in the harbor basin, to the south-side wharf, and resulted in failure of the tie back system. The project will re-anchor the structure and include sheathing, wale, curb and decking repairs. Dredging to remove an estimated 10,000 cubic meters of fill from the harbor basin will complete work at Graham Pond. The entrance breakwaters at Beach Point show the effects of the severe storm conditions. This year’s project consists of repairs and the placement of armourstone on the north side of the structures. This will protect against future storm damage by providing additional protection to the harbor basin 2005 - Stephane Dion, Minister of the Environment, welcomed Royal Assent of Bill C-15, which will allow Canada to forcefully protect its marine environments from polluters. Bill C-15, amending the Migratory Birds Convention Act (1994) and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (1999), will provide clarity for enforcement officials in cases of marine pollution, as well as to owners and operators of vessels in waters under Canadian jurisdiction, including the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone 2006 - Lieutenant-General Marc Dumaisl assumed command of Canada Command from Vice-Admiral Jean-Yves Forcier, who is retiring from the Canadian Forces 2006 - The Secretary General of NATO, Mr. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, travels to Lisbon 2006 - Rear Adm. David Pekoske, Commander, First Coast Guard District and Rhode Island Governor Donald L. Carcieri formalize an important maritime security partnership at a signing ceremony held at the Rhode Island State House 2006 - The final part of concrete placement for the main section of the ThreeGorges Dam, the world's largest, began 2006 - The first stage of a project to build a deep-water port in Van Phong Bay approved by the Ministry of Transport and Communication and central Khanh Hoa province's People's Committee 2006 - A ceremony marking the keel laying for Cunard Line's Queen Victoria was held today at the Marghera shipyard of Fincantieri near Venice, Italy. The second largest Cunarder ever built, Queen Victoria will enter service on December 11, 2007 and become the third in Cunard's fleet of Queens when she joins Queen Mary 2, the largest liner in the world, and QE2, the most famous ship in the world 2006 - The Coast Guard is investigating the captain of the cruise ship Mercury for operating a commercial vessel under the influence of alcohol in violation of Title 46, United States Code, Section 2302. The statute, a Class A misdemeanor which is punishable with up to one year imprisonment, prohibits the operation of a vessel while under the influence of alcohol. Celebrity Cruises, owners of the Mercury, removed the captain and the ship sailed safely with a qualified relief captain. The cruise line fully cooperated with the investigation. At approximately 1427, a Coast Guard Sector Seattle boarding officer, while performing a safety inspection onboard the Mercury, made contact with the vessel's captain and detected an odor of alcohol on his breath 2006 - MV St Nicholas has been successfully refloated in Berner's Bay 40 miles from Juneau. There were no injuries or pollution reported from the grounding. The passengers of the vessel were transferred to the St. Herman and are on their return to Juneau. The St. Nicholas is also on its return to Juneau under its own power 2006 - At 1230 Humber Coastguard received a 999 call from a lady near the church, at Tynemouth Longsands reporting a person out in the sea in choppy conditions. The lady believing the person to be in trouble using her mobile phone dialed 999 and spoke to Humber Coastguard which called out the Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade, and requested the launch of the Cullercoats RNLI inshore lifeboat and requested the scramble of a rescue helicopter. Within ten minutes of the inshore lifeboat request to launch, they were alongside the distressed person and were able to recover them to the lifeboat and swiftly land them ashore to a waiting ambulance 2006 - FGS Grömitz arrives at new homeport of Kiel as part of the move of MCM forces from Opelnitz to Kiel 2006 - Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and Rona Ambrose, Minister of the Environment and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, announced the transfer of three light station properties in British Columbia’s southern Gulf Islands to the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve of Canada. The transfer includes Portlock Point Lightstation on Prevost Island, Active Pass Lightstation at Georgina Point on Mayne Island and East Point Lightstation on Saturna Island 2007 - Costa Serena inaugural festivities held in the port of Marseilles and will include an official ceremony in accordance with maritime tradition, as well as an inaugural show, in accordance with Costa's grand tradition of inaugural events 2007 - Destroyer USS Sterett christened at Bath Iron Works 2007 - The Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center (EADRCC) will conduct from 19 to 24 May 2007 the disaster response exercise “Idassa 2007” in the coastal Zadar county of Croatia. Twenty-one Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) nations will participate in the exercise, by deploying some 40 national expert teams each with the expertise and capability to deal with a different aspect of the fictitious emergency situation. All together, approximately 1,000 participants, including more than 120 observers from 35 countries will take part in the event 2007 - Japan's state and navy police raided a Japanese naval academy over an alleged leak of sensitive warship technology data shared between Japan and the US. The case involves US-developed technology of high-tech Aegis radar on several advanced Japanese destroyers that is also used by US warships carrying missile interceptors. It has alarmed officials as the allies accelerate their joint missile defense development amid North Korean missile and nuclear threat 2007 - USS Lasalle sunk as a target by USS Hue City & other ships 2008 - Pennsylvania Military Museum began construction of a support cradle that will eventually hold two 66-ton gun barrels that were onboard battleship Pennsylvania during World War II 2008 - Thai Navy Commander-in-Chief Adm Sathiraphan Keyan urged the media to boycott and do not publicize activities of politicians who involve the monarchy in politics 2008 - USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group deployed from San Diego 2008 - Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead announced the following flag officer assignments: Rear Adm. (lower half) Michael P. Tillotson assigned as deputy director for operations - force protection, DJ3-FP, US Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base. Capt. James J. Shannon, who has been selected to the rank of rear admiral (lower half), is being assigned as commander, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Washington. Capt. Clifford S. Sharpe, who has been selected to the rank of rear admiral (lower half), assigned as commander, Naval Service Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. Capt. Troy M. Shoemaker, who has been selected to the rank of rear admiral (lower half), assigned as assistant commander for distribution, PERS 4, Navy Personnel Command, Millington, Tenn. Capt. Douglas J. Venlet, who has been selected to the rank of rear admiral (lower half), assigned as deputy director, surface warfare for combat systems/weapons, N86F, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington 2008 - UK MOD denies news reports that Britain and France will “share” new aircraft carriers 2008 - Japan will pay $30,000 compensation to an Australian woman who was raped in 2002 by a US sailor who never faced prosecution. The woman was raped in 2002 by a then sailor from USS Kitty Hawk in the naval port city of Yokosuka 2008 - Midshipman accused of raping another student at the US Naval Academy should not face court martial because physical evidence of rape was lacking, a Navy investigator recommended 2009 - Landing ship INS Airavat commissioned 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