SeaWaves Today in History May 29, 2009 1692 - The Battle of Barfleur, initially a disappointing tactical stalemate, secured the supremacy of the Royal Navy in the English Channel and marked a major psychological victory over the French. Louis XIV continued to entertain plans for an invasion of England, and ordered the Comte de Tourville to escort an invasion fleet from Le Havre to Torbay. However, the transports were not ready, and by the time de Tourville was able to put to sea with 44 warships, the English and Dutch navies of William of Orange had been alerted and waited for him with 98 ships under Admiral Russell. Despite his inferiority in numbers, de Tourville chose to attack - he enjoyed the advantages of wind and more modern ships, thanks to the efforts Louis XIV had devoted to challenging the English at sea, and de Tourville hoped to stand off and damage his enemy before prudently withdrawing. However, the wind shifted, and after a twelve-hour long gunnery duel well into the night, de Tourville broke off the engagement at midnight and attempted to head for safety. The withdrawal degenerated into a general flight by individual ships for harbors on the French coast, and over the next few days, the English and Dutch were able to isolate and destroy fifteen warships and the transport fleet 1780 or 1781 - Russian fleet historian Vasily Nikolaevich Berkh (died January 2, 1835) born. His major work is Lives of Russian Admirals, or Russian Fleet History Experience 1781 - Frigate Alliance captures HMS Atalanta and Trepassy off Nova Scotia 1792 - George Vancouver's ship Discovery visits Burrard Inlet as he circumnavigates Vancouver Island, and charts the Juan de Fuca Strait, Puget Sound, Howe Sound, Jervis Inlet and the Strait of Georgia 1813 - James Yeo 1782-1818 raids Isaac Chauncey's naval base at Sackett's Harbour NY with Roger Sheaffe; forced to withdraw by Brigadier Jacob Brown; new Commodore of Provincial Marine based in Kingston; War of 1812. Sir James Yeo commanded the Royal Navy on the Great Lakes in the spring of 1813. He began his campaign with an attempt to capture Sackett's Harbour on May 28th, 1813 the day after Dearborn had taken Fort George. Yeo's attempt forced the American naval commander Chauncey to pull back to Sackett's Harbour leaving Yeo in control of Lake Ontario. With Yeo in control, the south shore of the lake was free of American vessels allowing Vincent and his army to move against Stoney Creek and Beaver Dams without fear of coastal attack. Eventually, Yeo's blockade allowed Vincent's army to be re-supplied at Burlington Heights and reoccupy the Niagara region surrounding Fort George. Yeo continued to assist the army by leading raiding parties at the mouth of the Genesee River capturing food supplies June 15th, 1813. Yeo was able to remain on and off the lake for the remainder of the war helping to foil American attempts to recapture the Niagara region in 1814 by keeping Chauncey bottled up at Sackett's Harbour 1855 - In the Sea of Azov, the Royal Navy identified considerable military stores of food and ammunition stockpiled by the Russian army on the Crimean coastline. Despite the strength of the Russian units defending the area, Lieutenants Buckley and Burgoyne, and Gunner Robarts, volunteered to go ashore on a raid. The three fought their way past guards and managed to set fire to a considerable part of the supply dump before escaping safely back to the ships offshore. All three received the Victoria Cross 1903 - Troitsky Bridge over the Neva River (called Kirovsky in Soviet times) is formally opened in St. Petersburg 1914 - Submarine HMS E3 completed 1914 - Canadian Pacific ocean liner Empress of Ireland outbound from Quebec is hit by a Norwegian collier ship Storstad at 0155 in Gulf or St. Lawrence; three minutes later water reaches the dynamos, dousing power and light, and the ship sinks in 11 minutes later when Storstad backs out of the hole in the hull; 1,024 lives are lost, 464 saved; $1 million in silver bars later recovered by divers 1915 - Submarine HMS S2 completed 1915 - Battleship HMS Revenge launched 1916 - Submarine HMS E47 launched 1917 - Canadian F/SLt William Louis Anderson RNAS bombed a second U-boat, oil was observed on the surface 1918 - Submarine USS O-4 commissioned 1919 - Destroyer USS Badger commissioned 1919 - Battleship USS Colorado laid down 1919 - Cruiser HMS Durban launched 1919 - Destroyers USS Gillis & Hale launched 1919 - Destroyer HMS Malcolm launched 1919 - Submarine HMS L-26 launched 1920 - Submarine USS S-25 launched 1930 - Destroyer HMS Blanche launched 1934 - Destroyer HMS Express launched 1934 - Sloop HMS Wellington launched. The historic ship Wellington is the last surviving member of the Grimsby Class of sloops which served the nation with such distinction in World War Two. She has been moored on the Thames since 1948 during which time she has been the home of the Honorable Company of Master Mariners, a City of London Livery Company. Today she is part floating museum, library as well as being a unique conference and dining venue. Tours of the library and museum are available on request and these are provided by highly experienced and knowledgeable Master Mariners 1934 - Soviet submarine SC-203 launched 1934 - Submarine HMS Narwhal laid down 1940 - 47,310 men are evacuated today in Operation Dynamo. The French allow evacuation of their troops. Three RN destroyers are sunk off the beaches - HMS Grafton torpedoed by U-62, HMS Grenade by bombs, and HMS Wakeful by a torpedo from E-boat S30. The arrival of French warships improves the take off rate. V & W class destroyer HMS Wakeful is attacked and sunk by German Schnelboot S30. She was taking part in the Dunkirk evacuation at the time and carrying 600 troops who were below decks and of whom only 1 survived. Casualties numbered about 650 crew and soldiers, and only 25 plus an embarked soldier survived the sinking. Destroyer HMS Grafton is torpedoed by U-62 in the English Channel, 13 miles north of Nieuport, but does not sink. Alongside at the time was Trawler HMS Comfort. Grafton is scuttled by HMS Ivanhoe later the same day after crew and troops had been taken off. Destroyer HMS Grenade whilst alongside the east mole at Dunkirk is damaged and disabled by aircraft attacks. The destroyer is abandoned and her burning hull towed clear of the main channel. After burning for some hours, she then blows up. In connection with these same evacuation operations, Trawler HMS Comfort is attacked by own side forces and then rammed in the English Channel 13 miles north of Nieuport. After suffering some flooding and damage whilst alongside Grafton, Comfort pulls away only to be mistaken for a German S boat by HMS Lydd who opens fire with 4-inch and Lewis guns. Lydd then rams the trawler and cuts her in half. Some of the crew of Comfort attempt to jump on to Lydd, but are mistaken for Germans and repelled with gunfire. Minesweeper HMS Waverley, a paddle steamer, is bombed in the English Channel near Kwint Bank Buoy by German aircraft. Four of the 600 embarked troops are killed outright and another 150 drown as Waverley sinks 1940 - Destroyer HMS Bicester laid down 1940 - Destroyer HMS Fernie commissioned 1940 - French auxiliary cruiser Ville d'Oran loads the Bank of France gold reserves (200 tons of gold) for transport to Casablanca, French Morocco 1940 - The USN XF4U-1 prototype Vought F4U Corsair makes it maiden flight 1940 - Minesweeping trawlers HMS Calvi & Polly Johnson bombed & sunk off Dunkirk 1940 - At 06.15 hours on 29 May, 1940, U-37 tried to stop the unescorted Marie Jose by a shot across her bow about 40 miles northwest of Vigo, but the ship turned away and sent radio messages. The U-boat opened fire, hitting several times and soon the crew abandoned ship. The burning ship was hit by a coup de grâce at 06.57 hours and sank within 15 minutes 1940 - Motor tanker Telena sunk by U-37 at 42.25N, 09.08W 1941 - Minesweeper HMCS Swift Current launched Montreal PQ 1941 - Corvettes HMCS Baddeck & Levis arrived Halifax from builders Quebec City PQ 1941 - RN auxiliary oiler Teakwood arrived St John's to support NEF. The establishment of the NEF posed significant logistical challenges. There were virtually no naval facilities at St. John's & the issue of which Government would pay for the necessary development provoked a prolonged exchange between Canada & Great Britain. The short-term solution was to employ a 'Base Force Afloat' (USN term) through the use of depot & stores ships, afloat accommodations, & 'post' tankers. Teakwood, although termed an 'oiler' was neither intended nor equipped for underway replenishment. Teakwood was built in 1927 for the Jacobs Line. Her Gross Registered Tonnage was 6,000 tons & her deadweight cargo capacity was 9,100 tons. She was 415 feet long. Her draught was 26 feet & she could make 10.5 knots. She was, in most ways, typical of inter-war period British tankers, although her capacity was a bit under the wartime planning average of 10,000 tons. Plans for fuel oil storage tanks at St. John's were increased several times. Work on the base did not begin until Aug 41 whereas the first warships arrived on 27 May. By Aug 41, 40 ships were based at St. John's. The logistical demand constantly outpaced the capacity of the 'base' to provide support. The demand for fuel reached a weekly total of 39,000 barrels by Mar 42. The original plan to build tankage for 89,000 barrels was obviously inadequate and in March another 180,000 barrels expanded the plan. The first of the shore tanks did not go into operation until Sep 42 and the last tanks were finished in Sep 43. Because of enemy action, the main problem became one of getting fuel to St. John's. As soon as the last tanks were useable, Teakwood joined a shuttle service hauling fuel from Halifax & Montreal. She was returned to the UK in Dec 43 1941 - Early in the morning 4,000 men are evacuated from Heraklion, Crete on the north side. As they do so the damaged HMS Imperial has to be scuttled. HMS Hereward is hit and left behind to go down off the eastern tip of Crete. Shortly, HMS Dido & Orion are badly damaged to the SE. Destroyer HMS Imperial heading south from Heraklion in company at high speed suffers a loss of steering. It is decided that there is no time available to allow the steering fault to be repaired, so the crew are taken off the ship by HMS Hotspur, and Imperial is scuttled south of Crete at 35 23N 25 40E. Destroyer HMS Hereward is hit in an air attack 5 miles south of Crete at 35 20N 26 20E It is decided to leave her on her own rather than delay the rest of the force, and Hereward is last seen heading slowly towards Crete shrouded in smoke. She is eventually sunk in an air attack close to land, and Italian motor boats rescue the majority of the survivors 1941 - US Navy Patrol Squadron Fifty Two, based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Argentia, Newfoundland with PBY-5 Catalinas, deploys four aircraft to Reykjavik, Iceland, based on the seaplane tender (destroyer) USS Belknap. The aircraft survey the East Coast of Greenland where Danish weather stations are suspected of being in use by the Germans for relaying weather forecasts to the submarine wolfpacks. Inspections of the facilities show that they are abandoned and the detachment returns to NAS Argentia on 8 June 1941 1941 - In Washington, an Army-Navy planning board draws up a plan for the occupation of the Portuguese Azores Islands in the event that Germany invades Spain and/or Portugal. Major General Holland M. Smith, USMC will command the joint Army-Marine occupation force, Commanding General 1st Marine Division 1941 - Destroyer USS Swanson commissioned 1941 - Destroyers HMS Grove & Southwold launched 1941 - Minesweeper HMS Whitehaven launched 1941 - Destroyer HNLMS Isaac Sweers commissioned 1941 - Destroyers USS Carmick, MacKenzie & McLanahan laid down 1941 - US Navy's Task Group Three (TG 3) consisting of the aircraft carrier USS Ranger, heavy cruiser USS Tuscaloosa and three destroyers, gets underway from Bermuda for a 4,000+ mile neutrality patrol in the Atlantic that will end in Bermuda on 8 June 1941 - U-262, U-618 laid down 1941 - U-132, U-452, U-572 commissioned 1941 - SS Tabaristan sunk by U-38 at 06.32N, 15.23W 1941 - At 2043, the Empire Storm, a straggler from Convoy HX-128, was torpedoed & sunk by U-557 south of Cape Farewell. Three crewmembers were lost. The master, 35 crewmembers and four gunners were picked up by the Norwegian merchantman Marita and landed at St John's on 4 June 1942 - At French Frigate Shoals, Territory of Hawaii, the seaplane tender (destroyer) USS Thornton arrives to relieve the light minelayer USS Preble. Later that day, the Japanese submarine HIJMS I-123 also arrives. The Japanese had intended to use the shoals as a refueling stop for Japanese seaplanes flying reconnaissance missions over Pearl Harbor; submarines would refuel the aircraft. The presence of the US ships prevents this operation and the Japanese never learn that two of the USN's aircraft carriers have already departed Pearl Harbor 1942 - The seaplane tender (destroyer) USS Ballard arrives at Midway with eleven motor torpedo boats (PTs) of Motor Torpedo Squadron 1942 - Japanese submarine HIJMS I-21 launches a Yokosuka E14Y1, Navy Type 0 Small Reconnaissance Seaplane, Allied Code Name "Glen," to fly a reconnaissance mission over Sydney, Australia 1942 - Submarine USS Raton laid down 1942 - Destroyer USS Barton commissioned 1942 - ASW trawler HMS Dunkery commissioned 1942 - Destroyer HMS Nepal commissioned 1942 - Minesweeping trawler HMS St Kilda launched 1942 - Submarine HMS Trespasser launched 1942 - USN's Patrol Squadron Seventy One based at Noumea, New Caledonia on the seaplane tenders USS Curtiss & Tanigier with PBY-5 Catalinas joins RAAF Catalinas in bombing Tulagi Island in the Solomon Islands 1942 - Diego Suarez - About ten miles from the harbor entrance, the Captains of the Japanese submarines I-16, I-18 and I-20 were ordered to launch their Type "A" midget submarines. I-18's midget took no part in the attack because the launching machinery failed to work properly. The I-18 Mother submarine with its midget still on board was therefore forced to return to the armed flotilla support ships Hokoku Maru, 10,438 tons and the Airoko Maru, 10,437 tons, for maintenance. The other two midgets were successfully launched and started their mission. I-16s midget submarine was crewed by Ensign Katsusuke Iwase as Captain and Petty Officer Takazo Takata as the navigator, both single men. I-20's midget submarine was crewed by Lt. Saburo Akieda as Captain and Petty Officer Takemoto as the navigator. They were both married men and each had a family 1942 - U-969, U-970 laid down 1942 - SS Western Head sunk by U-107 at 19.57N, 74.18W 1942 - At 0103, the unescorted Norman Prince was torpedoed by U-156 about 60 miles west of St. Lucia and sunk by a coup de grâce at 0137. 14 crewmembers and two gunners were lost. The master, 24 crewmembers and seven gunners were picked up by the French merchantman Angouleme, landed at Martinique and were interned by the Vichy French authorities. USCGC Unalga rescued the radio officer Hubert John Tanner after two and a half days 1942 - At 2137, the unescorted Allister was torpedoed and sunk by U-504 54 miles south of Grand Cayman Island. 15 crewmembers were lost. Eight crewmembers landed at Port au Prince, Haiti 1942 - U-568 sunk in the Mediterranean NE of Tobruk, in position 32.42N, 24.53E, by depth charges from destroyer HMS Hero & escort destroyers HMS Eridge & Hurworth. 47 survivors (No casualties) 1942 - U-184 commissioned 1942 - HMS Turbulent torpedoes and sinks the Italian destroyer Emanuelle Pessagno and the Italian merchant Capo Arma about 70 nautical miles north-west of Bengasi, Libya 1943 - Frigate HMCS Matane launched Montreal PQ 1943 - Corvette HMCS Guelph (ex-Sea Cliff) laid down Collingwood ON 1943 - Sloop HMS Woodcock commissioned 1943 - Destroyers USS Albert W Grant & Bryant launched 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Solar, Lee Fox, J Douglas Blackwood, Enright, Darby, Coolbaugh & Bunch launched 1943 - At 1937, the unescorted Hopetarn was torpedoed & sunk by U-198 about 450 miles east of Durban. Six crewmembers and one gunner were lost. The second officer was taken prisoner by the U-boat, landed at Bordeaux on 24 September and taken to the POW camp Milag Nord. The master, 28 crewmembers and seven gunners were picked up two days later by the British merchantman Nirvana and landed at Durban on 3 June 1943 - U-392, U-846 commissioned 1943 - U-315, U-766, U-1162 launched 1944 - US escort carrier Block Island's planes detected U-549, on the 28th, and an intensive hunt began by the escorting destroyers. Early in the morning of 29th May, U-549 fired three electric and two acoustic torpedoes at the hunters. The electric torpedoes all hit the escort carrier, which sank quickly. One of the acoustic torpedoes seriously damaged the destroyer USS Barr and the other missed. The other escorts finally sank U-549 with depth charges. This engagement took place about 300 miles WSW of Madeira. No destroyer was sunk 1944 - USN destroyers shell Japanese installations on the north coast of New Ireland Island in the Bismarck Archipelago 1944 - Destroyer USS Henry W Tucker laid down 1944 - Minesweeper USS Wheatear laid down 1944 - Minesweeper USS Reign launched 1944 - U-549 (Type IXC/40) is sunk in the mid-Atlantic SW of Madeira, Portugal, in position 31.13N, 23.03W, by depth charges from the US destroyer escorts USS Eugene E. Elmore and Ahrens. 57 dead (all crew lost) 1944 - During Baltic exercises U-1203 lost one man after crash diving north of Danzig. [Maschinengefreiter Johann Igel] 1944 - U-2506 laid down 1944 - At 1256, U-23 fired a spread of two torpedoes at tanker of about 1800 tons, which was in tow escorted by two warships and aircraft. Wahlen heard two detonations, but could not observe the effects because the U-boat was attacked with depth charges for the next two hours. In fact the tug Smelyj was hit by one torpedo and sank off Babushery near Suchumi 1944 - HMS Templar torpedoes and sinks merchant cargo ship Tyokai Maru in Strait of Malacca 1945 - Submarine HMS Ambush launched 1945 - Admiral Ozawa is named to replace Admiral Toyoda as Commander in Chief of the Combined Fleet for the Imperial Japanese Navy 1945 - Off Okinawa, Japanese kamikazes are again active and strike two ships - - The destroyer USS Shubrick is attacked by two aircraft at 0010 hours; one crashes the ship. The bomb carried by the plane blew a 30-foot hole in the starboard side, and further damage was done when one of the ship's depth charges exploded. All wounded and unnecessary personnel were removed in anticipation that the ship would sink but the crew finally controlled the flooding, and Shubrick was towed to Kerama Retto. The ship lost 35 men killed and missing, and 25 wounded in the attack. - Four aircraft attack the high-speed transport USS Tatum at dusk. One aircraft is shot down but when it strikes the water, its bomb skips off the water and strikes the underside of a gun sponson and pierces the ship's hull and two of her longitudinal bulkheads. The dud comes to rest with its nose protruding 8-inches into a passageway. The gunners on the ship shoot down the second and third aircraft before the fourth attacks. They also shoot down the fourth that crashes 30-feet off her port bow; the bomb the aircraft was carrying explodes underwater and rocks the ship but causes no damage. Tatum later takes aboard a bomb disposal officer and the bomb is removed and dumped overboard 2 miles offshore 1945 - Mines previously laid by B-29 Superfortresses sink a Japanese cargo vessel and damage an army cargo vessel and a freighter off Japan 1945 - HMCS Fennel arrived Greenock with her last convoy 1945 - HMCS Annan, Loch Achamalt & Loch Morlich departed Halifax for Sheerness and return to RN 1945 - Repair ship HMS Tarbat Ness launched 1945 - Minesweeper USS Minivet commissioned 1945 - Frigate HMS St Austell Bay commissioned 1945 - Destroyer USS Herbert J Thomas commissioned 1950 - Henry Asbjorn Larsen 1899-1964 sails RCMP patrol ship St Roch into Halifax after passing through the Panama Canal from Vancouver; first ship to circumnavigate the North American continent. St Roch is now part of the Vancouver Maritime Museum 1953 - Destroyer HMCS Haida destroyed North Korean train cars but engine escaped 1958 - USS Stickleback sank off Pearl Harbor after collision with destroyer 1965 - USS Hancock completed Vietnam deployment 1966 - USS Kitty Hawk port call Yokosuka 1967 - USS Enterprise port call Subic Bay 1968 - USS Bennington port call Yokosuka 1968 - USS Yorktown port call Singapore 1968 - USS Ticonderoga returned from Vietnam deployment 1968 - USS Constellation commenced Vietnam deployment 1969 - Replenishment ship HMCS Preserver launched Saint John NB 1969 - Britain's Trans-Arctic expedition makes 1st crossing of Arctic Sea ice 1972 - Quebec bans commercial salmon fishing off Gaspe Peninsula because of depleted stocks 1973 - USS Enterprise port call Subic Bay 1982 - Atlantic Conveyor sinks under tow 1991 - Amphibious Task Force in Bangladesh for cyclone relief redeployed 1996 - U-534 arrives at Birkenhead, just of Liverpool, England for restoration and later display for public. She was raised from the Kattegat in 1993 2002 - Frigate HMCS St John's joined Canadian Task Group in Arabian Sea 2004 - In an absurd move, RN permits “ghostbusters” to roam HM Dockyard Devonport searching for “paranormal activity” 2004 - USNS Antares activated to transport materials to Iraq 2005 - Canadian Fishery Officers and crew from CCGS Leonard J. Cowley intercepted and seized the Santa Mafalda in Canadian fisheries waters as it was enroute from St. Pierre et Miquelon to the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Regulatory Area, outside Canada’s 200-mile limit. The following is a chronology of events on May 29 of the Canadian operation to intercept the Santa Mafalda. All times are approximate, and Newfoundland Daylight Savings Time (NDST). At 1430 Santa Mafalda departed St. Pierre and Miquelon. Leonard J. Cowley proceeded to a position to intercept and board the Santa Mafalda approximately 70 miles south of Cape St. Mary’s. CCGS Cape Roger and aerial surveillance supported the operation. At 2130 - Fishery Officers onboard the Leonard J. Cowley hailed Santa Mafalda from 5 miles away. The Santa Mafalda agreed to a boarding and slowed course. Weather in the area was favorable for boarding with good visibility. 2154 - Canadian Fishery Officers and a boarding team from the Cowley boarded the Portuguese fishing vessel Santa Mafalda. 2230 - Leonard J. Cowley reported that the bridge of the Santa Mafalda was secured, the Master placed under arrest and the ship seized without incident 2006 - An English warship thought to have sunk in the Great Storm of 1703 is to be given protected status, Culture Minister David Lammy has announced. The wreck, lying in Pevensey Bay, off the East Sussex coast, is believed to be that of the 70-gun Resolution. The ship, now designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973, could provide an insight into the maritime and military history of the period 2006 - The Coast Guard Ship Annie Besant rescued six fishermen from the stranded fishing vessel “Annapurna” off St. Mary Island near Malpe in Karnataka last night. On receipt of a SOS from Port Conservator Malpe that about 300 - 400 fishing boats got stranded off Malpe due to adverse weather conditions, the Coast Guard authorities immediately initiated search and Rescue efforts by sailing two fast patrol vessel ICGS Annie Besant and ICGS Kasturba Gandhi from New Mangalore 2007 - Kenyan maritime official says Somali pirates have released a cargo ship and its 16 crewmembers in exchange for a $100,000 ransom 2007 - Vice Admiral Roberto Cesaretti, Allied Maritime Component Commander Naples will host MARCOMET 2007, NATO's annual Maritime Commanders Meeting, in Taranto, Italy from 29 to 31 May. Senior maritime delegates from NATO headquarters, NATO member countries, and nations who are part of the Partnership for Peace program (PfP), the Mediterranean Dialogue (MD) and the Istanbul Cooperative Initiative (ICI) will discuss issues of common interest. These are expected to include policy and security matters, Operation Active Endeavour, information exchange, exercises, and PfP/MD/ICI access, integration and cooperation initiatives 2007 - Coast Guard Commandant, Admiral Thad W. Allen, remarks on interagency unity of effort in response to disasters Falk Auditorium Brookings Institution 2007 - Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter has announced his decision to name new underway replenishment vessel USNS Amelia Earhart (T-AKE 6). The name honors Amelia Mary Earhart for her courage, vision, and groundbreaking achievements, both in aviation and for women 2007 - Humber Coastguard has coordinated the rescue of the skipper of the 92 foot sail training yacht Spirit of Fairbridge after he dislocated a shoulder while lowering the main sail. 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