SeaWaves Today in History November 8, 2008 1861 - CAPT Charles Wilkes seizes two Confederate diplomats from the British steamer Trent, causing an international controversy with Great Britain (known as the Trent Affair). Rear-Admiral Charles Wilkes (USN, Ret.), b. 1798, d. 1877, went into the USN early on and despite an increasing reputation for being stiff-necked, stubborn, self-important, and indifferent to orders and seniors almost to the point of insolence, rose thanks to a sharp mind and an equal reputation for energy and sheer persistence in the face of apparently insurmountable odds. Best noted for his vast contributions to general knowledge of the seas, he is celebrated for commanding the US Surveying & Exploration Expedition of 1838-42l, and his charting of parts of Antarctica. He is worst noted for the infamous Trent Affair. As the Civil War broke out, his fierce intent was to attack anything Confederate -- whatever, wherever -- and upon sighting the British packet vessel Trent stopped her, boarded, and took off James Mason and John Slidell, two civilian Confederate emissaries, then sent Treny on her way. The consequences were six, three public, three governmental. In the Union North he was hailed as a hero of sorts for such a marvelous enterprise and awarded a fancy sword in Boston; in the Confederate South as a vicious international example of Yankee piracy; and in Britain, as a gross insult to everybody. At government levels, in Parliament (not to mention Queen Victoria) his act was a good reason to declare war; in Washington, at the White House, he was seen as an utterly outrageous idiot who very nearly got the US into a third war with Britain, averted only by the prompt release and return of both Mason and Slidell, plus apologies and virtual kow-tows to avoid one; and in the upper councils of the USN, as an extremely dangerous bullheaded fool. En fin, Wilkes was court-martialed and found guilty of disobedience, disrespect, insubordination, and conduct unbecoming an officer, and sentenced to three years' suspension -- later reduced to one year. All that saved him was his prior exploration record. Once back on duty, he spent the remainder of the Civil War patrolling around far edges of the Caribbean, the Navy's hierarchy hoping he could not there create further trouble. He gained Rear-Admiral's rank only at retirement -- a "tombstone" promotion. Wilkes was the forebear of other officers of that surname in the USN, all rising to fairly high rank. Of perhaps other interest is his familial British connection and what is arguably the finest part of Anglo-American law -- a free press. He was the grand-nephew of famed mid-18th Century Member of Parliament John Wilkes, a supporter of sailor's rights and American colonists, who is most notable in the publishing world for his end of a pair of now-basic legal rulings -- one British, one American -- on legal rights if charged with libel. Wilkes, ardently against the administration of Bute, started his own newspaper, the North Briton, and in 1762 published a critique which included verbatim reports of parliamentary discourse. Such reporting had long been forbidden, and warrants were promptly issued for the widespread arrest of printers. Wilkes was among about 45 men picked up and imprisoned in the Tower. The others earned their release in due course, but in Wilkes' case the release came following a High Court ruling that freed publishers to directly report actual Parliamentary doings and statements, which also effectively eliminated all pre-publication suppression generally. One might yet sue for what was written, but could no longer stop anyone from publishing. In the U.K, this is yet the case, excepting specific sorts of police and national security situations. At the American end, it was the earlier 1734 case of John Peter Zenger, on much the same rationale -- that time involving commentary about the Royal Governor of New York. Therewith followed a printer's warrant and arrest of Zenger for his criticisms, but at trial the colonial jury freed him -- quite agreeing that he said it, but not guilty of libel because what he said was true. In the US, though libelous it may be at law or in a dictionary, the burden of proof in civil cases thereafter went on the plaintiff, and truth remains an absolute defense against any charge of libel 1915 - Submarine HMS E22 completed 1915 - Submarine HMS K6 laid down 1915 - Submarine HMS K7 laid down 1917 - Drifter HMC CD 17 completed by Davie Shipbuilding & Repairing Co Ltd Lauzon PQ 1917 - Submarine HMS K14 launched 1930 - Submarine HNLMS O-12 launched 1931 - Destroyer FS Cassard launched 1939 - HM Trawler Windermere commissioned 1939 - Winston Churchill, the first lord of the admiralty, stirred the House of Commons today with a rousing speech about the Royal Navy. He openly admitted that it had suffered greater loss of life than all the other forces, British and French, on land, sea and air. But "we are gaining a definite mastery over the U-boat attack ... and in the end we shall break their hearts," he said. He poured ridicule on German claims to have sunk the aircraft carrier Ark Royal several times, and said - "We shall be quite content to engage the German navy, using only the vessels which at one time or another they declared they have destroyed" 1940 - U-47 damaged SS Gonçalo Velho 1940 - Destroyer HMS Southdown commissioned 1940 - SS City of Rayville is sunk, in Bass Strait, by a mine; the first US merchant ship to be lost in the war 1941 - U-440, U-461 launched 1941 - U-254 commissioned 1941 - Soviet submarine M-120 commissioned 1941 - Minesweeper HMS Poole commissioned 1941 - Minesweepers HMCS Gananoque & Nipigon commissioned 1941 - Minesweeper HMS Llandudno launched 1941 - At 0030, U-77 reached the Spanish port of Vigo and was serviced by the German tanker Bessel. The U-boat left harbor at 0525 1941 - During heavy weather a lookout on U-124 broke his arm 1941 - Last night Force K from Malta attacks an Italian convoy sinking 7 transports and one escort. This Italian convoy is the so-called "Duisburg Convoy." Force K consists of 2 cruisers and 2 destroyers. An escort force of Italian cruisers and destroyers does not effectively engage the British. Ultra intelligence and radar have enabled the Royal Navy to approach in the dark while the escorts are tacking away. With the escorts 10 miles away, the cruiser salvos are not accurate. The destroyer that does approach does not engage due to a fear that the ships might be friendly 1942 - U-596 met an enemy submarine, which fired two torpedoes. Both missed 1942 - Light cruiser HMS Jamaica assisted in the invasion of North Africa. She was part of the Center Task Force (Oran area) 1942 - Destroyers FS Tornade & Tramontaine operated by the Vichy French and based at Oran during Allied landing in North Africa in November 1942. Beached off Oran after being damaged by gunfire from light cruiser HMS Aurora & destroyer Calpe 1942 - Submarine FS Argonaute sunk off Oran during the Allied landings in North Africa by destroyer HMS Achates 1942 - Destroyers FS Boulonnais, Brestois, Fougeaux, Frondeur, sunk by gunfire from Allied warships off Casablanca 1942 - Destroyer FS Milan ran aground at Casablanca after being damaged by American naval gunfire and American aircraft 1942 - Submarines FS La Psyche & Oreade sunk in Casablanca by US aircraft during Allied landings. Raised 1944 & not repaired 1942 - Minesweeper FS La Surprise sunk off Oran by gunfire from destroyer HMS Brilliant 1942 - Operation Torch begins. There are 3 sectors for landings. Sailing from the US there are 35,000 troops of the US 2nd Armored, 4th Infantry and part of the 9th Infantry Divisions. They will land at 3 beaches around Casablanca with a 200-mile front. Admiral Hewitt commands the naval forces which include 2 battleships, one fleet carrier, 5 escort carriers and escorting cruisers and destroyers. Oran is the Center Area. Commodore Troubridge commands the naval forces of two escort carriers and escorting cruisers and destroyers. The Eastern Area is Algiers. Admiral Burrough commands the naval forces of the Eastern Area. Force H at Gibraltar, under Admiral Syfret has 3 battleships, three fleet carriers and escorting cruisers and destroyers, is on guard against the still formidable Italian Fleet. Algiers landings make good early progress capturing the town of Algiers and French Admiral Darlan. The Oran landings are not so successful, but by nightfall the landing is well established and the Tafaraiu Airfield is in Allied hands and operational. The French battleship Jean Bart armed but immobile, fights a gunnery duel with the USS Massachusetts. The French destroyers also put up a fight. The landings at Safi go well; those at Port Lyautey are resisted. There is some help from the French; most helpful is General Mast at Algiers. While the troops are mostly US, the shipping is mostly British; this is an effort to present Torch as a US operation to pacify the French. General de Gaulle makes a suitably approving broadcast at the last minute, since he was not told in advance of the landings. F4F Wildcats of VF-41 from the USS Ranger down 13 Vichy French fighters over Cazes Airdrome, French Morocco 1942 - During the day Admiral Halsey lands at Guadalcanal to observe conditions for himself. Halsey is treated to a demonstration of why the Marines referred to the waters north of the island as "Sleepless Lagoon" by a shelling from the Tokyo Express. The Marines' nickname of “Sleepless Lagoon" will not be recognized by moderns, but it instantly was in 1942. It was a verbal twist on a popular love song, "Sleepy Lagoon", in the lyrics of which islands were mentioned 1942 - Destroyer HMS Broke manages to get alongside the Quai de Falaise at Algiers, lands her US Rangers. The Rangers are recalled when her position is made untenable. Broke leaves harbor on fire at 8 -30am, damaged by Vichy shore batteries. Zetland then takes her in tow until she founders in heavy weather on 9 November. She is abandoned and scuttled at 7 -00 PM 1942 - Aircraft carrier HMS Ocean laid down 1942 - Escort carrier USS Card launched 1942 - U-128 sank SS Maloja 1942 - U-154 sank SS D´Entrecasteaux 1942 - U-161 damaged SS Benalder & sank SS West Humhaw 1942 - U-181 sank SS Plaudit 1942 - U-67 damaged SS Capo Olmo 1942 - While refueling U-454 on 8 Nov Leutnant zur See der Reserve Helmut Schwenzel from U-117 was washed overboard 1942 - France severed diplomatic relations with the United States 1942 - At Oran, sloops HMS Walney (ex-USCGC Sebango) & Hartland (ex-USCGC Pontchartrain) ran the gauntlet of shore batteries in an attempt to land an assault party in the harbor. Hartland was sunk and every man on Walney's bridge was killed, save only Captain Peters, her Canadian commanding officer, who was blinded in one eye but pressed on the attack, despite his ship being ablaze. Walney reached her target jetty, but sank alongside. Peters and a few survivors made it to shore, but he tragically died five days later when the aircraft evacuating him back to the UK crashed. He was awarded the Victoria Cross 1942 - Operation Torch (Allied landings in French NW Africa). American forces land at Casablanca. French naval forces attack US Navy ships and 13 French ships are sunk without a loss to the US 1942 - British patrol boat rescues 34 survivors of US freighter West Kebar, sunk on October 29, and transports them to Barbados, British West Indies 1942 - Submarine HMS Shakespeare launched 1943 - Corvette HMCS Beauharnois laid down 1943 - Frigate HMS Good Hope laid down 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Abercrombie, Coates, Frybarger, Oberrender, Sargent Bay, Vandivier, Wagner laid down 1943 - Escort carrier HMS Puncher launched Tacoma 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Howard F Clark & Silverstein launched 1943 - Escort carrier USS Kitkun Bay launched 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Reynolds & Manlove commissioned 1943 - Frigate HMS Cotton commissioned 1943 - Escort carrier HMS Ranee commissioned 1943 - U-1230 launched 1943 - U-721 commissioned 1944 - Tug HMCS Bonnyville assigned to St John's 1944 - Destroyer USS Henry W Tucker launched 1944 - Minesweeper USS Minivet launched 1944 - Minesweeper USS Recruit commissioned 1944 - A wolfpack, headed by USS Growler, closed a Japanese convoy for attack, with Growler on the opposite side of the enemy from USS Hake & Hardhead. The order to commence attacking was the last communication ever received from Growler. After the attack was underway, Hake and Hardhead what sounded like a torpedo explosion and then a series of depth charges on Growler's side of the convoy, and then nothing. All efforts to contact Growler for the next 3 days proved futile and the gallant submarine, veteran of seven successful war patrols, was listed as lost in action against the enemy, cause unknown 1944 - Submarine USS Growler probably sunk by Japanese warships in the South China Sea 1944 - Walcheren island was finally liberated by British, Canadian, Dutch and French troops, clearing the last obstacle to opening sea-lanes of supply into Antwerp. 8,000 German troops surrendered 1944 - Coast Guard maimed Army FS-348 was commissioned at Kewaunee WI with LTJG M. R. Cook, USCGR, as commanding officer. She was assigned to and operated in the Southwest Pacific area during the war. She was decommissioned on 28 September 1945. 1946 - Submarine USS Corsair commissioned 1955 - Coastal escort (ex-minesweeper) HMCS Sault Ste Marie commissioned 1956 - Navy Stratolab balloon (LCDRs Malcolm D. Ross and M. Lee Lewis) better world height record soaring to 76,000 feet over Black Hills, SD, on flight to gather meteorological, cosmic ray, and other scientific data 1969 - US oil tanker 'Manhattan' stops at Halifax on return voyage through North West Passage 1971 - Canadian HS 50 Sea King a/c #12420, crashed at sea shortly after takeoff from HMCS Nipigon following an engine failure. The a/c was trying to return to the ship but never got as far as the landing sequence and crashed approximately 200 miles south of Sable Island off the coast of Nova Scotia It was struck off strength 28 August 1972 1973 - USS Coral Sea completed Vietnam deployment 1974 - USS Enterprise port call Cubi Point 1975 - Over 100 Sailors and Marines from USS Inchon & Bagley fight a fire aboard a Spanish merchant vessel at Palma 1978 - SS Glacier Queen (ex-HMCS Orangeville) sank as a hulk Cook Inlet AK. Jan 1979, raised towed to sea scuttled 1990 - Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney announced that in addition to the 230,000 forces in the Persian Gulf region. Marines and ships will be headed for the Persian Gulf. Navy elements to be sent include: three aircraft carriers with appropriate escorts; one battleship, USS Missouri; Amphibious Group Three, San Diego California; and Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron 1, Norfolk, Virginia 2002 - Amphibious ship USS New Orleans laid down at Pascagoula 2003 - USCGC Fir commissioned Astoria OR 2003 - USCGC Hollyhock arrives at homeport of Port Huron MI for first time 2003 - Tug Sun London arrives Devonport with last RN Leander-class frigate HMS Scylla in tow 2003 - Cdr Christopher R. Van Metre, commanding officer of the submarine Hartford, based in Groton, Conn., and his boss, Capt. Greg Parker, commodore of Submarine Squadron 22, were fired for loss of confidence after the Hartford ran aground off the coast of Italy on Oct. 25 2004 - Government of Canada awarded a $69.7 million contract to Victoria Shipyards for the construction of six training vessels to be used for basic naval training. These vessels, to be designated the ORCA class training vessels will replace the YAG training vessels 2004 - The ROK Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries reported on Thursday that a car-ferry service between Korea’s Gunsan and China’s Qingdao resumes after more than a year of suspension 2004 - A fisherman died Monday after his boat collided with a South Korean freighter in the sea off Awaji Island, Hyogo Prefecture 2004 - A Chinese fishing vessel was seized for violating South Korea's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the Mokpo Maritime Police said. It said the 120-ton vessel with a pennant number of 3618 was caught for operating 3.5 nautical miles within waters administered by South Korea. The ship was seized by a patrol boat 25 nautical miles west of the island of Hongdo in the Yellow Sea 2004 - HMC Ships Athabaskan, St John’s, Halifax and Toronto, that formed part of Task Group 301.1, departed from their anchorages in Bedford Basin to rendezvous with the remainder of the Task Group including HMC Ships Glace Bay, Shawinigan, Moncton, Kingston, Goose Bay, as well as USS Carr and USS Cape St George. Shortly afterwards, five ships from the Standing Naval Force Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT), including HMCS Ville De Quebec, under the command of Commodore Leon Bruin of the Royal Netherlands Navy, also left Halifax. The ships were to participate in Combat Readiness Operations (CRO), one of the largest exercises led by the Canadian Navy in the last decade and the largest grouping of Canadian ships since Operation Apollo 2005 - CHC Helicopter Corporation ("CHC") awarded a five-year contract renewal by ConocoPhillips (U.K.) Limited for the provision of helicopter services in support of its Southern North Sea operations. The service will utilize a dedicated Sikorsky S76C, plus additional flight hours from the CHC pool of medium aircraft and is valued at approximately CDN $40million over the fixed five-year term. The contract commences immediately 2005 - Sea Launch Company today successfully delivered the Inmarsat-4 (I-4) communications satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO). Early data indicate the spacecraft is in excellent condition. A Zenit-3SL vehicle lifted off at 0607 PST (1407 GMT), from the Odyssey Launch Platform, positioned at 154 degrees West Longitude. All systems performed nominally throughout the flight. The Block DM-SL upper stage inserted the 5,958 kg (13,108 lb.) satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit, on its way to a final orbital position of 53 degrees West Longitude. A ground station at Lake Cowichan BC acquired the first signal from the satellite less than 25 minutes after spacecraft separation, as planned 2005 - The Portuguese Navy and Post Office unveil four stamps dedicated to naval history 2005 - Hercules Offshore, Inc., a jack-up drilling and liftboat contractor, today completed the previously disclosed acquisition of a fleet of eight liftboats from Danos & Curole Marine Contractors, LLC for $44 million. Three of the acquired liftboats have leg lengths ranging from 130 to 230 feet and are located in the US Gulf of Mexico. These liftboats are currently operating under short-term contracts. A fourth liftboat located in the Gulf of Mexico was damaged during Hurricane Katrina and its condition is being evaluated. The remaining four liftboats, which have leg lengths ranging from 130 to 170 feet, are currently operating in Nigeria. Danos & Curole will continue to operate these four vessels under an operating agreement until Hercules has established its own operations in Nigeria. This operating agreement expires in September 2006, and can be terminated earlier by Hercules upon 30 days' notice to Danos & Curole 2005 - At 0308, Falmouth Coastguard received a distress signal from a 406 MHz Epirb from a yacht in a position 270 miles out in the Atlantic. Falmouth Coastguard, in close liaison with the French and other search and rescue authorities in other countries, immediately got to work to identify what other ships or vessels were nearby to assist, and what search and rescue units were best placed to assist the two people on this yacht. The yacht Orange Project with two people on board capsized whilst taking part in the Transat Jacques Vabre from Le Havre to Brazil. The yacht Foncia taking part in the same race also capsized in a position approximately 30 miles from the Orange Project. The dismasted yacht Sodebo is under tow by a French fishing vessel to Brest The two crew of Swiss nationality from the Orange Project have now been rescued by a French helicopter. The crew of an Irish national and a Frenchman from the yacht 'Foncia' have also been rescued and all four persons are accounted for 2005 - The Coastguard tug, Anglian Earl, is currently on route to tanker Sten Odin which has broken down 39 miles south west of Sumburgh Head. The tug is expected on scene at about midday. The Norwegian registered vessel, with 16 crew onboard, is drifting north east at a rate of two knots. It has a mixed cargo of 8494 tons of gas oil and Jet A1 (aviation fuel) 2005 - Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre today announced the appointments of Mr. Kenneth Harry Crosby Barlow and Mr. Donald Ferster both of Port Alberni, British Columbia, to the board of directors of the Port Alberni Port Authority. Kenneth Harry Crosby Barlow graduated from Gordon Bell High School in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He served as chair of the Alberni-Clayoquot Development Corporation, director of the Alberni-Clayoquot Economic Development Corporation and director of the Alberni Chamber of Commerce. He has been the owner/operator of Barlow’s Home Entertainment Center since 1969. Donald Ferster has been a lifetime resident of Port Alberni, British Columbia. He was director of the Alberni-Clayoquot Economic Development Corporation and president of the Gyro Club of the Albernis. He is the owner of Twin Travel and Jim’s Clothes Closet and has been a business owner in the Alberni valley for more than 20 years 2005 - National Transportation Safety Board Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker today said the nation's passenger ferries need aggressive safety management systems. He encouraged ship owners and operators to use a safety management system to resolve safety problems before casualties or incidents occur, rather than to simply comply with regulations imposed from outside 2005 - Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre today announced the appointment of Michael Berry of Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, to the board of directors of the Pacific Pilotage Authority. “I am very pleased that Mr. Berry has agreed to serve in this leadership role,” said Mr. Lapierre. Michael Berry has an undergraduate degree from McGill University, with honors in economics and political science, and completed his graduate studies in international relations, also at McGill. He has served as Canada’s High Commissioner to Singapore, Ambassador to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris, and High Commissioner to Australia. He has also been a member of the board of directors of the BC Center for International Education and of the Nanaimo Port Authority. He currently works as a consultant with Berry & Associates 2005 - The International Longshoremen's Association, AFL-CIO is pleased that two of its officers, Harold J. Daggett and Arthur Coffey, have been cleared of any wrongdoing in a case brought by the US Department of Justice. The ILA notes that through the criminal indictment of three ILA officers in this case, plus the filing of a Civil RICO case against the entire International last July, our government has chosen to perpetuate an outdated image of the ILA while ignoring long standing efforts by the ILA leaders to strengthen union members' rights and to eradicate any unlawful conduct 2005 - US Fish & Wildlife, CropLife America and Ducks Unlimited officials tour an area of Willapa Bay, Washington where precision applicators of herbicide are helping combat a noxious weed threatening to take over the 80,000 acre estuary 2005 - East Mediterranean 2005 Exercise, which is one of the regular exercises of the Turkish Navy, will be performed between Nov. 10-18. Turkish Admiral Nusret Guner and commanders of allied ships, which would join the exercise, met Izmir Governor Oguz Kagan Koksal today. Admiral Guner indicated that the exercise would be executed in Aegean and Mediterranean Sea. The exercise will start on Nov. 10th. Adm. Guner added that surface ships and submarines from Spain, France and Germany (belonging to NATO Standing NRF Maritime Group 2 SNMG-2) would also join the exercise of Turkish Navy 2005 - Seven bodies were found after a cargo ship sank in the Yellow Sea near Changhai County in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province. Twelve people are still missing. The cargo ship, the Liaopuyun-777, overturned while it was being unloaded at a berth at Haiyang Island at about 1900. All but one of the 46 people on board fell into the sea. 27 of them were rescued. The chief engineer of the ship was trapped in the vessel, where his body was eventually found. Seven crewmembers, including the chief engineer, were on board at the time. The other six survived. The cargo ship was carrying passengers at the time because the ferry service between Pikou Port and Haiyang Island Port had been suspended for two days due to mechanical problems. This prompted some passengers to take the cargo ship instead as it was heading for the island, according to loaders at Pikou Port. The ship is owned by Shunda Shipping Company based in Pulandian, Liaoning Province. It was loaded with 77.6 tons of cargo, less than its designed capacity of 95 tons. Haiyang Island is a remote islet in Changhai County in east Dalian with about 6,000 residents 2005 - USS John S McCain received the James F Chezek Memorial Gunnery Award for achieving the highest score (99.2) in the Pacific Fleet during the ship's March 2005 Naval Surface Fire Support (NSFS) qualification. The award was established in memory of Army Cpl James F Chezek, who was killed while storming Heartbreak Ridge in 1950, and is given out to the Pacific Fleet ship that receives the highest score on their NSFS qualification. The award is presented to Atlantic Fleet ships during even numbered years and Pacific Fleet ships during odd numbered years 2005 - A RIM-7 NATO Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missile launched from the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise during a missile attack simulation. The RIM-7 Sea Sparrow is a medium-range, rapid-reaction, missile weapon system that provides the capability of destroying hostile aircraft, anti-ship missiles and surface missile platforms. Enterprise and embarked Carrier Air Wing One (CVW-1) are currently underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting Tailored Ship's Training Availability (TSTA) 2006 - USCG cited the fishing vessel Margaret Anne II for fishing without a US master and other violations during a boarding conducted in the US Exclusive Economic Zone east of Belford NJ 2006 - Destroyer Qingdao and a supply ship return to Qingdao from North America cruise 2006 - HRH Prince Joachim of Denmark visits NATO Headquarters where he will meet the Secretary General, Mr. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer 2006 - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, architect of an unpopular war in Iraq, intends to resign after six stormy years at the Pentagon 2006 - A day after Jacksonville voters said they don’t want Navy jets to return there, Virginia and the City of Virginia Beach announced two lawsuits to ensure that the fighters stay. The state and city filed suits over the Base Realignment and Closure Commission’s ultimatum that could move the jet base at Oceana Naval Air Station to Cecil Field in Jacksonville. One lawsuit, against Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, argues that BRAC had no right to move Navy jets from Virginia Beach to Cecil Field, which is no longer a military installation 2006 - An oil pipeline leak at an electricity plant in Aliveri, central Greece, caused an 800-square-meter oil spill off the island of Evia. Floating barriers to contain the spill, while two private crews helped to clean up the spill. The pipeline was repaired immediately, the ministry added 2006 - Islamist fighters who control a large area of southern Somalia stormed a ship hijacked by pirates and recovered it overnight. The seizure is the first delivery by the Islamists on a promise to stamp out rampant piracy in the shipping lanes along its coast, the longest in Africa 2006 - Holland America Line will name its new 2,044-passenger Signature-class ship, ms Eurodam. To be delivered in summer 2008, the new Eurodam marks Holland America Line's next class of vessels and the largest ever constructed for the premium line. With an estimated all-in cost of $450 million, the new 86,000-ton Panamax Eurodam will be built at Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard 2006 - Jiangnan Shipyard held a ceremony for the release of its first ship built for the Denmark-based Maersk Line. Shanghai Vice Mayor Yan Junqi was a special guest at the ceremony 2006 - The Armed Forces Act 2006 received Royal Assent. The Act harmonizes and streamlines the discipline systems of the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force 2006 - USS Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) successfully transited the Suez Canal Nov. 8, concluding operations in the US Naval Forces Central Command/US 5th Fleet area of operations (AOR) 2006 - Commander of the US Seventh Fleet, Vice-Admiral (VADM) Doug Crowder, called on Minister for Defense Teo Chee Hean at the Ministry of Defense. VADM Crowder is on an introductory visit to Singapore from 5 to 10 Nov 2006 - New paint floats are in the water at Pearl Harbor ready to help Sailors make getting their ships and submarines painted out a much easier and safer task 2006 - Members of the EA-18G Growler program and EA-6B Prowler’s Improved Capabilities III (ICAP III) project jointly received the 2006 David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award 2007 - Secretary General of NATO Jaap de Hoop Scheffer visited Helsinki 2007 - North Korea expressed gratitude to the United States for helping one of its ships repel pirates, the latest sign of improving relations between the longtime foes as the North scales back its nuclear program 2007 - Australian Dept of Defence and US Navy signed a MoU which sets out governing arrangements for a joint military communications ground station near Geraldton, Western Australia. The joint ground station will support the USN’s Mobile User Objective System (MUOS), which is a satellite-based mobile phone network designed to support US and Australian military users, including deployed forces. The signing of this MoU completes a process that was first approved by the Government on 5 December 2005 2007 - The launch of the UKNDA (UK National Defense Assn) was a very successful event, held at the Cabinet War Rooms, The Churchill Museum, Westminster 2007 - Supreme Court upheld a ruling by top prosecutors refusing to exonerate Russia's last tsar, Nicholas II, and his family 2007 - A conference in Ha Noi to launch the implementation of an agreement on border defense cooperation between Viet Nam and China. It was chaired by Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh and Border Defence Commander Lieut. Gen. Tang Hue. The agreement stipulates basic principles on the coordinating relationship, information regulations and the responsibility of the two countries’ border protection and management forces 2007 - United States, Egypt, Spain, Germany, France, Greece, Great Britain, Kuwait, Jordan, Holland, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Yemen and Italy in Egypt for Exercise Bright Star 2007 Copyright 2008 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: 778-338-4073 Fax: 778-338-4074 Read our Maritime Mishap Blog Manage your subscription