SeaWaves Today in History November 14, 2008 1736 - Father Emmanuel Crespel shipwrecked on Anticosti Island 1778 - Russian admiral, navigator and the first explorer of Antarctica, Mikhail Lazarev, born 1846 - Naval forces capture Tampico, Mexico 1851 - Herman Melville's novel ''Moby Dick'' was published 1905 - Nicholas II and the empress made the acquaintance of Grigory Rasputin, a saint- adventurer, at a tea party 1909 - Captain Joshua Slocum (1844-1909) was lost at sea while sailing on a single-handed voyage. Joshua Slocum was born on 20 February 1844 and was raised at Westport on Brier Island, Nova Scotia. Slocum was a sailing ship's captain, explorer, and author. He was the first man to sail single-handed around the world. Slocum was unable to adjust to the change to motorized shipping and was somewhat of a relic of the sailing era. In his later life he lived in the United States. Slocum first went to sea at the age of 16 and served in merchant ships to Europe and the Far East. His books include Voyage of the Liberdade (1890), Voyage of the Destroyer (1894), and Sailing Alone Around the World (1900), which describes his epic 75,000-km voyage around the globe in a 13-ton Oyster-class sloop, Spray, from 1895 to 1898. This book is still in print and is considered to be one of the classics of Canadian maritime literature 1910 - Civilian Eugene Ely pilots first aircraft to take-off from a ship, USS Birmingham at Hampton Roads, VA. He lands safely on Willoughby Spit, Norfolk, VA 1915 - Submarine HMS V2 completed 1916 - Submarine HMS K1 launched 1916 - Submarine HMS K2 launched 1917 - Drifter HMC CD 23 completed Davie Shipbuilding & Repairing Co Ltd, Lauzon PQ 1917 - Minesweeper USS Osprey laid down 1917 - A Kerensky, the head of the Provisional Government, fled Russia 1918 - Minesweeper USS Osprey launched 1918 - Destroyer USS Ringgold commissioned 1918 - Submarine HMS R7 launched 1919 - Destroyer HMS Wild Swan commissioned 1920 - Destroyer USS King launched 1929 - Destroyer HNLMS Banckert launched 1929 - Heavy cruiser FS Dupleix laid down 1930 - Destroyer HNLMS Banckert commissioned 1931 - Destroyer FS Kersaint launched 1934 - Minelayer ORP Gryf laid down 1935 - Soviet submarine SC-308 launched 1935 - U-17 launched 1935 - President Roosevelt proclaimed the Philippine Islands a free commonwealth. This was in line with much earlier promises that the Philippines, taken from old Imperial Spain at the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, would in due course be given total freedom. FDR's proclamation also pledged full independence in 1946. This was followed by the War Department's assignment of Douglas MacArthur, who had literally grown up from babyhood "to the sound of bugles", spent a lot of time in those islands and was a friend of the new Philippine president, Manuel Quezon, to return there to head up the US Army's military mission. Quezon requested that he organize an indigenous Philippine defense force. It was that force, still relatively small and only partly organized and equipped, that had to face the incoming Japanese invaders in December of 1941. Many of them became guerrillas during the occupation. Postwar, full independence indeed was given as promised -- on the Fourth of July, 1946 1936 - The hydrometeorological service was founded in the USSR 1936 - Germany renounced the international control of the Rhine, Elbe, Oder, and Danube provided in the Versailles treaty 1939 - During heavy weather, U-49's machine gun was swept off the conning tower 1939 - Destroyer FS Le Corsaire launched 1939 - Submarine HMS Tetrarch launched 1939 - Corvettes HMS Mallow, Hibiscus & Camellia laid down 1939 - Submarine HMS Thrasher laid down 1939 - Destroyer HMCS Fraser damaged in a collision with the armed trawler HMCS Bras D'Or. Fraser was under repairs until 04 Dec 39 1940 - Corvette HMS Trillium arrived Halifax from builder Montreal PQ 1940 - Minesweeper HMCS Mahone launched North Vancouver BC 1940 - Destroyers USS Hobson & Emmons laid down 1940 - Corvettes HMS Auricula & Wallflower launched 1940 - Soviet-German negotiations on the USSR joining the alliance of the fascist states failed 1941 - Minesweeper HMS Whitehaven commissioned 1941 - Minesweeper HMS Shepparton laid down 1941 - Minesweepers HMCS Clayoquot, Quinte & Ungava arrived Halifax from Esquimalt 1941 - Soviet destroyer Gordy sunk by Finnish mine while participating in the evacuation of Hangö Island in the Baltic 1941 - Soviet submarine SC-211 sunk near Cape Akburnu. All hands lost 1941 - U-561 sank SS Crusader in Convoy SC-53 1941 - Order to withdraw Marines at Shanghai, Peiping, and Tientsin, China 1941 - After sinking of Ark Royal, Mediterranean Fleet left with no carrier. Illustrious and Formidable both under repair in USA. Illustrious was repaired at Norfolk, Virginia. Among other things needed was a new ship's bell, which was duly cast there and supplied. That replacement bell, marked with where it came from, is now a feature of the Fleet Air Arm Museum at RNAS Yeovilton 1942 - U-134 sank SS Scapa Flow 1942 - U-413 sank SS Warwick Castle in Convoy MKF-1X 1942 - U-73 damaged SS Lalanded in Operation Torch 1942 - HMC ML 102 commissioned 1942 - Destroyers USS Black & Chauncey laid down 1942 - Destroyer escort USS Cannon laid down 1942 - Minesweeper HMS Lightfoot launched 1942 - Destroyer USS Bache commissioned 1942 - U-871, U-994, U-1162 laid down 1942 - U-842, U-955, U-956 launched 1942 - U-231, U-733 commissioned 1942 - U-77 rescued two badly injured crewmembers of a German aircraft from the Mediterranean 1942 - U-117 took on two ill crewmembers from U-84 1942 - U-595 sunk in the Mediterranean NE of Oran, in position 36.38N, 00.30E, by depth charges from 2 British Hudson aircraft (Sqn 608). 45 survivors (No casualties) 1942 - U-605 sunk in the Mediterranean near Algiers, in position 36.20N, 01.01W, by depth charges from a British Hudson aircraft (Sqn 233/B). 46 dead (all hands lost) 1942 - Admiral Nishimura with cruisers Suzuya, Maya & Tenryu and destroyers Yugumo, Makikumo & Kazegumo as the Support Force to Admiral Mikawa's main body of cruisers Chokai, Kinugasa and Isuzu and destroyer Arashio bombard Henderson Field with almost 1000 8 inch shells at 0130. Kinugasa is sunk by aircraft from the carrier Enterprise during their morning withdrawal. Chokai and Isuzu are damaged during this attack. They also attack Admiral Tanaka's convoy in the slot sinking 2 transports and damaging 1. An attack from Henderson Field sinks one transport. A second strike from Enterprise disables two more transports, which are abandoned. Late afternoon strikes from Henderson Field sink one transport. Lt. Col. Harold Bauer is flying escort in a Wildcat on this strike. He destroys one Zero before being shot down himself. Col. Bauer will be awarded, posthumously, the MOH for his actions in the air from Henderson Field since his arrival October 14, 1942. Losses are 5 Enterprise SBDs, 2 Cactus AF Wildcats and 13 Zeros. With darkness brings the arrival of the naval forces for Part II of The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. US forces under Admiral Willis "Ching" Lee are battleships Washington and South Dakota with 4 destroyers. Japanese forces under Admiral Kondo Nobutake are battleship Kirishima, cruisers Atago, Takao Sendai and Nagara with 9 destroyers. Lee arrives first about 2200 and radios Henderson Field for last minute intelligence. There are no preplanned radio codes, so Lee is forced to radio "Cactus, this is Lee. Tell your boss 'Ching" Lee is here and wants the latest information." PT boats from Tulagi are spotted moving in. Lee radios "Refer your big boss about Ching Lee; Chinese, catchee? Call off your boys!" Henderson Field has no new information for him. Meanwhile Kondo, north of Savo Island, splits his force with 1 cruiser and 3 destroyers heading east of Savo and the bombardment force west. At 2316 Washington opens fire at 18,500 yards followed a minute later by South Dakota. Their targets are the ships east of Savo. Several reports reach Admiral Kondo identifying the US ships as battleships; Kondo does not believe them. By 2358 lookouts on cruiser Atago (flagship) re-identify the South Dakota as a cruiser. At 2359 they recognize their error, but Kondo still hesitates. Japanese "Long Lance" torpedoes are launched. At midnight, Atago's searchlights open on South Dakota and Kondo is convinced about her size. This time the Japanese torpedoes miss, but she is hit with 27 shells. The damage topside knocked out all radios, most radar and control crew. Washington now takes Kirishima under fire. South Dakota pulls out of the fight to concentrate on damage control. The Japanese lose Kirishima and 1 destroyer; the US loses 3 destroyers (Benham, Walke & Preston) with damage to South Dakota and destroyer Gwin. Admiral Tanaka's convoy, with 4 remaining transports, is ordered to beach themselves on Guadalcanal 1943 - U-636 laid 24 mines in the Yugor Strait, Arctic Sea, but without result 1943 - Submarines USS Barbel & Cavalla launched 1943 - Submarine HMS Anchorite laid down 1943 - Submarine HMS Statesman launched 1943 - Submarine HMS Amphion laid down 1943 - Minesweeper USS Gayety laid down 1943 - Frigates USS Brownsville & bath launched 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Bronstein, O'Neill & Roberts launched 1943 - Destroyers USS McGowan & McNair launched 1943 - Minesweeper USS Shelter launched 1943 - U-794 commissioned 1943 - A destroyer accidentally fires a torpedo at battleship USS Iowa with President Franklin Roosevelt on board. It exploded by chance in Iowa's wake 1944 - Corvette HMCS Morden departed Londonderry 1944 - Tug HMCS Glenfield commissioned 1944 - Minesweeper HMS Welcome launched 1944 - Minesweeper HMS Wave commissioned 1944 - Destroyer USS Drexler commissioned 1944 - U-3034, U-4706 laid down 1944 - Carrier aircraft attack Japanese shipping in Philippines sinking five ships & damaging one 1945 - Escort carrier USS Badoeng Strait commissioned 1945 - Submarine HMS Ace launched at Devonport Dockyard. Never completed; scrapped 1950 1952 - Destroyer HMCS Terra Nova laid down Victoria BC 1956 - Minesweeper HMCS Digby paid off & scrapped 1957 - Minesweeper HMS Mary Rose (ex-HMCS Toronto) arrived Dorkin, Gateshead for scrap 1957 - Frigate HMCS Swansea recommissioned after modernization 1963 - USCG air-surface rescue craft responded immediately when the freighter Fernview and the tanker Dynafuel collided in Buzzards Bay. While helicopters removed the injured aboard the stricken ships, surface craft extinguished the fires. These Coast Guard units had completed the evacuation of all aboard the disabled vessels before the Dynafuel capsized and sank 1967 - USS Ranger port call Yokosuka 1967 - USS Constellation port call Subic Bay 1968 - USS Constellation port call Subic Bay 1989 - Submarine HMS Unseen launched Cammel Laird Birkenhead UK 1990 - Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney authorized activation of 72,500 more military reservists, taking the first step toward fulfilling President Bush's decision to deploy up to 200,000 additional troops in the Middle East. The Navy's authorization ceiling was raised from 6,300 to 10,000 2002 - Frigate HMCS St John's arrives St John's NF enroute Halifax from Operation Apollo 2002 - HMS Sheffield decommissioned at Devonport; last Batch II Type 22 frigate in RN service 2003 - Command ship USS Coronado has partial conversion to MSC status with civil service mariners now filling many shipboard duties 2003 - Chinese and Indian naval forces conducted a joint search and rescue exercise off the coast of Shanghai in the East China Sea, a first for both countries 2004 - A gas canister blew up inside Russian Delta III-class strategic nuclear submarine K-223 moored in Russia’s Far East Kamchatcka region, killing one sailor who apparently managed to prevent a far greater catastrophe 2004 - Ships from the USS Saipan Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG), several units of NATO's Standing Naval Force Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT), and a variety of aircraft successfully completed a live-fire exercise, sinking ex-USS Hayler and ex-RV Gosport 2005 - Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) holds a press conference to announce that she has succeeded in her fight to fully fund the Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS), headquartered at Northrop Grumman's Oceanic and Naval Systems, at $147.5 million this year. This money will fund continued research, development, testing and evaluation of the ASDS technology and purchase a second ASDS vehicle. ASDS is a submarine that delivers Navy SEALs to essential areas and is a first-of-its-kind, state-of-the-art vehicle. The project brings more than 200 jobs and $100 million to the area each year 2005 - CNOOC Limited today announced the successful completion of BZ19-4N-2D, an appraisal well drilled in Bohai Bay. BZ19-4N-2D, located on Structure BZ 19-4N on Block 11/19, was drilled in 23 meters of water to a total depth of 2,390 meters. Drilling of BZ19-4N-2D was commenced in August 2005. The well encounters 98.5 meters of pay zones. Two drill stem tests (DST) were conducted in two intervals. During the tests, the well flew about 770 barrels of oil per day and 0.15 million cubic feet of gas through a 7.94-mm choke 2005 - MSC Cruises confirmed to ALSTOM a contract for the construction of two 1650 cabin cruise ships, following a letter of intent signed in June this year. These new liners will be among the largest ever ordered by a cruise-ship owner, with a length of 333 meters and a width of 38 meters. They will each have a capacity of up to 3887 passengers and more than 1300 crewmembers. The first ship will be delivered in spring 2008 and the second in spring 2009. They will be built in the shipyard of Chantiers de l’Atlantique (France), a subsidiary of ALSTOM 2005 - Representative of the ancient Ainu nation living in Japan laid claim to the South Kurile Islands and demanded that Moscow and Tokyo stop the talks on whom the Islands belong to. They forwarded their protest statement to the Japanese foreign ministry and to the Russian embassy in Japan. The statement says that “the four Kurile Islands belong neither to Japan nor to Russia,” and that they have been inhabited by the Ainu people since time immemorial. They suggested that the Ainu people should be allowed to freely visit the South Kurile Islands, with a view to turning them into an autonomous area of the Ainu nation in the future. Scientists believe that several thousand years ago the Ainu ethnic group inhabited the whole of Japan, the lower reaches of the Amur River, the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Sakhalin and Kurile Islands. In the 17th century, however, the Ainus were driven away from about all their territories, with the exception of the northernmost regions of Japan. After the Kurile Islands became part of the Soviet Union as a result of the Second World War, about all the Ainus voluntarily moved to Hokkaido, although they were not to be deported, unlike the Japanese. At present the numerical strength of those “Japanese Injuns” is a little over 20,000 2005 - The Navy’s next generation airborne electronic attack aircraft, designated the EA-18G, has officially received the popular name “Growler.” The Navy sent a request to the Air Force to officially confirm the name in October 2003. Air Force Headquarters Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, sent a memorandum confirming the name Oct. 12 of this year. The EA-18G has been informally referred to as the Growler for some time. An aircraft or vessel’s popular name aids in communication and media references, according to joint service instructions. The official confirmation of a common name for an aircraft follows a process governed by the Defense Department and managed by Air Force Headquarters. Following a request from the F/A-18 and EA-18G program office (PMA-265) at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., fleet officers selected possible names. In this case the EA-6B Commodore queried squadron officers who chose Growler as their first choice out of a list of over thirty candidates. The name seems to be a composite of the Growler’s electronic attack predecessor, the EA-6B popularly known as the Prowler, and the “G” designation in EA-18G 2005 - A stash of old chemical weapons found earlier this year on the ocean floor west of Vancouver Island is probably not a health hazard, says the Canadian military. The dump site in deep water about 160 kilometers off the BC coast is unlikely to pose a threat to human health, says Chris Hough, who heads the chemical and biological weapons disposal project at the Department of National Defense 2005 - Captain Krylov, master of the Bahamian registered cargo vessel Belgian Reefer prosecuted for a contravention of the rules of the Dover Strait Traffic Separation Scheme and fined £2,500 plus £2,500 costs at Dover Magistrates Court. On the afternoon of the 15th October 2005, the Belgian Reefer refrigerated cargo vessel was proceeding in the correct manner up the North East lane of the Dover Straits traffic separation scheme (the "Dover TSS) on a passage from Ceuta in North Africa to Sheerness in Kent. The conduct of a vessel in a traffic separation scheme such as the Dover TSS is governed by Rule 10 of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. These rules require vessels that cross the traffic lanes to do so at right angles. A common crossing point of the South West lane is in the vicinity of the MPC buoy, with the appropriate course to adopt in order to cross at right angles being about 315 degrees. The Master's passage plan should have, but did not, contain a further waypoint providing for the crossing of the South West lane of the Dover TSS at right angles. At 1352 UTC the vessel entered the South West lane of the Dover TSS on a course, as per their passage plan, of approximately 356 degrees, which was not at right angles to cross the South West Lane. At approximately 1358 UTC, the Dover Coastguard made contact with the 'Belgian Reefer' and pointed out that the vessel's course was in contravention of the Regulations, and that the vessel was standing in to danger. This latter warning was given as the vessel was on a collision course / at close quarters with 3 other vessels proceeding correctly in the South West lane. The `Belgian Reefer' dealt with that situation by altering course to starboard, although this then meant she was proceeding directly against the flow of traffic in the South West lane 2005 - Newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said he would tackle defense industry in his new post while still handling his duties as Russia's defense minister. He said that his new duties had not been outlined yet. Ivanov was appointed deputy prime minister while retaining his post as defense minister 2005 - The Commander of the United States Pacific Command (Commander PACOM), Admiral William Fallon, called on Minister for Defense Mr Teo Chee Hean at the Ministry of Defense today. ADM Fallon is on his official introductory visit to Singapore from 14 to 15 Nov 2005. ADM Fallon was appointed Commander PACOM on 26 February this year. ADM Fallon also called on Chief of Defense Force Lieutenant-General Ng Yat Chung earlier today at the Ministry of Defense. He will call on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong at the Istana later that evening. ADM Fallon's visit underscores the excellent defense relationship between the US and Singapore. The Singapore Armed Forces and US PACOM interact extensively through visits, bilateral and multilateral exercises, and professional exchanges. Such visits have served to enhance the professionalism and interoperability between the two armed forces, as well as the rapport and friendship between their personnel 2005 - GulfMark Inc. announced it has reached an agreement to build six new 10,700 BHP Anchor Handling, Tug Supply (AHTS) vessels for a total cost of approximately $140 million. The vessels are of a new design developed with the builder and incorporate Dynamic Positioning 2 (DP-2certification) and have a large carrying capacity anticipated to be in excess of 2,700 tons. Keppel Singmarine Pte, Ltd. will build the vessels in Southeast Asia, with the first vessel to be delivered in the third quarter of 2007 followed by one each quarter thereafter until the final delivery in the third quarter of 2008 2005 - Quintana Maritime Limited announced that it took delivery of its second Capesize bulk carrier on November 11, 2005. The vessel, named Kirmar, was built in 2001 by China Shipbuilding Corporation in Taiwan and has a carrying capacity of 165,500 deadweight tons (dwt). The purchase price of the vessel was approximately $68.4 million, of which Quintana had previously advanced the sellers a cash deposit of $6.85 million, or 10% of the aggregate purchase price of the vessel 2005 - Myanmar's new administrative capital in Pyinmana will be named Nay Pyi Daw (resting place of the King) Myinmana is a city in the Mandalay area on the bank of Irrawaddy river, north of Yangoon. Mandalay is the ancient capital of Myanmar from 1860-1885. The Myanmar government has recently decided to move all ministries to Pyinmana. There is no official reason, but Myanmar officials said that Pyinmana is a more favorable place for the country's demands 2005 - Boeing today teamed with the Missile Defense Agency to begin the transport operation of the Sea-Based X-Band Radar (SBX) from the Gulf of Mexico via the Straits of Magellan. A component of the Missile Defense Agency’s Ground-Based Midcourse Defense program, the SBX will provide tracking, discrimination and hit assessment functions. Prior to its departure on its journey around the tip of South America, the SBX was located at a Corpus Christi, Texas shipyard. The SBX will be transported into the Pacific Ocean aboard a heavy transport vessel, the Motor Vessel Blue Marlin, which is owned and operated by Dockwise Shipping BV of Breda, The Netherlands. The final destination for the SBX is Adak, Alaska, a small island located in the Aleutian Island chain 2005 - A major investigation is underway after a routine ferry crossing to Lewis turned into a 16 hour ordeal for passengers on board CalMac Ro/Ro Muirneag (5801 grt, built 1979). One passenger had to be airlifted off the vessel with head injuries and thousands of pounds of damage was caused to vehicles when Muirneag was caught in horrendous conditions and 50 foot waves. Passengers say the Ullapool to Stornoway crossing took a 16 hours in the storm, with the vessel ending up 60 miles off course. It has been claimed thousands of pounds of damage was caused to a number of vehicles on board during the crossing. One 22-year-old man had to be airlifted from the ferry by the Stornoway Coastguard helicopter after he was thrown across a room, striking his head. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency today confirmed it had launched an investigation into the lashing down of vehicles on board Muirneag. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch and Health and Safety Executive have also been informed 2005 - The Port of Felixstowe has taken delivery of one ship-to-shore gantry crane and nine rubber-tired gantry cranes from Zhenhua Port Machinery Co in Shanghai. The cranes were transported, fully erected, by sea from China, a journey that took nine weeks. On arrival in Felixstowe their special braces were removed and they were checked to see if any modifications were needed. It is anticipated that the cranes will be operating by the end of the year following full commissioning tests. The new RTGs are capable of lifting one container over five and can straddle seven rows of containers. The ship-to-shore crane can handle containers stowed 22 wide and can twin-lift containers up to a weight of 85 tonnes. Its arrival increases the number in operation at Trinity terminal to 25 2005 - HMCS Montreal will lead naval exercises off the Atlantic seaboard this week, serving as flagship for an operation called CANFLEETOPS. HMC ships Fredericton, Ville de Quebec, Glace Bay, Shawinigan and Moncton also left Halifax on Monday for the 12-day exercise designed to test the navy’s response to various warfare scenarios. The Victoria-class submarine HMCS Windsor will also take part, as will several Sea King helicopters and Aurora patrol planes from both the east and west coasts. In addition to testing battle tactics and skills, the exercise also serves as the final training assessment for the operations room officer course and the information management director course 2005 - The Chinese government has decided to invest 50 million yuan (US$6.2 million) to protect cultural relics along the routes of the gigantic south-to-north water diversion project, the office in charge of the project said on Monday. A total of 45 cultural relic sites will be protected along the eastern and middle routes, including seven in Beijing, six in northern Hebei Province, 11 in central Henan Province, four in central Hubei Province, seven in eastern Shandong Province, and 10 in eastern Jiangsu Province, said Yuan Songling, an official from the office. Two of the sites are under national level protection such as the Great Wall remains of the Yan State in the Warring States Period (BC 475-BC 221), and four are under provincial level protection, according to Yuan. The office has formulated principles to govern the investigation, implementation, examination, filing of reports, and the publication of those reports, Yuan said. It will also promulgate detailed provisions on the protection of cultural relics along the route, he said. The south-north water diversion project consists of three canals, each running more than 1,200 kilometers across the eastern, central and western parts of the country. Two canals will affect a large number of precious cultural relics as they pass through the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. The State Administration of Cultural Heritage says that at least 788 cultural heritage sites will be affected by the project; and many experts are concerned about the inevitable damage to the relics during construction 2005 - Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to India of logistics support for two leased P-3C aircraft as well as associated equipment and services. The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $133 million. The Government of India has requested a possible sale of logistics support for two leased P-3C aircraft. Also included are training devices, support and test equipment, engineering technical services, supply support, operation and maintenance training, documentation, spare/repair parts, publications, personnel training, training equipment, contractor technical and logistics personnel services, and other related support elements 2005 - Commercial fishermen unloaded 886.4 million pounds of fish and shellfish at the port of Dutch Harbor-Unalaska, Alaska, last year, making it the country’s top port for landings in 2004, the NOAA Fisheries Service announced today. The port of New Bedford, Mass., claimed the top spot for value of landings, bringing in $206.5 million in 2004. The total domestic commercial landings for 2004 were 9.6 billion pounds, valued at $3.7 billion dollars. This is the 16th consecutive year that Dutch Harbor-Unalaska has held the top landings position, according to NOAA Fisheries Service. Total fish and shellfish landings there were down 21.7 million pounds from the record 2003 level of 908.7 million pounds, due to a decrease in groundfish catch. Reedville, Va., moved into the number two position with 400.5 million pounds, up from 375.3 million pounds in 2003. Empire-Venice, La. fell to third at 379.0 million pounds, down from 400 million pounds in 2003. The value of landings at New Bedford was up $30.3 million from 2003, due to a 35 percent increase in sea scallop catch. This was the fifth year in a row that the dollar value of landings at New Bedford increased. Dutch Harbor-Unalaska was ranked second in value of landings at $155.0 million, a decrease of $1.9 million from 2003. Hampton Roads Area, Va. brought in $100.6 million in 2004, an increase of $21.6 million, landing the third-highest value spot. The port of Dutch Harbor-Unalaska holds the records for both quantity and value of landings. In 2003, commercial fishermen there caught 908.7 million pounds of fish and shellfish. The record for value was set in 1994, when the port raked in $224.1 million from landings 2005 - While patrolling in the Caribbean Sea near the Greater Antilles islands, USS Samuel B. Roberts, with its embarked helicopter detachment, rescued seven sailors adrift in a fishing vessel. The sailors had been adrift for three days. The ship took its action based on the principle of Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS): ships that come across another vessel apparently in distress are by law and custom required to lend assistance. The Venezuelan-flagged fishing vessel, Dona Malula, was found to have a broken propulsion shaft that could not be repaired at sea by Samuel B. Roberts’ Sailors. On further investigation, the vessel was found to also have a 20-inch crack in the hull that was letting in water faster than could be pumped out. At the request of the ship’s master, the Commanding Officer of Samuel B. Roberts, Cmdr. Bernard M. Gately Jr., directed the ship’s Rescue and Assistance Team to rescue the fishing vessel sailors by transporting them to his own ship for a medical evaluation and further assistance. The ship’s master and his crew then embarked Samuel B. Roberts. Gately then directed that the ship be reported as a hazard to navigation so no other ship would be endangered if the ship did not sink on its own. Samuel B. Roberts is an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate homeported in Mayport, Fla. She currently has embarked Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (Light) (HSL) 42, also out of Mayport 2005 - In a first for the US Navy, an underwater glider was launched with the aid of Navy divers from the Dry Deck Shelter aboard USS Buffalo. The glider is a uniquely mobile network component capable of moving to specific locations and depths and gathering various information, which is transmitted on a predetermined interval when it surfaces to computers via a built-in satellite phone 2006 - Five more Ghost Ships from moorings in three separate US states will soon be bound for the breaking yard. MARAD announced that with this transaction, the agency has dispatched 25 vessels, nearly doubling its commitment to Congress to remove at least 13 ships from the reserve fleet roles in 2006. The ships set for recycling include the Vulcan, a former Navy repair ship built in 1941, which will leave the James River site to be dismantled at Bay Bridge Enterprises at Chesapeake, Virginia under a $494,000 contract; two vessels from Suisun Bay, California - the Queens Victory, a 1945-vintage Victory Ship, which will go to Esco Marine of Brownsville, Texas, under terms of a contract work $1.2M, and Jason, a Navy repair ship built in 1943, which will go to Marine Metal, of Brownsville, to be dismantled at a cost of $1.4M; and the two ships from Beaumont, Texas will go to Esco Marine - Maumee, a tanker built in 1956, will be dismantled at a cost of $405,726, and Maryland, a container ship built in 1963, will be dismantled for $400,000. The companies have up to 45 days to remove the ships from the fleet sites 2006 - Norsk Hydro is faced with a repair bill and has closed down a Norwegian Sea oil field after a shuttle tanker collided with the Njord storage vessel. The Oslo-listed energy and metals group has shut down 30,000 barrels of oil equivalent daily production after 1999-built Navion Hispania (126,749 dwt) hit Hydro’s own Njord B floating storage and offloading ship. The storage ship was struck aft during crude loading operations in the Norwegian Sea, damaging a lifeboat and winch 2006 - Coast Guard hoisted two people off a disabled vessel after it went adrift near Bandon OR 2006 - Navy divers probed the murky Hudson River to figure out how to free the USS Intrepid from the mud that has stranded the World War II ship at its Manhattan pier. The six divers, who could barely see more than 2 feet through the dark water, also were surveying the aircraft carrier's hull for any damage from last week's aborted attempt to tug the ship, now a museum, to New Jersey for renovation. Crews are working around the clock to remove the mud, including digging a 35-foot trench on one side of the ship, according to Peter Shugert, a spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers, which is assisting the Navy 2006 - At a hearing at Southampton Magistrates Court the owners of a ferry pleaded guilty under UK maritime pollution legislation. They were fined £15,000 plus costs of £9,373.27. On the morning of 11th August 2004, a French customs helicopter was conducting a routine patrol in the English Channel when it observed an oil slick. The aircraft followed the oil slick and found it to be coming from the French ro-ro ferry MV Dieppe. At the time of the sighting Dieppe was approximately 8.5 nautical miles south-south-east of Beach Head. Photographs were taken and a report made to the MCA. The incident occurred in UK waters 2006 - Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Mullen announced the following flag officer assignments: Rear Adm. (sel.) Raymond A. Spicer is being assigned as director, White House Military Office, Washington, D.C. Spicer is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group 12, Norfolk, Va. Rear Adm. Douglas J. McAneny is being assigned as commander, Submarine Group 7, Yokosuka, Japan. McAneny is currently serving as deputy director, J5 Politico-Military Affairs (Europe, NATO, Russia, Africa), Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. Rear Adm. Charles E. Smith is being assigned as vice commander, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, San Diego. Smith is currently serving as assistant commander for Acquisition, AIR 1.0, Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md 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. 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