SeaWaves Today in History November 20, 2008 1620 - Peregrine White was born aboard the Mayflower in Massachusetts Bay - the first child born of English parents in present-day New England 1759 - Admiral Sir Edward Hawke won his great victory at Quiberon Bay. Bad weather had forced Hawke to suspend his blockade of the French fleet under the Comte de Conflans in Brest. Conflans seized the chance to put to sea to rendezvous with an invasion fleet assembling in Quiberon Bay. Hawke pursued, but Conflans hoped that, without local knowledge, he would not dare to follow him in amidst the treacherous rocks of the Bay during a gale. Hawke followed him. A ferocious action was fought in appalling conditions, with collision between ships proving particularly common. Two Royal Navy ships - Essex and Resolution - were wrecked on the Four Shoal, but eleven of the French fleet of 21 were captured or sunk 1856 - CDR Andrew H. Foote lands at Canton, China, with 287 Sailors and Marines to stop attacks by Chinese on US military and civilians 1906 - Submarine HMS C5 launched 1906 - Submarine HMS C6 launched 1915 - Cruiser HMAS Adelaide laid down 1917 - Submarine HMS H33, H34 & H47 laid down 1917 - Destroyer USS Conway laid down 1917 - USS Kanawha, Noma and Wakiva sink German sub off France 1918 - Minesweeper USS Vireo laid down 1918 - Destroyers USS Dahlgren, Goldsborough & Jacob Jones launched 1918 - Tug HMCS Deschaillons paid off 1919 - Battleship USS California launched 1923 - Submarine USS S-40 commissioned 1932 - Submarine ORP Zbik commissioned 1933 - Soviet submarine SC-106 commissioned 1933 - Navy crew (LCDR Thomas G. W. Settle, USN, and MAJ Chester I. Fordney, USMC) sets a world altitude record in balloon (62,237 ft.) in flight into stratosphere 1934 - Soviet submarine SC-421 laid down 1936 - Torpedo boat FS La Melpomene commissioned 1937 - Destroyer USS McCall launched 1937 - Submarines HNLMS O-21 & O-22 laid down 1939 - HMS Sturgeon torpedoed and sank the German armed trawler V-209 north-east of Helgoland 1939 - U-33 sank SS Delphine, Sea Sweeper & Thomas Hankins 1939 - Home Fleet submarines first success in the Heligoland Bight when HMS Sturgeon sinks German patrol ship V209 1939 - The first magnetic mines are parachuted into the Thames Estuary by the Luftwaffe. The minesweeper HMS Mastiff is blown up by a magnetic mine while attempting to recover it into a fishing net 1939 - Destroyer HMS Liddesdale laid down 1939 - Battleship USS Indiana laid down 1939 - Destroyer USS Stack commissioned 1939 - U-139 laid down 1939 - U-18 and U-57 both attacked a British destroyer in the North Sea, but without success 1939 - The Navy Supreme Command ("Søværnskommandoen") gives the orders to place mine fields in the Storebælt, between Langeland and Lolland, and in Lille Bælt between Als and Ærø 1939 - Submarine HMS Taku launched 1940 - Japanese warships and transports have arrived off Saigon and the Japanese have demanded the right to occupy the city 1940 - Corvette HMCS Kamsack laid down Port Arthur ON 1940 - Corvettes HMCS Baddeck & Buctouche laid down Lauzon PQ 1940 - Destroyers HMS Airedale & Albrighton laid down 1940 - Submarine HMS Utmost launched 1940 - Submarine HMS Unbeaten completed \ 1941 - US Admiral Hart orders tender Blackhawk and four destroyers dispatched to Balikpapan in the Netherlands East Indies 1941 - Light cruiser HMCS Ontario (ex-HMS Minotaur) laid down 1941 - Corvette HMS Bellwort commissioned 1941 - Minesweeper HMS Rye commissioned 1941 - ASW trawler HMS Bredon launched 1941 - Corvette HMS Poppy launched 1941 - Aircraft carrier HMS Unicorn launched 1941 - Frigate HMS Rother launched 1941 - U-597 commissioned 1941 - New Japanese proposals given to the United States 1942 - The future of Malta was finally assured when British & American merchant ships began unloading at the quayside here today. The navy was taking no chances with the convoy - Operation Stone Age - that sailed from Port Said three days ago. Seven destroyers escorted the four merchantmen and the 15th Cruiser Squadron - such was the desperate need of Malta for food and fresh supplies. At 1,500 calories per day, the Maltese population is close to starvation. Despite Allied victories in the desert, Malta remains vulnerable to Luftwaffe bombers in Sicily and strategically vital. Everything depended on Stone Age. Massive air and sea attacks could have been expected, but Axis attention is diverted elsewhere. The four merchantmen were unscathed when they sailed into the Grand Harbour at Valetta. Sadly, an aerial torpedo hit the cruiser HMS Arethusa. Burning fiercely, she is being towed stern-first into Malta by the destroyer HMS Petard. 153 men were lost 1942 - Destroyer USS Twining laid down 1942 - Destroyer HMS Wager laid down 1942 - Destroyer USS Converse commissioned 1942 - Destroyer escort USS Burden R Hastings launched 1942 - Destroyer HMS Saumarez launched 1942 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Gruinard launched 1942 - After sinking SS Corinthiakos, U-181 rescued a survivor from the water and later transferred him to a lifeboat 1942 - Convoy escorts dropped 119 depth charges on U-263, causing so much damage that the boat was forced to return to base 1942 - U-264 was attacked by a British escort with gunfire and depth charges, and suffered heavy damage 1942 - U-177 sank SS Pierce Butler 1942 - U-263 sank SS Grangepark & Prins Harald in Convoy KMS-3 1942 - U-538 launched 1942 - Patrol Vessel District YP-405 destroyed by undetermined explosion in the Caribbean Sea 1943 - USS PT-147 grounded in enemy waters and destroyed to prevent capture Teliata Point New Guinea 1943 - US landings begin on Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands. Admiral Hill's US naval TF 53 has brought General JC Smith's 2nd Marine Division of 18,600 men to invade Betio Island which is 2 miles long and less than 1/2 mile wide. The defenders are lead by Admiral Shibusaki and 4,800 men with 50 artillery pieces and 7 light tanks. The terrain ranges from sea level to 9 feet above sea level. The preliminary bombardment is massive with more than 3,000 tons of shells and air strikes. Due to the sandy ground, timing and other coordination issues these preparations leave many bunkers and other defensive positions and weapons untouched. The reef around the island will also cause many problems with the landing, forcing many Marines to wade far too long to reach the beach. The US sustains 1,500 casualties of 5,000 that attempt to land. The tides interfere with later planned reinforcements, so they will not land today. Admiral RK Turner's US naval TF 52 lands soldiers from General Ralph Smith's 27th Infantry Division on Makin Atoll. These landings on Butaritari are somewhat successful in spite of a vigorous defense and the inexperience of this unit. Off Tarawa the carriers of TF 50 cover both landings. A torpedo hits carrier USS Independence from a night air attack. The air strike force was composed of the twin engine Mitsubishi G4M "Bettys" from one of the Marshall Islands bases 1943 - In the Mediterranean, U-565 fired one T 5 torpedo at a British submarine, but without success 1943 - HMC ML 113 commissioned 1943 - Corvettes HMCS Snowberry, Calgary, Camrose & frigate HMS Nene sank U-536. 16 survivors 1943 - Frigate HMS Curzon commissioned 1943 - Escort carrier HMS Speaker commissioned 1943 - Submarine USS Parche commissioned 1943 - Frigates HMS Trollope & Tyler launched 1943 - Escort carrier USS Nehenta Bay launched 1943 - Minesweeper USS Project launched 1943 - Destroyer escort USS Roy O Hale launched 1943 - U-768 sunk in the Gulf of Danzig in position 54.30N, 19.15E after a collision with U-745. 44 survivors (No casualties) 1943 - U-618 shot down RAF Liberator aircraft (Sqn 53/N). The entire aircrew was lost 1943 - U-648 shot down RCAF Sunderland aircraft (Sqn 422/G). The entire aircrew, 11 men, was lost 1943 - U-453 sank SS Jela 1943 - U-249, U-397, U-924 commissioned 1943 - U-484, U-680, U-681, U-905 launched 1943 - Operation Galvanic, under command of Vice Admiral Raymond Spruance, lands Navy, Marine, and Army forces on Tarawa and Makin 1943 - Submarine HMS Vampire launched 1944 - Destroyer USS Rogers launched 1944 - Frigate HMCS Kirkland Lake departed Halifax for workups in Bermuda 1944 - Corvette HMCS Strathroy commissioned 1944 - U-2349 launched 1944 - U-2346 commissioned 1944 - U-2545 laid down 1944 - Oiler USS Mississinewa sunk after torpedoing by Japanese midget submarine at Ulithi 1944 - Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-277 was commissioned at New York with LTJG F. A. Grantham, USCG, as her first commanding officer. She departed New York on 14 December 1944 for the Southwest Pacific where she operated during the war. LT Matthew L. Stansell, USCG, succeeded Grantham as commander on 1 December 1945 1945 - 24 Nazi leaders went on trial before an international war crimes tribunal in Nuremberg 1947 - U-234 is scuttled by US naval forces during trials off Cape Cod 1947 - U-889 is scuttled by the US Navy near New England after being used for torpedo trials 1953 - Destroyer HMCS Crusader arrived Korean theater of operations 1962 - President John F. Kennedy lifts the Blockade of Cuba 1966 - USS Kitty Hawk port call Yokosuka 1981 - Destroyer HMCS Skeena completed life extension refit at Canadian Vickers Montreal PQ 2001 - HMCS Preserver, Iroquois & Charlottetown arrive in Arabian Sea for Operation Apollo 2003 - Destroyer USS Shoup returns to homeport of Everett WA after first deployment -- drug interdiction patrols 2004 - The Navy christened the newest San Antonio-class amphibious ship, New Orleans, during an 11 a.m. CST ceremony at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems - Avondale Operations 2004 - USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group relieved the USS John F. Kennedy Carrier Strike Group on station in the North Arabian Gulf 2004 - O’Higgins, the first Scorpene-class submarine for the Chilean Navy, passed a major test program milestone by firing two torpedoes while running at depth off Lorient 2005 - In line with a royal order of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces; Lt. General Sultan Al-Muteiri, the Deputy Chief of the General Staff, adorned here on Sunday Admiral Sir Allan William John West, Commander of the Royal British Naval Forces, with the medal of King Abdulaziz of the rank of the first class, in recognition of his distinguished efforts for enhancing relations between the Royal Saudi Naval Forces and the British Royal Naval Forces. The function was attended by a number of senior military officials 2005 - The AP has reported that Somali pirates have released an oil tanker that they hijacked a month ago on its way from the United Arab Emirates to South Africa, a maritime official said Sunday. The MT San Carlo is now on its way to South Africa, said Andrew Mwangura, head of the Kenyan chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Program 2005 - ROU 15 de Noviembre seized Brazilian fishing vessel Golfinho 35 NM SSE of Puerto de la Paloma 2005 - Petty Officer 3rd Class Emory J. Turpin, 23, of Dahlonega, Ga., died when he drowned in the Seychelles. Turpin was assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74 currently deployed to the Seychelles 2005 - The Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral David Ledson, ONZM, RNZN, hosted an official visit by the Royal Malaysian Navy's (RMN) Chief of Navy, Admiral Datuk Ilyas Hj Din, from 20 to 23 November 2005. Admiral Ilyas was accompanied by his wife and daughter and by First Admiral Datuk Abdul Aziz bin Hj Jaafar, RMN and Lieutenant Commander Azhar Jumaat, RMN. On Tuesday 22 November the party visited Devonport Naval Base. A Ceremonial Guard, the Navy Band, and the Navy Maori Cultural Group welcomed the party at Gambia Square. The delegation experienced a formal powhiri at Te Taua Moana Marae, before lunching onboard the VIP Barge. The visit was completed with a comprehensive tour of the Naval Base 2005 - A two-headed olive ridley sea turtle was born on a beach in Ostional, Costa Rica. Observed for a week in an aquarium before being released into the sea, the hatchling appeared to be in good health, with both heads and all four extremities capable of a normal range of movements, said Carlos Drews, a marine turtle expert with World Wildlife Fund. While the cause of the deformity is unknown, Drews said suspected factors include toxic contamination from agricultural and industrial waste and climate change, which can cause “drastic modifications to the incubation environment in sea turtle nests.” Olive ridley turtles are endangered. Ostional is one of only three major nesting sites left to them in the world 2006 - Seaspan Corporation announced the delivery of its 21st vessel, the Maersk Matane, a 4800 TEU containership built in 1989. The vessel was purchased from A.P. Moller Maersk A/S and will be time chartered back to APMM for five years from delivery. APMM has options to extend the charter by up to four years from the end of the firm charter period 2006 - US Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters announced that the Department has signed a Record of Decision (ROD) for the St. Croix River Crossing to connect Washington County, Minn., and St. Croix County, Wis., clearing the way for forward progress on the long-planned bridge 2006 - A Coast Guard crew aided in the dewatering of a 50-foot fishing vessel about 32 miles off the coast of Nantucket, Mass. today around 1700. Coast Guard sector Southeastern New England received a call reporting fishing vessel Susan Marie, New Bedford, Conn., taking on water and listing 32 nautical miles east, southeast of Nantucket, Mass. around 1455. An HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter, with a dewatering pump on-board, launched from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod. The helicopter arrived on-scene around 1652 and lowered the pump to the vessel in distress 2006 - Dutch Parliamentarian Mr Bert Koenders elected as the new President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO-PA), the Atlantic Alliance’s parliamentary arm. Mr Koenders, 48, a former Vice-President of the Assembly, was unanimously chosen for a two-year term at the Assembly’s annual session in Quebec City 2007 - US Navy demolished its Radio Tower Facility in Barrigada near the Admiral Nimitz Golf Course on Guam and eventually replacing them with modern ones 2007 - HMAS Tarakan and HMAS Ararat assisted a 10-metre wooden boat with 16 people on board, which had arrived at an Australian offshore resource installation off the northwest coast of Australia. The passengers included six adults (three males, three females), and 10 children 2007 - Minister of Defence of Latvia Atis Slakteris visited NATO Headquarters to meet with the Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer 2007 - Major fire on NNS Ambe averted at the Nigerian Naval Dockyard, Victoria Island, Lagos 2007 - HMNZS Rotoiti, the first of four Inshore Patrol Vessels, begins sea trials 2007 Cdr Ed Cashman relieved Cdr Jim Jones in command of destroyer USS Mustin while underway in the South China Sea 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