SeaWaves Today in History October 12, 2008 Dominican Republic – Christopher Columbus Day. Visiting warships Dress Ship overall. Gun salutes are fired 1492 - (Old Style calendar; Oct. 21st New Style), Christopher Columbus arrived with his expedition in the present-day Bahamas 1535 - Iroquois show Jacques Cartier and his crew the use of tobacco 1578 - The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in North America in Frobisher Bay, near Tegalawet, N.W.T, by members of the Frobisher Expedition. They were celebrating the rejoining of two ships that had been separated from the main group by ice & had been given up for lost for several weeks 1787 - The Russian army unit commanded by General A. Suvorov defeated a Turkish landing troop unit on the Kinburn Spit. The Turkish troops were led by French officers and greatly outnumbered the Russian unit. The battle continued until late at night. Suvorov's horse was killed under him and he himself was wounded twice. Russian men drove Turks into the sea. Empress Catherine The Great ordered to make an artillery salute in honor of this victory and conferred the highest award, the Order of St. Andrew, on Suvorov 1798 - A squadron under Sir John Warren successfully intercepted a French squadron off Donegal Bay attempting to aid Irish rebels 1860 - Elmer Sperry, American inventor best known for perfecting the use of gyroscopes, born 1861 - The Confederate ironclad Manassas attacked the northern ship Richmond on the Mississippi River 1897 - Near Corson Inlet NJ, a man and two women were endangered by the sea sweeping around their house ½-mile from the station. Life-savers answered signals of distress and rescued them in the surfboat 1914 - Submarine HMS F3 laid down 1914 - Submarine HMS G4 laid down 1914 - Submarine HMS G5 laid down 1914 - USS Jupiter is first US Navy ship to complete transit of Panama Canal. In her first configuration, the Jupiter, launched in 1912, was one of the dirtiest ships in the world, and her oncoming presence a mixed blessing -- marked by a parade of overhead lifts on deck, she was a Navy collier. She worked in that role until 1919, when she was decommissioned and reconstructed as the USN's first airplane carrier, and renamed Langley (CV-1), honoring one of the first figures of naval aviation. Known around the fleet as the "Covered Wagon", she was elementary but historically critical, as the training and ideas platform for a whole upcoming generation of navy aviators and aircrewmen, and the concept parent of two distinct sorts of children -- not merely all future major aircraft carriers, but a direct forebear of the relatively small, slow, and simple aircraft escort and resupply carriers of WWII. Once actual big attack carriers began to appear (Lexington and Saratoga) in the late 1920s, she served in that backup capacity until 27 February 1942, when she was sunk by Japanese action in the southwest Pacific 1915 - Monitor HMS Erebus laid down 1917 - Submarine USS R-15 launched 1919 - Abrigo do Marinheiro (AMN) established to assist in the welfare of Brazilian Navy veterans 1934 - Destroyer HMS Foxhound launched 1937 - CNR liner SS Lady Somers Capt William Barclay Armit RD RCNR (Ret'd) Authority #1, to fly Blue Ensign 1937 - Submarine HNLMS O 23 laid down 1937 - General Jan C Smuts said the Union of South Africa stood or fell by the mandate over Southwest Africa. Jan Christian Smuts, who became a major political and military figure in South Africa during WWII, had been one of the key leaders of the Boers during their turn-of-the-century conflict with the British; and that Southwest Africa (now Namibia) had been German Southwest Africa until the Treaty of Versailles gave it to Great Britain 1938 - SS Pretoria Castle (later AMC & CVE) launched 1938 - Destroyer HMS Sikh commissioned 1938 - U-58 & U-59 launched 1939 - U-37 sank SS Aris 1939 - U-48 sank SS Emile Miguet in Convoy KJ-2 1939 - Tug HMCS Murray Stewart commissioned as examination vessel Saint John NB. Built by Port Arthur Shipbuilding, Port Arthur, ON, 109x26x16ft, single screw, steam triple-expansion 156 NHP, 10kts, Purchased 1922 by Dept, of Transport, to RCN 1939-46, Post WW.II, sold 1946, renamed David Richard in 1951, at Port Arthur, renamed 1979 Georgian Queen. Pendant (Z19)(A)>(J19) 1939 - In the Atlantic, RN warships operating on the Northern Patrol continue to stop neutral merchantmen; between this date and 26 October, 112 vessels are stopped, of which 23 are detained at Kirkwall for the inspection of their cargoes 1939 - In the U.K., British seizure of US mail continues. Authorities at the contraband control station at Weymouth remove 94 sacks addressed to Rotterdam, 81 to Antwerp and 184 to Germany, from US freighter SS Black Tern, which was detained yesterday; authorities at the Downs remove 77 sacks of parcel post, 33 sacks of registered mail, and 156 sacks of regular mail addressed to the Netherlands, in addition to 65 sacks of mail addressed to Belgium, 4 to Luxembourg, 3 to Danzig, and 259 to Germany, from Dutch motorship MS Zaandam 1940 - U-70 launched 1940 - U-98 commissioned 1940 - U-101 sank SS Saint Malô in Convoy HX-77. Canadian merchantman was ex-French registered freighter (5,779 GRT), which had been requisitioned for Canada. Of her crew of 44, 28 men were lost. ST MALO had been part of convoy HX77, which had left Halifax on 30 Sep 40 with 39 ships. She was laden with 7,274 tons of general cargo. The convoy arrived in Liverpool on 15 Oct 40 having lost six merchant ships. U-101 was a medium-range Type VIIC U-boat, built by Germaniawerft, Kiel. She was commissioned on 11 Mar 40. U-101 conducted 9 patrols & compiled an impressive record of 23 ships sunk for a total of 114,911 tons & 2 ships damaged for a further 9,113 tons. U-101 survived the war & was stricken at Neustadt on 21 Oct 43. She was scuttled there on 03 May 45. The wreck was later broken up for scrap. Fritz Frauenheim was born in 1912, at Berlin. He joined the navy in 1930. He transferred to the U-boat force in 1936 & commanded U-21 from Oct 37 to Dec 39. He conducted several patrols in this boat & sank five ships, mostly in the North Sea. The RN cruiser HMS Belfast was badly damaged by a mine laid by Frauenheim in Nov 39. In Mar 40 he commissioned U-101 & conducted four patrols sinking 12 ships. He was awarded the Knight's Cross 29 Aug 40, the 11th presented in the U-boat force. In total, he sank 19 ships for a total of 74,690 tons & damaged 2 ships for a further 15,655 tons. He ranked as the 57th highest scoring U-boat ace of the war. In Dec 40 he left U-101 & became a tactics instructor. In Sep 41 Frauenheim took command of the 23rd (Mediterranean) flotilla, & in May 42, of the 29th flotilla. In Feb 44 he was appointed to the staff of the Admiral der Kleinkampfverbände (Admiral of Midget Assault Units). He was promoted to FKpt on 01 Dec 44. After the capitulation Frauenheim spent eight months in allied captivity. Fritz Frauenheim died in Hamburg on 28 Sep 69 1940 - U-48 sank SS Davanger in Convoy HX-77 1940 - U-59 sank SS Pacific Ranger in Convoy HX-77 1940 - Corvette HMS Arbutus commissioned 1940 - Destroyer HMS Mendip commissioned 1940 - Hitler postpones the invasion of England until - if they thought advisable - April 1941 1940 - From Alexandria, Egypt a convoy safely reached Malta yesterday, covered by the Mediterranean Fleet with four battleships and carriers HMS Illustrious & Eagle. Today, as it returns, attacks are made by Italian light forces SE of Sicily. Cruiser HMS Ajax sinks torpedo boats Airone and Ariel and badly damages 640-ton destroyer Artigliere. The latter is sunk by heavy cruiser HMS York with torpedoes after her crew had abandoned ship. Radio signals are transmitted on Italian frequencies giving the position of survivors, and a Sunderland flying boat guided an Italian hospital ship to the scene. The carriers later launch strikes against Leros in the Dodecanese 1940 - Speaking in Dayton, Ohio, President Roosevelt rejects appeasement, and promises to defend America and its seas against aggression 1940 - While operating off the coast of Virginia, the aircraft carrier USS Wasp launches 24 USAAC P-40s from the 8th Pursuit Group (Fighter) and nine O-47As from the 2d Observation Squadron to gather data on comparative take-off runs of naval and army aircraft. This is the first time that Army aircraft have flown off a USN carrier 1941 - U-75 sank HMS LCT-2 & LCT-7 1941 - U-83 sank SS Corte Real 1941 - A series of relief efforts for Tobruk begin today. During the next 14 days over 7,000 troops will be transferred in and almost 8,000 will be pulled out. The British lose minelayer Latona and damage to one destroyer 1942 - U-514 sank SS Steel Scientist 1942 - U-706 sank SS Stornest in Convoy ONS-136 1942 - U-290 & U-680 laid down 1942 - Frigates HMS Deveron & Teviot launched 1942 - Destroyer HMS Grenville launched 1942 - Submarines HMS Ultor & Simoon launched 1942 - Destroyers USS Braine & John Hood laid down 1942 - Frigate HMS Test commissioned 1942 – Destroyer USS Duncan made a daring one ship attack and found herself between Japanese and American battle groups resulting in receiving more than 50 hits. When she sank 58 men and 5 officers were lost. USS McCalla rescued 195 men from the shark-infested waters 1942 - Soviet submarine SC-308 sunk by depth charges by Finnish patrol boats VMV 13 and VMV 15 Tiiskeri 1942 - Russia's first Minister to Canada, Fyodor Guseff, arrived in Ottawa 1942 - Russia and Australia established diplomatic relations 1942 - U-597 sunk SW of Iceland, in position 56.50N, 28.05W, by depth charges from a British Liberator aircraft (Sqn 120/H). 49 dead (all hands lost) 1942 - Late yesterday evening a US Naval Task Force, under Admiral Scott headed north for Ironbottom Sound. Their intent is to intercept a run by the "Tokyo Express". They will miss the reinforcement run and intercept a bombardment run. Admiral Goto on Aoba, with Furutaka and Kinugasa and destroyers Fubuki and Hatsusuyuki has been assigned the first of the major bombardment missions in October. Scott from cruiser San Francisco leads Boise, Salt Lake City and Helena with destroyers Ferenholt, Duncan, Laffey, Buchanan and McCalla. Due to a planned reversal of course to his patrol route, Admiral Scott crosses the "T" on Admiral Goto in the naval action that has become known as The Battle of Cape Esperance. The Japanese ships, with bombardment shells handy, are not suspecting the US force. Destroyer Duncan is sunk and 3 of the four US cruisers are damaged. Cruiser Furutaka, destroyers Fubui and Hatsusuyuki are sunk from direct action in the battle. The Cactus Airforce sinks destroyer Natsugumo the next day. The Battle of Cape Esperance shows the Japanese spotting the US force without the aid of radar before the radar return of the US force is believed. The complacency of the Japanese Admiral squanders this advantage. Due to the success in this battle, Scott's single column tactics will be followed in future battles, without corresponding success. The reinforcement convoy of seaplane carriers Nisshin and Chitose with 6 destroyers unloads supplies and 280 reinforcements on Guadalcanal 1942 - 2 Eleventh Air Force B-24 Liberators fly shipping search west of Attu 1942 - US Army Middle East Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses hit shipping in Tobruk 1942 - Sixteen SBD Dauntlesses escorted by 16 F4F Wildcats and 8 P-39 Airacobras take off from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal at 0515 hours, in search of the Japanese ships that resupplied the island last night. SBD pilots follow oil slicks and locate four IJN destroyers north of the Russell Islands and a Scouting Squadron Seventy One (VS-71) SBD pilot scores a near miss on destroyer HIJMS Natsugumo which later sinks. At 0800 hours, 14 USMC F4Fs plus 6 SBDs and 6 TBF Avengers of Torpedo Squadron Eight (VT-8) attack the ships. The F4Fs strafe 2 IJN destroyers, the SBDs score 3 near misses on the ship and finally, a TBF torpedoes the destroyer HIJMS Murakumo which is later scuttled by destroyer HIJMS Shirayuki 1942 - Destroyers USS Gwin, Nicholas and Sterett shell Japanese artillery positions on Guadalcanal 1942 - The first four boats of the USN's Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Two (MTBRon 2) arrive at Government Wharf on Tulagi Island today. PTs 38, 46, 48 and 60 had arrived at Noumea, New Caledonia on 19 September and had been towed to Espirtu Santo Island. They were then towed from Espirtu Santo to a point 300 miles (482.8 km) from Tulagi by two fast minesweepers and then sailed on their own power. The second 4-boat division of the squadron will arrive on 25 October 1942 - In Washington during a radio "fireside chat," President Franklin D. Roosevelt announces that 18- and 19-year-olds will be drafted into the military services 1943 - MAC ship Empire MacCallum launched 1943 - Submarine USS Pipefish launched 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Sellstrom, Mills & Harveson commissioned 1943 - U-1103 & U-1199 launched 1943 - Destroyer USS Bristol sunk after being torpedoed by U-371 off Cape Bougaroun Algeria 1943 - Submarine USS Dorado probably sunk in error by US aircraft in the Caribbean Sea 1943 - An Avenger aircraft (VC-9) from escort carrier USS Card attacked U-378 with a Fido homing torpedo on 12 Oct, 1943 but the boat managed to outmaneuver it 1943 - U-731 was attacked by three Avenger aircraft from the US carrier Card. U-731 had undergone an attack by aircraft one week previously in which six men, including the commander, were wounded and the boat was damaged 1943 - U-967 lost a man overboard on 12 October in the North Atlantic. [Mechnikergfreiter Hans Brackert] 1943 - Frigate HMCS Matapedia departed Dartmouth NS under tow for repairs at Liverpool NS 1943 - USAAF & RAAF open an aerial campaign to neutralize or cripple the four Japanese airfields and naval base at Rabaul on New Britain Island, Bismarck Archipelago, in support of the upcoming invasion of Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands. The first mission today is flown by 349 aircraft, 87 B-24s, 114 B-25s, 125 P-38s, 12 RAAF Beaufighters and 11 weather and reconnaissance aircraft. The aircraft attack the airfields, the town, the harbor and ships in the harbor and sink 2 transports, 2 cargo lighters and a guardboat and damage 3 destroyers, 3 submarines, a special service ship, an oiler and 2 auxiliary sailing vessels 1943 - In the Atlantic, aircraft of Composite Squadron Nine (VC-9) in the escort aircraft carrier USS Card break up another German U-boat refueling rendezvous when they attack U-488 about 600 miles north of Flores Island, Azores and damage U-731. This is the second attack on submarines refueling; the first was on 4 October 1943 - 2 Thirteenth Air Force B-25s skip-bomb 2 small vessels in Matchin Bay on Bougainville Island 1943 - Eight German mines are neutralized by Canadian minesweepers operating in the approaches to St. John's 1943 - The Battle of the Atlantic swung firmly in favor of the Allies tonight when Dr. Salazar, the Portuguese leader, revealed that British land, sea and air forces have arrived in the Azores. The islands, strategically placed in mid-Atlantic, will be used for the aerial protection of merchant shipping plying between the United States and Britain. The move comes after weeks of secret talks between Britain and Portugal. Though the two countries have a treaty relationship that dates from the 14th century, Dr. Salazar, in close co-operation with Franco's Spain, has remained cautiously neutral between the Allied and Axis powers. The Azores pact reflects the growing certainty among neutrals that Hitler will eventually lose the war. The US, though not a signatory to the pact, will use the islands for joint military operations with Britain. Air cover by RAF Catalina and Wellington aircraft based in Britain and Newfoundland left a gap - which will now be closed - of several hundred miles in mid-Atlantic, where the U-boats assembled to prey on Allied shipping. The German consulate in the Azores is being closed and all German citizens are being evacuated. On the Portuguese mainland diplomatic links will continue 1944 - Destroyer USS Putnam commissioned 1944 - Frigate HMCS Chebogue refloated & towed to reserve at Port Talbot 1944 - During a Schnorchel failure the crew of U-483 suffered a CO2 poisoning where 1 man died. [Funkmaat Gustav Hoffmann] 1944 - U-2513 commissioned 1944 - U-3025 laid down 1944 - Task Force 38 (Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher) launches 1,000+ aircraft from 17 aircraft carriers against Japanese shipping, airfields, and industrial plants on Formosa, regarded as the strongest and best-developed base south of the homeland proper, and on northern Luzon, Philippine Islands. The aircraft fly 1,378 sorties today and they sink 4 transports, a cargo ship, 4 IJA cargo ships, 5 merchant cargo ships and 8 merchant tankers and damage several other ships. Opposition is unexpectedly strong and 48 USN aircraft are lost. USN fighters destroy 211 Japanese aircraft, mostly fighters, between 0700 and 1442 hours. Late in the day, based on reports from inexperienced pilots, the Japanese order hundreds of carrier aircraft to reinforce Formosa to fight an all-out battle 1944 - US Seventh Air Force B-24s from Saipan bomb shipping at Chichi Jima and shipping south of Haha Jima in the Bonin Islands 1945 - FS-163 was lost in a typhoon. 1950 - US ships Pirate and Pledge strike mines in Wonsan harbor and are sunk RADM Dufek arrives at McMurdo Sound, Antarctica to command Operation Deep Freeze III during the International Geophysical Year of 1957-58 Frigate HMCS Antigonish recommissioned after ASW modernization Massey Sound between Axel Heiberg Island and Amund Ringnes Island in Arctic named after former Governor General Charles Vincent Massey 1887-1967 Nikita Khrushchev made a sensation at the UN General Assembly by taking off his shoe and stamping it on the table during a speech of the Philippino representative who denounced Soviet policy in Eastern Europe. The president of the session failed to restore order in the hall Five men cholera treatment demonstration team from Naval Medican Research Unit, Taipei leaves to assist setting up of facilities to treat an epidemic in Manila End of Project Sealab II where teams of naval divers and scientists spent 15 days in Sealab moored 205 feet below surface near La Jolla CA First group of men commissioned into Navy Nurse Corps report for one month indoctrination to Naval Service; LTJG Jerry McClelland, ENS Charles Franklin, ENS Israel Miller, ENS Richard Gierman and ENS George Silver USS Constellation port call Hong Kong 1970 - USS Shangri-La port call Hong Kong 1972 - USS Hancock port call Hong Kong 1974 - USS Constellation port call Subic Bay 1980 - USS Guadalcanal and other ships of Amphibious Forces, Sixth Fleet begin assistance to earthquake victims in Al Asnam, Algeria 1986 - Presidents M. Gorbachev and R. Reagan met in Reykjavik. The meeting marked the beginning of the two countries drawing closer and a progress at further negotiations 1991 - Submarine HMS Triumph completed 1997 - Singer John Denver killed in crash of his privately built aircraft in Monterey Bay, Calif.; he was 53 2000 - Seventeen sailors were killed in a suicide bomb attack on the US destroyer Cole in Yemen 2003 - Cruiser ITS Vittorio Veneto paid off to reserve at Taranto 2004 - General Dynamics Electric Boat yesterday delivered USS Virginia (SSN-774), the first naval combatant ship designed specifically for post-Cold War missions, to the US Navy 2005 - West Point Lighthouse officially turned over to Seattle Parks and Recreation 2005 - International ports of Iraq's second largest city of Basra would be closed until further notice, an official at Basra Airport. On the same issue, a spokesman for the borders and ports forces stated that the authorities have decided to close all the land, maritime and air ports of Basra with all border states for four days. The spokesman pointed out this step comes in line with precautionary measures taken before Saturday's constitutional referendum 2005 - Geoff Regan, Canada’s Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and Jaime Silva, Portugal’s Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries, today signed a memorandum of understanding to advance bilateral fisheries relations 2005 - The company that owns and operates Philadelphia's shipyard on the site of the former Navy Yard has changed its name to Aker Philadelphia Shipyard and will not only build ships, but also own and lease the Jones Act commercial vessels through an affiliated company, CEO David E. Meehan announced. Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, which from 1996 until earlier this summer operated exclusively as a shipbuilder under the name Kvaerner Philadelphia Shipyard, is now the shipbuilding subsidiary of newly-established Aker American Shipping. Other subsidiaries were formed to administer the ship ownership and leasing functions. They are all members of the Norwegian-based Aker ASA group of global companies. Meehan said the new name signals another positive chapter in recent shipyard history and that he fully expects employment at the facility to remain strong and steady 2005 - As a gesture of friendship, the Chilean Navy will present the Canadian Navy with a bust of Chile's national hero, Commander Arturo Prat Chacon at the Point Carcy Naval Complex. The unique and highly colorful unveiling ceremony will take place at 144 Dalhousie Street, in the presence of His Excellency Jose Miguel Cruz, Chile's ambassador to Ottawa, Vice-Admiral Bruce MacLean, Commander of the Canadian Navy, Commodore Felipe Carvajal, representing the Commander of the Chilean Navy and Mgr Gilles Lemay, auxiliary Bishop of Quebec who will bless the statue. Several representatives of the various levels of government will also be present. As a crowning touch, 30 professional musicians from the Central Band of the Canadian Forces will treat attendees to rousing music, as well as provide a beat for the honor guard, made up of 15 sailors who will give the General Salute. The Chilean Navy is offering the bust to emphasize the deep ties that unite the two organizations, usually seen at naval exercises, during cultural military cultural exchanges, as well as joint training and instruction, in the hope that this collaboration will be maintained. Commander Arturo Prat Chacon died in battle in May 1879, after his corvette was rammed by an enemy warship and boarding her almost single-handedly 2005 - Chilean frigate Almirante Blanco Encalada (ex-HNLMS Abraham Van Der Hulst) began sea trials at Den Helder after transfer refit 2005 - Human remains, believed to be that of a Canadian sailor who went missing from HMCS Montreal in February, were recovered in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Poland. The remains, including a military uniform, appear to be that of Leading Seaman Robert Leblanc. Identification is tentative at this time and can only be confirmed after further investigation and autopsy by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Ontario 2005 - TECO Energy, Inc.'s TECO Bulk Terminal business, in Davant, Louisiana, south of New Orleans, resumed operations following Hurricane Katrina. TECO Bulk Terminal was flooded and without power following the passage of the hurricane and had one lightly utilized crane toppled by the storm. TECO Bulk Terminal is currently operating river barge unloading equipment and one of its two systems for storing materials and loading oceangoing vessels at about 70% of normal rates. The second storage yard and handling system is currently under repair and will be returned to service in the near future 2005 - A cabin cruiser with one person aboard was drifting off Mudeford with no means of raising the alarm yesterday afternoon. Portland Coastguard was informed by the Dorset Marine Police launch Alarm at 1515 that they had come across an 18 foot cabin cruiser drifting 1.5 nautical miles off Mudeford. The person on board, a male in his late fifties from the Bournemouth area was suffering from back pain. The man had set out at 0800 to go angling, informing his family he would return at about 1830. When he discovered he had complete electrical failure on the boat he had no means of raising attention of himself or his boat 2006 - Capt. Tedric R. Lindstrom relieves Cmdr. Jeffrey C. Jackson as commanding officer of Coast Guard cutter Healy at a change of command in Seattle 2006 - The departmental council of Morbihan (Brittany, France) has confirmed the option to build a second RoPax vessel (roll-on roll-off passenger ship) at Aker Yards, Lorient, a shipyard located in Lanester, Morbihan. It is a sister ship of the Bangor, delivered in June 2006.The 450 passenger ship will be 46 meters long and is due for delivery in the second quarter of 2008. The value of the order is EUR 13 million 2006 - At 1100 Swansea Coastguard received a 999 emergency call from crane workers at the docks by Cardiff Flats, who had just witnessed a small fishing vessel capsize 2006 - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signs an executive order to create an agency for the security of California's ports 2006 - Rear Adm. (lower half) James M. Hart is being assigned as commander, Combined Joint Task Force, Horn of Africa. Hart is currently serving as director, Total Force Programming and Manpower Management Division, N12, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations 2007 - UK Armed Forces Memorial (AFM) dedicated. Names of almost 16,000 personnel, regular and reserve, killed on duty since the end of WWII engraved on the vast Portland Stone walls 2007 - Governor of Sankt Petersburg, Valentina Matvienko, welcomes the idea to move the headquarters of the Russian Navy to Sankt Petersburg 2007 - A World War II mine has been detonated off the coast of Kent after it was caught up in a fishing vessel's nets. The controlled explosion about 1.2 miles (2km) from Margate was felt ashore and registered with the British Geological Survey (BGS) in Edinburgh 2007 - NRP Vasco da Gama rescued five people adrift in a small boat in the Strait of Gibraltar 2007 - A body of a US Navy sailor was found off a pier at Naval Base San Diego 2007 - Cdr Robert Douglass turned over command of the USS Albuquerque to Cdr Mike Badorf 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