SeaWaves Today in History October 14, 2008 1066 - Following his destruction at Stamford Bridge of the Norwegian invasion (25 September), King Harold of England rushed back south to deal with the second threat, from the Norwegians' cousins the Normans, under Duke William the Bastard, who had landed at Pevensey near Hastings on 28 September. William had perhaps 8,000 Norman, Breton, French and Flemish soldiers, including 3,000 knights. Harold brought his surviving army from York, and summoned reinforcements, giving him a similarly sized force. The battle was fought at Senlac Hill. William's initial attack failed, and the Bretons on the left broke and routed. However, some of the fyrd, the English local militia, broke ranks and chased after them; a Norman counter-attack cut them to pieces. William maintained a relentless series of attacks, and the battle became one of attrition. Finally, after perhaps seven or more hours combat, the knights broke through the English ranks, Harold fell, and the English broke. William was crowned King of England on Christmas Day 1641 - Charles Huault de Montmagny c1583-c1653 takes formal possession of Montreal Island for Sieur de Maisonneuve's colonizing company 1694 - Port Nelson (on Hudson's Bay) surrenders to a French force commanded by Pierre le Moyne d'Iberville, after withstanding a three week siege 1788 - The first steamboat experiment was held on Dalswinton Loch, Dumfriesshire, by Patrick Miller and William Symington 1794 - HMS St. Lawrence is launched from the Kingston naval yards. Boasting 112 guns, the ship is bigger than Nelson's Victory 1801 - Secretary of the Treasury Gallatin announced the decision to reduce "Revenue Cutter Establishment" as near as circumstances will permit within its original limit 1817 - Russian Admiral Fyodor Ushakov (b24.02.1744) died. He was famous for his naval victories, but was very shy in the presence of women and remained bachelor all his life. Empress of Ireland liner punctures her hull after hitting submerged object on the St. Lawrence River; able to reach port safely. On May 29, 1914, the ship will collide with a Norwegian freighter off Ste-Luce-Sur-Mer, and sink with the loss of 1,014 lives 1913 - Straightening of Duwamish River begins 1914 - First Canadian Contingent arrives at Plymouth with 33,000 men, 7,000 horses and 144 pieces of artillery travelling in 32 ships; convoy escorted by 10 British warships was the largest armed force ever to cross the Atlantic by that date; troops soon move to camps on Salisbury Plain before seeing action in World War I 1915 - Battleship USS New Mexico laid down 1917 - Battlecruiser HMS Glorious commissioned 1917 - Aircraft carrier HMS Furious commissioned 1917 - RNAS Curtiss Flying boat a/c #8689 bombed a U-boat 1917 - Submarines HMCS CC-1 & CC-2 with depot ship HMCS Shearwater arrived Halifax from Esquimalt (7,300 miles.) Had been escorted by USCG up US Eastern Seaboard. It was determined that neither the engines nor the batteries of the submarines were capable of withstanding the demands of another long voyage. CC1 & CC2 were refitted & retained at Halifax for local defense. Shearwater was rearmed & joined the local patrol 1918 - Destroyer HMS Whitley commissioned 1918 - Naval Aviators of Marine Day Squadron 9 make first raid-in-force for the Northern Bombing Group in World War I when they bombed German railroad at Thielt Rivy, Belgium 1919 - Minelayer HNLMS Van Meerlant laid down 1920 - Light cruiser USS Memphis laid down 1920 - The RSFSR and Finland signed a peace treaty under which the greater part of the Karelian Isthmus remained in Finland's possession 1922 - Submarine USS S-48 commissioned 1924 - Liner SS Letitia launched 1929 - Destroyer HMCS Skeena laid down Southampton UK. Log - Built by Thornycroft, 1,337 tons, 320x32.5x10ft, 31kts, crew 10/171, 4-4.7in, 8-21in TT (2xIV) 2-2pdrs, modified 2-4.7in, 1-3in, 4-21in TT, 6-20mm, Hedgehog. Gunshield art, 'A salmon wearing a sailor's cap, with Skeena tally, covering it's blond locks, swimming with attempting bauble in its mouth and a depth charge under its fin, enticing a turtle headed U-boat closer, on the side a crest of Skeena with a Naval crown the maple leaves above a salmon' 1932 - Submarines FS Le Centaure & Le Heros launched 1935 - Submarine FS Beveziers launched 1937 - Destroyer USS Ralph Talbot commissioned 1939 - U-23 was attacked in the North Sea by the British submarine HMS Sturgeon with three torpedoes, but all three missed 1939 - U-45 sank SS Bretagne & SS Lochavon in Convoy KJF-3 1939 - U-48 sank SS Sneaton 1939 - U-45 sunk SW of Ireland, in position 50.58N, 12.57W, by depth charges from destroyers HMS Inglefield, Ivanhoe & Intrepid. 38 dead (all hands lost) 1939 - AMC HMS Dunnottar Castle commissioned 1939 - The battleship HMS Royal Oak was sunk at anchor in Scapa Flow by an audacious attack by U-47 which penetrated the defenses of the anchorage 1939 - Colonel Charles Lindbergh has caused deep anger both in Canada and in many circles in the United States by his radio broadcast last night in which he questioned the right of Canada to "draw this hemisphere into a European war because they prefer the Crown of England to American Independence." Senator Key Pittman of Nevada, the chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, attacked Colonel Lindbergh's speech. The New York Herald Tribune called it "as fantastic in logic as it is bad in taste". Many Canadian leaders have already wired their fury to Washington, and Canadian ex-servicemen's groups have protested. Lindbergh appeared to try to meet the charge that he is Pro-German by calling for both Nazi and Communist influence in America to be "stamped out". He also said that British and French colonies in the Caribbean should be handed to the US to pay war debts. Lindbergh's earlier visits with Luftwaffe leaders including Goering (and also a visit with Hitler) had already prompted Lindbergh to praise the Luftwaffe for its system and aircraft, and this speech put a lifelong dark cloud over a man once virtually worshipped as the "Lone Eagle" in America, where many now regarded him as a sort of traitor. In fact, he was almost instinctively isolationist, internationally ignorant, and markedly naive, which made him an easy mark for Nazi propagandists. As Hitler's advances continued in Europe and his infamous London Blitz drew increasing US sympathy and concern for Britain and hatred for Nazi Germany, he virtually vanished into seclusion. When the US was attacked on 7 December 1941 by Japan, though he was a reserve colonel in the US Air Corps, he was bluntly denied a return to active duty, indeed any position whatever. This continued -- officially -- throughout the war. However, his known capabilities as a highly skilled pilot were well known and considered of value. As the Pacific war began to really heat up, he was quietly (and of course unofficially) contacted, and sent to the South Pacific as a sort of civilian consultant to pilots. It has long been said (also unofficially) that he in fact flew fighter missions against Japanese aircraft on various occasions, and quite successfully. But he never regained his national popularity 1939 - US freighter SS Nashaba is detained at Le Havre by French authorities 1939 - In Gibraltar, the US freighter SS Exporter is detained by the British 1939 - US freighter SS Scanstates is detained at Kirkwall, Orkneys, by British authorities 1940 - Destroyer HMS Belvoir laid down 1940 - Submarine HMS P-39 laid down 1940 - U-137 damaged HMS Cheshire 1940 - As the fleet heads for Alexandria, cruiser HMS Liverpool is badly damaged by a torpedo hit from Italian aircraft 1940 - American fuel stocks are moved from Shanghai and Hong Kong to Singapore 1940 - US State Department announces that the US passenger liners SS Monterey, SS Mariposa, and SS Washington are being sent to the Far East to repatriate American citizens from that region in view of prevailing "abnormal conditions" there. This move is made because of the shortage of accommodations on the ships already engaged in the Far East trade. SS Monterey is to go to Yokohama, Japan, and Shanghai, China while SS Mariposa will proceed to Shanghai and Chinwangtao, China, and Kobe, Japan 1941 - U-204 sank SS Guardakoa 1941 - Submarine HMS Syrtis laid down 1941 - Light cruiser HMS Trinidad commissioned 1941 - Trawler HMS Baffin laid down Collingwood ON 1941 - Corvette HMCS Regina launched Sorel PQ 1941 - Minesweeper HMCS Thunder commissioned 1941 - At 2230 hrs, U-564 reached the Spanish harbor of Cadiz to transfer an ill crewmember to the German tanker Thalia 1941 - Corvette HMS Fleur de Lys (ex-FS La Dieppoise) sunk by U-206 1941 - U-292, U-293, U-294, U-295, U-296, U-297, U-317, U-318, U-319, U-320, U-321, U-322, U-995, U-997, U-998, U-999, U-1000, U-1001, U-1002, U-1003, U-1004, U-1005, U-1006, U-1063, U-1064, U-1065, U-1103, U-1104, U-1105, U-1106, U-1163, U-1164, U-1165, U-1166, U-1199, U-1200, U-1201, U-1202, U-1203, U-1204, U-1227, U-1228, U-1229, U-1230, U-1231, U-1232, U-1233, U-1234, U-1235 ordered 1941 - U-526 laid down 1941 - U-410 & U-659 launched 1941 - In the Atlantic, German submarine U-553 encounters convoy SC 48 and summons help 1942 - U-69 torpedoes Newfoundland Railway Fleet steamship Caribou in the Cabot Strait on the North Sydney-Port-au-Basques route; 137 lives lost. In spite of this the Battle of St. Lawrence is rapidly ending after taking 700 lives, 23 ships 1942 - Soviet submarine SC-213 sunk by German subchaser Xanten near Hortizki Estuary. All hands lost 1942 - Soviet submarine SC-302 reported missing with all hands lost. Believed damaged by mines & sunk by Finnish aircraft 1942 - Minesweeper USS Sheldrake commissioned 1942 - Sloops HMS Starling & Wild Goose launched 1942 - Minesweeper USS Candid launched 1942 - After an attack on convoy SC-104, U-607 was attacked by the convoy escort HMS Viscount, and was so badly damaged by depth charges that she returned to base 1942 - U-318 laid down 1942 - U-951 & U-952 launched 1942 - U-530 commissioned 1942 - Following British landing craft were lost aboard the SS Southern Empress which was sunk by U-221 in Convoy SC-104 - HMS LCM-508, HMS LCM-509, HMS LCM-519, HMS LCM-522, HMS LCM-523, HMS LCM-532, HMS LCM-537, HMS LCM-547, HMS LCM-620 (each 52 tons) and HMS LCT-2006 (291 tons) 1942 - U-221 sank SS Susana in Convoy SC-104 1942 - U-607 sank SS Nellie in Convoy SC-104 1942 - U-618 sank SS Empire Mersey in Convoy SC-104 1942 - U-661 sank SS Nikolina Matkovic in Convoy SC-104 1942 - U-592 sank SS Shchors 1942 - At 0130 hours "Louie the Louse," a Japanese observation plane, wakes the US forces on Guadalcanal. The battleships HIJMS Kongo & Haruna pass Savo Island and slow to 18 knots. Louie brackets Henderson Field with flares and at 29,500 yards HIJMS Kongo fires her first salvo, Haruna soon follows. The other ships of the force, the light cruiser HIJMS Isuzu, and 7 destroyers, also bombard the island. The Japanese sailor’s topside are reminded of a fireworks display. This continues until 0256 hours. They fired 973 shells and are opposed by the 5-inch coast defense guns on Guadalcanal and motor torpedo boats PT-60, PT-38, PT-46 and PT-48 (Lieutenant Commander Alan R. Montgomery) from Tulagi. Destroyer HIJMS Naganami turns back the motor torpedo boats. The attacks of the PTs were assumed by Admiral Kurita to be his screen detecting a submarine. The damage is widespread around Henderson Field and Fighter One and includes 48 of 90 planes and fuel stocks at the field, putting the facility temporarily out of action. The men of the Army's 164th Infantry Regiment have spent their first night on Guadalcanal wondering if this is like all nights there. The Japanese have sent their battleships to bombard Henderson Field and destroy more than half the aircraft of the Cactus Air Force. This destruction will allow the successful resupply of their forces on Guadalcanal. They have a supply convoy coming down the slot. It will arrive this evening. During the morning Admiral Fitch sends 17 SBD Dauntless dive-bombers at Espiritu Santo and 20 Wildcat fighters to Henderson Field. He also organizes an airlift of fuel using C-47/R4D transports carrying ten 55 US gallon drums each. The IJN resupply convoy consisting of 6 transports and 8 destroyer transports is sighted in the afternoon and 4 SBDs of Scouting Squadron Three (VS-3) and 3 P-400 Airacobras attack at 1445 hours but score no hit. At 1745 hours, 7 SBDs, 6 P-39s and P-400s, refueled from gasoline found in a damaged B-17, attack but again score no hits; a P--400 is shot down by AA fire and another crashes on landing. These attacks do not stop the convoy, which reaches Guadalcanal at midnight along with another run of the Tokyo Express. During the day, 12 SBDs of Bombing Squadron Six (VB-6) in USS Enterprise are dispatched to Guadalcanal for service with the Cactus Air Force from Fighter One airfield. Meanwhile, due to the low fuel supply, the B-17s that had been based at Guadalcanal are withdrawn to Espirtu Santo 1942 - Submarine HIJMS I-7 shells Espiritu Santo. This follows the reconnaissance flight by the submarine-based aircraft the previous day 1942 - Australian coastwatchers are landed on the coast of Vella Lavella Island by submarine 1942 - Submarine USS Skipjack sinks an attack transport at 05-45 N, 144-25 E 1942 - Submarine USS Sculpin sinks an oiler in the South Pacific 1942 - USN submarines sink 3 IJA cargo ships 1942 - US Eleventh Air Force attack shipping at Kiska 1942 - US Army, Middle East Air Force B-17s hit shipping at Tobruk, Libya, scoring 2 direct hits on a large vessel and demolishing a smaller ship moored alongside 1943 - USCGC E.M. Dow grounded and abandoned near Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. All hands were saved 1943 - Submarine USS Segundo laid down 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS George M Campbell, John M Bermingham, Mason & Russell M Cox laid down 1943 - Frigate HMS Halstead launched 1943 - Patrol Boat USCGC Dow lost grounding during a gale off Mayaguez Puerto Rico 1943 - Destroyer HMS Zest launched 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Day, Rudderow & Currier launched 1943 - Aircraft carrier USS Franklin launched 1943 - Escort carrier USS Natoma Bay commissioned 1943 - Minesweeper USS Knave commissioned 1943 - Heavy cruiser USS Canberra commissioned 1943 - Frigate HMS Gore commissioned 1943 - Corvette HMCS Atholl commissioned 1943 - Submarine HMS Trooper sunk by German Q-ship GA.45 off Kos Island 1943 - U-455 collided in the North Atlantic with U-631 and suffered heavy damage 1943 - U-737 destroyed a landing stage off Grummanntbyan on Spitsbergen with a demolition charge 1943 - U-1170 launched 1943 - U-768 commissioned 1943 - Submarine USS Grayback sinks an attack transport at 27-35 N, 127-30 E 1943 - Submarine USS Bonefish sinks a schooner at 00-10 N, 119-15 E 1944 - U-2354 & U-3024 laid down 1944 - Minesweeper HMS Flying Fish commissioned 1944 - Frigate HMCS Magog damaged while escorting convoy GONS-33, was damaged 1325, by U-1223 Oblt Albert Kneip off Pointe des Monts, St. Lawrence River, 49-12N 67-19W. Three killed. Magog was towed to Quebec City missing 40 feet of her stern. U-1223 a IXC type U-boat built by Deutsche Werft AG Hamburg, launched 10 Jun 43, commissioned 6 Oct 43, one source indicates she was sunk by RAF a/c, 28 Apr 45, off Weser estuary, in Baltic, 7 crewmembers lost. The 2nd source that she was taken out of service 5 Mar 45 & scuttled west of Wesermunde, in position 53-32N, 08-35E. Albert Kneip was born in 1921, at Hamburg. He joined the navy in 1939 & went directly into the U-boat force. He served briefly as the Second Watch Officer in U-174 (Oct-Nov 41) & then was assigned as the First Watch Officer in U-171, KptLt Günther Pfeefer, CO, until Oct 42. Next, he served as the First Watch Officer in U-170 from Jan to Dec 43 and was promoted to OLtzS on 01 Oct 43. All three of these boats were long-range Type IXC U-boats. Kneip was selected for command & underwent his U-boat commander's course from Jan to Mar 44. He was appointed to command U-1223 immediately afterwards. Like most U-boat commanders, Albert Kneip was detained after the war & was freed on 31 Aug 45, an indication that his affiliation with the Nazi Party had not been very strong 1944 - Submarine USS Lagarto commissioned 1944 - During an air raid on Libau 2 men from U-717 were killed and 3 more wounded. [Matrosenobergefreiter Walter Steube, Maschinenobergefreiter August Grodonk] 1944 - The aircraft of Task Force 38 again attack Japanese installations on Formosa. The Japanese have reinforced the island with hundreds of aircraft drawn from the carrier fleet and these aircraft fly 419 sorties during the day. They attack the ships and damage three, one severely. The aircraft carrier USS Hancock is attacked by 2 aircraft; the first one drops a bomb off Hancock's port bow a few seconds before the carrier's guns splashed her into the sea but a bomb from the second aircraft penetrates a gun platform but exploded harmlessly in the water. The light cruiser USS Reno is struck by a torpedo bomber that explodes on the cruiser's main deck aft. Though a turret was partially incapacitated by the explosion, the turret captain succeeded in maintaining his fire against the attacking planes and ships. The most severely damaged is light cruiser USS Houston that is attacked by 4 aircraft; AA gunners shoot down 3 but the fourth aircraft manages to put a torpedo in her engine room, causing loss of power. The ship retires in tow to Ulithi. At this juncture, heavy air attacks on TF 38, together with enemy radio propaganda broadcasts that reflect a vast overestimation of the destruction wreaked by attacking Japanese aircraft, prompts Commander Third Fleet to withdraw TG 38.2 (Rear Admiral Gerald F. Bogan) and TG 38.3 (Rear Admiral Frederick C. Sherman) to the eastward to set upon any important Japanese fleet units that would attempt to finish off the "crippled remnants" of TF 38. The enemy, however, does not take the bait. During the day, USN aircraft damage a coast minelayer and 2 auxiliary submarine chasers and shoot down 80+ IJN aircraft 1944 - The main British occupation force, Operation Manna, landed in Megara today. An enormous fleet of RN and Greek cruisers and destroyers, under the command of Rear-Admiral J. M. Mansfield, is disembarking two British brigades 1944 - In the Pacific, 3 USN and an RN submarine sink an IJA transport, a merchant cargo ship, 2 merchant tankers and a communications vessel 1944 - Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-527 was commissioned at Chicago with LT Gil K. Phares, USCGR, as commanding officer. She was assigned to and operated in the Southwest Pacific and Western Pacific areas. On 1 August 1945, she was moored at Tacloban, Leyte loading food and ordnance supplies for the Army Base at Agusun, Macjalar Bay, Mindanao for which she departed next day, arriving on the 3rd. Unloading, begun on the 4th, was completed on the 7th and she departed Macajalar Bay on the 9th returning to Tacloban on the 10th. On the 26th she began loading supplies for the Army Base at Cebir City, Cebu, for which she departed on the 28th, anchoring there on the 30th. Such a month's routine was typical of the activity of the FS vessels in this area 1944 - Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-547 was commissioned at Los Angeles, CA with LT E. M. Harrison, USCGR as commanding officer. She was assigned to and operated in the Southwest Pacific and Western Pacific areas. On 11 April 1945, the FS-547 was sent from Manila to San Jose, Mindoro, being loaned out by USASOS for an indefinite period. Her duties were to deliver rations, fuel and equipment to units of the Philippine Army, formerly guerrillas, located at various ports in the Visayan area, to ports administered by the P.C.A.U #7, to transport Philippine Army troops from time to time and make any and all incidental trips which the 8th Army saw fit to set up. They ran one main monthly supply trip about the second week of each month that required about a week or ten days, to which three to five extra trips were added, all of shorter duration. The usual itinerary was from Margarin Bay (port of San Jose, Mindoro) to Romblon, Romblon Island, to Balanacan (Port of Boac, Marinduque, Island) to Calapan (Capital of Mindoro Province) to Lubang, Lubang Island and back to Mangarin Bay. Two to four days were spent at their base port, ordinarily to perform ship maintenance and repair as well as to procure ship's rations and supplies. She was decommissioned 27 October 1945 1947 - USCGC Bibb rescued 62 passengers and 7 crewmembers of the transatlantic flying boat Bermuda Sky Queen in mid-Atlantic 1948 - RCN Sea Fury a/c #TF995 crashed Nova Scotia. Pilot killed 1950 - Tacoma Narrows Bridge, second edition, opens to traffic 1952 - Seven men were killed when communist shore batteries hit the destroyer USS Lewis off Korea 1961 - Canada and US test North American air defense in a NORAD simulated nuclear attack 1964 - Destroyer HMCS Cayuga arrived Faslane under tow for scrapping 1966 - Frigate HMCS Swansea paid off 1969 - USS Ranger commenced Vietnam deployment 1971 - USS Midway port call Subic Bay 1971 - USS Oriskany port call Pearl Harbor 1972 - USS America port call Singapore 1974 - USS Oriskany port call Cubi Point 2002 - Destroyer HMCS Algonquin returned to Esquimalt from Persian Gulf, having spent almost 7 months away, logging 55,000 n/m. Made 1,700+ hailings; boarded 55. While carrying out their 96 inspections of 'go-fast vessels', crewmembers discovered & apprehended several suspected terrorists 2003 - Destroyer Huei Yang (ex USS English) sunk as a target 60 NM off the coast of Taiwan 2003 - The National Marine Aquarium in the UK announces successful acceptance of their £200,000 bid to purchase former frigate HMS Scylla for use as an artificial reef. They had submitted a sealed bid to the MoD disposal services agency last May. Funding for the project has come from the South West Regional Development Agency (RDA) 2004 - French frigate Surcouf rescued the crew of a Panamanian flagged merchant vessel that ran aground onto a reef off the coast of Yemen. Deployed since Sept. 26 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Surcouf was operating in the southern Red Sea when it received a distress signal from MV Sara 2. Sara 2, with its 16 crewmembers, first broadcast a “mayday” message Oct. 13 at approximately 11 PM local time. After Surcouf made radio contact with the merchant vessel, the French frigate’s Panther helicopter took off and arrived on the scene, but the crew of Sara 2 at first declined to evacuate, remaining aboard to repair the hole in the bow and the propulsion system. MV Sara 2 requested that Surcouf remain in the area 2005 - INDRA-2005, a biennial bilateral exercise between the armed forces of Russia and India, conducted from the 10 - 20 Oct 05. The naval part of the exercise will be conducted on the Eastern Seaboard, off the coast of Visakhapatnam, from 14 to 20 Oct 05 2005 - US Navy announced that dock landing ship USS Tortuga, currently homeported in Little Creek, Va., will be forward-deployed to Sasebo, Japan, to replace the dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry. USS Tortuga is expected to arrive in Sasebo in March 2006 for turnover and assignment as part of the US Navy's Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF). USS Fort McHenry will depart Sasebo in April 2006 and return to Little Creek VA where she will be homeported. These ship rotations are part of the Navy's long-range plan to routinely replace older ships assigned to the Navy's FDNF with newer or more capable ships. The forward deployment of USS Tortuga ensures the ability of Commander US Seventh Fleet to fulfill the US Government's commitment to the defense of Japan and the maintenance of international peace and security in the Far East in support of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security 2005 - A Navy F-18 fighter jet crashed off the coast of Key West. The pilot and co-pilot ejected from the plane 2005 - USS Pearl Harbor loads relief supplies for earthquake victims in Kashmir at Bahrain 2005 - Hijackers released a United Nations ship carrying food aid for 78,000 of the most vulnerable people in Somalia after seizing it on the 13th while it was unloading in port 2005 - Vice Admiral (V Adm) Rifiloe J Mudimu hosted his first annual Gala concert as the new Chief of the SA Navy (C Navy) 2005 - USS Jimmy Carter was swamped during heavy seas and had to return to the Naval Submarine Base just hours after it left, according to a Navy spokesman. “When they were in transit, somewhere in Long Island Sound, they took a nasty wave,” Lt. Mark Jones said. Water poured into the bridge hatch and damaged some computer equipment below, requiring that the submarine return to port, he said. “It was essential, but an easy-to-fix piece of equipment,” Jones said. “It was an easy switch-out on the computer, and they were back to sea and on their way by Saturday. Carter had departed Friday for Bangor, Wash., as part of a planned change of homeport, after being commissioned last February. Bangor, which has increased security measures, has long been the homeport of the spy submarine USS Parche, which was decommissioned last year. Navy sources have said all three Seawolf-class submarines, including the USS Seawolf and USS Connecticut, will eventually switch homeports to Bangor, because logistically it makes sense to operate and maintain all ships of the class out of a single port. Carter had been expected to leave for the West Coast as early as last month, but its departure was delayed when it ran into problems with its hydraulic system and a six-week repair period at Electric Boat stretched out by a few weeks, Navy sources said. It left Groton for Bangor and was transiting the Sound on the surface until it reached water deep enough for it to dive. Two lookouts and the officer of the deck were standing watch at the top of the sail, as required when the ship is on the surface, when a huge wave swamped them, sending hundreds of gallons of water flushing down the bridge hatch at the same time. The Navy sources said the bridge was completely submerged by the wave, and that if the lookouts and the officer of the deck had not been clipped in because of the foul weather they could have been washed overboard. Two sources noted the situation was similar to what happened to the Canadian submarine Chicoutimi almost exactly a year ago. On Oct. 5, 2004, that boat was under way in the Atlantic and had to leave the hatches open for some repairs, when a wave broke over the vessel, flooding it and starting two fires that injured nine people. One officer, Lt. Chris Saunders, died of his injuries 2005 - SBX returned from a successful 52-day deployment in the Gulf of Mexico. While in the Gulf, SBX completed more than 100 major test activities, demonstrating the ability to achieve most major sustainment and operational capabilities including transferring personnel, supplies, and fuel; at-sea maintenance; and the ability to operate at sea for extended periods. The SBX team maintained a constant watch during the busy hurricane season, and the vessel took evasive action in response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The vessel avoided both storms without incident, which serves to further demonstrate SBX’s mobility and the team’s ability to operate in dynamic circumstances. SBX is in Corpus Christi, Texas, preparing to depart for the Pacific Ocean and make the long journey around South America to its future homeport in Adak, Alaska in the Aleutian Island chain. The Missile Defense Agency is developing SBX to serve as a primary radar for the Ballistic Missile Defense System. It will track ballistic missiles during tests and defensive operations. The powerful X-band radar will provide discrimination of decoys and countermeasures that could be used by a hostile ballistic missile during an attack on the United States. SBX is 282 feet high and displaces more than 50,000 tons. Its on-board propulsion system allows SBX to self-deploy throughout the world’s oceans. Near-term plans are for it to homeport at Adak Island, but it will also have the capability to support testing and operations throughout the entire Pacific Ocean missile defense test bed 2006 - The Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (CCGA) today presented achievement awards to volunteer rescuers from Newfoundland and Labrador and to friends of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary. Marcel O’Brien and Alma O’Brien from L’anse au Loup, Labrador received certificates of appreciation for their outstanding work in arranging the 7th Annual Search and Rescue Competition in L’anse au Loup, Labrador in October 2005. Brian Bishop of St. John’s, President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Civil Air Search and Rescue Association, was presented with a honorary membership for his unwavering support of Coast Guard Auxiliary activities in Newfoundland and Labrador. In recognition of a lifetime of dedication and service to the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary: Eric Thomas – L’anse au Claire, Clyde Thomas – L’anse au Claire, Herb Pittman – Englee, John Goodyear – Roddickton, Herbert Saunders – St. Lunaire, Clayton Pike – St. Lawrence. In recognition of 25 years of dedication and service to the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary: Philip Dohey – St. Brides, Edward Bruce – Long Harbour, Kevin Fitzgerald – Gooseberry Cove, Clyde Simmons – Hickmans Harbour, George Jacobs – Joe Batts Arm, Morley Rowe – St. John’s. The awards were presented at the 8th Annual General Meeting and Awards Banquet held at Hotel Marystown 2007 - The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission dedicate an official state historical marker at the Erie Maritime Museum to Antarctica expert and former Erie resident Paul A. Siple. Siple also developed the wind chill index, which is used in weather forecasting, and became the first Eagle Scout in Antarctica when he was selected to accompany Rear Admiral R. E. Byrd on his 1928-1930 Antarctic expedition. In 1957 Siple led the first team to winter at the South Pole 2007 - Submarine Ohio departs Bangor on first deployment since a $1 billion conversion. Instead of carrying Trident nuclear missiles, the submarine carries 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles 2007 - As an urgent step to check smuggling activity in the Gulf of Mannar area, the Indian Navy has decided to establish a Naval Observation Post (NOP) at Seeniappa Dharga near Mandapam in Ramanathapuram district 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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