SeaWaves Today in History September 9, 2007 ********************************************************************* September 9 1583 - Sir Humphrey Gilbert c1537-1583 drowns returning from Newfoundland when his ship Squirrel is wrecked in a storm off the Azores; his reputed last words 'We are as near to heaven by sea as by land!' 1664 - Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam was seized by the English and renamed New York, in honor of James, Duke of York 1825 - USS Brandywine sails for France to carry the Marquis de Lafayette home after his yearlong visit to America. 1841 - First iron ship authorized by Congress 1918 - Destroyer USS Dent commissioned 1918 - Submarine USS R-18 commissioned 1919 - Destroyers USS Stewart, Pope & Peary laid down 1919 - Alexander Graham Bell's hydrofoil takes the world speed record 1927 - Submarine HMS Otway commissioned 1931 - Heavy cruiser USS San Francisco laid down 1933 - Sloop HMS Leith launched 1935 - U-10 commissioned 1936 - Destroyer USS Smith commissioned 1937 - Submarine USS Spearfish laid down 1937 - Light cruiser HMS Glasgow commissioned 1937 - Germany and Italy refused to attend the "piracy" conference. (They considered it a matter for the nonintervention committee to handle 1938 - Destroyer HMS Jervis launched 1938 - Destroyer HMS Jervis launched 1939 - U-93 & U-94 laid down 1939 - British submarine HMS Ursula fired the first British submarine torpedoes of the war when attacking German U-35. The U-boat escaped 1939 - Destroyer HMS Nepal laid down 1939 - Corvette HMS Narcissus laid down 1939 - Germany announces that the following terms will be used when describing submarine warfare trade warfare' [Handelskrieg] to describe activity in accordance with Prize Law, and the siege of England' [Belagerung Englands zur See] to describe unrestricted submarine warfare. English merchantmen which are clearly armed may be attacked by submarines without warning 1939 - US freighter SS Wacosta bound from Glasgow, Scotland to New York City is stopped by a German U-boat and detained while the Germans search the ship and examine her papers. She is allowed to proceed after 3 hours 1939 - US freighter SS President Harding is detained by French officials who confiscate 135 tons of copper and 34 tons of petroleum products. The ship is then released 1940 - U-28 sank SS Mardinian in Convoy SC-2 1940 - U-47 sank SS Possidon in Convoy SC-2 1940 - Destroyers HMS Clare, Churchill, Chesterfield, Chelsea, Castleton, Campbeltown, Cameron & Caldwell commissioned 1940 - Navy awards contracts for 210 ships, including 12 carriers and 7 battleships 1940 - Hitler postpones the invasion of England until 24 September 1940 - The Germans warn that all ships in the war zones defined by the Axis powers are subject to attack 1940 - Six French warships leave Toulon for Dakar, West Africa. They reach Dakar safely 1940 - Light cruiser HMS Galatea is damaged by an acoustic mine in the Thames Estuary 1941 - Minesweeper HMCS Port Hope laid down Toronto ON 1941 - Corvette HMCS Dunvegan commissioned 1941 - U-162 commissioned 1941 - U-81 sank SS Empire Springbuck in Convoy SC-42 1941 - U-702 chief engineer killed during an accident in Kiel. The boat was undergoing trials at the time 1941 - In the Svalbard Islands in the Norwegian Sea, British, Canadian, and Norwegian troops land on Spitsbergen Island to destroy coal mines the Germans Nazis might use for fuel 1941 - USN's Bureau of Aeronautics requests that the National Defense Research Committee and the Naval Research Laboratory to develop an interceptor radar suitable for installation in a single-engined, single-seat fighter, e.g., the F4U Corsair 1942 - U-66 sank SS Peiping 1942 - Weather ship USS Muskeget sunk by three torpedoes fired by U-755 1942 - U-361 launched 1942 - Minesweeper HMS Cadmus commissioned 1942 - Light cruiser USS Montpelier commissioned 1942 - Canadian War Cabinet closes the St. Lawrence to all Allied shipping except coasters; due to German U-Boat submarine danger 1942 - Escort carrier HMS Empress laid down 1942 - USS Muskeget (Coast Guard-manned) sunk without trace on weather patrol-9 officers and 111 enlisted men lost 1942 - Canadian War Cabinet closes the St. Lawrence to all Allied shipping except coasters; due to German U-Boat submarine danger 1942 - Iran declared war on Germany 1942 - An IJN Yokosuka E14Y Navy Type 0 Small Reconnaissance Seaplane, Allied Code Name "Glen," launched from the submarine HIJMS I-25 off the west coast, drops four 76 kg incendiary bombs on a mountain slope 10 miles NE of Brookings, Oregon, causing a small forest fire. This is the first time the continental US was bombed in WWII 1942 - Patrol Vessel District YP-346 sunk by surface ships in the South Pacific 1942 - Miscellaneous Auxiliary USS Muskeget probably sunk after being torpedoed by U-755 in North Atlantic 1943 - Ocean Tug USS Nauset sunk German aircraft Gulf of Salerno Italy 1943 - LCT(5)-366 sunk location not known 1943 - Minelayer HMS Abdiel mined and sunk in Taranto Bay 1943 - Submarine USS Grayling rammed & sunk by SS Hokuan Maru west of Luzon 1943 - HMC ML 111 commissioned 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Coffman, Baker & Hodges laid down 1943 - Heavy cruiser USS Helena laid down 1943 - Minesweeper USS Incredible laid down 1943 - Submarines USS Ronquil, Redfish & Razorback laid down 1943 - Escort carrier HMS Arbiter launched 1943 - U-1191 commissioned 1943 - US and British troops landed at Salerno in Operation Avalanche. The landings proceeded well to begin with, but then encountered strong German forces. Elsewhere in southern Italy, Royal Navy warships landed British troops at Taranto - the Italian garrison met them with cheers 1943 - Midget submarine "Welman 10" which was being operated by SOE sank alongside depot ship HMS Forth and sank. The commander (Lt B Pedersen of the Norwegian Army) makes an unaided escape to the surface. There are no casualties 1943 - The Italian mainland is invaded in Operations AVALANCHE and SLAPSTICK. Under protection of the USN's Task Force 80 (Vice Admiral H. Kent Hewitt), the Allied Fifth Army (Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark, USA) lands on the assault beaches in the Gulf of Salerno in Operation AVALANCHE. Salerno had been chosen as the site for the invasion because it was the northern-most point to which the Allies could provide air cover from bases in Sicily. On the left flank, British Commandos and US Rangers land at Vietri and Maiori respectively with orders to advance northward and capture passes through the hills. The British 46 and 56 Divisions land south of Salerno meeting strong German resistance but manage to get ashore. The US 36th Infantry Division lands north and south of Paestum and has heavy casualties because of strong German resistance. Once ashore, the Americans meet less resistance. Meanwhile, the British launch Operation SLAPSTICK. The British 1 Airborne Division makes an amphibious landing at Taranto and then captures the airfield at Foggia 1943 - Italian battleship Roma was hit by a "glider bomb" in the Gulf of Asinara off Sardinia and blew up soon after firing her first and last shots in battle. The ship was en route to Malta from the Italian naval base at La Spezia. Included in the 1,523 dead on Roma is Admiral Carlo Bergamini, senior naval commander afloat in the Italian Navy 1943 - Iran declares war on Germany 1943 - 4 P-38 Lightnings bomb the docks at Whampoa and 8 P-40s and P-38s hit shipping on the Yangtze River shipping near Chiuchiang, Kichun, Wusueh, Ocheng, and Changanyi 1943 - US Tenth Air Force B-24s again mine the Rangoon River 1943 - Four USN high speed transports bombard Lae 1943 - Submarine USS Harder sinks a Japanese merchant cargo ship SE of Tokyo 1943 - U-214 lays mines off Colon, Canal Zone 1944 - U-3503 commissioned 1944 - Destroyer USS Bordelon laid down 1944 - Light cruiser USS Springfield commissioned 1944 - Frigate HMS Loch Scavaig launched 1944 - Minesweeper USS Staunch commissioned 1944 - U-484 sunk in the North Atlantic NW of Ireland, in position 55.45N, 11.41W, by depth charges from the British corvette HMS Porchester Castle & frigate HMS Helmsdale. 52 dead (all hands lost) 1944 - U-865 reported missing. Cause of loss unknown; all hands (59) lost 1944 - U-155 was the last U-boat to be evacuated from Lorient 1944 - Fifth Fleet carrier aircraft begin air strikes on Japanese shipping and facilities at Mindanao, Philippines 1944 - Submarine USS Bang sinks a transport and a merchant cargo ship south of Japan 1944 - Submarine USS Queenfish sinks a transport and a merchant passenger/cargo ship NW of Babuyan, Luzon 1944 - Submarine USS Seal sinks an army cargo ship in the Sea of Okhotsk, north of Etorofu, Kurile Islands 1944 - Two Japanese auxiliary submarine chasers and a merchant cargo ship are sunk 1944 - 5 USAAF Fourteenth Air Force B-24s over the South China Sea claim 4 freighters sunk or heavily damaged 1944 - Philippines - Carrier-based aircraft from the USN's Task Groups 38.1, 38.2 and 38.3 attack Japanese airfields, shipping and installations on Mindanao, Philippines Islands, in support of the upcoming invasion of the Palau Islands. Aircraft sink three transports and a cargo ship while light cruisers USS Birmingham & USS Santa Fe with four destroyers detached from Task Group 38.3 (Rear Admiral Laurance T. DuBose), covered by planes from the light aircraft carrier USS Langley, demolish a coastal convoy consisting of predominantly small ships and craft proceeding down the west coast of Mindanao 1945 - Submarines HMS United & Upright departed Halifax for UK on completion of ASW training 1945 - A "computer bug" is first identified and named by LT Grace Murray Hopper while she was on Navy active duty in 1945 It was found in the Mark II Aiken Relay Calculator at Harvard University The operators affixed the moth to the computer log, where it still resides, with the entry - "First actual case of bug being found." They "debugged" the computer, first introducing the term 1945 - Japanese officials in northern Japan surrender to the Allies at Ominato Naval Base on Honshu 1945 - In South Korea, surrender ceremonies are held in the Government Building in Seoul. The US delegates are Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid and Lieutenant General John R. Hodge 1946 - Sloop HMS Snipe commissioned 1952 - By the USSR Council of Ministers' decree two groups of specialists were formed for designing and building a nuclear-powered submarine. Vladimir Peregudov was the chief designer and Nikolai Dollezhal was in charge of creating its engine 1954 - Marilyn Bell (b. 1937) touches the CNE Breakwater, utterly exhausted, becoming the first person to swim 5l.5 km across Lake Ontario, from Youngstown, NY. The 16-year-old Bell does it in 20 hours, 59 minutes, battling lamprey eels and oil pollution, succeeding where marathon champions Florence Chadwick and Winnie Roach failed 1960 - Destroyer HMCS Columbia departed Halifax for Nigerian Independence Celebrations 1969 - Destroyer HMCS Gatineau commenced modernization at Esquimalt BC 1975 - USS Hancock port call Subic Bay 1990 - Operation Sharp Edge continues as 94 more people are evacuated, including 10 Americans. This brings the total number of people evacuated from Liberia to 2030, including 161 Americans 1992 - Destroyer HMCS Chaudiere sold for $1 plus GST to Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia 1994 - Frigate HMCS Halifax arrived Halifax from Operation Sharp Guard off Yugoslavia 1995 - Frigate HMCS Charlottetown commissioned at Charlottetown PEI 1998 - Four tourists who had paid $32,500 each were taken in a tiny submarine to view the wreckage of the Titanic, 2 1/2 miles below the Atlantic off Newfoundland 2002 - Frigate HMCS Montreal departed Halifax for Task Force 151 in the Persian Gulf area 2003 - OPV HMS Angelsey decommissioned 2003 - USCGC Dolphin launched 2003 - USCG 44-foot motor lifeboats 44313, 44325, 44340, 44348, 44367, 44397, 44398, 44403 transferred to Yemen 2003 - Torpedo accidentally dropped onto the deck of HMCS Calgary in the Persian Gulf because a technician had failed to install a safety pin in the Sea King's weapon system 2005 - At approximately 12 noon, the New Trafalgar Dispatch will reach its final destination in the courtyard of the Old Admiralty Building and will be received by Admiral Sir Alan West, the First Sea Lord and Mr Ian Andrews the second Permanent Under Secretary at the Ministry of Defense. This is the last stage of the re-enactment of Lt. Lapenotiere's record breaking journey with news from Trafalgar 200 years ago. After the presentation of the Dispatch to the Lord Mayor of Westminster at Wellington Arch on Hyde Park Corner, the post chaise and four will journey in procession with representatives from the Queen's Household Division, a Royal Marine Band and Sea Cadets, down The Mall and Whitehall, making a dramatic sweep through the archway of The Old Admiralty Building for the presentations. The Dispatch arrived by sea at Falmouth in early August on the Jubilee Sailing Trust ship Lord Nelson, having sailed from Cadiz and was greeted by HRH Princess Royal and The First Sea Lord. Since then the Post Chaise with 'Lt. Laponotiere' in costume accompanied by young officers from Dartmouth Naval College have made presentations to local officials in towns and villages along the original route of the dispatch, watched by thousands of people. Trafalgar Way Plaques have been unveiled to mark this historical journey and also to remember those who fought and died at the Battle of Trafalgar. The final Plaque will be unveiled at The Old Admiralty on 9 September. It marks the inauguration of 'The Trafalgar Way', officially approved by the Department of Transport which will be one of the permanent legacies of this year's bicentenary commemorations 2006 - Submarine USS Texas commissioned at Galveston 2006 - The K-84 submarine (Yekaterinburg) fired an intercontinental ballistic missile from the North Pole zone at the Kizha range in the extreme continental area of the Arkhangelsk region for this, had been on the market for about a year, with an initial asking price of $17.3 million 2006 - The USCG seized a foreign fishing vessel for illegally fishing inside the 200-mile US Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) at Howland/Baker Islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about 1,700 miles southwest of Honolulu. The Coast Guard Cutter Walnut is currently escorting the fishing vessel Marshalls 201 toward Guam for further action 2007 - US Navy closes Operational Support Center in Duluth, ending a 109-year naval presence in the northeastern Minnesota city ============================================================= Sources: Colton Shipping Report, NOAA, MARAD, Marine Digest, Leo Pettipas, Kommersant, Samuel Loring Morison, Frank Pierce Young, Navy Times, Naval Institute Proceedings, www.uboat.net, Andrew Etherington, John Nicholas, US Naval Historical Center, Ministry of Defense, US Coast Guard, Thomas N. Carlson, Jack Arrowsmith, Allan Snowie, Ken Hansen, Andy Barber, John Weiss, Jack McKillop, Bernard de Neumann, Sympatico Today in History, Washington History Link, Lloyds List, Fairplay, New York Times, I-Newswire and other news sources in the public domain. Additions, submissions and corrections are always welcomed. ============================================================= Today in History Archives at: http://www.seawaves.com/newsletters/today_in_history_archive.htm Copyright 2007 Shirlaw News Group ISSN 1710-6966 Photos courtesy of US Naval Historical Center, US Coast Guard Historical Center, Wikipedia Encyclopedia or Naval Museum of Manitoba unless otherwise noted. Images may be subject to copyright. Ask before you right-click.