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404 - Saint Telemachus, a fifth-century monk who lived in a monastery in Asia or modern day Turkey, who is said to have felt God calling him to Rome. When he got to Rome, people were running about the city in great confusion. He had arrived on a day when the gladiators were going to fight both other gladiators and animals in the amphitheater. Everyone was heading to the amphitheater to watch the entertainment. Telemachus walked into the Colosseum and sat down among 80,000 people who cheered as the gladiators came out proclaiming, "'Hail Caesar! We die to the glory of Caesar." Telemachus got up out of his seat, ran down the steps, climbed over the wall, walked out to the center of the amphitheater, and stood between two large gladiators. Putting his hands up, he meekly cried out, "In the name of Christ, stop!" The crowd laughed and jeered. One of the gladiators slapped Telemachus in the stomach with his sword and sent him spinning off into the dust. Telemachus got up and again stood between the two huge gladiators. He repeated, "In the name of Christ, stop." This time the crowd chanted "Run him through!" One of the gladiators took his sword and ran it through Telemachus' stomach. He fell into the dust and the sand turned red as blood ran out of him. One last time, Telemachus weakly cried out, "'In the name of Christ, stop." He died on the amphitheater floor. The crowd grew silent, and emptied out of the Colosseum. According to ancient Christian records, thanks to Saint Telemachus, this was the last gladiatorial contest in the history of the Roman Empire. Because of Telemachus' death, three days later, the Emperor by decree ended the Games. The story is found in the writings of Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrrhus (393-457 AD)1586 - Sir Francis Drake with three ships captured San Domingo

1807 - Curacao was captured by British forces

1813 - General George Prevost, commander of British forces in Canada, confirms to his commanders that over 100 sleigh loads of military and naval stores shipped to Kingston1831- A contract was made to provide the Portland Harbor (Barcelona) Lighthouse, on the south shore of Lake Erie in New York, with natural gas "at all times and seasons" and to keep the apparatus and fixtures in repair at an annual cost of $213.00

1850 - The light in the Minots Ledge Lighthouse was first shown. This lighthouse was the first one built in the United States in a position directly exposed to the sweep of the open sea. It was destroyed and two keepers were killed in a great gale in April 1851

1892 - The Ellis Island Immigrant Station in New York formally opened

1892 - Destruction Island Light in Washington State shines for the first time

1898 - Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island were consolidated into New York City

1901 - The Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed

1916 - Ordered, Contract 602-GF, Group 2, Submarines, 3 knockdown kits, Russian AG21-AG23, for Imperial Russia & USSR, Hulls- Canadian Vickers Montreal, PQ, LOA 150ft 3in, Beam 15ft, Draught 12ft 4in, Surface 355 tons/Dived 467 tons. Twin 480HP, Non-reversible 8 Cyl Nelesco, 13kts, normal fuel load 16.4 tons/maximum 18 tons, 2800nm/10kts, 2 X 160HP 11kts 130/2kts. Shipped Nov 1916, all assembled at Nikolaev between 1917 & 1921 for Black Sea Fleet

1917 - Trawlers ordered for RN in Canadian yards - HM TR-1 through TR-36

1917 - Destroyer HMS Velox laid down

1924 - Light cruiser USS Cincinnati commissioned

1930 - Heavy cruiser FS Suffren commissioned

1930 - Destroyer FS Valmy commissioned

1936 - Light cruiser FS La Galissonniere commissioned

1937 - Effective this date, the dividing point between the 6th and 7th Lighthouse Districts on the east coast of Florida was moved northward from Hillsboro Inlet to St. Lucie Inlet. This change was made so that the Trans-Florida waterway through Lake Okeechobee so that the entire waterway would be under one jurisdiction

1937 - Destroyer FS Mameluk laid down

1937 - Battleships HMS King George V & Prince of Wales laid down

1940 - At 1058, SS Lars Magnus Trozelli was torpedoed and sunk by U-58 in the North Sea. The Norwegian SS Ask picked the survivors up the same day

1940 - Commissioned for Fisherman's Reserve & returned to owners 1946 - HMCS Aristocrat, Leola Vivian & Meander

1940 - Destroyer HMS Puckeridge laid down

1941 - 95 RAF Bomber Command aircraft attack shipyards at Bremen

1941 - The chief of the Free French naval forces, Vice-Admiral Muselier is arrested, in London, on suspicion of treason. The Intelligence Service had acquired four documents, allegedly emanating from the Vichy French Consulate in London, one of which proved that Muselier had betrayed the plans of the Dakar expedition and sent them to Vichy through the intermediary of the Brazilian Embassy. Another document showed that Muselier was plotting to hand over the submarine Surcouf to Vichy, and yet another showed that he had received £2000 for sabotaging the recruiting of sailors for the Free French naval forces. The evidence is brought before Churchill who reacts in characteristic fashion. Sir Alexander Cadogan notes in his diary - "PM of course wants to hang him at once. I pointed out possible effect on de G. movement... For good measure, Churchill wanted to declare war on Brazil..."

1941 - U-216 laid down

1941 - Light cruiser HMS Mauritius commissioned

1941 - Minesweepers HMCS Medicine Hat & Red Deer laid down

1942 - U-901 laid down

1942 - U-333 was attacked by an enemy aircraft, but was not damaged

1942 - Commissioned for Fisherman's Reserve from seized local Japanese fishing fleet - HMCS Billow (ex-Kurashio) & HMCS Comber (ex-CSC II). Both sold 1945

1942 - HMCS Scaterie & Valinda chartered for wartime service. Returned to owners 1946

1942 - Minesweepers HMS Tourmaline & Strenuous laid down

1942 - Minesweepers HMS Strenuous (J338), ex-USS Vital (AM-129), HMS Tourmaline (J.339), ex-USS Usage (AM-130), laid down

1943 - U-73 was damaged when the torpedoed ship Arthur Middleton exploded

1943 - Swedish SS Brageland was stopped by U-164 off the Brazilian coast, searched and sunk according to prize rules

1943 - U-406 had to abort her patrol in the North Atlantic due to serious engine trouble

1943 - U-438 was damaged by underwater explosions, forcing her to return from patrol in the North Atlantic

1943 - Eleven ships from UGS-3, including SS Arthur Middleton from station #21, broke away from the convoy near Casablanca to proceed for their destination port Oran and began to form a single line to enter the harbor. At 1428, before the line was formed, two torpedoes hit the Arthur Middleton from U-73 at the bow. The U-boat commander saw the target explode after 17 seconds. The torpedoes had ignited portions of the cargo and sent water, hull plates, parts of the ship and flames 1000 feet into the air. The Liberty ship disintegrated from the #5 hatch to the bow, only the after part of the ship remained afloat for less than one minute three miles off Oran. Only three armed guards survived of the eight officers, 34 men, 27 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in and nine 20mm guns) and 12 passengers (one US Army security officer and 11 crewmen from USS LCT-21). These three men jumped overboard from the stern gun platform and were picked up by destroyer HMS Boreas 25 minutes later and were transferred to hospital ship HMHS Oxfordshire

1943 - Destroyer HMCS Iroquois pendant number changed from I98 to G89

1943 - Minesweeper HMCS Minas damaged in collision with trawler HMS Liscomb off Halifax NS

1943 - Corvette HMCS Woodstock sank MTB 105, 250 miles NW of Azores after merchant ship carrying it had been sunk

1943 - An RAF Coastal Command Sunderland flying boat spotted the German blockade runner Rhakotis in the Bay of Biscay on 31 December, attempting to smuggle in war cargo from Japan. The light cruiser HMS Scylla was diverted to intercept, and ran at full speed through a gale for some 20 hours, with the Sunderland guiding her towards the target by dropping flares along the course. Scylla eventually caught Rhakotis that evening and sank her 140 miles from the French coast

1943 - Destroyer USS Schroeder commissioned

1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Burke & Scott laid down

1943 - Rescue tug HMS Tancred launched

1943 - Ground Controlled Approach equipment (GCA) was called into emergency use for the first time when a snowstorm closed down the field at US NAS Quonset Point, Rhode Island, USA a half hour before a flight of PBYs was due to arrive. The GCA crew located the incoming aircraft on their search radar, and using the control tower as a relay station, "talked" one of them into position for a contact landing. This recovery was made only 9 days after the first successful experimental demonstration of GCA. GCA quickly became a standard item at naval air stations, and remained so for a long time. When the Soviets blockaded Berlin postwar, among the very first ground support outfits involved in helping bring blockade-busting aircraft in, were stateside Navy GCA units, which were ordered out immediately. Most were headed for Europe within 48 hours. At NAS Willow Grove, where the GCA people had long occupied an entire large corner room of the second deck of Barracks 1, they were there one day, got orders sometime that evening, and were all gone by next morning

1944 - Aircraft from a US carrier task force, under Admiral Sherman attack a Japanese convoy off Kavieng, New Ireland

1944 - Corvette HMCS Halifax arrived St John's to join EG C-1

1944 - Destroyer HMCS Athabaskan arrived Loch Ewe with Convoy RA-55A

1944 - Corvette HMCS Sudbury departed Halifax for refit Esquimalt BC

1944 - HMCS Andrew Lee chartered

1944 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Fuday launched

1944 - Submarine USS Catfish laid down

1944 - Destroyer escort USS Eisner commissioned

1944 - Frigate USS Orange commissioned

1944 - Submarine USS Pintado commissioned1945 - Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-398 was assigned to and operated in the Central Pacific area

1945 - Commissioning of Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-399 took place. She was assigned to and operated in the Central Pacific area at Noumea, Guadalcanal, Wake, etc

01 Jan 1945 - Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-395 was commissioned at Ingalls Shipyard, Decatur. Her first commanding officer was LT J. R. Baylis, USCGR, who was succeeded on 14 September 1945, by LTJG B. G. Crawford, USCGR. He in turn, was succeeded on 1 October 1945 by LTJG Melvin A. Alvey, USCG. She was assigned to and operated in the Pacific area1945 - Some of the last school and training boats left the bases in the eastern Baltic Sea, such as Pillau and Königsberg, due to the approaching Red Army

1945 - U-310 suffered damage when she struck the seabed in the Arctic Sea

1945 - U-1199 sailed on her second and final patrol

1945 - Destroyer USS Leary launched

1945 - Repair ship HMS Deer Sound commissioned

1945 - Submarines USS Requin & Stickleback launched

1946 - The US Coast Guard, which had operated as a service under the US Navy since 1 November 1941, was returned to the US Treasury Department, pursuant to Executive Order 9666, dated 28 December 1945

1946 - The International Load Lines Convention, which had been suspended since 9 August 1941, was restored to full effectiveness by a Presidential proclamation dated 21 December 1945. The U .S. Coast Guard resumed assumed the enforcement of the convention's requirements in the interest of safe loading

1948 - Corvette HMS (ex-HMCS) Hepatica arrived Rees, Llanelly, Wales for scrapping

1950 - Mary T. Sproul commissioned as first female doctor in US Navy

1951 - Corvette HMCS Orillia commenced scrapping Steel Co of Canada Hamilton ON

1954 - Destroyer HMCS Cayuga relieved sister ship Iroquois in Korean waters

1954 - HMCS Iroquois returns to Canada from Korea

1954 - The "Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1948" commonly known as the "Revised lnternational Rules of the Road" became law. These were a result of the International Conference on the Safety of Life at Sea, 1948

1959 - Fidel Castro led Cuban revolutionaries to victory over Fulgencio Batista

1959 - US Naval Observatory introduces system of uniform atomic time using cesium beam atomic oscillators. The International Committee on Weights and Measures has adopted this measurement as standard.

1962 - Navy SEAL teams established

1967 - USCGC Point Gammon attacked and sank infiltrating "trawler" in Vietnam waters

1971 - USS Kitty Hawk port call Cubi Point

1974 - USS Hancock port call Pearl Harbor

1974 - USS Kitty Hawk port call Subic Bay

1980 - Destroyer HMCS St Laurent left Halifax under tow of tug Odin Salvator for scrapping Brownsville TX

1985 - USCGC Citrus was rammed by the M/V Pacific Star during a boarding incident. The Pacific Star then sank after being scuttled by her crew. There were no casualties. The seven crewmen were arrested on drug charges

1986 - Destroyer HMCS Fraser became ETASS & NIXIE trials ship

1990 - Auxiliary minesweeper HMCS Moresby commissioned

1991 - USS Missouri arrives in the Gulf of Oman

1991 - USNS Mercy records 1,000th helicopter landing

1998 - China and South Africa established diplomatic relations 2003 - Submarine USS Alexandria changed homeport from Portsmouth NH to Groton CT

2004 - Oil loading operations temporarily suspended at Valdez AK after terrorist fears

2005 - MV MSC Brianna, with Captain Alessandrelli Aroldo at the helm, crossed Montreal's port limits at Sorel at 0420; becoming the first ocean-going vessel to reach the Port of Montreal without a stopover in 2005

2005 - Chennai is the staging post for "Operation Madad" for relief in India, "Operation Rainbow East" for relief in Sri Lanka and "Operation Gambhir" for Indonesia

2005 - The board of CP Ships Limited has appointed Adolf Adrion new CEO following the completion of the acquisition of CP Ships by Hapag-Lloyd at the end of 2005 The new CFO will be Ulrich Kranich, effective 1st February 2006. Mr Adrion, also executive board member of Hapag-Lloyd AG, is retaining his previous responsibilities and is taking over from former CP Ships CEO Ray Miles, who stepped down from his post on 31st December 2005. Mr Kranich, also CFO of Hapag-Lloyd AG, will also retain his previous duties. He will succeed current CFO Ian Webber who will leave his post at the end of January. Adolf Adrion joined Hapag in 1957 and assumed various management functions. He was appointed a member of the executive board of Hapag-Lloyd AG in 2004. Adrion is CEO of Hapag-Lloyd Container Line. He is also chairman of the Far Eastern Freight Conference (FEFC), as well as chairman of the World Shipping Council and chairman of the Box Club, both important international container shipping industry associations. Ulrich Kranich, a business economics graduate who has held various positions at Hapag-Lloyd since 1975, is responsible for the group finances area. In 1997, he was appointed manager of Hapag-Lloyd Container Line, being responsible in this position for the entire fleet expansion as well as the controlling of ship and container system costs worldwide. The chairman of the CP Ships board of directors (comparable to a supervisory board in Germany) and chairman of the Hapag-Lloyd executive board, Michael Behrendt, emphasized that these appointments are crucial steps in the process of the integration of the two companies. In addition to Michael Behrendt as chairman, the members of the board of directors of CP Ships are Adolf Adrion, Brian Westlake, a lawyer based in Toronto, and Holger Oetjen, manager of Hapag-Lloyd Canada2006 - Frederick J. Harris becomes president of National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. (NASSCO), succeeding Richard H. Vortmann, 61. Vortmann will become chairman of NASSCO Holdings Incorporated, NASSCO's parent company

2006 - The French International Register changes rules with Marseilles as sole Port of Registry

2006 - Ferry LeConte resume its published schedule from Juneau after repairs in Seattle, sailing for Haines and Skagway

2006 - Art Mead becomes Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Crowley Maritime

2006 - Dan Warner becomes Senior Vice President and Treasurer of Crowley Maritime

2006 - Bad weather prevented a Dutch tugboat hired to tow the 265M long Clemenceau to northwestern India from taking control of the vessel at sea off the French Mediterranean navy base in Toulon, said the head of the company charged with the ship's disposal, Briac Beilvert.

He said the company expected the tug would be able to take charge of the 24,200 tonne ship, which no longer has a power plant for the two-month voyage to the Alang shipyard, the world's largest ship-breaking yard. On Saturday after the Panamanian-registered Ship Decommissioning Industry Corp took out a court injunction against Greenpeace activists, five French navy tugs towed the carrier out of the harbor while boats formed a cordon to prevent interference and a helicopter and a navy plane patrolled overhead

2006 - The containership CP Bravery, Captain Tonci Krzanic in command, crossed Montreal's port limits at Sorel at 0020. The ship becomes the first ocean-going vessel to reach the Port of Montreal without a stopover in 2006. The CP Bravery is a Bermuda-flagged vessel operated by the shipping line CP Ships. It has a capacity of 1,700 TEUs. Having left the port of Lisbon December 21, the ship docked at Cast Terminal in east-end Montreal at 0401. Montreal Gateway Terminals Company is the terminal's operator. Welcomed today by the Montreal Port Authority's president and chief executive officer, Mr. Dominic J. Taddeo, and other port representatives, Captain Krzanic will be awarded the Gold-Headed Cane at a press conference and reception attended by Montreal's shipping industry and business community on Wednesday, January 4, 2006. The Gold-Headed Cane is a prize awarded at the beginning of each new navigation year, to the captain of the first ship to reach the Port of Montreal directly from overseas. It is a great marine tradition that dates back to 1840, and was, for many years, a spring ritual. The awarding of the cane became a New Year's tradition when a Danish ship inaugurated year-round navigation at the Port of Montreal on January 4, 1964. In 2006, the Montreal Port Authority will hold its 167th Gold-Headed Cane presentation

2006 - South Korea launched a streamlined military procurement agency to enhance efficiency and transparency in its arms introduction projects. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration consolidates eight organizations related to procurement and technology development that were dispersed in the country's Defense Ministry, Army, Navy, and Air Force

2006 - The Coast Guard suspended the search for the Lake Oswego man who went missing after the 12-foot boat he and his 13-year-old son were in capsized near the entrance of Tillamook Bay OR. An HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Astoria, Ore., conducted a first light search for 48-year-old Danny Beierle, but suspended the search at 0930 after the time for survival was exceeded. The boat was seen offshore but has not been recovered. Two 47-foot motor lifeboats from Coast Guard Station Tillamook Bay and a Jayhawk helicopter searched for the missing man December 30th. The father and son were reportedly trying to anchor near the Tillamook Bay entrance when their anchor fouled and the boat capsized. Due to a strong ebb tide the boat was pulled into the entrance of the bay. The son was wearing a life jacket and was able to swim to the South Jetty where local authorities located him. He was taken to a local medical facility for further treatment. The father was not wearing a life jacket and was seen clinging to the boat before being pulled into the bar area, which was breaking at 12-to-14 feet. The Coast Guard motor lifeboats conducted offshore searches and a search of the bar area until about midnight. The helicopter conducted two flights to search the area. Local authorities also conducted a shoreline search

2006 - A crew aboard a Coast Guard HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Cape Cod airlifted injured William Dickey,62, off container ship, Sealand Pride, 60 miles south of Montauk, NY today around 1700. Dickey was injured when he fell eight to 10 feet off of some scaffolding aboard the Sealand Pride. He is suffering from multiple injuries. The Coast Guard aircrew took him to the Rhode Island Hospital

2006 - USCG rescue crews are searching for a Florida native who fell overboard Dec 30th from the sailing vessel Querida Maria, 170 nautical miles south of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. RCC Curacao, the SAR Mission Coordinator in this case, launched at first light a Fokker 60 fixed wing aircraft to search for Scott Deady, a 46-year-old-male, however, the search ended with negative results. Also, the crew of a US Coast Guard HU-25 Falcon jet from Air Station Miami, Fla. was diverted to the search area by the USCG Sector San Juan Joint Rescue Sub Center. While supporting Rescue Coordination Center Curacao, the Falcon jet completed its second flight Saturday with negative results during the search for the missing sailor. Deady was initially reported as falling overboard by Pascale Coener, a 44-year-old-female and French native, who was the only crewmember on board the Querida Maria. Coener was able to contact motor vessel Temryuk who then relayed to the US Coast Guard Sector San Juan Joint Rescue Sub Center that Deady had fallen overboard at approximately 0558. In the joint effort to search for Deady, Rescue Coordination Center Curacao commenced the search area Saturday by launching a Fokker 60 aircraft. Coener was safely transferred aboard motor vessel Cozumel Cement that arrived on scene to provide assistance to the needed crewmember, and assumed the tow of the sailboat while enroute to Tampa, Fla. Motor vessel Royal Klipper also assisted RCC Curacao with communications to the Querida Maria

2006 - Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans rescued two people suffering from medical problems approximately 80 miles south of Marsh Island, La. Rescued were Calvin Malveaux, 47, of New Iberia, La., and Andre Aroin, 27, of Mamou LA. An HH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew airlifted the men from two separate oil rigs. Malveaux was medevaced after showing symptoms of a possible heart attack, and Aroin was medevaced after showing symptoms of appendicitis. The aircrew accomplished the rescues despite low cloud ceilings and very low visibility throughout the flight. An HU-25 Falcon from Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile assisted as a communications platform, monitoring the progress of the flight, and provided critical weather updates to the New Orleans aircrew. The two men were delivered in stable condition to Terrebone General Hospital in Houma LA

2006 - The Coast Guard continues the search for two separate missing boaters - A 22 year-old male resident of Ketchikan left Pennock Island between 12 and 1 a.m. Sunday morning headed for Bar Harbor. His 14-foot skiff was discovered on the beach in Whiskey Cove at 1200. A 47-foot motor life boat crew from Coast Guard Station Ketchikan conducted a search of the area. A 40-year-old male who departed Killisnoo for Angoon in an 18-foot skiff was reported missing to the Coast Guard by Angoon SAR at 1818. His boat was found beached near the seaplane dock in Angoon. An HH-60 helicopter rescue crew from Air Station Sitka, originally enroute to Ketchikan, was diverted to assist crews from Angoon search and rescue

2006 - Japanese authorities arrested the skipper of a Taiwanese fishing boat found intruding in Japan's exclusive economic zone. The 34.4-ton Cengjinshun fled from Japan Coast Guard ships after being discovered about 90 kilometers southeast of Miyako Island in Okinawa prefecture at about 1930 the previous day. The Cengjinshun finally came to a halt early Sunday after a 12-hour pursuit, Fukano said. The coast guard arrested its Taiwanese skipper, Ceng Qiquan, for refusing an inspection. Authorities were also investigating whether the boat was fishing illegally

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