SeaWaves Today in History January 6, 2007 ********************************************************************* January 6 Greece, Rumania, and Spain - Epiphany. Visiting warships Dress overall in Greece and Spain with masthead flags only in Romania. Appropriate gun salutes are fired in Spanish waters 1858 - Samuel Morse first publicly demonstrated his telegraph, in Morristown NJ 1885 - 16 members art of a contingent of 386 Canadian woodsmen recruited to help rescue British Major-General Charles Gordon, who was besieged at Khartoum by a fundamentalist Muslim army. The rescue effort was organized by General Garnet Wolseley, commander of the 1870 Red River Expedition against Louis Riel who had been highly impressed by the exploits of coureurs de bois while he had served in Canada. All were volunteers, most were lumbermen, and about 100 were Indian or Métis. Many of them had been drawn from the ranks of the Hudson's Bay Company. For months, they helped row, paddle and pull the expedition's boats up the Nile but reached Khartoum two days after the city fell. Canada's first veterans of an overseas war, most of the 16 deaths were attributed to disease and accident 1900 - The British garrison at Ladysmith, including a Royal Navy contingent from HMS Powerful manning heavy guns, succeeded in repulsing a Boer attack on their position at Wagon Hill. At one point the Boers succeeded in taking the hill, but a small force led by Lieutenant Digby-Jones and Trooper Herman Albrecht launched a successful counterattack. Both men were killed during the battle, but were awarded the Victoria Cross, as was Lieutenant Masterson, who had run through a hail of fire to deliver an urgent message asking for fire support before collapsing with bullets in both legs 1916 - The battleship HMS King Edward VII was sunk by a German mine off Scotland. When she had been launched, the King had asked that she should always be used as a flagship. The operation on which she was lost was the first time that his request had not been honored 1916 - First enlisted flight training class at Pensacola FL 1919 - Submarine HMS S-22 laid down 1931 - Submarine HMS Thames laid down 1934 - The United States Line SS Washington came within inches of ramming the new Light Vessel No. 117 on the Nantucket Station. The liner scraped the lightship's side, shearing off davits, a lifeboat, antennas, etc. Five months later RMS Olympic sank it with the loss of seven men 1940 - US passenger liner SS Manhattan is detained at Gibraltar by British authorities 1940 - The New Zealand 4th Brigade sails from Auckland for Egypt in six transports escorted by the battleship HMS Ramillies, heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra and New Zealand-manned light cruiser HMS Leander 1940 - U-557, U-558 laid down 1940 - SS City of Marseilles was damaged by a mine laid 12 Dec 1939 by U-13, 1.5 miles SE of Tay Fairway Buoy, River Tay 1940 - Submarine HMS Tempest laid down 1941 - Operation 'Excess' - Another complex series of convoy movements around Malta lead to carrier HMS Illustrious being badly damaged and the RN losing its comparative freedom of operation in the Eastern Mediterranean. This follows the arrival of the Luftwaffe in Sicily. 'Excess' leaves Gibraltar for Malta and Greece covered by Force H. At the same time, the Mediterranean Fleet from Alexandria prepares to cover ships to Malta and bring empty ones out. Mediterranean Fleet cruisers HMS Gloucester & Southampton carry troops to Malta and then carry on west to meet 'Excess'. Force H returns to Gibraltar 1941 - Heavy cruiser USS Louisville departs Simonstown for New York, having taken on board US$148,342,212.55 in British gold for deposit in US banks 1941 - SS Empire Thunder, a straggler from convoy OB-269 due to an engine breakdown, was torpedoed and sunk by U-124 NNE of Rockall. Nine crewmembers were lost. The master and 29 crewmembers were picked up by the armed boarding vessel HMS Kingston Onyx & landed at Stornoway, Hebrides on 8 January 1941 - Destroyers USS Fitch & Forrest laid down 1941 - Battleship USS Missouri laid down 1941 - Corvette HMS Dianella commissioned 1942 - The Second Marine Brigade (Brigadier General Henry L. Larsen, USMC) embarked in troop transports (former Matson Line passenger liners) SS Lurline, SS Monterey and SS Matsonia, and cargo ship USS Jupiter and ammunition ship USS Lassen sails from San Diego for Pago Pago, American Samoa. The initial escort is provided by Task Force 17 (Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher), formed around aircraft carrier USS Yorktown 1942 - Roosevelt submits a budget request to Congress of US$59 billion for Fiscal Year 1943. He also announces that the first year of a supercharged production schedule would result in 45,000 aircraft, 45,000 tanks, 20,000 antiaircraft guns, and 8 million tons in new ships; this will be upped to Forecasts for 1943 are 125,000 planes, 75,000 tanks and 11,000,000 tons of shipping in 1943. Congressmen were stunned at the proposal, but Roosevelt was undeterred - "These figures and similar figures for a multitude of other implements of war will give the Japanese and Nazis a little idea of just what they accomplished." Roosevelt also announces that America’s land, sea and air forces would be sent to Britain1942 - U-119 launched 1942 - Corvette HMCS Regina arrived Halifax from builder Sorel PQ 1942 - SS Baron Erskine, a straggler from convoy SC-62, was torpedoed and sunk by U-701 north of Rockall. The master and 39 crewmembers were lost. U-701 misidentified her victim as Baron Haig, but it must have been the Baron Erskine since there is no other loss or success report from the area 1942 - Minesweeper HMAS Colac commissioned 1942 - U-848 laid down 1942 - Japanese capture 11 Navy Nurses in Manila, Philippines 1942 - Australia declared war on Bulgaria 1942 - Pan American Airways "Pacific Clipper" arrived in New York after making the first round-the-world trip by a commercial airplane 1943 - Admiral Raeder resigns as Commander in Chief of the German Navy 1943 - Submarine USS Jack commissioned 1943 - U-956 commissioned 1943 - U-164 sunk in the South Atlantic NW of Pernambuco, in position 01.58S, 39.22W, by depth charges from a US Catalina aircraft (VP-83/P-2). 54 dead and 2 survivors 1943 - Submarine HMS Sceptre launched 1943 - Destroyer escort USS J Richard Ward launched 1943 - Destroyer HMS Hogue laid down 1943 - Submarine HMS Stygian laid down 1943 - Aircraft carrier HMS Theseus laid down 1944 - London - The master plan for an Allied invasion of NW Europe which has been codenamed "Overlord", is being drastically revised after examination by General Montgomery, the ground force commander under General Eisenhower. The plan was prepared by an Anglo-US team led by a Briton, Lieutenant General Frederick Morgan, the chief of staff to the supreme Allied commander (COSSAC). Because of the lack of landing craft, the assault force to be put ashore in Normandy was put at only three divisions. They would land north of Cane and, after consolidating the beachhead, swing NW to capture the port of Cherbourg. An airborne division would protect each flank of the landing force. Two seaborne divisions would follow as immediate reinforcements, leading to a build-up of 18 divisions. In Churchill's view, an operation on such a limited scale could only be mounted if German forces in France were held down to 12 mobile divisions and enemy fighter strength was reduced. On first seeing the COSSAC plan, Montgomery said that the Germans would have no difficulty in containing such a small landing area, and severe congestion would follow when reinforcements were brought in. He took his objections to Eisenhower, who agreed with him. In three days this week at St. Paul's school - his old school in West London - his 21st Army Group HQ, Montgomery hammered out a plan for five divisions to land on a 50-mile from the river Orne to the Cherbourg peninsula. A third airborne division will join the two already assigned to flank protection. The new plan calls for a greatly expanded force of landing craft, so D-Day will be delayed for a month, to the end of May 1944 - AMC HMCS Prince Henry recommissioned as infantry landing ship & departed for UK 1944 - AMC Prince David completed conversion to infantry landing ship 1944 - U-270 shot down RAF 206 Sqn B-17 Fortress 206/U. The boat was damaged during the attack and returned to port 1944 - U-878, U-1207 launched 1944 - AA cruiser HMS Diadem commissioned 1944 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Wallasea sunk by German MTB off Mounts Bay, Cornwall 1945 - While supporting the landings at Lingayen Gulf, Philippine Islands, destroyer USS Allen M Sumner took charge of the minesweeper support unit in place of USS Barton. Japanese suicide planes approached out of the sun on the port bow strafed & crashed into the rigging, the after stack & after torpedo mount killing 14 men, wounding 29 other, and causing extensive damage. Because of damage Allen M. Sumner was ordered to return to screen of TG 77.2 and Barton took over as minesweeper support unit. Thirteen men will be buried at sea the next day 1945 - Submarine USS Sea Robin, on her first patrol in the South China Sea, sinks tanker Tarakan Maru east of Hainan Island in a night surface attack using her radar. Two of three torpedoes hit and sink the ship. Later that same evening, submarine USS Besugo, on her third patrol, at the mouth of the Gulf of Thailand attacks tanker Nichiei Maru in night surface radar attack in position 6-57N 102-57E. Firing six torpedoes, three strike home and sink the tanker 1945 - Minesweeping destroyers USS Long & Hovey sunk by Japanese aircraft at Lingayen Gulf 1945 - Soviet submarine S-4 rammed by German torpedo boat T-33 in Gulf of Danzig 1945 - Minesweeper USS Towhee launched 1945 - U-2538, U-2539, U-3031 launched 1945 - U-3519 commissioned 1945 - Destroyer HMS Walpole heavily damaged by mine off Flushing, Belgium. 2 killed. Flooded, she was taken back to Kent where she was declared a total loss and not repaired 1945 - Ensign George Herbert Walker Bush USNR married Barbara Pierce in Rye NY 1966 - USS Yorktown commenced Vietnam deployment 1967- Operation Deckhouse V begins in Mekong Delta, Vietnam 1967 - USS Kitty Hawk port call Subic Bay 1968 - USS Ticonderoga port call Pearl Harbor 1969 - USS Enterprise commenced Vietnam deployment 1973 - USS America port call Subic Bay 1973 - The USCG Academy at New London, Connecticut, announced that its cadets were served "meals for the first time by female civilian employees." The Academy had "recently became the first of the nation's service schools to contract their food services to a civilian company." Previously, USCG personnel had done the serving 1991 - USS Saratoga transits Suez Canal en route Red Sea for the fifth time, a record canal transit by any Navy ship during a single deployment. USS Mississippi diverts a freighter in the N. Red Sea 1995 - Over the protests of refugee advocates, the US military began sending Haitians housed at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba home against their will 1996 - USS Hopper, named for RADM Grace Hopper, commissioned 2004 - Daily Telegraph newspaper reports Type 42 destroyers HMS Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool & Newcastle are to be retired by April 2005 2004 - Ex-USS Midway arrives in San Diego after 13 day tow from Bremerton 2005 - Three security zones have been established for the protection of military outloads in the Puget Sound region. The three regions include the Blair Waterway Security Zone, the Sitcum Waterway Security Zone and the Budd Inlet Security Zone 2005 - Sri Lanka Ports Authority cleared one berth yesterday in Galle and also the access road to the berth. The first commercial vessel berthed today to discharge clinker and the cargo will be discharged by grabs direct to trucks. The Colombo-Galle main road has now been cleared for traffic and two damaged bridges were replaced with temporary bridges. The Roads Development Authority RDA is presently focussing on the reconstruction of the highway in the east, particularly, the highway from Potuwil to Trincomalee has been severely damaged by the tidal waves. However, the floods are causing major difficulties in reconstructing these roads while sand and other materials used for reconstruction have also been washed away. Five RDA directors have been sent to the east to carry out clearance and renovation. They hope to open the highway for traffic in two weeks. All operations functioning smoothly in the port of Colombo 2005 - A K Line boxship picked up an Indonesian man who survived nine days floating on a dead tree after the tsunami hit his village in Aceh. The 896 TEU Durban Bridge, en route from Cape Town to Port Klang, was 160 km west of Aceh when chief officer Huang Wenfeng spotted 20-year-old Rizal Shahputra on a dead tree 2005 - Icebergs spotted in New Zealand waters for the first time since 1948. The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) said today clusters of icebergs had been seen in the Southern Ocean east of Campbell Island, 700km SE of the South Island 2005 - The US Army Corps of Engineers New York District announced the award of a second contract to continue deepening the Arthur Kill channel to 41 feet. The dredging will occur beginning near the confluence of the Arthur Kill channel and the Kill van Kull channel north of Shooters Island and continue to the westerly limit of the New York Container Terminal (formerly Howland Hook Terminal) in Staten Island, New York 2005 - At 0945 the Master of the General Cargo vessel Sea Fox contacted Clyde Coastguard to advise them that his cargo had shifted and that his vessel was listing to port in heavy seas. Clyde Coastguard has now declared this as a Mayday Incident on behalf of the vessel, which was experiencing a list of up to 50 degrees. The Latvian registered 2,219 GRT vessel is carrying a cargo of timber on passage from Riga to Liverpool with a crew of 10 persons. At 1441 Sea Fox tied up alongside in the port of Castle Bay, Isle of Barra after making port under her own power 2006 - Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Arun Prakash will formally commission the Indian Navy's first Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) squadron in Kochi. The Naval chief will review a ceremonial parade as part of the commissioning ceremony. The Navy had inducted the UAVs at Kochi in early 2003 and has since gained expertise in operating its two variants, a naval press release said today. The ability to operate these flying machines on remote control and without a pilot would go a long way in enhancing the Navy's surveillance capability. The squadron, INAS (U) 342, based at Kochi, will be commanded by Commander R Kawatra 2006 - South Korea's ship exports will likely set a new record in 2006, topping US$18 billion, industry sources said. Shipbuilders' total exports are expected to reach $18 billion to $18.5 billion this year, compared with $17.2 billion last year, the sources said 2006 - Sovereign Exploration Associates International, Inc. announces plans to begin operations on site CBNS-3 containing the wreck of a British grand square-rigger pay ship, HMS Tilbury believed to be one of twenty ships in the British fleet sent to Halifax in 1757 to attack the fortress of Louisburg which was fortified by the French 2006 - The Maritime and Coastguard Agency prosecuted the master of a coaster in Plymouth Magistrates Court following an incident in the vicinity of the Sandettie Bank in the Dover Strait on the 1 January 2006. Yuriy Moskalenko, aged 40 from the Ukraine, pleaded guilty to a breach of section 58 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 (conduct endangering ships, structures or persons). He was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,500. The Panamanian registered coaster 'Dreamer 1' had left Kings Lynn on the 31 December 2005 with a cargo of scrap. The vessel was bound for Plymouth to load bunkers before heading on to Spain. At about 0530 on the 1 January 2006, 'Dreamer 1' had reported into the Channel Navigation Information Service (CNIS). The vessel then entered the South West lane in the vicinity of the South Falls buoy on a southerly course. However, an expected alteration to follow the lane did not occur. Over the next hour the 'Dreamer 1' was seen to be making several large alterations of course in the Deep Water Route of the North East lane and the Sandettie Bank separation zone. The vessel then passed very close to the Sandettie Light Vessel on a southerly course. For the next 20 minutes the 'Dreamer 1' maneuvered in the NE lane before finally settling on a westerly course. Throughout the incident attempts had been made to contact the 'Dreamer 1' however difficulties were experienced in understanding the vessel. 'Dreamer 1' re-entered the South West lane at 0815 and resumed its passage to Plymouth. The whole incident lasted two and three-quarter hours. Owing to concerns about the 'Dreamer 1', the UK Coastguard Emergency Towing Vessel 'Anglian Monarch' and a French Coastguard Helicopter were dispatched to the vessel. It was claimed that the vessel had suffered a steering gear failure and that it was 'safer' to continue steaming at 4 to 7 knots rather than stopping the vessel while sorting out the problem. It was also claimed that there was a problem with the VHF radio on the 'Dreamer 1', however there was a back up and several portable VHF radio available. The 'Dreamer 1' arrived at Plymouth on the afternoon on the 2 January 2006. The Enforcement Unit of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency commenced an investigation 2006 - An unexploded Air Drop bomb has been destroyed in the sea off Caister-on-Sea (Norfolk) after its discovery on board the Dredger Arco Dijk following dredging operations in the Wash area. The Vessel made the discovery at 0600 and immediately reported their find to the Coastguard. The Royal Naval Bomb Disposal Team from Portsmouth where tasked to proceed to the area and make the device safe. The 114 meter Bahamas registered Arco Dijk with 10 crew onboard, reported to Solent Coastguard that whilst dredging in the Wash they had dredged up a bomb into their hopper. The dredger was on passage from the Lincolnshire dredging area to Amsterdam when the discovery was made. This information was passed directly to Great Yarmouth MRCC 2006 - Arlington Tankers Ltd announced that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of two modern 47,000 deadweight tonne double-hulled Product tankers from the Stena Group for an aggregate purchase price of $92 million. The new vessels, Stena Contest and Stena Concept, were built in 2005. With the delivery of the two new vessels, Arlington's eight-vessel fleet now consists of four Product tankers, two Panamax tankers and two V-MAX tankers. In conjunction with the purchase, Arlington has entered into fixed rate charter hire agreements with Stena Bulk AB for both vessels. The charters provide for an initial period of three years, at a rate commencing at $19,765 per day for the first year, $20,043 per day for the second year, and $20,335 per day for the third year. At the end of the three-year period, both Arlington and Stena Bulk have the option to extend the charters for an additional 30 months. Arlington has also entered into vessel management agreements with Northern Marine Management Ltd. under which Northern Marine will provide technical management for both vessels for the term of the charters, at fixed rates commencing at $5,565 per day and increasing at 5% per year. Northern Marine is a wholly owned subsidiary of Stena Group. In addition, as a result of the completion of the acquisition of the new vessels, Arlington's previously announced amendments to its existing vessel charter hire and management agreements have become effective 2006 - At 1230 Moscow time three persons who claimed to be officials of the Sevastopol branch of the Ukrainian state-owned Gosgidrografia enterprise made an attempt to gets to the beacon’s territory. Viktor Olishchuk, the officer in charge of the beacon, thwarted the attempt2006 - A 406 MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon alerted the Coast Guard to a disabled vessel 67 miles west of Clearwater. The 35-foot Fishin Chip's battery died in 10-foot seas and 30-knot winds causing it to take a wave over the side of the vessel without the ability to pump out the water or transit to safety. A helicopter from Coast Guard Station Clearwater deployed a rescue swimmer and a pump to the Fishin Chip and successfully dewatered the vessel. The aircrew then vectored in Good Samaritan vessel Angler Management to provide Fishin Chip with a good battery. "This case exemplifies the importance of having an EPIRB on board. Without one, the fishermen would have faced an uncertain and potentially deadly future," said Capt. Michael Emerson, Commanding Officer of Air Station Clearwater. "Having safety gear on board, such as an EPIRB, is in invaluable tool for mariners in distress to help us help them." The EPIRB is registered to Harold Lancing of Odessa FL 2006 - A Coast Guard helicopter rescue crew airlifted four survey contractors stranded in the marsh five miles east of Chalmette LA this evening after their marsh buggy broke down leaving them stranded. Rescued were Dave Clark, Mike Gauthier, Stephen Sadowski, and Dustin Ducote. The HH-65 Dolphin helicopter rescue crew launched from Air Station New Orleans and located the four men. All the men were hoisted using a rescue basket, and transferred to safety 2006 - Rear Adm. Michael A. LeFever, commander, Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 1, received orders from Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to remain in Pakistan through the winter in command of Combined Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) Pakistan (PAK). Rear Adm. John W. Miller, the Deputy Commander of US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) has assumed the duties as ESG-1 commander while LeFever leads the US military humanitarian efforts from Islamabad effective Jan 7 2006 - JSC Vakaru Laivu Statykla, of Western Shipyard, finished the building of passenger and car ferry hull. The hull of 106-m of length and 17.2-m of width was launched ============================================================= 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 Seawaves Publishing Inc 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.