SeaWaves Today in History January 7, 2007 ********************************************************************* January 7 1610 - Astronomer Galileo Galilei sighted four of Jupiter's moons 1800 - 13th president of the United States, Millard Fillmore, was born in Summerhill NY 1813 - Lt. Colonel Bruyeres, of the Royal Engineers, reports his findings on the state of defenses along the St. Lawrence River. This is the main artery for transporting supplies and reinforcements from Lower to Upper Canada, and Bruyeres recommends a thorough strengthening of facilities along the route 1841 - During the Opium War with China, fought to allow British traders to continue illegally importing opium into the Manchu Empire, Major Pratt of the 26th Foot led an amphibious assault on the Chinese forts guarding the Canton estuary at Chuenpi and Tai kok tau. The Royal Navy squadron covering the attack overwhelmed a force of war junks, the commanding junk being sunk by a rocket from HMS Calliope. The victory led to the cession to the British of Hong Kong 11 days later 1877- The French steamer Amerique grounded off Sea Bright, New Jersey. The USLSS crew rescued 189 persons. Three died 1918 - Destroyer USS Crane laid down 1919 - Minesweepers USS Curlew & Osprey commissioned 1919 - Trawlers HMC TR-14, TR-36 & TR-19 paid off & returned to RN 1927 - Commercial transatlantic telephone service inaugurated between New York and London 1938 - Italy announced new naval program including battleships 1940 - German freighter SS Konsul Horn escapes from Aruba, Netherlands West Indies, and, disguised as a Soviet merchantman, manages to deceive USN patrol planes from the Neutrality Patrol and light cruiser HMS Enterprise. The ship reaches Norwegian waters in February 1940 - US passenger liner SS Manhattan, detained at Gibraltar by British authorities the previous day, is released 1940 - Submarine HMS Seahorse sunk by German First Minesweeper Flotilla in a sustained depth charge attack at 54.19N, 7.30E, 39 crew lost 1940 - Submarine HMS Undine sunk in North Sea 20 miles SW of Heligoland Island by depth charges of German minesweepers M-1201, 1204 & 1207 1940 - U-32 laid 8 mines off the Firth of Clyde without result 1941 - Corvette HMCS Prescott launched Kingston ON 1941 - Corvette HMCS The Pas laid down Collingwood ON 1941 - Hitler places Luftwaffe Group 40, with its FW-200 Kondors, directly under the command of Admiral Doenitz 1941 - Italian submarine Nani attacks a convoy west of North Channel and is sunk by corvette HMS Anemone off the Faeroe Islands 1941 - Italian torpedo boat Clio sinks Free French submarine Narval off the coast of Tobruk, Libya 1942 - U-532 laid down 1942 - U-97 had to abort patrol in the Mediterranean because a crewmember was seriously ill 1942 - Corvette HMCS Battleford arrived Halifax NS 1942 - Trawler HMS Liscomb laid down Kingston ON 1942 - Submarine USS Pollack, on her first patrol, fires two torpedoes in a daylight periscope attack in position 34-27N 139-59E. One hits and sinks SS Unkai Maru #1 south of Mikomoto Island 1943 - U-470, U-957 commissioned 1943 - U-238 launched 1943 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Horatio torpedoed & sunk by German MTB S-58 in the western Mediterranean 1943 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Jura torpedoed & sunk by U-371 in the western Mediterranean off Algiers. SS Ville de Strasbourg damaged by U-371 in same action 1943 - Destroyer escort USS Amick laid down 1943 - Frigate HMS Derg launched 1943 - Destroyer HMS Teazer launched 1943 - Destroyer HMS Quail commissioned 1943 - Japanese supplies and reinforcements are landed at Lae, New Guinea under Allied air attacks 1944 - U-107 was attacked four times (at 0008hrs, 0040hrs, 0104hrs, and 0120hrs) by Liberator aircraft, and replied each time with AA guns. The boat suffered no damage 1944 - U-1234 launched 1944 - U-368 commissioned 1944 - U-343 shot down RAF 36 Sqn Wellington. The boat survived a swamp operation, shooting down one of its attackers 1944 - HMC MTB 727 commissioned 1944 - Frigate HMCS Waskesiu was narrowly missed by a torpedo, which carried on to strike & sink sistership HMS Tweed. Both were part of Escort Group 6, which had been carrying out 'offensive ASW sweeps' in the Bay of Biscay. The attack was conducted by U-305, Kptlt Rudolf Bahr, CO. U-305 a medium range VIIC U-boat built by Flender-Werke, at Lübeck. Commissioned 17 Sep 42. U-305 conducted 4 patrols compiling a record of 4 ships sunk for a total of 15,605 tons. Among those ships sunk by U-305 was HMCS St Croix on 20 Sep 43. U-305 was sunk on 17 Jan 44 in the North Atlantic, SW of Ireland, in position 49.39N, 020.10W, by depth charges from HMS Wanderer & Glenarm. All 51 crewmen from U-305 were lost. Rudolf Bahr was born in 1916, at Landsberg. He joined the navy in 1935. His first operational duty was as Watch Officer in the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen from Aug 40 to Jun 41, which included Operation Rheinübung & the sinkings of Hood & Bismarck. He transferred to the U-boat force in Jul 41 & completed his conversion training in Oct. He served until Jun 42 as the First Watch Officer in the 'top boat' U-69, Kptlt. Wilhelm Zahn, CO, when he was selected for command. He underwent his U-boat Commander's Course from Jul to Sep 42. OLtzS Bahr was appointed to command U-305 on 17 Sep, at the age of 26. He was promoted to Kptlt. on 01 Oct 42. Rudolf Bahr was lost when U-305 was sunk 1944 - Frigate HMCS Royalmount laid down 1944 - Frigate USS Gladwyne launched 1944 - Frigate HMS Taff commissioned 1944 - Destroyer escort USS Kephart commissioned 1944 - Submarine USS Perch commissioned 1944 - Submarine USS Kingfish, on her sixth patrol, is patrolling the waters off Palawan. At position 9-27N 117-36E, she attacks on the surface at night using her radar. Of the four torpedoes fired, two fish hit the vessel and sink tanker Fushimi Maru #3 1944 - While under tow by submarine HMS Syrtis, miniature submarine X-22 is run down by her and sunk when Syrtis reverses course to search for a man washed overboard. All 3 of the crew of X-22 are lost. Location - Pentland Firth, Scotland 1945 - Minesweeping destroyer USS Palmer sunk by Japanese aircraft in Lingayen Gulf 1945 - U-3018 commissioned 1945 - The following U.P. report was released to the newswires - A German communiqué asserted today that U-boats had sunk an 11,000-ton vessel used as a troop transport off Cherbourg, one of the main Allied supply ports in France, and that they had sent nine other vessels, including five warships, to the bottom in attacks on Allied shipping since January 1. There was no Allied confirmation of these claims. The troop transport in question was the SS Leopoldville 1945 - Corvette HMCS Thorlock departed Halifax for work ups Bermuda 1945 - Corvette HMCS Trail departed work ups Bermuda for Boston 1945 - Light cruiser USS Dayton commissioned 1945 - Submarine USS Picuda, on her fifth patrol, prowling east of Formosa, fires four torpedoes at tanker Munakata Maru in a daylight periscope attack in position 25-38N 121-08E. Two torpedoes strike home. Japanese sources claim heavy damage to the tanker. The postwar Joint Army-Navy Assessment Committee corroborates Japanese sources, which claim the vessel was sunk at Keelung on 21 January 1945 by aircraft. However, USS Barb, sailing with Picuda, claims in her patrol report that the ship was seen to blow up at the time of the attack 1946 - Minesweeper HMCS New Liskeard recommissioned for research duties 1947 - Icebreaker Northwind successfully completed first major rescue mission involving a submarine. Sennet and supply ships Yancey and Merrick were stuck in ice flow at Antarctic Circle 1953 - President Truman announced in his State of the Union address that the United States had developed a hydrogen bomb 1960 - Launch of first fully-guided flight of Polaris missile at Cape Canaveral (flew 900 miles) 1965 - USS Yorktown port call Buckner Bay 1965 - USS Ranger port call Subic Bay 1967 - Mobile Riverine Force begins arriving at Vung Tau, Vietnam 1968 - USS Enterprise port call Pearl Harbor 1972 - USS Hancock commenced Vietnam deployment 1991 - In Operation Sharp Edge, USMC Fleet Antiterrorist Security Team (FAST) relieves Marine Amphibious Readiness Group at US Embassy in Monrovia, Liberia providing security 1994 - The barge Morris J. Berman, carrying a cargo of 750,000 gallons of oil, struck a reef off Puerto Rico. Coast Guard units including the National Strike Force responded 2003 - Destroyer USS Kinkaid decommissioned at San Diego 2004 - Taiwan Ministry of the Interior announced the establishment of the nation's first ocean national park around Dongsha Island 2004 - Frigate RSS Formidable launched in France. First of a class of six; next five built in Singapore 2005 - The Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service in Seattle was contacted by the pilot of the Zeus II at 2030 who reported the vessel had lost steering and propulsion near Edmonds. Vessel Traffic Service monitored the rate of drift and closest point of land for the pilot as he handled the emergency. The pilot of the vessel contacted Foss Tug, which dispatched two tugboats from Shilshole Bay, Wash. The David Foss arrived at the Zeus II at 2106 and took the vessel in tow. Crewmembers aboard the Zeus II evaluated the situation and discovered a clogged valve in the engine. The vessel was able to restart the engines and get underway under its own power 2005 - BNS Belgica drydocked at Antwerp 2005 - Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. (HHI) launched its first ship built using a new "On-ground Build" method. According to the company, the crude oil carrier, ordered by Novoship of Russia and christened the NS Challenger, was the first vessel constructed by HHI's homegrown "On-ground Build" method. The Challenger, with a length of 244 meters and beam of 42 meters, will go into service plying Asian and South American routes with a maximum speed of 14.6 knots 2005 - A North Korean ferry that has been under increased Japanese scrutiny has called off its port call planned for this month in Niigata due to a problem related to obtaining insurance. The port call was canceled because it is taking the owner of the Mangyongbong-92 time to take out internationally credible indemnity insurance, as required by the Niigata prefectural government 2005 - With the help and cooperation from many parties, MV Global Challenger, was pulled free and re-floated at 1015 this morning in the Columbia River. No fuel was released into the river 2005 - Two RNLN P-3C Orions arrived home, returning from the last operational deployment to Hato AB, Curacao (Dutch Antilles). Due to the very strong wind they unfortunately did not arrive in formation but landed shortly after each other on Valkenburg's runway 23. While P-3C #300 was landing, #307 flew overhead crossing the air station. After landing #300 waited for #307 and they taxied to their parking spot together. RNLNAS Valkenburg's fire brigade gave both aircraft the traditional "shower". The Farewell flight brought the two Orions from Hato to NAS Key West (Florida), NAS Brunswick (Maine), CFB Greenwood (Canada) and RAF St. Athan (Wales, UK). Due to weather conditions a planned formation fly past over Pembroke Dock could not take place 2005 - US Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta today announced the resignation of Captain William G. Schubert, Maritime Administrator of the Department’s Maritime Administration 2006 - Media invited to observe salvage operations to raise the capsized fishing vessel Hail Mary II from Shinnecock Inlet, Long Island NY at Soleau Marina off Dune Road in Shinnecock. The vessel capsized in heavy seas shortly after 5 a.m. Tuesday while returning to port with 30,000 pounds of fish and 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel. The fuel remains contained and very little sheening has been reported. It remains 95-percent submerged about 50 feet from Shinnecock Inlet's western jetty 2006 - A suspected rebel attack sank a naval patrol boat off Sri Lanka's eastern coast, killing 13 sailors. If confirmed, the explosion would be the first suicide attack by the Tamil Tigers since the country's ceasefire was announced in 2002. The incident took place off the northeastern port city of Trincomalee; five days after five students were killed by the Sri Lankan military. Only two sailors survived the explosion, which happened shortly after midnight. The pair were found clinging to wreckage 2006 - A woman in her early 20s has died after a horrific shark attack off North Stradbroke Island, east of Brisbane. The woman lost both arms and suffered severe wounds to her torso and legs in the savage attack at Amity Point about 1700. A rescue helicopter rushed her to Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital but surgeons could not save her 2006 - A Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew rescued four people aboard a liferaft after their vessel began taking on water approximately seven miles north of Provincetown MA at 0730. The crewmembers of the 38-foot, Scituate-based, vessel were hoisted into the helicopter and transported to Air Station Cape Cod. They were medically evaluated. No injuries were sustained. The Kathy Elizabeth crewmembers including names, ages, and hometowns are Philip Lynch, 35, Scituate Brendan Duffey, 36, Scituate McLean Vuilleumier, 23, Scituate Stephen Kenney, 30, Scituate The crewmembers quickly reacted to the sinking vessel by making a distress call to the Coast Guard, donning survival suits and abandoning ship into a liferaft. All three factors greatly contributed to a successful rescue. They were in the liferaft no more than 15 minutes before the Coast Guard rescue arrived on scene. The Kathy Elizabeth has sunk. No pollution or navigational hazards have been reported. The cause of the incident is under investigation 2006 - USCG Station Fort Myers Beach introduced the newly formed Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 9-1 in a Chartering Ceremony held at 1000 at the station. Coast Guard Station Fort Myers Beach is the busiest station in Sector St. Petersburg’s area of responsibility and is the most southern station in the Sector - located just inside Mantanzas Pass at Fort Myers Beach. Flotilla 9-1 will directly augment the station. Known as “America’s Volunteer Lifesavers”, the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary was established by Congress in 1939 to assist the Coast Guard in promoting boating safety. It boasts more than 35,000 members from all walks of life who receive specialized training. Operational Auxiliarist also must pass background checks so that they may be a functional part of Coast Guard forces. Auxiliarists assist the Coast Guard in non-law enforcement programs such as public education, vessel safety checks, safety patrols, search and rescue, maritime security and environmental protection and Coast Guard Academy introduction programs for youth. Auxiliarists volunteer more than two million hours annually to benefit other boaters and their families. Since September 11, 2001, the mission of the Auxiliary is expanding to include missions of port safety and security and maritime domain awareness 2006 - The number of fishermen who were stranded on ice floes in the north of the Caspian Sea but have been rescued in an operation begun two days ago rose to 50 as 25 more were saved, a Russian Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman told Interfax. Authorities were contacting the families of people who had gone fishing into the Caspian recently in a bid to make a list of those who might remain trapped. Earlier a Kazakh Emergency Situations Ministry helicopter made a three-hour flight over an area indicated by Russian authorities. However, it found no fishermen there Serikali Kubenov, a senior official in the emergency situations service of the Kazakh region of Atyrau, told Interfax. The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said a Kazakh icebreaker was heading for the area to look for the fishermen 2006 - The Coast Guard and Lee County Sheriff's Office suspended their search for Michael Sanfilippo in Matanzas Pass at 1620. Sanfilippo and his friends Tracy Jones and Linda Burkard capsized on a dinghy around 0200 while enroute to Sanfilippo's 28-foot sailing vessel Andiamo in calm but cold conditions. A good Samaritan rescued Jones and Burkard at 0300. After receiving the report, the Coast Guard launched two rescue boats from Station Ft. Myers Beach and a Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Clearwater. Lee County Sheriff's Office also sent a helicopter, a rescue boat and a dive team to aid in the search. Jones and Burkard are in good condition and were not in need of medical treatment. They as well as Sanfilippo are Ft. Myers Beach residents 2006 - The US Navy turned over a sailor to Japanese police, who arrested him on robbery and murder charges in a case that could trigger more opposition to the US. military presence in Japan. William Oliver Reese, 21, is accused of beating and robbing 56-year-old Yoshie Sato of about $129 on a Yokosuka street on January 3, a Kanagawa Prefectural (state) Police official said on condition of anonymity, citing police protocol. Sato died of her injuries 2006 - A Naval Academy professor who allegedly made sexually offensive remarks to midshipmen has been charged with conduct unbecoming an officer and other offenses. An attorney for Lt. Bryan Black, who teaches oceanography at the academy in Annapolis, said the charges are baseless and that the language his client used was mild in a military setting. According to court documents, Black used "crude, sexual terms" to refer to his ex-wife in at least two conversations with midshipmen. He's also accused of using sexually offensive language to describe his admiration for battleships in a conversation with several midshipmen, at least one of them female. Both incidents occurred in August 2006 - Police believe as many as three bull sharks were responsible for a fatal attack on a Brisbane woman, with at least one shark chasing rescuers as they dragged her mauled body to the shore. Witnesses said the shark continued to savage Sarah Kate Whiley, 21, after she lost both arms in the vicious attack just 20m offshore at a beach on North Stradbroke Island. She is the first person killed by a shark attack at a protected beach in the 44-year history of Queensland's controversial Shark Safety Program. According to police, witnesses thought Ms Whiley was joking when the attack began and she started yelling "shark". She was pronounced dead shortly after being airlifted to Brisbane's Princess Alexander Hospital. Ms Whiley lost both arms below the elbow, was mauled around the torso and also sustained major wounds to one of her legs. Ms Whiley, from the Brisbane suburb of McDowall, went to the Rainbow Channel beach at dusk with eight friends from a church group, which was renting a nearby holiday house. A witness to the attack said the victim was about 20m from shore in chest-deep water, 5m out from a cluster of three or four friends 2006 - Helicopter Combat Support Squadron (HC) 4's "Black Stallions" began their relocation from Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella to their new homeport of Norfolk. Four of the squadron's five MH-53E Sea Stallion heavy lift helicopters lifted off for a seven-month deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), before joining the remaining aircraft and crew in Norfolk. The move is part of the Navy's ongoing transformation, which will ensure increased efficiency in the use of its forces 2007 - The body of Maksum (36), one of the missing passengers of MV Senopati Nusantara which sank last Dec 30, was found on Saturday (Jan 6, 2007) in waters off Sumenep, Madura, East Java ============================================================= 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.