SeaWaves Today in History January 9, 2007 ********************************************************************* January 9 1792 - Peace treaty signed between Russia and Turkey, ending the Russian-Turkish War of 1787-1791. The Russian negotiators were GA Potemkin, followed by AA Bezborodko and the Turkish negotiator was Vizier Yusuf Pasha. Russia received the northern Black Sea region, including the Crimea, and strengthened its position in the Caucasus and Balkans. Russia gave up the land between the South Bug and Dnestr Rivers, and a border was established along the Kuban River. Turkey refuted all claims to Georgia 1797 - Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel, naval explorer admiral, one of the founders of the Russian Geographical Society, corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences born. He led a round-the-world expedition on the Krotky 1825-1827. Later, he was the ruler of the Russian community in America, director of the Russian-American Co. and naval minister. He was against the sale of Alaska to the United States, but already retired by that time. He led a round-the-world expedition on the Krotky 1825-1827. Later, he was the ruler of the Russian community in America, director of the American Co. and naval minister. He was against the sale of Alaska to the United States, but already retired by that time. 1806 - Vice Admiral Lord Nelson was buried at St Paul's Cathedral 1838 - 200 Canadian rebels and their American supporters, the Michigan wing of William Lyon Mackenzie's republican insurrection, land on Bois Blanc Island (Detroit River). The schooner Anne, one of two attacking vessels, is grounded near the town and is swiftly captured by the local militia. This act prompts the rebels to return to the United States 1861 - "Star of the West," a merchant vessel bringing reinforcements to Federal troops at Fort Sumter SC, retreated after being fired on by a battery in the harbor 1861 - Mississippi seceded from the Union 1885 - Opening of the International Bridge at Sault Ste Marie 1888 - Opening of railway bridge across the St. Mary's River to US at Sault Ste Marie 1889 - Niagara Suspension Bridge collapses during a winter storm 1913 - Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th president of the United States, born in Yorba Linda, Calif 1916 - The rearguard of the Newfoundland Regiment is evacuated from the Gallipoli peninsula, and end its adventure in the Dardanelles 1917 - Emperor Nicholas II appointed Price Nikolay Dmitrievich Golitsyn chairman of the Council of Ministers to replaced Alexander Fedorovich Trepov, whom he fired 1918 - Establishment of Naval Overseas Transportation Service to carry cargo during WWI 1918 - Destroyer USS Badger laid down 1923 - Submarine HNLMS K XII laid down 1931 - Destroyer FS Vauban commissioned 1935 - Destroyer USS Monaghan launched 1939 - Destroyer HMS Kingston launched 1940 - The British ocean liner SS Dunbar Castle is mined and sunk off the SE coast of England. It is feared that 152 people have lost their lives 1940 - At 0221, SS Manx was hit by one torpedo from U-19 off Kinnaird Head and sank within two minutes. Eight survivors managed to grab hold of an upturned lifeboat, but were scantily clad and in the stormy weather four of them gave up. After 8 hours the remaining four survivors were picked up by the Norwegian steam merchant Leka along with two men rescued from a raft 1940 - Submarine HMS Starfish struck by depth charges from German minesweeper M-7. Laid on bottom until 1815, then returned to the surface, confidential documents destroyed and boat scuttled. Ship's company picked up by the waiting ships and taken as POWs 1940 - Destroyer HMS Fernie launched 1941 - Churchill also writes to Roosevelt explaining that many of the 50 destroyers handed over in 1940 had not yet entered service. This is because they need extensive refitting to prepare them for service in the northwestern approaches. "This is inevitable in the case of ships laid up for long periods, and the Admiralty is giving your Naval Attaché here details of the work found to be necessary ...in case you want to work up any of the remaining destroyers in your yards" 1941 - "Speck" Purnell, Chief of Staff to ADM Hart, Commander of the US Asiatic Fleet, meets this month with Dutch military representatives in Java. These meetings begin today and continue for the next 9 days 1941 - Transport USS William Ward Burrows (ex-SS Santa Rita) arrives at Wake Island with the first increment of workmen (80 men and 2,000 tons of equipment of Contractors Pacific Naval Air Bases) to begin building a naval air station there 1941 - At 1814, the unescorted SS Bassano was torpedoed & sunk by U-105 NW of Rockall. One crewmember was lost. The master, 48 crewmembers, two gunners & five passengers were picked up by HMS Wild Swan & landed at Liverpool 1941 - U-410 laid down 1941 - Destroyer HMS Bath transferred to Norway with same name 1941 - The Royal Navy's Force H, including the carrier HMS Ark Royal, provided cover for Operation Excess, a convoy of supply ships headed for Malta and Greece. Ark Royal dispatched six Swordfish torpedo bombers to reinforce 830 Squadron of the Fleet Air Arm, based on Malta, which was conducting a successful campaign of night attacks on Axis shipping and installations in Sicily. Italian SM79 bombers attacked Force H, but were intercepted by Ark Royal's Fulmar fighters and two were shot down by Lieutenant Tillard. Other Italian aircraft, including Stukas, attacked Malta, inflicting some damage to RAF aircraft on the ground. An air combat with 261 Squadron's Hurricanes saw two Macchi MC200 fighters shot down 1941 - French submarine Narval is sunk by Axis forces. The Narval had been the first French naval vessel to side with General Charles de Gaulle's Free French forces 1941 - Minesweeper HMCS Quatsino launched Prince Rupert BC 1942 - Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding Malaya, issues instructions for withdrawal of the Indian 3 Corps into Johore, where a final stand before Singapore Naval Base is to be made 1942 - Submarine USS Pollack torpedoes & sinks a Japanese merchant ship 40 miles south-SW of Inubozaki, Japan 1942 - U-274, U-391, U-650 laid down 1942 - Destroyer HMS Vimiera sunk by mine in Thames Estuary 1942 - U-183, U-612 launched 1942 - Corvette HMCS Moose Jaw ran aground St John's, Newfoundland 1943 - At 0619, U-522 fired three torpedoes at the convoy TM-1 and reported three hits, which were also observed by U-575 & claimed three tankers sunk. It is probable that two torpedoes hit the Minister Wedel, which started to burn fiercely and the other the Norvik. HMS Havelock unsuccessfully tried to scuttle both badly damaged ships by gunfire. In the afternoon, U-522 reported the sinking of three damaged tankers in grid DG 9510 at 1515, 1650 & 1730 by coup de grâce. But again, the U-boat probably attacked one of the tankers twice, so only Norvik and Minister Wedel were finished off. Minister Wedel was hit on the starboard side forward & was abandoned by all 33 crewmembers and five gunners. HMS Havelock picked up the survivors & went alongside, allowing the master & four others to reboard the vessel to see if she could be saved, but nothing could be done. Two days later the master returned on another escort vessel, but the tanker had been sunk in the meantime 1943 - At 0727, U-442 attacked Convoy TM-1 west of the Canary Islands (grid DG 9411) & claimed hits on two tankers, but in fact only one torpedo had hit the Empire Lytton. The chief officer, 12 crewmembers and one gunner were lost. The master, 30 crewmembers and three gunners were picked up by the HMS Saxifrage & landed at Gibraltar. HMS Havelock failed to sink the wreck with gunfire. At 1450, U-442 found the drifting tanker and torpedoed her again, but the tanker remained afloat and only sank after a further torpedo hit at 1938 1943 - Destroyer escorts USS Bebas, Buckley, Carlson, Griswold, Steele launched 1943 - At 2025, the unescorted Louise Lykes was hit by two of four torpedoes fired by U-384 from a distance of 1800 meters, while proceeding on a zigzagging course at 15 knots. The ship exploded with a terrible blast, forcing the U-boat to crash dive because debris was falling onto the deck and into the water around her. As the U-boat resurfaced after five minutes, the ship had disappeared. The ten officers, 41 crewmen and 32 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, two 3in and eight 20mm guns) all perished 1943 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Property commissioned 1943 - At 0433, U-124 attacked the convoy TB-1 and hit the Broad Arrow with two torpedoes and sank the Birmingham City with one torpedo at 0436. The Broad Arrow in station #31 was struck on the port side by the first torpedo at the after magazine. The explosion tore open the entire after end of the vessel and she flooded rapidly and settled by the stern. The explosion probably killed seven of the eight armed guards on board (the ship was armed with one 5in and two .30cal guns). Moments later the second torpedo struck forward of amidships and set the cargo on fire, so that the tanker lit up the entire convoy. The explosions killed all hands standing on watch on the bridge (including the master) and in the engine room. She began to settle more evenly and sank stern first at 07.00 hours. The survivors of the eight officers and 31 men abandoned ship within five minutes without orders in two lifeboats and two rafts. Some men stranded on the burning tanker and in the water, because the lifeboats were launched with only a few men in it. Three officers, 22 crewmen and one armed guard were picked up by the American submarine chaser USS PC-577 about ten hours later and landed them at Paramaribo the next day. The Second Mate died on board and the Pumpman died from burns in the hospital. Both were buried in Paramaribo. Birmingham City was hit on the port side amidships at the #3 hatch and the ship began to blaze. The explosion blew the port lifeboats overboard, destroyed the fireroom bulkhead and caused her to sink on an even keel in three minutes about 50 miles north of Paramaribo, Dutch Guyana. The most of the nine officers, 29 crewmen and 18 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, one 3in and four .50cal guns) immediately abandoned ship as she rapidly settled. The #1 motor lifeboat capsized on launching, pitching men into the water and contributing to the drowning of several crewmen. The remaining survivors left in #3 boat or jumped overboard and swam to several rafts. The #1 boat was later righted and the men from the rafts were transferred to it. Three officers, two crewmen and five armed guards died, most from drowning. All survivors were picked up by subchaser USS PC-577 ten hours later and landed at Paramaribo 1943 - At 0557, U-124 fired two torpedoes in a second attack on Convoy TB-1 about 100 miles NE of Paramaribo and two minutes later another torpedo. Mohr thought that he had hit three ships, but in fact the first torpedo passed astern of the Collingsworth, the second hit the ship and the third missed also, but hit the Minotaur. The torpedo was seen about 200 yards from the Minotaur & the helmsman put the wheel hard to port, but it was too late and it struck on the port side in the #1 hold. The explosion opened a large hole and flooded the hold rapidly. The engines were secured and the eight officers, 28 crewmen, 15 armed guards (the ship was armed with two 3in and two .50cal guns) and one passenger (naval medical officer) began abandon ship in two lifeboats, but the ship sank by the bow within four minutes, fouling one boat and capsizing the other. The men were thrown in the water and had to swim to three rafts that floated free. Two officers and four crewmen drowned. The survivors were picked up by submarine chaser USS PC-577 later that day and landed at Paramaribo, Surinam. The Collingsworth was struck by the second torpedo on the port side between the #1 and #2 holds. The helmsman spotted the third torpedo, swung the ship hard to port and it missed by ten feet but hit a ship in the next column. The engines were secured and an inspection found no serious damage other than flooding to the compartments. But the ship began to settle fast, sinking by the head four minutes after the hit. Her crew of eight officers, 35 men and 24 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, one 3in and four 20mm guns) abandoned the ship almost immediately. The #1 boat got away with 21 men, but the #3 boat fouled while launching, forcing the men to jump into the water. 34 survivors were picked up by the American submarine chaser USS PC-577 from the wreckage and one raft 13 hours later. The survivors in #1 boat were picked up by the Norwegian steam merchant Dalvangen 36 hours after the attack. The master, another officer, 6 crewmen and four armed guards did not survive 1943 - U-250 laid down 1943 - U-236 commissioned 1943 - U-511 sank SS William Wilberforce in position 29.20N, 26.53W - Grid DG 9116 1943 - Submarine USS Seahorse launched 1943 - Minesweeper USS Climax launched 1943 - Destroyer HMS Achates in action with strong enemy force off the North Cape while escorting a convoy to Russia. Damaged in the defense of the convoy & subsequently sank. 7 officers & 106 ratings lost their killed 1943 - Tokyo radio announced that Nanking Government in China had declared war on the United States and Britain, and that a Sino-Japanese declaration had been signed for cooperation between the Chinese Government and Japan, the abolition of extraterritoriality, and the retrocession of concessions and settlements 1943 - Decorations were awarded to Canadian naval officers: Commander of the Bath: VAdm. Percy Walker Nelles, RCN. Commander of the Order of the British Empire: RAdm. (E) George Leslie Stephens, RCN. Order of the British Empire: Cdr. Charles Henry Brown, RCN; A/Capt. Edmund Johnstone, RCN; A/Capt. Horatio Nelson Lay, RCN; Capt. Edmund “Rollo" Mainguy, RCN; A/Capt. George "Gus" Ralph Miles, RCN; LCdr. (E) Alfred Borden Arnison, RCNR; LCdr. Charles Copelin, RCNR; LCdr. Norman Vincent Clark, RCNR; Lt. (E) Louis Gerard Fabian Despres, RCNR; and LCdr. (E) Joseph Mobry Maheu, RCNR. Distinguished Service Cross: A/Cdr. James "Jimmy" Calcutt Hibbard, RCN; and A/Cdr. Dickson Carlisle Wallace, RCNR 1944 - Destroyer escorts USS Rinehart & Roche launched 1944 - Corvette HMS Abelia lost her rudder after being hit by a U-boat torpedo. It is not known which U-boat fired the torpedo. The convoy, OS-64, had been shadowed by U-757 that was lost on 8 January and by U-731, which was attacked by an escort vessel on 10 January and was lucky to escape 1944 - Destroyer USS De Haven launched 1944 - Submarine USS Hawkbill launched 1944 - U-81 sunk at 1130 at Pola in position 44.52N, 13.51E by US bombs. Raised on 22 April 1944 & broken up. 2 dead, unknown number of survivors. U-boat pens there were hit and 4 men from U-407 killed & 1 wounded. The boat sailed for the next time on 29 Jan. [Oberleutnant (Ing) Heinz Weser, Leutnant zur See Eberhard Baumgart, Maschinenobergfreiter Rudolf Güttge, and Maschinenobergefreiter Heinz Bönisch] 1944 - Prime Minister Churchill and General de Gaulle met at Marrakesh, Morocco, for discussions on the cooperation of a French expeditionary force in the invasion of Europe, and the degree of authority of the French committee in the control of civil affairs inside France after the invasion 1944 - Minesweeper HMCS Lockeport, enroute Baltimore MD for refit, broke down & traveled 190 miles under improvised sail before being towed 1944 - Frigate HMCS Port Colborne arrived Halifax from builder Esquimalt BC 1945 - Submarine HMS Totem commissioned 1945 - Destroyer USS Chevalier commissioned 1945 - U-2353 commissioned 1945 - U-679 sunk in the Baltic Sea in position 59.26N, 24.07E by depth charges from Soviet ASW vessel MO 124. 51 dead (all hands lost) 1945 - Free French patrol vessel L'Enjoue (ex-USS PC-482) hit by a Gnat from U-870 while escorting Convoy GC-107 and sank off Cape Spartel 1945 - At 1815, SS Jonas Lie in station #35 of convoy ON-277 was torpedoed by U-1055 at the entrance to the Bristol Channel. One torpedo struck on the starboard side in the #3 deep tank and ripped open the bulkhead between the engine room and the #4 hold, killing two men on watch below. The explosion created a hole 20 feet long at the waterline and broke steam and electrical connections. As the ship lost way she listed 10° to port and 25 minutes after the attack the majority off the 41 crewmembers, 27 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) and one passenger (US Army security officer) abandoned ship in three lifeboats. The current swept the boats away from the freighter and armed trawler HMS Huddlersfield Town picked up these men. The skeleton crew (master, chief officer, bosn and one seaman) left the ship three hours after the attack by order from the British Admiralty officials and were landed at Milford Haven the same evening. One survivor, which had been blown overboard by the explosion, was picked up by the Norwegian motor merchant Fosna and landed in New York on 23 January. On 10 January, the master and 13 men departed on tug HMS Storm King to board the Jonas Lie, but overnight the vessel had drifted into a minefield. The next day, they boarded the vessel and the tug took her in tow, but on 12 January, the cable parted in heavy seas. The British tug HMS Empire Sprite came to assist, but to no avail. At 1300 on 13 January, a lifesaving boat took the boarding party off and landed them at St. Mary's Island. The vessel foundered the next day 1945 - Carrier aircraft begin 2-day attack on Japanese forces, Luzon, Philippines 1945 - American forces began landing at Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines 1946 - Soviet minesweeper T-195 (ex-HMCS Poplar Lake) completed New Westminster BC 1953 - Frigate HMCS New Waterford recommissioned after modernization 1957 - Anthony Eden resigned as British Prime Minister 1964 - Anti-US rioting broke out in the Panama Canal Zone, resulting in the deaths of 21 Panamanians and three US soldiers 1966 - USS Ranger port call Subic Bay 1973 - USS Saratoga port call Subic Bay 1991 - Anti-ship contact mine discovered in Arabian Gulf, the 9th in last week. USS Missouri explosive ordnance disposal team retrieved/destroyed it 1991 - USS Nashville departs Liberian coast, ending Operation Sharp Edge 1991 - USS Elmer Montgomery boards 100th ship, designated MIF Centurion as first ship in theater to reach this milestone 1991 - SECNAV activates 1,868 additional Naval Reservists from 333 units 2003 - USNS Gilliland & Mendonca activated 2004 - Lt Robert F. Massaro, commanding officer of the Little Creek-based patrol coastal ship Typhoon, lost his job due to a loss of confidence after the drowning death of a crewmember 2004 - Destroyer USS Halsey launched 2004 - Destroyer USS Farragut laid down Bath ME 2005 - A crewmember died today aboard the Los Angeles-class submarine USS San Francisco as a result of injuries sustained when the sub ran aground south of Guam 2005 - US Navy experimental vessel HSV Swift departed Acapulco with relief supplies from the Government of Mexico for tsunami relief efforts in South Asia 2005 - SH-60 Seahawk helicopter from USS Abraham Lincoln with four aircrewmembers and six US Navy personnel aboard experienced a hard landing at Banda Aceh airfield in Indonesia. There were no personnel casualties. There were some injuries, the extent of which remains unknown. All personnel were immediately evacuated to Abraham Lincoln for medical treatment. The SH-60 Seahawk helicopter, part of Combined Support Force 536, was picking up supplies to be transported as part of humanitarian aid and disaster relief efforts in the region 2006 - Battleship Memorial Park -- closed for more than four months because of extensive damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina -- reopened with a ceremony featuring the "rechristening" of USS Alabama 2006 - The Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, the Honorable Myra A. Freeman pays tribute to Cdr Gaetan Bouchard and the Stadacona Band for their numerous contributions to the Maritime community at a reception at Government House. Cdr Bouchard, director of the Stadacona Band Maritime Forces Atlantic has been appointed to the position of Supervisor of Music for the Canadian Forces and will be leaving Maritime Forces Atlantic for National Headquarters in Ottawa 2006 - General Dynamics Electric Boat has completed its conversion of USS Ohio, the first of four Trident submarines to be reconfigured as multimission vessels optimized for covert tactical strike and special operations support. Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics. Ohio's conversion, undertaken in conjunction with the ship's midlife refueling, provides the Navy with its first truly transformational platform. Ohio will be joined by three additional Tridents undergoing conversion to SSGNs -- USS Michigan at the shipyard here, and USS Florida and USS Georgia at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia. The conversions are being performed under a $1.4 billion contract awarded to Electric Boat in 2002; work is scheduled for completion in 2007. Each SSGN will carry up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles and support up to 66 Special Operations Forces for an extended time. General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems in Pittsfield, Mass., is the systems integrator for the missile-control system. SSGNs will also serve as platforms to develop and test new weapons systems, sensors and operational concepts that could further transform naval warfare. These payloads will include large unmanned undersea vehicles and off-board sensors 2006 - Portuguese Minister of Defense Dr. Luís Amado toured the naval hydrographic service 2006 - Holland America Line will call its recently announced pair of new-builds the Signature Class, taking the name from an integral component of the premium line's branding and the current US$225 million Signature of Excellence initiative. With a firm order for one ship due in summer 2008 and an option for another in spring 2010, the Signature Class marks Holland America Line's latest class of new build vessels and the largest ever constructed for the premium line 2006 - A Russian Navy ship will arrive in Sicily in February to take part in a patrol mission in the Mediterranean, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said 2006 - USCGC Matagorda repatriated 67 Cuban migrants to Bahia de Cubanas, Cuba today. Among the 67 were 15 migrants discovered Thursday at the base of the old Flagler Bridge abutment at the south side of Moser Channel in the Florida Keys. Crews from Coast Guard Station Marathon removed the 15 migrants from the abutment and transferred them to a Coast Guard cutter. The old Flagler Bridge is unused and this segment is not connected to land. Through a legal review, the migrants were determined to be feet-wet and processed in accordance with standard procedure. Also repatriated were groups as follows: January 1: 14 migrants were intercepted four miles south of Boot Key, Fla. January 2: 10 migrants were interdicted 30 miles south of Marquesas, Fla. January 4: 12 migrants were interdicted 25 miles south of Dry Tortugas, Fla. 12 migrants were located 30 miles southwest of Cabo San Antonio, Cuba by the research vessel Joides Resolution 2006 - Denis McDonald presents Vice Adm. Thad Allen with a proclamation on behalf of the Rex Organization today at the Eighth Coast Guard District headquarters 2006 - USCG rescued 7 crewmembers from their sinking fishing vessel approximately 7 nautical miles south of the Port of Los Angeles. At 0515 the Coast Guard received a distress call from the Fishing Vessel San Antonio. The vessel reported that they were taking on water; they suspected they were struck by a passing barge. The Coast Guard launched the Cutter Blacktip, an 87ft Patrol Boat, two 41ft Utility Boats, and a helicopter from Air Station Los Angeles. USCGC Blacktip and a 41-ft Utility Boat arrived on scene at 0604 and retrieved all 7 crewmembers who had abandon ship into their life raft. All crewmembers were reported in good condition without injury. The Fishing Vessel San Antonio sank in 600 feet of water. The possible collision and potential for pollution are both under investigation 2006 - Secretary of the Navy Donald C Winter named Special Agent Thomas A. Betro as director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) succeeding former Director David L. Brant, who retired in December. Prior to selection, Betro served as NCIS deputy director for operations 2006 - A 73-year-old man from Potsboro TX died after the 16-foot boat he and another man were on capsized at the tip of the north Aransas Pass Jetty near Port Aransas, Texas. According to initial reports, the two men were anchored and fishing at the tip of the north jetty when their anchor broke free by a wave causing the boat to capsize. The other man, a 63-year-old man from Norman, Okla., was wearing a lifejacket and swam to the jetty where he managed to climb out of the 63-degree water. The Potsboro man hung onto the boat after it capsized until another wave pushed the boat onto the jetty rocks causing him to become lodged between rocks. Coast Guard Station Port Aransas dispatched two rescue boat crews while the Coast Guard Air Station diverted a rescue helicopter crew. Both boat and helicopter crews were on scene in four minutes and began assisting the men. The helicopter hoisted two boat crewmen, Petty Officer Connie Prewitt and Petty Officer Brad Jordan, off the station's rescue boat and lowered them onto the jetty to assist Chief Daniel Carleo. Carleo is a helicopter crewman that was previously lowered and working to free the person from the jetty rocks. The man trapped between the rocks was eventually freed by the Coast Guardsmen and taken to the Coast Guard Station where the Nueces County Coroner pronounced him dead. The second man was transported by helicopter to the Mustang Island Airport and treated with minor injuries 2006 - Todd Shipyards Corporation entered into a long-term lease arrangement with Kiewit-General of Poulsbo, Washington. Kiewit-General is under contract with the Washington State Department of Transportation as the prime contractor for the replacement of the eastern half of the Hood Canal Bridge in Kitsap County, Washington. Under the terms of the lease option exercised by Kiewit-General, a portion of the Todd Pacific facility on Harbor Island in Seattle will be utilized by Kiewit-General for the assembly and outfitting of the draw span pontoons and storage of several of the pontoon sections that will eventually comprise the replacement of the eastern half of the Hood Canal Bridge. The pontoon sections will be constructed at Concrete Technology Corporation in Tacoma, Washington and will then be floated to Todd Pacific's shipyard in Seattle. It is anticipated that the first pontoon will arrive at the shipyard in July 2007 and that the work will be completed by Kiewit-General at Todd Pacific's facility in approximately 20 months with the departure of the last pontoon in early 2009 2006 - Arrival in Hawaii of the Sea-Based X-Band Radar (SBX) built for the US Missile Defense Agency. This marks an interim stop in the vessel’s transport operation, originating in the Gulf of Mexico and maneuvering through the Straits of Magellan, ultimately destined for Adak, Alaska 2006 - Reports indicate that the Dubai-based ETA-Ascon, a diversified group, plans to buy 76 new ships to expand the size of its fleet to 100 in five years. The total investment involved in this order will amount to $2.72 billion. The company is negotiating with a number of shipbuilders for signing major orders. These include orders for four tankers with Japan's Universal Shipbuilding 2006 - Siba Ships declared an option on a second livestock carrier under construction at Labroy Shipyard in Singapore. This second vessel will be a sister-ship to Hull T155, both of which are due for delivery from the yard in 2007. The new vessels will be capable of carrying approximately 30,000 sheep or 6,500 cattle on seven decks (four enclosed and three open) 2006 - China delivered a large Ro-Ro for motor vehicles to Zodiac shipping company in Britain. Named Morning Miracle, the ship was independently developed and built by Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry Co., Ltd. It is the first of the six roll-on-roll-off vessels for motor vehicles the British firm ordered from the Xiamen company 2006 - The Coast Guard is searching for a Columbia River bar pilot who fell from a container ship near Astoria OR. The pilot fell overboard about 2130 while climbing down the ladder from the 558-foot merchant vessel Dry Beam to a Columbia River pilot vessel. The Coast Guard launched two 47-foot motor lifeboats from Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment, Wash., and an HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Astoria, shortly after receiving the report. The 47-foot motor lifeboats searched for an hour before returning to the station due to severe weather conditions. The Jayhawk searched for the man until 0030 before they too had to return due to heavy rain and fog that limited visibility to less than 100 feet. Two HH-60 Jayhawk helicopters from Air Station Astoria and an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Port Angeles, Wash., searched for the man the next morning. A Columbia River bar helicopter and two pilot vessels are also assisting in the search. Coast Guardsman from Station Cape Disappointment and local authorities are conducting shoreline searches north and south of the entrance of the Columbia River. Weather conditions were 30-to-50 mph winds with 18- to-20-foot seas 2006 - The frigate Emden left on 9 January Wilhelmshaven, in order to replace the frigate Luebeck with the Operation Enduring Freedom in Djibouti 2006 - Harry S. Truman entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) in Portsmouth, Va., for the third time in her young life. The following day, Truman slipped into dry-dock, out of water for the first time since she was built 2007 - Commandant Admiral Thad W. Allen will address the Coast Guard Academy Corps of Cadets at the US Coast Guard Academy at New London ============================================================= 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.