SeaWaves Today in History January 11, 2007 ********************************************************************* January 11 1724 - Two frigates captained by Vice Admiral Vilster returned to port after several days' sailing. The expedition was headed to Madagascar on orders of Peter I, but was heavily damaged in a storm. The emperor intended to replace the craft until he found our more about the exotic country they were to visit, when he cancelled those plans 1742 - Empress Elizabeth ascends to the throne in Russia 1757 - Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the US Treasury, was born in the West Indies 1805 - Michigan Territory was created by an act of Congress 1861 - Alabama seceded from the Union 1863 - CSS Alabama sinks USS Hatteras off Galveston 1882 - At 9 a.m. during a thick snowstorm, the schooner A .F. Ames of Rockland ME was bound from Perth Amboy to Boston with a crew of seven persons. She stranded during a thick snowstorm five hundred yards east of Race Point and one mile and three-quarters west of Station No. 6, Second District. The vessel was discovered by the patrol and the life-saving crew boarded her at 9 -15 o'clock. She was leaking and pounding heavily. The pumps were manned to keep the water down. The vessel was floated on the rising tide and made sail. She was piloted into deep water. The leak, however, was gaining rapidly. After consulting with the captain, the vessel was put on the beach. The crew was sheltered at the station until the 13th when the keeper sent them to Boston 1914 - Captain Robert Abram Bartlett 1875-1946 sees Karluk crushed by ice near Herald Island, north of Siberia; one of three ships of Stefansson expedition 1915 - Submarines HMS H-1 to H-10 commenced construction Canadian Vickers Montreal PQ 1917 - Submarine HMS Skate launched 1919 - Submarine USS S-32 launched 1919 - Destroyer USS Cole launched 1934 - Soviet Far Eastern naval forces renamed the Pacific Ocean Fleet. Their first commander was MV Viktorov 1935 - Destroyer USS Hull commissioned 1935 - Amelia Earhart began a trip from Honolulu to Oakland, Calif., that made her the first woman to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean 1935 - Soviet submarine SC-116 commissioned 1936 - Destroyer USS Reid launched 1937 - Soviet submarine SC-215 launched 1940 - Three German destroyers are bombed off Horn's Reef by RAF Coastal Command 1940 - Luftwaffe aircraft performed reconnaissance of East Scotland, Firth of Forth, Humber, South Shields, Newcastle, Thames Estuary. Two trawlers were machine gunned but escaped. Enemy aircraft driven off 1940 - The USN's Fleet Landing Exercise (FLEX) No. 6 begins at Culebra, Puerto Rico. Lack of transports compels the Navy to substitute combatant ships in that role for purposes of the exercise; an important exception is the prototype high speed transport USS Manley (APD-1), converted from a World War I-emergency program "flush-deck, four-pipe" destroyer, which amply proves her worth 1940 - U-755 laid down 1940 - At 1632, SS Fredville (enroute to obtain a cargo of coal for Oslo) was torpedoed by U-23 about 100 miles east of the Orkney Islands and broke in two. The forepart remained afloat and five survivors left their lifeboats several times to go back on board and look for more survivors. The survivors were picked up by a Swedish ship and taken to Kopervik 1940 - At 1100, tanker El Oso in Convoy HX-14B, struck a mine laid on 6 January by U-30 and sank six miles 280° from the Bar Lightship, Liverpool. Three crewmembers were lost. The master and 31 crewmembers were picked up by HMS Walker & landed at Liverpool 1940 - Escort carrier USS Long Island launched 1941 - Light cruiser HMS Southampton sunk Central Mediterranean east of Malta by German Ju-87 divebombers. 81 killed 1941 - U-598 laid down 1942 - Japan declared war against the Netherlands Celebes and Borneo; the same day that Japanese forces invaded the Dutch East Indies 1942 - Operation Paukenschlag ("roll of the kettledrums") descends upon the eastern seaboard of the US like a "bolt from the blue." The first group of five German submarines takes up station off the East Coast of the United States on this date. Over the next month, these boats (U-66, U-109, U-123, U-125 and U-130) will sink 26 Allied ships. The presence of the enemy off the eastern seaboard takes US Navy antisubmarine forces by surprise. The first ship, the British freighter SS Cyclops, is sunk by U-123 300 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts 1942 - Seven USAAF Far East Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses based at Singosari Airdrome, Java, are dispatched to attack the Japanese landing forces on Tarakan Island. Four abort due to mechanical problems and the other three abort due to poor weather over the target 1942 - USN Patrol Squadron Twenty Two (VP-22), with PBY-5 Catalinas, joins Patrol Wing Ten (PatWing-10) at Ambon Island, the first aviation reinforcements from the Central Pacific to reach SW Pacific Forces opposing the Japanese advance through the Netherlands East Indies. (PatWing-10 had been based at Cavite, Philippine Islands on 8 December 1941.) Unfortunately, the PBY-5 aircraft they received in Hawaii were the early models without self-sealing fuel tanks and armor. PatWing-10 later received five newer model PBY-5 Catalinas from the Dutch in Java. All of the rest of the PatWing's original aircraft were the older PBY-4 models. Almost immediately after arrival several of the VP-22 Catalinas were caught at anchor at Ambon and destroyed 1942 - While sailing for a rendezvous with USS Enterprise 500 miles SW of Hawaii, aircraft carrier USS Saratoga is torpedoed by submarine HIJMS I-6. Although six men are killed and three firerooms are flooded, the carrier returns to Oahu under her own power 1942 - US Naval Station Pago Pago, Samoa, is shelled by a Japanese submarine 1943 - Minesweeper HMCS Fort William damaged collision with SS Lisgar at Halifax. Fort William was under repair for a month following the incident. Fort William was transferred to the Turkish Navy after the war and renamed Bodrum. She was removed from service and scrapped in 1971 1943 - U-1226 laid down 1943 - At 2025, the CS Flight was shelled and sunk by U-105 1943 - At 0033, the Ocean Vagabond, a straggler from Convoy SC-115, was torpedoed by U-186 south of Iceland & sank at 0307 following two coups de grâce at 0059 & 0145 hours. One crewmember was lost. The master, 41 crewmembers and four gunners were picked up by HMS Wanderer & landed at Liverpool 1943 - At 0040, U-522 attacked Convoy TM-1 NW of the Canary Islands (grid DH 5110) and reported one tanker sunk and one other damaged. In fact, the British Dominion was struck by three torpedoes and was abandoned. After 0300 the wreck was sunk by U-620 by a coup de grâce and gunfire. 33 crewmembers and four gunners were lost. The master, ten crewmembers and five gunners were picked up by corvette HMS Godetia & landed at Gibraltar 1943 - Escort carrier HMS Hunter commissioned 1943 - Destroyer USS Stockton commissioned 1943 - Corvette HMCS Louisburg laid down 1943 - Minesweepers HMS Pincher & Pickle laid down 1943 - Destroyer USS Caperton laid down 1943 - Destroyer escort USS Huse laid down 1943 - Minesweeper HMS Ready launched 1943 - Treaty with China with Britain and the US relinquishing extraterritorial rights 1944 - Corvette HMCS Lunenburg attacked by U-953 Oblt Karl-Heinz Marbach CO, 50N-18W, the attack was unsuccessful & there was no further contact. U-953 was a type VIIC U-boat built by Blohm & Voss at Hamburg, commissioned 17 Dec 42, She conducted 11 Patrols & had a record of 1 ship sunk for 1,927 tons, on 29 May 45 she was transferred from Trondheim, Norway to England. She was broken up in 1950 following RN Trials. Karl-Heinz Marbach was born in 1917, at Kolberg. He joined the navy in 1937. His first operational service was from Jun to Sep 39 in the light cruiser Leipzig, after which he served in the personnel branch of the Fleet Headquarters until he transferred to the U-boat in Oct 40. After conversion training, he served from May to Dec 41 as the Second Watch Officer in U-101, commanded by the 'ace' Kptlt. Ernst Mengersen (14 ships sunk for 77,000 tons, plus two damaged). He served as the First Watch Officer from Jan to Mar, & was the Acting/CO for part of this time. OLtzS Marbach was selected for command & underwent his U-boat Commander's Course from Apr to May 42. He commanded the training boats U-28 & U-29 between May & Nov 42 & was then appointed to command the new type VIIC U-boat U-953 on 30 Nov 42, at the age of 25. He was awarded the Knight's Cross "for acts of bravery" on 22 Jul 44 (the 124th presented in the U-boat force) & was promoted to Kptlt. on 01 Sep 44. After completing his tour of duty in U-953, he commissioned the new type XXI boat U-3014 in Dec 44. After the surrender, he became a POW & detained until Feb 48, being among the last U-boat men to be set free. Karl-Heinz Marbach died in 1995 1944 - Escort carrier USS Hoggatt Bay commissioned 1944 - Destroyer escort USS Doyle C Barnes laid down 1944 - Corvettes HMS Bamborough Castle & Pevensey Castle launched 1944 - Destroyer escorts USS Stafford & Richard W Suesens launched 1944 - HMS Tally Ho, one of the Royal Navy submarine flotilla based at Trincomalee, caught the Japanese light cruiser Kuma in the Malacca Strait, one of the very few large Japanese warships then operating in the area, and sank her with two torpedo hits. 1944 - Aircraft from USS Block Island make first aircraft rocket attack on German submarine 1944 - U-879 launched 1944 - U-246, U-1006 commissioned 1944 - SS Triona damaged by U-532 at 00.03N, 80.43E - Grid LO 52 1945 - Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-356 was commissioned at New York with LT R. V. Flouton, USCGR, as her commanding officer. She operated in the Southwest Pacific and Western Pacific area during the war. She was decommissioned 30 October 1945. 1945 - Destroyers HMCS Algonquin & Sioux departed Kola Inlet with Convoy RA-63 for the Clyde 1945 - Soviet minesweeper T-76 Korall sunk by U-745 at 59.45N, 24.47E - Grid AO 3528 1945 - U-2362, U-4705 launched 1945 - U-2352, U-2354 commissioned 1945 - At 1515, U-1055 attacked some ships from a just dispersed coastal convoy in the Irish Sea west of Anglesey and reported two ships sunk. A first torpedo exploded behind the Yugoslavian steam merchant Senga, while other torpedoes sank the Roanoke & Normandy Coast. The Normandy Coast sank within two minutes, taking 18 crewmembers and one gunner with her. The master, five crewmembers and two gunners were picked up by patrol ship HMS PC-74 and landed at Holyhead on 12 January 1945 - High Speed Transport USS Belknap damaged beyond repair Kamikaze attack at Lingayen Philippines 1946 - Minesweeper HMCS Winnipeg paid off 1951 - Destroyer HMCS Nootka suffered one killed in Korean War 1954 - Canadian Government considers reducing its Korean commitment 1957 - Canadian aircraft carrier HMCS Magnificent arrives in Egypt with men and supplies for the UN emergency force; Canadian strength in Egypt now about 1,000 men 1968 - USS Coral Sea port call Hong Kong 1970 - USS Hancock port call Hong Kong 1973 - The Australians ended their military involvement in the Vietnam War, after eleven years. 1991 - After receiving a distress call from the sinking fishing trawler Sea King off of Peacock Spit, near the mouth of the Columbia River, a Coast Guard helicopter and the motor lifeboat [MLB] 52314 "Triumph II" from the Cape Disappointment Lifeboat Station were dispatched to the rescue. The crew of the helicopter transferred three of the Triumph II's crew and several pumps to the sinking trawler despite the 20-foot seas. They then began hoisting the trawler's crew to safety and managed to hoist one safely. On the next attempt, however, the rescue basket's cable became entangled in the trawler's rigging and snapped, injuring the fisherman being hoisted. Another Coast Guardsman from the Triumph II jumped onto the trawler to assist him. The Triumph II then took the Sea King, with the emergency pumps operating, under tow. But while waiting for the tide to ebb before heading in the Sea King sank. The Triumph II's crew pulled the four Coast Guard personnel and two of the trawler's remaining crew out of the water. Nevertheless, one of the Coast Guard personnel and one of the trawler's crew succumbed. Another crewman from the Sea King went down with the trawler and was not recovered 1999 - MCDV HMCS Brandon delivered from builder Halifax NS 2004 - USNS Altair activated to transport materials to Iraq 2005 - National Steel and Shipbuilding awarded a $586,266,939 fixed-price-incentive options under previously awarded contract (N00024-02-C-2300) for the design and construction of the seventh and eighth ships in the Dry Cargo/Ammunition Ship (T-AKE) Class. The Dry Cargo/Ammunition Ship will provide logistic lift from sources of supply and will transfer this cargo at sea to station ships and other naval forces. Work will be performed in San Diego for delivery 01 May and 31 July 2008 respectively 2005 - Tsakos Energy Navigation Limited announced that it has taken delivery of a 37,432 dwt double hull product carrier, built by the Hyundai MIPO shipyard in South Korea. The vessel, named M/T Didimon, will immediately enter into a one-year time charter contract with a South American oil major at a market based daily rate but with a guaranteed minimum of $18,450 per day 2005 - USS Kitty Hawk, with more than 3,000 Sailors aboard, departed the ship’s forward-deployed operating port of Yokosuka, Japan, today to conduct sea trials as the final step of a four-month ship’s restricted availability (SRA) maintenance period. During the trial, Kitty Hawk’s crew will test equipment and refresh seamanship skills following the in-port maintenance period to ensure the ship and crew are prepared for general underway operations 2005 - Coast Guard Cutter Spencer responded to a distress call from the 84-foot fishing vessel Patriots, with seven people aboard, stating they had an electrical fire in their engine room while offshore approximately 130 nautical miles east of Nantucket. The Spencer, a 270-foot, Boston-based medium endurance cutter, which was patrolling approximately 20 nautical miles away, was diverted to assist the Patriots. Both an HU-25 Falcon jet and HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Cape Cod also responded to the call. One half hour after initial notification, it was reported the decks were beginning to catch fire. The vessel was then directed to make preparations to abandon ship and they responded by donning survival gear and placing their liferaft in the water. By this time, the fishing vessel Hustler had responded to the distress call and was alongside the Patriots. At 1851 with only one fire extinguisher remaining, the crew of the fishing vessel Patriots was able to extinguish the fire. The Spencer is currently on scene with the Patriots and has conducted an at-sea boarding of the Patriots. A Rescue and Assist team from the Spencer is currently onboard. The Patriots engine is out-of-commission and the Spencer will take the vessel in tow at first light 2005 - 200 illegal immigrants arrived in Italy, bringing the total of new arrivals to 500 in the space of 48 hours, which has triggered fresh fears of overcrowding and sparked criticism of the government's immigrant management policies. Navy officers rescued a group of 60 migrants from a damaged boat some 30 miles south of Lampedusa, which is viewed by immigrants as a stepping-stone between Africa and Italy. Another 138 immigrants were discovered by port officials after their safe landing. It's the second wave of arrivals to Italy this year. Nearly 220 Africans on a drifting boat were towed to safety early on the 11th with another 84 later the same day. The asylum seekers have all been taken to the same reception center on Lampedusa as authorities try to establish their identity and status 2005 - Edward Bernard "Spike" Morris, the first pilot in the Royal Canadian Navy, died in Halifax 2005 - The Naval Air (NAVAIR) Depot Jacksonville honored one of the Navy’s premier aircraft, the F-14 Tomcat. The Depot’s aircraft move crew towed the aircraft down Yorktown Avenue to its final resting place at the Naval Air Station Jacksonville (NAS JAX) Heritage Park. For over 30 years, the F-14 “Tomcat” defended the United States against enemies near and far. Scheduled to retire from service mid-FY07, the Depot performed the last Scheduled Depot Level Maintenance (SDLM) in 2004. A rollout ceremony was held in June 2004 and over 400 Depot employees and guests bid farewell to this incredible aircraft. In an effort to honor its many years of service, Depot Aerospace Engineering Technician, George “Nick” Smichmick started a campaign to have the Tomcat put on display at Heritage Park. This required getting permission from the Naval Museum in Pensacola, who actually owns aircraft static displays, and NAS JAX. Once this was accomplished, Depot volunteers started looking for spare parts and out of date material to build the aircraft. The project was completed in December 2004. Now, with its glossy paint job reminiscent of the 1970’s VF-84 Jolly Rogers, the display will be a constant tribute to the F-14 Tomcat’s service to the Navy for generations to come 2006 - HMCS Athabaskan departed Halifax on a six-month deployment to join the Standing NATO Response Force Maritime Group One (SNMG1) in Kiel 2006 - John Reid hosted Japanese Defense Minister, Mr Fukushiro Nukaga, in London. This is the first time that the two Ministers have met since Mr Nukaga was appointed last September. To highlight UK-Japanese Defense cooperation around the world, Mr Nukaga will be honored with a Guard of Honor, the first time that Mr Reid has arranged such an honor for an incoming Minister since he became Secretary of State for Defense 2006 - The organization that maintains the historic USS Slater will not be cited for an accidental two-alarm fire that broke out aboard the vessel last week at its winter berth in the Port of Rensselaer, officials said 2006 - Sale of FGS Weiden and Frankenthal to United Arab Emirates announced 2006 - Three men are lucky to be alive after their vessel capsized on Loch Lomond this morning. The loch has a water temperature at just above freezing at this time of year. Clyde Coastguard received a 999 call via Forth Coastguard at 1000 from the three men reporting that their vessel had capsized and that they needed assistance. The call cut off very quickly and the Coastguard was unable to make a connection back again. Clyde Coastguard immediately dispatched Helensburgh Coastguard Rescue Team to Loch Lomond and a Royal Navy rescue helicopter was diverted from exercise. Central and Strathclyde Police forces were also informed. The three men were located by the helicopter very quickly and were airlifted onboard. By this time their vessel had already sunk. They were safely onboard the helicopter within 23 minutes 2006 - The Supreme Court of the State of Alaska ruled that the state has jurisdiction over crimes committed on board an Alaska state ferry, even though the ferry was located in Canadian waters when the crime was committed. In the instant case, defendant was charged with having committed sexual assault while the ferry was en route from Bellingham, Washington to Southeast Alaska. At trial, defendant argued that the court had no jurisdiction over the offense, as it occurred in another country. On appeal, the court held that the state could exercise jurisdiction over this crime because, even though it occurred in another country, the crime had a significant effect in the state due to the importance of the state ferry system 2006 - Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency chief executive Stephen Bligh has quit his job by mutual consent, using his farewell letter to colleagues to launch a stinging counter-attack against his many critics. His departure brings to an end an extended period of sniping against him by opponents both inside and outside the organization that went several notches louder than a whispering campaign 2006 - Sections for the new cruise ship Norwegian Pearl, to be built by Meyer Werft, are hindering shipping on the river Elbe, after they fell off a pontoon following a collision, writes Katrin Berkenkopf. A train of barges towing the pontoon collided with the 15,600 dwt Ro-Ro ferry Tor Dania off Cuxhaven on early yesterday. The ferry suffered a hole of 12 m by 3 m. However, the ship, which is operated by Goliat Ro-Ro from Norway, was able to continue its trip to Cuxhaven. Several ship parts dropped off the pontoon. Hamburg police said that the biggest segment "was an obstruction to passing ships" and added that the reason for the collision was yet unknown. A spokesman for Meyer Werft said the incident would not delay the construction of the Norwegian Pearl - even if the sunken sections were later found to be no longer usable 2006 - Frigate FGS Brandenburg departed for Operation Active Endeavour in the Mediterranean 2006 - Rear Adm. Robert Papp, Commander of the Ninth Coast Guard District, recommended to the Commandant of the Coast Guard that Capt. Donald Triner, commanding officer of the new Mackinaw, homeported in Cheboygan, Mich., be permanently relieved of command. Papp temporarily relieved Triner of his command Dec. 15 after the cutter hit a break wall in Grand Haven, Mich. Papp made the decision to recommend permanent relief, citing loss of confidence in Triner’s ability to command. He reached this conclusion after reviewing investigations concerning the collision and subsequent reports of inappropriate use of alcohol by Triner and some members of his crew at an event in Cheboygan on Dec.17 2006 - Brigadier Gen. Christian B. Cowdrey relinquished command of the 3rd Marine Division to Brig. Gen. Mastin M. Robeson in a change of command ceremony at Camp Hansen, Okinawa 2007 - UK Defense and Foreign Affairs Committees to take oral evidence from the Secretary of States for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Rt. Hon Margaret Beckett MP) and Defense (Rt. Hon Des Browne MP) ============================================================= 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.