SeaWaves Today in History January 17, 2007 ********************************************************************* January 17 1706 - Benjamin Franklin born in Boston 1832 - USS Peacock makes contact with Vietnamese court officials 1832 - Secretary McLane discontinued practice of using naval officers in Revenue Marine. Ordered vacancies filled by promotion 1893 - 19th President of the United States, Rutherford B. Hayes, died in Fremont OH at age 70 1893 - Hawaii's monarchy was overthrown as a group of businessmen and sugar planters forced Queen Liliuokalani to abdicate 1900 - US (CDR Taussig in USS Bennington) takes formal possession of Wake Island 1916 - Destroyer HMS Vortigen laid down 1917 - Destroyers HMS Wakeful & Watchman laid down 1918 - Repair ship HMS Vindictive launched 1919 - Minesweeper HMS Arlesford launched 1923 - Light cruiser FS Lamotte-Piquet laid down 1930 - Liner (later AMC) Prince Henry laid down 1938 - Minesweeper HMS Sphinx laid down 1938 - Destroyer USS Hammann laid down 1939 - Battleship FS Richelieu launched 1940 - At 1700, SS Cairnross (Master Laurence Halcrow) in Convoy OB-74 struck a mine, laid on 6 January by U-30 and sank seven miles 276° from the Bar Lightvessel, Liverpool. The master and 47 crewmembers were picked up by HMS Mackay & landed at Liverpool 1940 - At 1156, U-25 spotted two steamers 6-7 miles north of Muckle Flugga, Shetland Isles and fired one torpedo at 1235 hours that missed the first ship, the Enid. Ten minutes later, another torpedo was fired at the second ship, the Polzella, which was hit near the bridge and sank in 12 seconds with the loss of all men. The Norwegian ship went to her assistance and the order was given to lower the boats, but the U-boat surfaced and fired a shot across the bow to stop her. When the ship turned away they opened fire and after three shots the crew abandoned ship. Then the U-boat fired 21 rounds from the deck gun and hit seven times. At 1410 a coup de grâce was fired that broke off the forepart and caused the ship to sink. One part of the Norwegian crew reached land in their lifeboats, while the rest were rescued by a Danish ship of A. P. Møller & Co and taken to Las Palmas 1940 - Submarine HMS Traveller laid down 1940 - US passenger liner SS Manhattan & freighter SS Excambion are detained at Gibraltar by British authorities; the former is kept there for only a few hours before being allowed to proceed 1940 - British Foreign Office replies to the US protest on the treatment of mail, concluding that "His Majesty's Government find themselves unable to share the views of the United States government that their [the British] action in examining neutral mail in British or neutral shipping is contrary to their obligations under international law" 1940 - Corvette HMS Convovulus laid down 1940 - AMC HMAS Westralia commissioned 1941 - The unescorted SS Almeda Star (Master Harry Cecil Howard, Commodore of the Blue Star Line) evaded three attacks about 35 miles NE of Rockall, before the ship was hit at 0745 by U-96. After two coups de grâce were fired at 0805 & 0907, the U-boat fired 28 incendiary shells (about 15 hits) between 0932 & 0948. The Almeda Star finally sank in 58°40N/13°38W three minutes after another coup de grâce had been fired at 0955. The master, 136 crewmembers, 29 gunners and 194 passengers were lost 1941 - Secretary of the Navy Knox testified for the lend-lease bill 1941 - Bethlehem Steel, of Lehigh, Pennsylvania, changes its operations to all-out war production of steel plate for ships and tanks, structural steel for defense plants and forgings for guns, shells and aircraft engines. Bethlehem's 15 shipyards will build 1,121 ships, more than any other shipbuilder in World War II. At peak of production, Bethlehem employs almost 300,000 people, 180,000 of them in shipbuilding 1941 - The first American troops arrive at St. John's, Newfoundland, aboard the USAT Edmund B. Alexander. She will serve as a barracks ship for the 1200 troops until permanent quarters are built ashore 1941 - The Vichy French & Thailand fight the Battle of Koh Chang - the Vichy French retaliate against Thai moves against Cambodia. The French squadron (Rear Admiral Jules Terraux) consisting of light cruiser Lamotte-Picquet, colonial sloops Amiral Charner and Dumont D'Urville and sloops Tahure and Marne, decisively defeats a Thai Navy force in a surface gunnery and torpedo action fought in the Gulf of Siam, sinking coast defense ship Dhonburi and torpedo boats Cholbury and Songkhla and damaging coast defense ship Sri Ayuthia and torpedo boat Trat in about two hours 1941 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Horatio commissioned 1942 - At 0359, the unescorted RFA Nyholt, dispersed from convoy ON-52, was hit amidships by one torpedo from U-87 about 180 miles south of Cape Race. The explosion destroyed three tanks on her port side, but she remained afloat and tried to get to Newfoundland. The U-boat had difficulties to hit the wild zigzagging tanker and missed with four torpedoes at 0404, 0408, 0455 & 0534. While reloading the tubes, the tanker tried to ram the U-boat and both ships turned in circles near to each other’s until the stern tube was reloaded. The stern torpedo was fired at 0821 hours and hit the ship amidships on the port side, followed by a bow torpedo four minutes later, but the last torpedo fired at 0826 hours missed and the U-boat had to sink the ship with the deck gun after the crew abandoned ship in two lifeboats. 120 rounds were fired between 0902 and 0935 hours, of which about 70 were hits. When the Nyholt was abandoned, the master and two men fell overboard and only the master could be rescued by one of the lifeboats. The first engineer died on the second day, his wool sweater was given to someone who had none and the lifeboats became separated during a storm around 21 January, one of them with 13 crewmen, one passenger and one gunner in it was never seen again. The motor boat with 24 survivors was spotted by a Hudson aircraft nine days after the sinking, just as they were about to bury a crewmember, who died in the lifeboat. The aircraft dropped two life vests containing two thermoses with warm liquids, apples, oranges, cigarettes and some sandwiches of the aircraft crew. The survivors were later picked up by the HMCS St Clair and landed at Halifax on 27 January. The master died on board of the destroyer, while a passenger (the former first engineer of Taranger) died at a hospital on 5 February 1942 - Soviet steam trawler RT-68 Enisej torpedoed & sunk by U-454 1942 - At 1846 hours, SS Harmatris in Convoy PQ-8 was hit by one torpedo from U-454 amidships and caught fire. The fire was extinguished and the ship reached port safely 1942 - At 1121, the unescorted SS Octavian was hit by two torpedoes from U-203 and immediately sank off Cape Race, Newfoundland. The ship had been reported missing with a crew of 16 Norwegians and 1 British on board 1942 - The Japanese Carrier Striking Force sails to participate in operations in the Bismarck Archipelago 1942 - Submarine HIJMS I-60 is sunk by destroyer HMS Jupiter 25 miles NNW of Krakatoa, Java, Netherlands East Indies, in position 06.00S, 105.00E 1942 - U-123 sank SS San Jose at 39.15N, 74.09W - Grid CA 5756 1942 - At 0735, destroyer HMS Gurkha (ex-Larne) was hit by one torpedo from U-133 and caught fire from bow to stern. HNMS Isaac Sweers towed the destroyer clear of the burning oil on the surface. The most crewmembers were then transferred to the Dutch destroyer by boats and were landed at Tobruk in the evening. The burning destroyer had to be scuttled north of Sidi Barrani. Gurkha had been escorting the Malta convoy MW-8B (four fast transports covered by Admiral Vian's Mediterranean Fleet cruiser force), which arrived Malta on 19 January without further casualties 1942 - Destroyer HMS Matabele torpedoed & sunk by U-454 off Kola Inlet & sank in two minutes. Even in that short time, many had managed to abandon ship only to be frozen to death in the icy waters 1942 - U-442 launched 1942 - U-232 & U-194 laid down 1942 - Corvette HMCS Sorel arrived Leith, Scotland for repairs 1942 - Minesweeper HMCS Nipigon returned to Halifax from Sydney Force 1942 - Minesweeping trawler BHMS Sir Tristram launched 1942 - Corvette FS Commandant d'Estienne d'Orves (ex-HMS Lotus) launched 1942 - Minesweeper HMAS Echuca launched 1943 - SS Vestfold, while in Convoy HX-222 with HMS LCT 2239, 2267 & 2344 as deck cargo, torpedoed & sunk by U-268 1943 - Light fleet carrier USS Cowpens launched 1943 - Soviet Navy lists submarine L-23 Black Sea Fleet Karkinitski zaliv (mined off Yevpatoeria by German ASW aircraft) 1943 - Minesweeper HMS Steadfast launched 1943 - Escort carrier USS Natoma Bay laid down 1943 - Destroyer escort USS Flaherty launched 1944 U-377 sunk in the North Atlantic south-west of Ireland, in position 49.39N, 20.10W, by depth charges from destroyer HMS Wanderer and frigate HMS Glenarm. 52 dead (all hands lost) 1944 - Corvette HMCS Tillsonburg (ex-HMS Pembroke Castle) commissioned 1944 - Escort carrier HMS Rajah commissioned 1944 - Destroyer USS Cushing commissioned 1944 - Minesweeper USS Astute commissioned 1944 - Frigate HMAS Barcoo commissioned 1944 - Destroyers USS Hank & John W Weeks laid down 1945 - U-1308, U-2534 commissioned 1945 - U-2523 sunk at position 4 at the Blohm & Voss yard in Hamburg, by bombs. Wreck broken up 1945 - U-2515 sunk in Dock 111, Hamburg, by bombs while damaged sections from mining were being replaced. Wreck broken up 1945 - Light cruiser HMCS Ontario commissioned Belfast 1945 - Auxiliary minelayer HMS Menestheus commenced conversion to amenities ship N Vancouver BC 1945 - Corvette HMCS Parry Sound departed St John's as escort for Convoy HX-332 1945 - Aircraft carrier HMS Venerable commissioned 1945 - Submarine USS Mero launched 1946 - Destroyer USS Perry commissioned 1946 - Destroyer USS Forrest Royal launched 1946 - Frigate HMCS Eastview paid off Esquimalt BC 1955 - USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine, is commissioned and sends message "underway on nuclear power" 1957 - Aircraft carrier HMCS Bonaventure, a British modified Majestic-class light fleet aircraft carrier, was commissioned into the RCN at Belfast, Ireland. 'Bonnie' displaced 19,920 tons at full load, was 630 feet long (o.a.), and had a maximum speed of 24.5 knots. Her normal crew was about 1200 officers and men. She could carry between 34 and 21 aircraft, depending on the type and the date (in 1967, her refit restricted hangar space to fewer aircraft). 'Bonnie' was paid off on 03 July 1970. Originally, 'Bonnie' was to decommission at the end of 1969 after making what was planned to be her last trip in December. Her Commanding Officer, Capt (N) Jim Cutts, was posted out and the XO, Cdr. Hank Vondette, was designated as CO. Unforeseen delays with the commissioning of HMCS Protecteur meant an AOR was unavailable to support the fleet during annual exercises in the Caribbean. 'Bonnie' was kept in commission to act as an oiler, stores ship, and helicopter repair ship. In April, she was sent to Norway to pick up army gear from a winter exercise. Even without the air wing embarked, the crew still numbered over 600 1961 - John George Diefenbaker 1895-1979 signs Columbia River Treaty with President Dwight D. Eisenhower; Canada gets half of power from dams on Canadian section; three dams in Canada 1961 - In his farewell address, President Eisenhower warned of "the military-industrial complex" 1966 - USS Enterprise port call Subic Bay 1967 - USS Franklin D Roosevelt port call Subic Bay 1968 - USS Ticonderoga port call Yokosuka 1975 - Canadian Armed Forces set up separate Air Command. Tracker squadron VS 880 becomes MR 880 Squadron and Sea King squadron HS 50 split into 423 and 443 Squadrons 1991 - DOD announces that over 100 Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched at pre-programmed targets by 9 US Navy ships in the Arabian Gulf and Red Sea. USS San Jacinto fired the first Tomahawk missile from the Red Sea between 0100-0200 Gulf Time; moments later; USS Bunker Hill fired the first Tomahawk missile from the Arabian Gulf. Then, over 1,000 aircraft sorties (E-2Cs/ AWACs-controlled) were flown by A-6s, A-7s, AV-8s, A-10s, B-52s, EA-6Bs, EF111s, F-4s, F-14s, F-15s, F-16s, F/A-18s, F-111s, F-117As, AH- 64s, Saudi/British Tornados, French Jaguars, Kuwaiti A-4s. The Navy launched 228 combat sorties on the first day of Operation Desert Storm from six aircraft carriers in the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf. CJCS General Colin Powell reports Tomahawk cruise missiles "were extremely effective" (against precision targets where Iraqi air defenses threatened manned aircraft); of all sorties, 80% were effective, 20% ineffective due to mechanical/weather problems; Iraqi SCUD missile fixed-sites destroyed, targeting SCUD launchers; Iraqi planes destroyed, but "Iraqi Air Force is still intact"; US engaged in air-to-air battles with Iraqi aircraft; Iraq fired multiple SAMs and anti-aircraft artillery, little or no effect; Iraqi elite Republican Guard units attacked in Iraq and Kuwait; did not target President Hussein, focused on disrupting/destroying command/control network. An F/A-18 is shot down, the first Navy aircraft loss in combat. The F/A-18 crewman, LCDR Michael Speicher of USS Saratoga's Strike Fighter Squadron 81, is listed as missing 1991 - 3 USMC/1 USN injured in bunkers in Saudi Arabia by Iraqi artillery fire near Kuwaiti border 1991 - SECNAV activates 421 additional Naval Reservists from 36 units 1992 - Kiichi Miyazawa, then Japanese Prime Minister, offers an apology for Japan's 1910-45 colonization of the Korean Peninsula during his address to South Korea's parliament 1994 - USCG units and family members assist those in need after an earthquake hits Los Angeles. A 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck Southern California, killing at least 61 people and causing $20 billion worth of damage 1995 - More than 6,000 people were killed when an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 devastated the city of Kobe, Japan 2004 - USNS Fisher activated 2004 - Destroyer USS Halsey christened at Pascagoula MS 2004 - RRF Cape Horn activated 2005 - Aircraft carrier HMS Invincible leaves Portsmouth today to lead a Royal Navy strike force on a series of exercises in the Mediterranean and Middle East spanning three months. In her strike carrier role, with a mixed force of Fleet Air Arm and RAF Harriers embarked, Invincible (CO Captain Neil Morisetti RN) will fly the flag of Rear Admiral Charles Style. Admiral Style’s command will include the Portsmouth-based HMS Grafton, a Type 23 frigate; and the Type 42 destroyer HMS Nottingham, embarking on her first operational mission since the completion of her repair package last year. The Portsmouth ships will be joined by the Devonport-based Type 23 frigate HMS Montrose. Joining the force will be the Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ship Fort George with four of the Navy’s newest helicopter, the Merlin, on board. Invincible’s aircraft will, at various times include Sea Harrier FA2s from 801 Naval Air Squadron (NAS), Harrier GR7 strike aircraft from No. 4 (AC) Squadron RAF, and three Sea King airborne early warning helicopters of B Flight, 849 NAS. The aircraft will join the ship at sea. France has allocated the frigate FS Guepratte to the deployment, seen as a natural progression of the integration last year of the Portsmouth-based destroyer HMS Gloucester into French carrier task group operations in the Mediterranean. MARSTRIKE 05 will also provide the opportunity for the British ships to make a series of goodwill visits to countries in the region 2005 - US Department of Transportation has granted Lykes Lines, a subsidiary of CP Ships, the right to operate five US-flag containerships in its new Maritime Security Program for ten years beginning 1st October 2005. The ships will receive government subsidy to offset the cost of operating under US flag. Over the ten-year contract term, the subsidy will total $145 million. The five ships will operate on the TransAtlantic. MSP was created to ensure the Department of Defense has ready access to a fleet of modern and efficient commercial US-flag ships that could be made available in times of war or national emergency. This new contract represents an increase in Lykes Lines' participation in MSP. It currently operate five US flag ships in a single loop on the TransAtlantic, but only three are MSP ships and receive subsidy under the existing contract which expires on 30th September 2004 2005 - USS Bonhomme Richard Takes Lead Role In Disaster Relief off Sumatra 2005 - Scores are feared dead in the Democratic Republic of Congo after a barge loaded with passengers and goods capsized on the Kasai River. The accident happened in the early hours near the town of Tshikapa, in the west of DR Congo. The boat is reported to have been overcrowded, with as many as 200 passengers as well as goods. Some 40 people managed to swim ashore. Congolese ferries are notorious for overcrowding and poor maintenance 2005 - The official inquiry into Namibia's most deadly maritime disaster yet was concluded on Monday with a finding that neither the doomed MFV Meob Bay's skipper, nor its crew, could be faulted over their safety training and the way in which they abandoned the vessel before it sank two and a half years ago. A four-member Court of Marine Enquiry, which was tasked to establish answers to a limited number of issues around the sinking of the MFV Meob Bay near Luederitz on June 7 2002, handed down its judgement in Windhoek 2006 - US Navy's Military Sealift Command purchased three Maritime Prepositioning Ships that had previously been under long-term charter to the command from Braintree II, III and IV Maritime Corps of Quincy, Mass. The ships are operated by the Braintree companies and the American Overseas Marine Corp. The options to purchase these ships were part of the original contracts, which were delivered to MSC in 1985 and 1986. MV PFC Dewayne T. Williams, MV 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez and MV 1st Lt. Jack Lummus are among 16 MPS ships that preposition US Marine Corps cargo at sea around the world, making it readily available to warfighters who are flown into theaters of operation during wartime and other contingencies. These ships are a key element of the US military's rapid response capabilities. Williams operates in the Mediterranean; Lopez operates in the Indian Ocean and Lummus operates in the western Pacific. The following companies received $70 million for the purchase of each ship: Braintree II for the purchase of Williams; Braintree III for the purchase of Lopez; and Braintree IV for the purchase of Lummus 2006 - Vice-Admiral Drew Robertson assumed command of the Canadian Navy at 1030 during a Change of Command ceremony held at the Ottawa Congress Center. More than 250 people were on hand to witness the event and to bid a fond farewell to the outgoing Chief of the Maritime Staff, Vice-Admiral Bruce MacLean. The ceremony was presided over by the Chief of the Defense Staff, General Rick Hillier 2006 - The first of three improved Il-38 maritime anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft has been delivered to the Indian Navy following upgrades in Russia 2006 - Iraqi officials accused Iranian forces of “kidnapping” a coast guard patrol after a clash on their tidal frontier and demanded the men’s release, but Tehran’s envoy in Baghdad denied the incident took place. The affair is a test of the new warmth in relations between Baghdad and Tehran since pro-Iranian Shi’ites took control in Iraq after US forces overthrew Saddam Hussein, a Sunni. Iraq’s foreign minister called in the Iranian envoy seeking the release of eight or nine coast guards Iraq said were seized after an exchange of fire involving suspected oil smugglers on their long-disputed border along the Shatt al-Arab estuary. Iran’s embassy in Baghdad denied all knowledge of the incident, which Iraqi officials, in confusing statements, said happened on Jan. 14 or 15 and involved about nine coast guards. The regional governor in Basra accused Iranian forces of killing one Iraqi and “kidnapping” eight; spokesmen for the central government in Baghdad were more restrained and a government spokeswoman said she did not know of any casualties 2006 - Charge d'Affaires of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Baghdad Hassan Kazemi-Qomi said here that Iran has agreed with the opening of Iraq's military attaché office in Tehran 2006 - A US fighter jet crashed into the ocean Tuesday near the southern Japanese island chain of Okinawa, but the pilot ejected safely, the US military said. The F-15 Eagle fell into the sea 88 kilometers (55 miles) northeast of Okinawa's Kadena air base, which sent a search and rescue mission that recovered the pilot 2006 - Ukraine had demanded that Russia stops “unauthorized works” in the Kerch Strait, First Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Ogryzko told a press conference. A Russian dredge has been sporadically entering the Ukrainian territorial waters and thus violating the Ukrainian sovereignty in the past two weeks, Ogryzko said. Foreign Ministry has presented a memo to the Russian temporary charge d’affairs 2006 - Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the newly elected President of Liberia, visited USS Mount Whitney sailors and civilian mariners while the ship was off Monrovia. Johnson-Sirleaf came aboard via “Ghostrider”, the MH-60S helicopter stationed aboard Mount Whitney, and briefly met with the captain of the ship, Capt. Ladd Wheeler, along with several other key members of the staff before having a brief tour and then addressing the crew 2006 - Uniworld announced it will launch a new ship, the River Royale, and new 2006 itineraries for its popular river sailings in France. River Royale will be the first river cruise ship anywhere to provide Wi-Fi and internet access with email and satellite ship-to-shore calling. Costs will be comparable to those in any Internet cafe or long distance cellular provider 2006 - The UK, along with 16 other countries, presented a formal diplomatic representation to the Japanese Government urging it to stop its Antarctic whaling program. A written statement, or demarche, was delivered to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday (16 January) and to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry by the Brazilian ambassador on behalf of the UK, Australia and 14 other countries. It calls on Japan to "cease all its lethal scientific research on whales". The demarche notes that Japan is now killing more whales every year in the Antarctic alone than it killed for scientific research in the 31 years prior to the introduction of the moratorium on commercial whaling. It also highlights a resolution adopted at last year's meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) which called on Japan to withdraw its proposal for an increase in scientific whaling 2006 - Scandivanian truce monitors in Sri Lanka today announced their first suspension of work in the island's restive district of Trincomalee district after a bomb attack on a navy bus wounded 12. The Norwegian-led Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) said their decision followed the escalation of violence in Trincomalee culminating in a bomb attack against a navy bus 2006 - The Albany Port District Commission has provided a $5,000 emergency grant to help clean up and repair damage from a Jan. 4 fire aboard the USS Slater 2006 - The Pentagon wants to spend up to $500 million through 2011 to replace nuclear warheads with conventional warheads on some submarine-launched ballistic missiles, according to budget documents. The purpose is to allow quicker preemptive attacks on deeply buried enemy command centers or stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction. US submarines carry ballistic missiles that fly at supersonic speeds, faster than 2006 - Service aboard a Norwegian navy torpedo boat has been linked to an increased risk of having children with birth defects, a study says. Researchers looked at data from 2,000 personnel, the Occupational and Environmental Medicine journal said. Bergen University found those serving in the 1990s on the boat used in electronic warfare had four times more risk of having children with defects. But the team were unable to identify the reason for the results. The Royal Norwegian Navy commissioned the researchers to do the study after reports surfaced of people of military personnel having children with birth defects. The KNM Kvikk, which was in service between 1971 and 1995, was a torpedo boat that was used for electronic warfare. Between 1987 and 1994 the ship was fitted with a 750 watt high-frequency transmitter designed to block communications between enemy vessels, but apart from that had similar communication and radar equipment to that of many vessels in the navy. The team found that of the 114 children of parents who had served on the ship, eight had been born with birth defects and six were stillborn. The problems were four times the rate of those among children whose parents did not serve on the ship. Researchers were unable to say that the radiation from the transmitter had caused the birth defects as other factors such as stress and exposure to vapor from oil or diesel could play a role. The Ministry of Defense in Norway said an inquiry has been launched into the issue, which has prompted compensation claims 2006 - Cruise West acquired the Yorktown Clipper and the Nantucket Clipper previously part of the Clipper Cruise Line fleet. The 138-guest Yorktown Clipper and 102-guest Nantucket Clipper have officially joined the Cruise West family today. Both ships are US-flagged coastal cruise ships joining Cruise West's fleet of American-owned vessels, and will significantly enhance the company's operational reach. The new ships will sail the 2006 itineraries on the East Coast, Great Lakes, Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico and Central America that were already published by Clipper Cruise Line, but under Cruise West ownership and management. Guest amenities will offer the comfortable and modern accommodations of these former Clipper small ships with the distinguished exploration approach that Cruise West has so successfully pioneered. Cruise West is the largest American small-ship cruise line and will now be operating 10 vessels accommodating 70 to 138 guests on itineraries in Alaska, Mexico, Costa Rica, on the Columbia River, in California Wine Country, the South Pacific, and Japan. This expansion will also increase the destinations that Cruise West guests can travel to with the new vessels' previously scheduled itineraries to the East Coast of the Americas, Great Lakes and Caribbean 2006 - Former Nigerian Minister of Defense and Walin Ilorin, Alhaji Mahmoud Akanbi Oniyangi died 2006 - The Navy’s Unmanned Aerial System program office, and the Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Air Vehicle (VTUAV) Program completed a major developmental milestone this week as the VTUAV system completed nine autonomous landings aboard USS Nashville, operating in the sea range off NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. One air vehicle performed the initial tests with three landings on 16 January, and a second air vehicle was launched on 17 January to complete the testing. This is the first time a major defense autonomous UAV acquisition program has completed a landing aboard a fleet vessel 2006 - A helicopter crew from CGAS Clearwater rescued four people from the water at 1030 after their 18-foot center-console boat sank 10 miles west of Hudson, Fla. David Lord, from Maine, and his three passengers were hoisted and flown to Air Station Clearwater where they were met by EMS and taken to Largo Medical for treatment of hypothermia. The Coast Guard received Lord's mayday call at 10 a.m. and immediately dispatched a helicopter and a rescue boat from Station Sand Key. Using a Global Positioning System (GPS) and a working VHF radio, Lord was able to provide his position to the Coast Guard before losing communications. He and his passengers also donned lifejackets before his vessel sank. Station Sand Key is currently on scene with the vessel attempting to re-right and dewater it. Passengers on board the vessel were Jon Ovellette, Michael Ovellette and William Calden, all from Maine. Weather conditions at the time of the rescue were 15- to 20-knot winds and 4-foot seas 2006 - Coast Guard will conduct an inspection and investigation of the Queen Mary 2 when it arrives at Terminal 21 in Port Everglades about 2200. Approximately 1730 the Captain of the Queen Mary 2 reported to the Coast Guard the ship had experienced a noise and unusual vibration in the engine room at approximately 1350 five miles outside of the Port of Everglades and had reason to believe they may have struck a submerged object. According to a statement released by Princess Cruises, bridge instruments indicated a problem with one of the ship’s four propulsion motors. A Captain of the Port Order was issued by the Coast Guard requiring the Queen Mary 2 to use tugboats to assist in returning to port. The vessel will be required to remain at the pier until the Coast Guard determines if the vessels and its passengers are safe. There have been no reports of injury or pollution as this time. The cause of the noise and vibration are not known at this time. The Coast Guard will be working with the ships crew and flag state officials. The Queen Mary 2 is a United Kingdom flagged vessel 2006 - An undetermined amount of diesel oil leaked Tuesday from USS Kitty Hawk in the port of Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, officials said 2006 - A pilot was believed killed in a helicopter crash offshore near Cape Town. Rescue workers from the Maritime Rescue Coordinating Center earlier believed that they had found the wreckage of the helicopter but on closer inspection the divers found that it was nothing 2006 - VT Halter Marine, Inc., a subsidiary of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc., announced that it will build another fisheries survey vessel for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA exercised an option for about $30 million to build the fourth planned vessel under an existing contract. Construction will begin in 2006 with delivery planned during the second half of 2008 2006 - At 1700 Race Control at Woodvale Events contacted Falmouth Coastguard to say they were concerned for the safety of two rowers who were competing in the Atlantic rowing race between the Canary Islands and Antigua. The crew of the rowing boat No 23 Move ahead are Colin Briggs and Robin Prentice. A 121.5 distress signal was being transmitted from a beacon on the rowing boat and was being received by Delgada MRCC in the Azores. MRCC Delgada tasked an Orion aircraft from Lisbon to fly to the last known position, 700nm northwest of the Azores, and broadcast to any shipping in the area to assist. The aircraft upon arriving on scene, saw two men in a liferaft and dropped a further liferaft to them. The motor tanker Potomac diverted to the last known position of the beacon. Upon arriving they found the two men in the liferaft and were able to recover them on board. It has been confirmed that the two men are safe and well, and one of them has some slight injuries 2007 - At approximately 1530 an exercise will take place on board the French-flagged Brittany ferry Mont Saint Michel off Portsmouth. The exercise is designed to test and audit the Maritime Incident Response Group (MIRG) embarkation to a fire on board a sea going vessel by fire fighting services, and to test the various agencies involved. Colleagues from the French marine administration will also be on board the vessel to observe the activities ============================================================= 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.