Wednesday, August 6th, 2008

Time	Event
10:26p	This Day in Naval History - July 30 Wednesday, July 30, 2008 From the Navy News Service 1918 - Units of First Marine Aviation Force arrive at Brest, France. 1941 - Japanese aircraft bomb USS Tutuila (PR 4) at Chungking, China; First Navy ship damaged by Axis during World War II. 1942 - FDR signs act establishing Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES). During World War II, more than 80,000 officer and enlisted women served in the WAVES. 1944 - Naval Task Force lands Army troops near Cape Opmarai, New Guinea. 1945 - Japanese submarine, I-58, sinks USS Indianapolis (CA 35) in Philippine Sea; 316 out of 1,199 crew survived. The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis Shortly before the end of World War II, a heavy cruiser called the USS Indianapolis was sunk by a Japanese submarine. Thanks to miscommunication, the Navy did not send a rescue party for several days. In the meantime, most of those who had survived the attack were killed. Because of its timing and its tragedy, the attack on the USS Indianapolis was one of the most memorable events of the war. On January 30th, 1945, the USS Indianapolis, was on its way to the Philippines after delivering the parts for the first atomic bomb to the Island of Tinian. Shortly after midnight, the Japanese submarine I-58, saw the silhouette of the vessel against the moon and fired two torpedoes at it. Both were direct hits and the vessel sank in about 12 minutes. Of the 1197 sailors and marines aboard, only about 900 survived the explosions and the sinking. Some of those 900 men were fortunate enough to get into lifeboats, but most of them just bobbed up and down in the water in their lifejackets. Unfortunately, many of the men died before help arrived. Although the radio operators sent out distress signals in the minutes following the attack, these calls for help were either not received or ignored. A declassified report indicates that three SOS messages were received, but not acted upon because one office was drunk, one had given orders not to be disturbed, and the other thought it was a prank. Whatever the reason, it was over five days before help arrived. In the meantime, the sea claimed the lives of most of the 900 men. Those who did not drown or die of thirst or exposure were eaten by sharks. By the time Lt. Chuck Gwinn accidentally stumbled across the wreckage of the Indianapolis while on a patrol flight over the area. Because the Indianapolis had been on a top secret mission, few people knew that it was late for arrival in the Philippines. By the time the wreck was finally located on August 2nd, no one had yet reported it missing. The rescue operation began right away, but took until the 8th to comb the vicinity of the wreck for any more survivors. 321 of the original 1197 sailors were found. Of those, 317 survived. It was the worst single losses that the American Navy has ever experienced. It was all the more tragic given the fact that it was so close to the end of the war, too. (Comment on this)
10:33p	SeaWaves Today in History July 30, 2008 1578 - Martin Frobisher c1539-1594 finds his missing ships Judith and Michael behind Anne Warwick (Kodlunarn) Island 1583 - Humphrey Gilbert c1537-1583 reaches coast of Newfoundland; sails south to Funk Island which he names Penguin Island (Auks); rounds Baccalieu Island and Cape St. Francis 1618 - Samuel de Champlain c1570-1635 sets sail from Tadoussac for Honfleur, France 1729 - The city of Baltimore was founded 1839 - Slave rebels, take over slaver Amistad 1844 - Four sailors from ship Saladin, hanged for piracy at Halifax 1844 - First US yacht club organized, NY Yacht Club 1855 - Jean-François Gravelet the first person to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope 1870 - Staten Island ferry "Westfield" burns, killing 100 1880 - Inauguration of the Louise Basin in the port of Quebec 1887 - Victoria Bridge completed; first railway bridge over the St. Lawrence 1911 - Cruiser HMCS Niobe grounded off Cape Sable. To refit until late 1912 1912 - Japanese Emperor Meiji died and was succeeded by Yoshihito. During Meiji's reign Japan was transformed into one of the modern world's great powers 1914 - Grand Trunk Pacific dock burns in Seattle 1918 - Minesweeper HMS Harrow launched 1918 - Rescue tug HMS Resolve launched 1918 - Units of First Marine Aviation Force arrive at Brest, France 1918 - A U-boat torpedoed a merchant ship, Stock Force, in the English Channel, and then made the mistake of surfacing to finish her off with gunfire. Stock Force was in fact a Royal Navy Q Ship, with concealed armament, commanded by Lieutenant Auten. He let the U-boat close to only 300 yards, and then opened a devastating fire which sank the submarine. A torpedo boat arrived to rescue Auten and his men as Stock Force sank. Auten received the Victoria Cross ( Read more... ) Today in History Archives at: http://www.seawaves.com/newsletters/today_in_history_archive.htm (5 Comments | Comment on this)
10:41p	«От времен, когда украинская группа племен впервые овладела своею нынешнею территориею, и до 18 в., когда была окончательно сломлена сила кочевых орд и положен конец их движению в Европу (*Последнею ордою, двигавшеюся в 18 в. из Азии, были калмыки, но они уже не проникли в черноморские степи), на глазах истории несколько раз происходили массовые отливы и приливы украинского населения в указанном направлении. Сначала они происходят в связи с движением тюркских орд; так в 9 в. движение венгров, в 10 в. – напор печенегов, в конце 11 в. – натиск половцев, в 13 в. – поток монголо-татарских орд, в конце 15 – набеги новосформировавшейся Крымской орды вызывают такие отливы украинского населения, и затем, несколько десятилетий спустя, обыкновенно видим новое поступательное движение последнего, более или менее успешное. Пока не прекратилось движение кочевых орд с востока, такие движения украинской колонизации на юг и восток не приводили к прочным успехам. Только с конца 16 в. под влиянием разных причин, какими были массовые движения крестьян из западных и северных провинций, развитие казачества, ослабление, а затем и полное уничтожение Крымской орды, прекращение движения кочевников из Азии, - развивается успешная и все более и более прочная украинская колонизация в восточном и южном направлении, продолжающаяся затем в течение 17, 18 и даже 19 веков. … Но эта борьба дорого обошлась украинской народности и поглотила огромную массу ее энергии. … Таким образом, эти приливы и отливы поглотили огромную массу народного капитала; массы народа в течение столетий не могли подняться выше элементарных забот о поддержании своего существования, создания самых примитивных условий хозяйства». Источник: М.С.Грушевский (см. купюру 50 грн.). Очерки истории украинского народа. Киев. «Лыбидь», 1990, стр.11,12. «Первый президент» сознательно опускает главный вывод, который логически следует из вышесказанного: Единое русское государство положило конец страданиям «украинского» народа. Это государство – Российская Империя – уничтожило Крымскую орду, не пропустило в причерноморские степи калмыков и открыло малороссам пути расселения далее на юг и восток, защитило с запада. И в нашей новой истории (о которой не узнал М.С.Грушевский) единое государство – СССР – победило в Великой Отечественной Войне. http://www.zvezda.ru/comments_608.htm (Comment on this)

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