Naval/Maritime History 27th of August - Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History

3 August 1918 - hospital ship HMAT Warilda was torpedoed by the German submarine and sunk


HMAT Warilda (His Majesty's Australian Transport) was a 7713-ton vessel, built by William Beardmore and Company in Glasgow as the SS Warilda for the Adelaide Steamship Company. She was designed for the East-West Australian coastal service, but following the start of the First World War, she was converted into a troopship and later, in 1916, she was converted into a hospital ship.

Her identical sister ships, also built by William Beardmore and Company, were SS Wandilla (1912) and SS Willochra (1913).

HMAT_Warilda_-_World_War_I_-_front_view.jpg

On 3 August 1918, she was transporting wounded soldiers from Le Havre, France to Southampton when she was torpedoed by the German submarine UC-49. This was despite being marked clearly with the Red Cross; as with a number of other hospital ships torpedoed during the war, Germany claimed the ships were also carrying arms.

The ship sank in about two hours, and of the 801 persons on board, 123 died when the Warilda sank. The Deputy Chief Controller of the Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corp, Mrs Violet Long, lost her life in this action. Amongst the survivors was her commander, Captain Sim, who was later awarded the OBE by King George V. Her wreck lies in the English Channel


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMAT_Warilda
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SM_UC-49
 
3 August 1943 - auxiliary ship Olterra last excursion


The auxiliary ship Olterra was a 5,000 ton Italian tanker scuttled by her own crew at Algeciras in the Bay of Gibraltar on 10 June 1940, after the entry of Italy in World War II. She was recovered in 1942 by a special unit of the Decima Flottiglia MAS to be used as an undercover base for manned torpedoes in order to attack Allied shipping at Gibraltar.

Olterra_at_Algeciras.jpg
Italian auxiliary ship Olterra shortly before being scrapped in 1961 at Vado Ligure, Italy.

Construction and early career
Olterra started life as the tanker Osage. She was built in 1913 by Palmer's Ship Building and Iron Co Ltd, Tyneside, United Kingdom, for a German company. Osage was sold to the Standard Oil Co in New York in 1914 and renamed Baton Rouge. In 1925 she was again sold, this time to the European Shipping Co. Ltd of London and renamed Olterra. As Olterra she passed through the hands of the British Oil Shipping Co. Ltd and in 1930 was bought by Andrea Zanchi in Genoa. On 10 June 1940, when Italy entered World War II by declaring war on France and the United Kingdom, Olterra found herself in the Bay of Gibraltar off Algeciras, Spain. She was sabotaged and partially sunk by British commandos that day.

Previous operations
From 24 September 1940 to 15 September 1942, there were six submarine-borne assaults on Gibraltar. Three of them resulted in the destruction or sinking of a number of Allied freighters, with a total tonnage of some 40,000 tn. Three of them were carried out by human torpedoes launched from the submarine Scirè; the other two were the work of combat swimmers.

Villa Carmela
After the attacks carried out by Scirè, the commander of the Decima MAS realised that, given the limitations of using a submarine as a mother ship for human torpedoes in Gibraltar, it would be more feasible to mount a secret base in neutral Spain. A first step in that direction was taken when a member of the Decima, Antonio Ramognino, rented a bungalow along the coast road near Algeciras, right in front of a bay used by Allied convoys to drop anchors. The operations from Villa Carmela were carried out by combat swimmers. Because Ramognino's wife was a Spanish citizen, he had little difficulty establishing his ‘home’ there.

Five merchant ships were sunk or damaged from July to September 1942 by frogmen from Villa Carmela using limpet mines. Olterra played the role of advanced observation post for those missions.

Refitting

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Olterra’s hidden hatch

At the same time, another officer of the Italian special unit, Lieutenant Licio Visintini, himself a veteran of previous submarine incursions against the "Rock", learned about Olterra and conceived the idea of a secret mother ship for the maiali. Maiale (literally "pig") is the Italian nickname for the human torpedoes. Under the pretext of raising the ship to sell it to a Spanish owner, a team of members of the Decima, disguised as Italian civilian workers, took control of the tanker. The ship was towed to Algeciras, where "repairs" were started. The Italian Navy personnel were helped by two civilian members of the crew. They had remained on board the half sunken oiler along with a Spanish guard for more than two years, in order to protect the rights of the Italian company which owned Olterra. Once at docks, some of Olterra's cargo holds and a boiler room were modified by Visintini men into a workshop for the assembling and maintenance of human torpedoes. An improvised observation post was also mounted on the forecastle to watch the Bay of Gibraltar and the Allied ships at anchor there. A scene of civilian sailors working to overhaul the ship was meanwhile set up for the outsiders, in order to deceive both British and Spanish authorities. The torpedoes (in spare parts) and other equipment were smuggled into Spain by men of the Decima under the pretense of being materials for the ‘works’ on board Olterra. Finally, a sliding hatch was opened with a cutting torch six feet below the waterline. This would be the exit door of the manned torpedoes, which would launch their attacks from the flooding bilge, right beneath the workshop. The special unit in charge of the operations was dubbed Squadriglia Ursa Major, after the constellation of the same name.

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Last mission

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Image of Thorshøvdi broken in two at Gibraltar.

On 25 July, Mussolini was removed from power, a clear signal that Italy was on the brink of collapse. The course of the war and the political changes were no deterrent for the Decima MAS, which continued to plan and execute attacks on Allied shipping in all fronts. On 10 June, the unit was awarded the Medaglia d’oro as a tribute to their deeds. On the night of 3 August 1943, the Ursa Major carried out the last operation against the "Rock". Again, three craft left the Olterra in search of their targets: three transport ships at anchor in the bay. Notari led the "pigs" close to the Spanish coast to avoid the searchlights aimed at open sea. His second man was Petty Officer Andrea Gianoli, whose training on piloted torpedoes was poor. While the crew was clamping the explosive charge to the keel of a Liberty ship, their torpedo spun out of control. Notari opened the diving valves, and the "pig" suddenly crash dived to a depth of 34 metres (112 ft). Then, the craft surfaced just a few feet from their intended victim. Half conscious and with no trace of his companion, Notari tried to fix the mechanical problems developed by his torpedo, but the diving mechanism was disabled. At the end, he managed to sneak out at full speed, helped by a school of porpoises which covered his wake. Gianoli was left behind. After waiting two hours on the rudder of the ship, he shouted for help. Once Gianoli was taken on board, a motor launch carrying a member of Crabb’s diving unit was called to the scene. There was little doubt that the ship, the American Harrison Grey Otis had been mined. The warhead blew up just seconds before the British diver, Petty Officer Bell, could put his foot on the water. One sailor died and eight others were seriously injured. Like her sister ship Pat Harrison in May, the 7,700 tn Otis was declared a constructive total loss. Two other Allied ships were also rocked by explosions at the same time, about 4:00 am of 4 August. The Norwegian Thorshøvdi, of 9,900 tn was broken in two by the blast, while the British Stanridge (6,000 tons) sank in shallow water. The last mission of the Ursa Major destroyed 23,000 tn of Allied shipping.

Maiale_at_gosport.jpg



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_auxiliary_ship_Olterra
 
Other events on 3 August


1492 – Christopher Columbus sets sail from Palos de la Frontera, Spain.

1678 – Robert LaSalle builds the Le Griffon, the first known ship built on the Great Lakes.

Le Griffon's pattern closely followed the prevailing type used by explorers to cross the Atlantic Ocean to the New World. The exact size and construction of Le Griffon is not known. The widely referenced antique woodcutting of Le Griffon shows her with 2 masts but many researchers believe she was a 45-ton barque with a single mast with several square sails and 30 to 40 feet (9.1 to 12.2 m) long with a 10-to-15-foot (3.0 to 4.6 m) beam.

Hennepin's first account says she was a vessel of about 45 tons; his second says 60 tons. Because his second account has numerous exaggerations and cases where he credits himself for things that La Salle had done, Hennepin's first account is considered more reliable. In any case, Le Griffon was larger than any other vessel on the lakes at the time, and as far as contemporary reports can confirm, the first named vessel.

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"Building the Griffon" from Hennepin's Nouvelle Decouverte

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Griffon

1697 – Launch of French 22 gun frigate Aurore, captured in July 1697 by the british

1758 - The naval Battle of Negapatam. Indecisive battle between a British squadron under Vice-Admiral George Pocock and French squadron under Comte d'Aché.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Negapatam_(1758)

1791 - Cptn. William Bligh, HMS Providence, accompanied by HMS Assistant left Spithead on 2nd breadfruit voyage.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Providence_(1791)

1809 - HMS Lark Sloop (16), Cptn. Robert Nicholas, was upset in a gale and foundered off Cape Causada, San Domingo.

1812 - USS Essex (36) ,Cptn. David Porter, captured British brig Brothers

Frigate-essex-1799.jpg

1812 - HMS Emulous, William Howe Mulcaster, wrecked on Sable Island

1818 - The first russian Rurik expedition ended after three years without finding the North-West-Passage

SG773.jpg

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rurik-Expedition

1865 - CSS Shenandoah, commanded by James I. Waddell, encounters the British merchant bark, Barracouta, in the Pacific Ocean and receives the first firm report the Civil War ended in April with the defeat of the Confederacy. Shenandoah rounds Cape Horn in mid-September and arrives at Liverpool in early November, becoming the only Confederate Navy ship to circumnavigate the globe. There she hauls down the Confederate ensign and turns over to the Royal Navy.

CSSShenandoah.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSS_Shenandoah

1958 – The world's first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus, became the first vessel to complete a submerged transit of the geographical North Pole.

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Navigator's report: Nautilus, 90°N, 19:15U, 3 August 1958, zero to North Pole.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Nautilus_(SSN-571)
 
Due to limited time today only a summary post of the events on 4 th August

1704 – War of the Spanish Succession: Gibraltar is captured by an English and Dutch fleet, commanded by Admiral Sir George Rooke and allied with Archduke Charles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Spanish_Succession

1746 HMS Pembroke (66) captured Fertile.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Pembroke_(1733)

1783 Launch of French Mercure

The Mercure was a 74-gun Séduisant-class ship of the line of the French Navy.
She took part in the Battle of the Nile under Captain Cambon. She fought against HMS Majestic and was captured by HMS Alexander. Damaged beyond repair and aground, she was burnt.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ship_Mercure_(1783)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Séduisant-class_ship_of_the_line

1790 - The Revenue Cutter Service is established by Congress, authorizing the construction of 10 vessels to enforce federal tariff and trade laws and prevent smuggling. The service receives its present name, U.S. Coast Guard, in 1915 under an act of Congress that merges the Revenue Cutter Service with the Life-Saving Service, thereby providing the nation with a single maritime service dedicated to saving life at sea and enforcing the nation's maritime laws.

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USRC Massachusetts 1791 and US Revenue Cutter Eagle 1799-1801

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Revenue_Cutter_Service

1798 Boats of HMS Melpomene (38) and HMS Childers (16), J. O'Brian, captured Aventurier (16) from the port of Corigiou

1800 HMS Belliqueux (64), Cptn. Rowley Bulteel, captured La Concorde (44), Cptn. Landolphe, while escorting a convoy of outward bound East India ships.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Belliqueux_(1780)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_frigate_Concorde_(1793)

1804 Adam Duncan died

Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan (1 July 1731 – 4 August 1804) was a British admiral who defeated the Dutch fleet off Camperdown (north of Haarlem) on 11 October 1797. According to the British, this victory should be considered one of the most significant actions in naval history.

800px-Adam_Duncan,_1st_Viscount_Duncan_by_John_Hoppner.jpg Admiral_Adam_Duncan_by_Henri-Pierre_Danloux_1798.JPG

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Duncan,_1st_Viscount_Duncan

1808 HMS Delphinen (16), Richard Harward, wrecked on the South-West part of Vieland, Holland.

1811 Start of campaign to capture Java by the British.

1813 Battery at Ragosniza on the Isle of Lissa destroyed by the boats of HMS Milford (74), Cptn. J. D. Markland, and HMS Weazle (18), Cptn. John W. Andrew.

1845 - Cataraqui (also called Cataraque) was a British barque which sank off the south-west coast of King Island in Bass Strait on 4 August 1845. The sinking was Australia's worst ever maritime civil disaster incident, claiming the lives of 400 people. Only 1 passanger and 8 of crew survived.

Cataraqui_wreck.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cataraqui_(ship)

1846 Sailors and Marines from USS Congress (52), Commodore Robert F. Stockton, capture Santa Barbara, California.

USS_Congress_(1841).jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Congress_(1841)

1858 First trans-Atlantic cable completed by USS Niagara and British ship HMS Agamemnon

lossy-page1-1280px-The_Niagara,_Valorous,_Gordon_and_Agamemnon_laying_the_cable_at_mid-ocean_R...jpg HMSAgamemnon2.jpg H.M.S._“AGAMEMNON”_laying_cable.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Niagara_(1855)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Agamemnon_(1852)

1898 - During the Spanish-American War, USS Monterey (BM 6) becomes the first monitor to cross the Pacific, reaching Manila Bay, Philippines, from San Francisco, Calif.

Monitor_monterrey.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Monterey_(BM-6)

1906 - SS Sirio was an Italian merchant steamer that had a shipwreck off the Spanish coast on August 4, 1906, causing the deaths of at least 150 Italian and Spanish emigrants bound for Argentina. The shipwreck gained notoriety because the captain, Giuseppe Piccone, abandoned ship at the first opportunity. The wreck had a profound effect on communities in northern Italy and was remembered in popular songs of the era.

Benedito_Calixto_-_Naufrágio_do_Sírio,_1907.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Sirio

1964 – Gulf of Tonkin incident: U.S. destroyers USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy report coming under attack in the Gulf of Tonkin.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Tonkin_incident
 
5 August 1777 - Launch of HMS America was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 5 August 1777 at Deptford

She took part in the Battle of the Chesapeake on 5 September 1781, and in 1795 was part of the British fleet at the Battle of Muizenberg.

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Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan, sheer lines, and longitudinal half-breadth proposed for 'America' (1777), a 64-gun Third Rate, two-decker. Signed by John Williams [Surveyor of the Navy, 1765-1784].
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/81081.html#QBuBbPGbIIvJhoKE.99


America was under way off the Azores on 13 December 1800 when she ran against the Formigas Reef and suffered severe damage to her hull. With some difficulty she was refloated with the tide and returned to harbour. On 27 December America's captain and senior officers were court martialled aboard HMS Carnatic, which was anchored off Port Royal, Jamaica. All were acquitted when the court established that the grounding had been caused by errors in the ship's charts, upon which the Reef was marked as being substantially to the south of its actual location.

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Following the grounding, America was withdrawn from active service and redesignated as a prison ship. She was decommissioned and broken up in 1807

The Intrepid-class ships of the line were a class of fifteen 64-gun third rates, designed for the Royal Navy by Sir John Williams. His design, approved on 18 December 1765, was slightly smaller than Sir Thomas Slade's contemporary Worcester class design of the same year, against which it was evaluated competitively. Following the prototype, four more ships were ordered in 1767–69, and a further ten between 1771 and 1779.

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HMS Diadem from the same class at the capture of the cape Good Hope

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_America_(1777)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intrepid-class_ship_of_the_line
 
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5 August 1781 - The Battle of the Dogger Bank

was a naval battle that took place on 5 August 1781 during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War, contemporaneously related to the American Revolutionary War, in the North Sea. It was a bloody encounter between a British squadron under Vice Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, 5th Baronet and a Dutch squadron under Vice Admiral Johan Zoutman, both of which were escorting convoys.

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The Battle of the Dogger Bank, 5 August 1781

Background

In December 1780, Great Britain declared war on the Dutch Republic, drawing it militarily into the American War of Independence. The Dutch had for many years been supplying the Americans, and shipping French supplies to the Americans, in support of the American war effort. The opening of hostilities with the Dutch meant that Britain's trade with countries on the Baltic Sea (where key supplies of lumber for naval construction were purchased) was potentially at risk, and that the British had to increase protection of their shipping in the North Sea. In order to accomplish this, the British began blockading the Dutch coast to monitor and intercept any significant attempts to send shipping into or out of Dutch ports, and began to protect merchant shipping convoys with armed vessels.

The Dutch were politically in turmoil, and were consequently unable to mount any sort of effective actions against the British. The result of this inaction was the collapse of their economically important trade. It was finally decided that a merchant fleet had to be launched. On 1 August 1781, Admiral Johan Zoutman led a fleet of some 70 merchantmen from the Texel, protected by seven ships of the line as well as a number of frigates and smaller armed vessels.

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Depiction of the Dutch line August 5, 1781.

Admiral Hyde Parker was accompanying a convoy of ships from the Baltic when he spotted the sails of the Dutch fleet at 4am on the morning of 5 August. He immediately despatched his convoy toward the English coast, and ordered his line to give chase rather than prepare for battle.[8]:48 Zoutman, whose ships had been interspersed with the merchantmen, signalled his line to form in between Parker and the convoy.

The ships of Parker's fleet were not in the best of condition, since great demands were placed on the Royal Navy by the demands of the war, and all manner of ships were pressed into service, or did not receive necessary maintenance. Some ships were in such poor condition that the number of guns available to fire was reduced from its normal complement. The ships had had no time to practise the normal fleet manoeuvres. In spite of this, Berwick and Parker's flagship Fortitude, both 74 guns, were both relatively new and in good shape. The Dutch fleet had not seen any significant action due to the British blockade.

Battle

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Batavier

With a calm sea and a breeze from the northeast, Zoutman maneuvered his line onto a port tack, heading east-southeast, and awaited Parker, who held the weather gage. The British fleet closed, raggedly at first due to the poor condition of some of the ships into line of battle abreast in accordance with the signal raised at 6.10 am. Two ships were told to change places, which led to a mistake and placed the Dolphin (44) against one of the largest Dutch ships and the Bienfaisant without an opponent.

When Parker raised the battle flag shortly before 8 am, for close action the British fleet moved closer, surprisingly the Dutch ships did not fire a shot as the British approached until the two fleets were about half a musket shot apart. Zoutman then also raised his flag, and when both commanders raised red flags at the same time, to signal the commencement of firing, opened fire, raking the Fortitude with a broadside. Close action ensued, lasting for three hours and forty minutes.[8]:49 Around mid-morning the Dutch merchantmen moved away from the action and headed back to the Texel. At 11.35 am Parker gave the signal to reform his line as the ships had become unmanageable, which dropped to leeward and limped away from the Dutch.

Casualties on both sides were high, considering the number of ships involved. (Fewer casualties were suffered, for example, in the Battle of the Chesapeake, fought a month later between fleets more than twice as large.) The British claimed 104 killed and 339 wounded, while the Dutch claimed 142 killed and 403 wounded. There were private reports made that the Dutch casualties were actually much higher, possibly reaching 1,100. The Hollandia sank the same night. Her flag, which was kept flying, was taken away by the Belle Poule, and carried to Admiral Parker

Aftermath

Although the Dutch celebrated the battle as victory, their fleet did not leave harbour again during the war and their merchant trade remained crippled. At least one convoy did make it to the Baltic, but it flew under Swedish flags and was accompanied by a Swedish frigate.

Parker claimed victory but considered that he had not been properly equipped for his task, and on arrival at the Nore, met King George telling him "I wish Your Majesty better ships and younger officers. As for myself, I am now too old for the service".[8]:52 He then resigned his command.

The battle had no real impact on the general course of the war.

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Order of battle
The order of battle is provided by Clowes, p. 505.

British (Hyde Parker)
Ships in the line:
Berwick 74 (Captain John Ferguson)
Dolphin 44 (Captain William Blair)
Buffalo 60 (Captain William Truscott)
Fortitude 74 (Captain George Robertson, Parker's flag)
Princess Amelia 80 (Captain John Macartney )
Preston 50 (Captain Alexander Graeme)
Bienfaisant 64 (Captain Richard Brathwaite)
Other vessels:
Artois 40-gun fifth rate (Captain John MacBride)
Latona 38-gun fifth rate (Captain Hyde Parker)
Belle Poule 36-gun fifth rate (Captain Philip Patton)
Cleopatra 32-gun fifth rate (Captain George Murray)
Surprise 14-gun cutter (Lieutenant Peter Rivett)

Dutch (Zoutman)
Ships in the line:
Erfprins 54 (Braak)
Admiraal Generaal 74 (van Kinsbergen)
Argo 40 (Staring)
Batavier 54 (Bentinck)
Admiraal de Ruijter 68 (Staringh., Zoutman's flag)
Admiraal Piet Hein 54 (van Braam)
Hollandia 68 (Dedel) (later sunk)
Other vessels:
Bellona (frigate 36, Docker)
Dolfijn (or Dolphijn; frigate 24, Mulder)
Ajax (cutter 20, van Welderen)
Eensgezindheit (frigate 36, Boritius)
Zephijr (frigate 36, Wiertz)
Amphitrite (frigate 36, von Woensel)


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dogger_Bank_(1781)
 
Other events on 5 August


1620 - Speedwell and Mayflower departs from Southampton, England on its first attempt to reach North America.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayflower

1766 - HMS Pitt cutter foundered in the Atlantic.

1799 – Death of Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe, KG (8 March 1726 – 5 August 1799)

Admiral_of_the_Fleet_Howe_1726-99_1st_Earl_Howe_by_John_Singleton_Copley.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Howe,_1st_Earl_Howe

1813 - HMS Dominica (14), Lt. George Wilmot Barrete (Killed in Action), taken by the American privateer Decatur off Charleston

1816 – The British Admiralty dismisses Francis Ronalds's new invention of the first working electric telegraph as "wholly unnecessary", preferring to continue using the semaphore.

1280px-Ronalds'_electric_telegraph.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Ronalds

1824 – Greek War of Independence: Constantine Kanaris leads a Greek fleet to victory against Ottoman and Egyptian naval forces in the Battle of Samos.
Zografos-Makriyannis_03.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Samos_(1824)

1832 - Frigate USS Potomac (42), Cptn. John Downes, is first U.S. Navy ship to entertain royalty, King and Queen of Sandwich Islands, Honolulu

1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Baton Rouge: Along the Mississippi River near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Confederate troops attempt to take the city, but are driven back by fire from Union gunboats.

1024px-Bataille_de_la_baie_de_Mobile_par_Louis_Prang_(1824-1909).jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Baton_Rouge_(1862)

1864 - Rear Adm. David G. Farragut successfully navigates through a deadly torpedo field Confederates lay in order to block the channel into Mobile Bay. During the battle, Farragut gives his famous quote, Damn the Torpedoes, Full speed ahead!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mobile_Bay
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Farragut

1882 - The first US Navy steel warships (USS Atlanta, USS Boston, USS Chicago and USS Dolphin), are authorized by Congress, beginning the New Navy.

Subsequently known as the A, B, C, D ships, they are built at Chester, Pa. USS Dolphin is commissioned first in 1885, followed by USS Atlanta (1886), USS Boston (1887), and USS Chicago (1889).

1914 – World War I: The German minelayer SS Königin Luise lays a minefield about 40 miles (64 km) off the Thames Estuary (Lowestoft). She is intercepted and sunk by the British light-cruiser HMS Amphion.

Königin_Luise_ww1.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Königin_Luise_(1913)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Amphion_(1911)

1914 – World War I: The guns of Point Nepean fort at Port Phillip Heads in Victoria (Australia) fire across the bows of the Norddeutscher Lloyd steamer SS Pfalz which is attempting to leave the Port of Melbourne in ignorance of the declaration of war and she is detained; this is said to be the first Allied shot of the War.

USS_Rappahannock_(AF-6).jpg
Sister ship SS Pommern 1924 as USS Rappahannock

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Pfalz_(1913)

1921 - The Yangtze River Patrol Force is established as a command under the Asiatic Fleet. The force serves in the area until December 1941 when the force is disestablished with many of the ships captured, or scuttled, and the crews taken prisoner by the Japanese.

1944 - USS Barbel (SS 316) sinks Japanese merchant passenger-cargo ship, Miyako Maru, off Tokuno Jima while USS Cero (SS 225) attacks a Japanese convoy off Minanao and sinks oiler, Tsurumi, in Davao Gulf. Also on this date, PBY aircraft sinks small Japanese cargo vessel No.2, Eiko Maru, off Taoelahat.

1964 – Vietnam War: Operation Pierce Arrow: American aircraft from carriers USS Ticonderoga and USS Constellation bomb North Vietnam in retaliation for strikes against U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Operation Pierce Arrow was a U.S. bombing campaign at the beginning of the Vietnam War.

In response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident when the destroyers USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy of the United States Navy engaged North Vietnamese ships, sustaining light damage[1] as they gathered electronic intelligence while in the international waters of the Gulf of Tonkin, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered Operation "Pierce Arrow" which was conducted on 5 August 1964.


VA-146 A-4Cs from USS Constellation a week after Operation Pierce Arrow.

The operation consisted of 64 strike sorties of aircraft from the aircraft carriers USS Ticonderoga and USS Constellation against the torpedo boat bases of Hon Gai, Loc Chao, Quang Khe, and Phuc Loi, and the oil storage depot at Vinh. The U.S. lost two aircraft to anti-aircraft fire, with one pilot killed, Lieutenant Richard Sather. Another, Lt. (jg) Everett Alvarez Jr. an A-4 Skyhawk pilot, became the first U.S. Navy Prisoner of War in Vietnam

USS_Ticonderoga_(CVA-14)_refueling_from_USS_Ashtabula_(AO-51)_off_Vietnam_c1966.jpg 1024px-USS_Constellation_(CV-64)_off_Perth,_Australia,_on_29_April_2003.jpg

Pilots estimated that the Vinh raid destroyed 10 percent of North Vietnam's entire petroleum storage, together with the destruction of or damage to 29 P-4torpedo boats or gunboats.

This was the start of U.S. air operations over North Vietnam and Southeast Asia, attempting to destroy the infrastructure, war material, and military units needed by North Vietnam to prosecute the guerrilla war in the South. The air operations following Pierce Arrow would swell so that by war's end, the United States bombing campaign was the longest and heaviest in history. The 7,662,000 tons of bombs dropped in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War nearly quadrupled the 2,150,000 tons the U.S. had dropped during World War II

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Pierce_Arrow
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Ticonderoga_(CV-14)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Constellation_(CV-64)
 
Events on 6 August


1284 - Battle of Meloria

The Battle of Meloria was fought near the islet of Meloria in the Ligurian Sea on 5 and 6 August 1284 between the fleets of the Republics of Genoaand Pisa as part of the Genoese-Pisan War. The victory of Genoa and the destruction of the Pisan fleet marked the decline of the Republic of Pisa.

Litograph_of_the_Battle_of_Meloria_(1284)_by_Armanino.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Meloria_(1284)

1622 – Birth of Tjerk Hiddes de Vries, Dutch admiral (d. 1666)

Tjerk Hiddes de Vries (Sexbierum, 6 August 1622 - Flushing, 6 August 1666) was a naval hero and Dutch admiral from the seventeenth century. The French, who could not pronounce his name, called him Kiërkides. His name was also given as Tsjerk, Tierck or Tjerck.

During the Second Anglo-Dutch War Tjerk was appointed full captain on 27 March 1665. He commanded d' Elff Steden in the Battle of Lowestoft, managing with great personal courage to free his ship from an entanglement with several other burning Dutch vessels, set alight by an English fireship. This fight was a severe defeat for the Dutch and those who by their bravery set a contrast to the general incompetence shown during the battle, were hailed as heroes by the populace. Tjerk in a written report severely criticised his fallen supreme commander Van Obdam. The Frisian admiralty board, in need to replace the also killed Lieutenant-Admiral of the Frisian fleet, Auke Stellingwerf, and sensing the public mood, appointed Tjerk Lieutenant-Admiral of Frisia on 29 June 1665. He thus jumped two ranks, not an uncommon occurrence for the Dutch navy in that century.

Normally the Frisian fleet was rather small, but in view of the emergency the province made a strong war effort, building 28 new vessels, Tjerk supervising the formation of the strongest naval force Frisia would ever send out..........

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tjerk_Hiddes_de_Vries

1666 – Death of Tjerk Hiddes de Vries, Frisian naval hero and commander (b. 1622)

.....In the Four Days Battle of 1666, Tjerk, now calling himself De Vries ("The Frisian"), was second in command in the squadron of the Zealandic Lieutenant-Admiral Cornelis Evertsen the Elder. When the latter was killed on the first day, Tjerk became the squadron commander, still using as flagship his Groot Frisia. He specially fought well on the last, fourth, day, strongly contributing to the Dutch victory. Six weeks later during the St James's Day Battle he was killed, second in command of the van under Lieutenant-Admiral Johan Evertsen, when this squadron failed to reform a proper keel line after a calm and was mauled by the line of Admiral Rupert of the Rhine. Tjerk had an arm and a leg shot off, yet still in vain tried to rally his force. His crippled ship drifted away, only discovered by the Dutch rear under Cornelis Tromp the next day. The wounded Frisian admiral was speedily brought ashore in Flushing by a yacht but died from his wounds on his birthday, 6 August 1666.

After his death
Tjerk Hiddes is buried in the Grote Kerk of Harlingen; his grave memorial has been destroyed. Four days after his death his son Tjerk Hiddes the Younger was born, who shortly after his birth was promised a future captain's commission by the admiralty to honour the memory of his father. Tjerk junior would indeed become a naval captain. Hiddes de Vries was succeeded as Lieutenant-Admiral of Frisia on 16 March 1667 by Baron Hans Willem van Aylva.

Tjerk in the 18th and 19th century gained in fame as a Frisian folk hero. In 1932, a Dutch writer wrote a book about him: Tierck Hiddes, de Friesche zeeheld.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tjerk_Hiddes_de_Vries

1789 – Launch of Minerve class 40-gun frigate Melpomène of the French Navy,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minerve-class_frigate

1806 - HMS Dover (44) was lying alongside the dockyard wharf at Woolwich, being used as a temporary marine barracks, when she caught fire and was burnt to the water's edge.

1807 - HMS Hydra (38), Cptn. George Mundy, engaged a battery protecting Principe Eugenio (16), Della Carolina (10), and Carmen Del Rosario (4) in the harbour of Begu in Catalan. The battery and the 3 polacres were taken by the ships boats.

1808 – Launch of French Clorinde , a 40-gun Pallas-class frigate of the French Navy, designed by Sané. The British Royal Navy captured her in 1814 and renamed her HMS Aurora. After 19 years as a coal hulk she was broken up in 1851.

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Hand-coloured etching and aquatint showing HMS Eurotas in action with La Clorinde (1808). La Clorinde is shown on the left. She was captured the day after the action by the Dryad and Achates.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_frigate_Clorinde_(1808)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallas-class_frigate_(1808)

1811 - Four Danish gun-boats taken near Heligoland, but by the accidental explosion of some gunpowder, 30 English seamen and several prisoners were severely burnt or wounded.

1862 – American Civil War: The Confederate ironclad CSS Arkansas is scuttled on the Mississippi River after suffering catastrophic engine failure near Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSS_Arkansas

1863 – Launch of USS Mingoe (1863)

was a large double-ended, side wheel, ironclad steamer gunboat purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. With her heavy guns and a very fast speed of 11 kn (13 mph; 20 km/h) she was planned by the Union Navy for use as a bombardment gunboat, but also as an interceptor gunboat stationed off Confederate waterways to prevent their trading with foreign countries.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Mingoe_(1863)

1893 - Canal of Corinth opened

The Corinth Canal (Greek: Διώρυγα της Κορίνθου, translit. Dhioryga tis Korinthou) connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and separates the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland, arguably making the peninsula an island.The canalwas dug through the Isthmus at sea level and has no locks. It is 6.4 kilometres (4 mi) in length and only 21.4 metres (70 ft) wide at its base, making it impassable for most modern ships. Nowadays it has little economic importance and is mainly a tourist attraction.

1280px-Corinth_canal_inauguration_by_Volanakis.jpg

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanal_von_Korinth

1914 – World War I: First Battle of the Atlantic: Two days after the United Kingdom had declared war on Germany over the German invasion of Belgium, ten German U-boats leave their base in Heligoland to attack Royal Navy warships in the North Sea.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_U-boat_campaign_of_World_War_I

1917 - During World War I, the tank steamer S.S. Campana is captured and sunk by the German submarine U-61 in the Bay of Biscay. Four out of the five

1917 - Naval Armed Guard ships are captured, along with the ship's captain, and become the first American sailors to be taken prisoner since war is declared on Germany. Chief Gunner's Mate James Delaney receives the Navy Cross for commanding the Armed Guard on this occasion.

1932 - The Canal of Welland between Lakes Erie and Ontario opened.

The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Ontario, Canada, connecting Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. It forms a key section of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Traversing the Niagara Peninsula from Port Weller to Port Colborne, it enables ships to ascend and descend the Niagara Escarpment and bypass Niagara Falls.

The canal carries about 3,000 ships which carry about 40,000,000 tons of cargo a year. It was a major factor in the growth of the city of Toronto, Ontario.[citation needed] The original canal and its successors allowed goods from Great Lakes ports such as Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago, as well as heavily industrialized areas of the United States and Ontario, to be shipped to the port of Montreal or to Quebec City, where they were usually reloaded onto ocean-going vessels for international shipping.

Welland_canal_a030556.jpg

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellandkanal

1943: The Battle of Vella Gulf (ベラ湾夜戦 Berawan yasen) was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II fought on the night of 6–7 August 1943 in Vella Gulf between Vella Lavella Island and Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands of the Southwest Pacific.

This engagement was the first time that American destroyers were allowed to operate independently of the American cruiser force during the Pacific campaign. In the battle, six American destroyers engaged four Japanese destroyers attempting to reinforce Japanese troops on Kolombangara. The American warships closed the Japanese force undetected with the aid of radar and fired torpedoes, sinking three Japanese destroyers with no damage to American ships.

Sterrett1943.jpg
The U.S. destroyer Sterett.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vella_Gulf
 
7 August 1761 - Lord Anson in HMY Royal Charlotte yacht hoisted the Union flag

HMY Royal Caroline was a ship-rigged royal yacht. She was ordered in 1749 to replace HMY Carolina as Britain's principal royal yacht. She was built at Deptford Dockyard under the supervision of Master Shipwright John Hollond to a design by Surveyor of the Navy Joseph Allin. She was launched on 29 January 1750 and was broken up 70 years later, in 1820.

John_Cleveley_the_Elder_-_The_'Royal_Caroline'.jpg

Royal Caroline was first commissioned under Captain Sir Charles Molloy, who commanded her until 1753. Captain Sir Piercy Brett took over in 1754, and in August 1761 she became the flagship of Admiral of the FleetLord Anson, with Captain Peter Denis as his flag-captain. Anson had orders to convey Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz from Cuxhaven, Kiel to marry George III. Accompanying the yacht, renamed HMY Royal Charlotte in honour of the occasion, was a squadron of warships and four other royal yachts, HMY Mary, Katherine, Augusta and Fubbs. During the return voyage the squadron was three times blown over to the Norwegian coast by westerly gales and took ten days to reach Harwich, which it did on 6 September 1761.

Royal Charlotte was commissioned under Peter Denis in December 1763, and remained under his command until 1770. Denis was succeeded by Captain John Campbell that year, and Campbell remained in command until his promotion to rear-admiral in 1777. Royal Charlotte was recommissioned under Captain William Cornwallis in March 1783, and he was succeeded in turn by Captain Sir Hyde Parker in 1788. The yacht was briefly recommissioned in December 1792, but was paid off the following year.

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French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
She continued to be used for official occasions during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, with King George III making frequent trips in his yachts to welcome returning fleets and to conduct fleet reviews.[3]The King embarked on Royal Charlotte in 1797 to visit the fleet at the Nore after the Battle of Camperdown, in order to honour Admiral Adam Duncan. Contrary winds however prevented the ship from reaching the mouth of the Thames, and instead the King was blown back up river to Greenwich. Royal Charlotte recommissioned again in May 1801 under Captain Sir Harry Neale, though by February 1804 Captain George Greywas in command. Grey was succeeded later in 1804 by Captain George Henry Towry, and he in turn in 1805 by Captain Edward Foote. By this time Royal Charlotte had been succeeded as the principal royal yacht by the introduction of the slightly larger HMY Royal Sovereign in 1804. Captain Foote commanded the yacht until 1812, when Captain Thomas Eyles took over command, and in June 1814 Captain George Scott became her commander. Royal Charlotte continued in service until July 1820, when she was finally broken up.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMY_Royal_Caroline_(1750)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Anson,_1st_Baron_Anson
 
7 August 1778 - HMS Cerberus (1758 – 28 guns), HMS Juno (1757 - 32), HMS Kingfisher (1770 - 14) and HMS Lark (1762 - 32) abandoned and burnt at Rhode Island to avoid capture. HMS Orpheus (1773 - 32) followed one week later and was also burnt to avoid capture.

HMS Cerberus was a frigate of the Royal Navy built in 1758 and carrying 28 guns. HMS Lark, also a frigate, was built in 1762 and carried 32 guns. Cerberus had been stationed off Rhode Island as part of a blockade of its ports since April 1776, and was joined by Lark in February 1777. Upon the arrival of a large French fleet off Narragansett Bay in late July 1778, the two ships were among the twenty British vessels in the bay which were then tasked to defend British-occupied Newport. Stationed in the northern stretch of the East Passage (separating Aquidneck and Conanicut Islands), the two ships were ordered to Newport, with instructions to not surrender to the enemy. While en route to Newport on August 5, the two ships were sighted by French ships of the line. Rather than engage on a lopsided battle that would have ended in their surrender, the two captains decided to scuttle their ships. Captain Symonds ran Cerberus aground, put the crew ashore, and set fire to the ship, while Captain White did the same with Lark. Two other British frigates, Orpheus and Juno, suffered the same fate. When Lark's gunpowder magazine was reached by the flames, it exploded, sending debris flying for miles around.

The wrecks of all four ships lay essentially undisturbed until the 1970s, when an archaeological team located portions of Lark, Cerberus, and Orpheus. As of 2008, the full extent of the wreck sites has not been established, and only fragmentary evidence of the ships has been recovered.

The site of the wrecks of Cerberus and Lark was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

HMS Cerberus 1758
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HMS Juno 1757
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HMS Lark 1762
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wreck_Sites_of_HMS_Cerberus_and_HMS_Lark
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Cerberus_(1758)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Lark_(1762)
 
7 August 1788 – Launch of French ship Commerce de Marseille (1788)

The Commerce de Marseille was a 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of the Océan class. She was funded by a don des vaisseaux donation from chamber of commerce of Marseille.

1280px-Commerce_de_Marseille-IMG_5773.jpg

Built on state-of-the-art plans by Sané, she was dubbed the "finest ship of the century". Her construction was difficult because of a lack of wood, and soon after her completion, she was disarmed, in March 1791.

Commerce de Marseille came under British control during the Siege of Toulon. When the city fell to the French, she evacuated the harbour for Portsmouth. She was briefly used as a store-ship, but on a journey to the Caribbean, in 1795, she was badly damaged in a storm and had to limp back to Portsmouth. She remained there as a hulk until she was broken up in 1856.

Commerce-de-marseille-2.jpg


There is a wonderful monographie / drawing set available, published by the well known Gerard Delacroix, including 34 plates in scale 1:48
(Remark: I have the set and can fully recommend it)


First rate ships (also called three-deckers) from the late 18th Century have always been fascinating to the period ship enthusiasts. Manned with more than a thousand sailors, these ships were fitted with 112 to 132 guns on 4 or even 5 levels. As genuine floating fortresses, the three-deckers from this era will be some of the largest wooden ships ever built. This monograph contains all the documentation needed to build “Le Commerce de Marseille”. This ship was built in Toulon in 1788 from the draughts by master shipwright JN Sané. This naval architecture genius is, with Borda, the author of the plans for the typical frigate, 74, 80 and 118 gun vessels. These ships, built from these plans, will arm our navy in great numbers for several decades.The 34 large format plates (90 x 170 cm) included in this voluminous work contain all the drawings necessary to build an entirely framed model; should the modeler chooses to do so. The set of plans also offers the opportunity to slightly modify the dispositions of the ship in order to build a “supposed” version of L’Orient which sunk during the battle of Nile in 1798. As in previous works, the plates also show detailed drawings of all the fittings, masting and sails.

This set of plans is complemented by a 110 page booklet where the reader is given a short history of these vessels and their construction, a biography of JN Sané. As well and as usual, the reader will find detailed explanations and comments about each and every plate.


Excerpt from drawing set
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GE.jpg
http://gerard.delacroix.pagesperso-orange.fr/118/plaquette-e.htm


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ship_Commerce_de_Marseille_(1788)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Océan-class_ship_of_the_line
 
7 August 1798 - HMS Indefatigable (1784 - 64) Cptn. Sir Edward Pellew, captured Vaillante.

HMS Indefatigable was one of the Ardent class 64-gun third-rate ships-of-the-line designed by Sir Thomas Slade in 1761 for the Royal Navy. She was built as a ship-of-the-line, but most of her active service took place after her conversion to a 44-gun razee frigate. She had a long career under several distinguished commanders, serving throughout the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. She took some 27 prizes, alone or in company, and the Admiralty authorised the issue of four clasps to the Naval General Service Medal in 1847 to any surviving members of her crews from the respective actions. She was broken up in 1816.

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Indefatigable captured the French corvette Vaillante while cruising in the Bay of Biscay on 8 August, after a chase of 24 hours, which was under the command of Lieutenant de Vaisseau La Porte. The corvette fired a few shots before she struck. She was armed with twenty-two 9-pounder guns and had a crew of 175 men. She had left Rochefort on 1 August, and the Île de Ré on the 4th, where she had picked up 25 banished priests, 27 convicts, and a Madame Rovere and family, all of whom she was taking to Cayenne. She was only 18 months old, coppered, and a fast sailer. The British took her into service as Danae.


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The Ardent-class ships of the line were a class of seven 64-gun third rates, designed for the Royal Navy by Sir Thomas Slade.

Design
Slade based the design of the Ardent class on the captured French ship Fougueux.

Ships
Builder: Blades, Hull Ordered: 16 December 1761 Launched: 13 August 1764 Fate: Sold out of the service, 1784
Builder: Chatham Dockyard Ordered: 11 January 1763 Launched: 10 December 1768 Fate: Broken up, 1815
Builder: Adams, Bucklers Hard Ordered: 8 April 1777 Launched: 10 April 1781 Fate: Wrecked, 1809
Builder: Perry, Blackwall Yard Ordered: 19 February 1778 Launched: 5 June 1780 Fate: Broken up, 1816
Builder: Raymond, Northam Ordered: 10 December 1778 Launched: 27 December 1784 Fate: Broken up, 1814
Builder: Adams, Bucklers Hard Ordered: 3 August 1780 Launched: July 1784 Fate: Broken up, 1816
Builder: Hilhouse, Bristol Ordered: 14 November 1782 Launched: 28 September 1785 Fate: Wrecked, 1799


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Indefatigable_(1784)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Danae_(1798)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardent-class_ship_of_the_line
 
Other Events on 7 August


1427 The Visconti of Milan's fleet is destroyed by the Venetians on the Po River.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filippo_Maria_Visconti

1679The brigantine Le Griffon, commissioned by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, is towed to the south-eastern end of the Niagara River, to become the first ship to sail the upper Great Lakes of North America.

Building-le-griffon.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Griffon

1714The Battle of Gangut: The first important victory of the Russian Navy.

Bogolyubov_SrazhPriGangCVMM.jpg

The Battle of Gangut (Russian: Гангутское сражение, Finnish: Riilahden taistelu, Finland Swedish: Slaget vid Rilax, Swedish: Sjöslaget vid Hangöudd) took place on 27 JulyJul./ 7 August 1714Greg. during the Great Northern War (1700–21), in the waters of Riilahti Bay, north of the Hanko Peninsula, near the site of the modern-day city of Hanko, Finland, between the Swedish Navy and Imperial Russian Navy. It was the first important victory of the Russian fleet in its history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gangut

1720 - Battle of Grengam

1280px-Ferdinand_Victor_Perrot_-_The_Battle_of_Grengam_on_27th_July_1720.jpg

The Battle of Grengam (Russian: Гренгамское морское сражение, Swedish: Slaget vid Ledsund, or Slaget vid Föglöfjärden.[8]), Finnish: Flisön taistelu of 1720 was the last major naval battle in the Great Northern War that took place in the Åland Islands, in the Ledsund strait between the island communities of Föglö and Lemland. The battle marked the end of Russian and Swedish offensive naval operations in Baltic waters. The Russian fleet conducted one more raid on the Swedish coast in spring 1721, whereupon the Treaty of Nystad was signed, ending the war.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Grengam

1779 – Birth of Louis de Freycinet, French navigator and explorer (d. 1842)

Louis Claude de Saulces de Freycinet (7 August 1779 – 18 August 1841) was a French navigator. He circumnavigated the earth, and in 1811 published the first map to show a full outline of the coastline of Australia.

Baptism_1819_by_Jacques_Arago.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_de_Freycinet

1781 - HMS Medea (1778 - 28), H Duncun, together with HMS Amphridite (1778 - 24) and HMS Virginia (1781 - 20) took American Belisarius (1781 - 24)

HMS Medea was a 28-gun Enterprise-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. Medea was first commissioned in May 1778 under the command of Captain William Cornwallis. She was sold for breaking up in 1805.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Medea_(1778)

1782 - The Badge of Military Merit, now known as the Purple Heart, is established by Gen. George Washington.

MeritBadge.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badge_of_Military_Merit

1795 – Launch of French corvette Vésuve (1795)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_corvette_Vésuve_(1795)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etna-class_corvette

1795 - Battle of Muizenberg during the Invasion of the dutch Cape Colony

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Muizenberg

1805 - HMS Blenheim (1761 – 90 guns Sandwich-class), Capt. Austen Bissell, Flagship of Vice Ad. Sir Thomas Troubridge engaged Ship of the Line Marengo, ex Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1795 – 74 guns Temeraire class, later HMS Marengo) - and frigate Belle Poule (1802 – 40 guns Virginie class) .

On 7 August 1805, Blenheim was escorting a fleet of East Indiamen consisting of Castle Eden, Cumberland, Devonshire, Dorsetshire, Exeter, Hope, and Preston. They were at 19°3′S 17°15′E when they encountered the French ship of the line Marengo and frigate Belle Poule. There was a brief exchange of fire before both sides sailed on. Troubridge reprimanded the captains of Cumberland and Preston for having acted too boldly in exchanging fire with the French.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Blenheim_(1761)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Belle_Poule_(1806)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ship_Jean-Jacques_Rousseau_(1795)

There is a wonderful monographie in scale 1:48 of the Belle Poule with drawings of Jean Boudriot published by ancre available

la-belle-poule-fregate-1765.jpg

https://ancre.fr/fr/monographies/17-la-belle-poule-fregate-1765.html

1810 Launch of Somersetshire (1810 ship), convict ship

Somersetshire, was launched in 1810 on the River Thames. She made two voyages to Australia transporting convicts. On the second voyage some convicts and guards planned a mutiny that was foiled. Somersetshire is last listed in 1844.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somersetshire_(1810_ship)

1815 - Napoleon Buonaparte and his suite boarded HMS Northumberland (74), Cptn. Charles B. Ross, for his voyage to exile on St. Helena.

She received a measure of fame when she transported Napoleon I into captivity on the Island of Saint Helena. Napoleon had surrendered to Captain Frederick Maitland of HMS Bellerophon, on 15 July 1815 and was then transported to Plymouth.[8] Napoleon was transferred in Tor Bay, Devon from Bellerophon to Northumberland for his final voyage to St. Helena because concerns were expressed about the suitability of the ageing ship. HMS Northumberland was therefore selected instead

Napoleon_on_HMS_Northumberland-Denzil_Ibbetson-IMG_0530.JPG

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Northumberland_(1798)

1858 – Launch of Ville de Nantes was a late 90-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class.

Ville de Nantes conducted trials in 1860 until, in December, she was used as a transport to ferry troops to Brest. Her engine having broke down, she conducted repairs until July 1861, after which she conducted trials until 1862.[1]
After the Paris Commune, Ville de Nantes was used as a prison hulk in Cherbourg. She was eventually broken up in 1887


Ville-de-Nantes_Vaisseau_France_90_canons_1858.jpg
Launching of the 90-gun ship of the line Ville de Nantes before Napoléon III.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ship_Ville_de_Nantes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoléon-class_ship_of_the_line

1884 - German SMS Leipzig and SMS Elisabeth were taken proclamation of the German seizure of southwest Africa in bay of Angra Pequeña

800px-Kreuzerfregatte_Leipzig_01.jpg

On resuming her voyage home, Leipzig was ordered to join the German occupation of Cameroon and Togo in southwest Africa. On 6 August 1884, she arrived off Lüderitz Bay in support of the proclamation of the German seizure of southwest Africa. On 30 August 1884 she was sent to anchor off Fernando Po to support the German Imperial Commissioner Gustav Nachtigal. He commanded her to hoist the German flag to secure German domination in various coastal towns in Cameroon - she did so on 5 September 1884 at Porto Seguro and Little Popo, as well as later in Togo. On 9 October 1884 the ship arrived back in Wilhelmshaven.

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsch-Südwestafrika
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lüderitz_Bay

1942 – World War II: The Battle of Guadalcanal begins as the United States Marines initiate the first American offensive of the war with landings on Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the Solomon Islands.

Guadalcanal_Aug_7_landings.svg.png

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadalcanal_Campaign

1947 – Thor Heyerdahl's balsa wood raft the Kon-Tiki, smashes into the reef at Raroia in the Tuamotu Islands after a 101-day, 7,000 kilometres (4,300 mi) journey across the Pacific Ocean in an attempt to prove that pre-historic peoples could have traveled from South America.

Kon-Tiki_by_Gustavo_Gerdel.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kon-Tiki_expedition
 

Attachments

8 August 1745 - John Byng promoted to Rear-Admiral of the Blue - The start of his ending career

Byng is best known for "failing" to relieve a besieged British garrison during the Battle of Minorca at the beginning of the Seven Years' War. Byng had sailed for Minorca at the head of a hastily assembled fleet of vessels, some of which were in poor condition. He fought an inconclusive engagement with a French fleet off the Minorca coast, and then elected to return to Gibraltar to repair his ships. Upon return to Britain, Byng was court-martialled and found guilty of failing to "do his utmost" to prevent Minorca falling to the French. He was sentenced to death and, after pleas for clemency were denied, was shot dead by a firing squad on 14 March 1757.

John_Byng.jpg

Remark Uwe: It seems to be, that George Byng was a typical "son", but make your own opinion!

His Father was very experienced and successful
John Byng was born at Southill Park in the parish of Southhill in Bedfordshire, England, the fifth son of Rear-Admiral George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington (later Admiral of the Fleet). His father George Byng had supported King William III in his successful bid to be crowned King of England in 1689 and had seen his own stature and fortune grow. He was a highly skilled naval commander, had won distinction in a series of battles, and was held in esteem by the monarchs whom he served. In 1721, he was rewarded by King George I with a viscountcy, being created Viscount Torrington.
Commands held
HMS Constant Warwick, HMS Hope, HMS Duchess, HMS Royal Oak, HMS Britannia, HMS Nassau
Battles/wars
Glorious Revolution,
Nine Years' War: Battle of Beachy Head,
War of the Spanish Succession: Battle of Vigo Bay, Battle of Málaga, Battle of Toulon,
War of the Quadruple Alliance: Battle of Cape Passaro

Career of the son
He entered the Royal Navy in March 1718, aged 13, when his father was a well-established admiral at the peak of a uniformly successful career. Early in his career John Byng was assigned to a series of Mediterranean postings. In 1723, aged 19, he was promoted lieutenant, and at 23, rose to become captain of HMS Gibraltar, a 20-gun sixth rate built in 1711. It was his only command of a ship. His Mediterranean service continued until 1739 and was without much action.
In 1742 he was appointed Commodore-Governor of the British colony of Newfoundland. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1745, and appointed Commander-in-Chief, Leith a post he held till 1746. He was promoted to vice-admiral in 1747. He served as a Member of Parliament for Rochester from 1751 until his death.

Battle of Minorca
The island of Minorca had been a British possession since 1708, when it was captured during the War of the Spanish Succession. On the approach of the Seven Years' War, it was threatened by a French naval attack from Toulon, and was invaded in 1756.

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The departure of the French squadron on 10 April 1756 for the attack against Port Mahon. (Nicolas Ozanne, (1728 - 1811)

Byng was serving in the Channel at the time and was ordered to the Mediterranean to relieve the British garrison of Fort St Philip, at Port Mahon. Despite his protests, he was not given enough money or time to prepare the expedition properly. His fleet was delayed in Portsmouth for five days while additional crew were found. By 6 April, the ships had sufficient crew to put to sea, arriving at Gibraltar on 2 May. Byng's Royal Marines were landed to make room for the soldiers who were to reinforce the garrison, and he feared that, if he met a French squadron, he would be dangerously undermanned. His correspondence shows that he left prepared for failure, that he did not believe that the garrison could hold out against the French force, and that he was already resolved to come back from Minorca if he found that the task presented any great difficulty. He wrote home to that effect to the Admiralty from Gibraltar, whose governor refused to provide soldiers to increase the relief force. Byng sailed on 8 May 1756. Before he arrived, the French landed 15,000 troops on the western shore of Minorca, spreading out to occupy the island. On 19 May, Byng was off the east coast of Minorca and endeavoured to open communications with the fort. The French squadron appeared before he could land any soldiers.

The Battle of Minorca was fought on the following day.
Byng had gained the weather gage and bore down on the French fleet at an angle, so that his leading ships went into action while the rest were still out of effective firing range, including Byng's flagship. The French badly damaged the leading ships and slipped away. Byng's flag captain pointed out to him that, by standing out of his line, he could bring the centre of the enemy to closer action, but he declined because Thomas Mathews had been dismissed for so doing. Neither side lost a ship in the engagement, and casualties were roughly even, with 43 British sailors killed and 168 wounded, against French losses of 38 killed and 175 wounded.

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Early copper plate engraving 'First position of the English and French Fleets at two in the afternoon the 20th May 1756. This is the Battle of Minorca during the Seven Years War.

Byng remained near Minorca for four days without establishing communication with the fort or sighting the French. On 24 May, he called a council of his captains at which he suggested that Minorca was effectively lost and that the best course would be to return to Gibraltar to repair the fleet. The council concurred, and the fleet set sail for Gibraltar, arriving on 19 June, where they were reinforced with four more ships of the line and a 50-gun frigate. Repairs were effected to the damaged vessels and additional water and provisions were loaded aboard.

Before his fleet could return to sea, another ship arrived from England with further instructions, relieving Byng of his command and ordering him to return home. On arrival in England he was placed in custody. Byng had been promoted to full admiral on 1 June, following the action off Minorca but before the Admiralty received Byng's dispatch giving news of the battle. The garrison resisted the Siege of Fort St Philip until 29 June, when it was forced to capitulate. Under negotiated terms, the garrison was allowed passage back to England, and the fort and island came under French control.

Court-martial
Byng's perceived failure to relieve the garrison at Minorca caused public outrage among fellow officers and the country at large. Byng was brought home to be tried by court-martial for breach of the Articles of War, which had recently been revised to mandate capital punishment for officers who did not do their utmost against the enemy, either in battle or pursuit. The revision followed an event in 1745 during the War of the Austrian Succession, when a young lieutenant named Baker Phillips was court-martialled and shot after his ship was captured by the French. His captain had done nothing to prepare the vessel for action and was killed almost immediately by a broadside. Taking command, the inexperienced junior officer was forced to surrender the ship when she could no longer be defended. The negligent behaviour of Phillips's captain was noted by the subsequent court martial and a recommendation for mercy was entered, but Phillips' sentence was approved by the Lords Justices of Appeal. This sentence angered some of parliament, who felt that an officer of higher rank would likely have been spared or else given a light punishment, and that Phillips had been executed because he was a powerless junior officer and thus a useful scapegoat. The Articles of War were amended to become one law for all: the death penalty for any officer of any rank who did not do his utmost against the enemy in battle or pursuit.

Admiral_bold.jpg
We have lately been told
Of two admirals bold,
Who engag'd in a terrible Fight:
They met after Noon,
Which I think was too soon,

As they both ran away before Night.

Byng's court martial was convened on 28 December 1756 aboard the elderly 96-gun vessel HMS St George, which was anchored in Portsmouth Harbour. The presiding officer was Admiral Thomas Smith, supported by rear admirals Francis Holburne, Harry Norris and Thomas Broderick, and a panel of nine captains. The verdict was delivered four weeks later, on 27 January 1757; in the form of a series of resolutions describing the course of Byng's expedition to Minorca and an interpretation of his actions. The court acquitted Byng of personal cowardice. However its principal findings were that Byng had failed to keep his fleet together while engaging the French; that his flagship had opened fire at too great a distance to have any effect; and that he should have proceeded to the immediate relief of Minorca rather than returning to Gibraltar. As a consequence of these actions, the court held that Byng had "not done his utmost" to engage or destroy the enemy, thereby breaching the 12th Article of War.

Once the court determined that Byng had "failed to do his utmost", it had no discretion over punishment under the Articles of War. In accordance with those Articles the court condemned Byng to death, but unanimously recommended that the Lords of the Admiralty ask King George II to exercise his royal prerogative of mercy.

Clemency denied and execution
First Lord of the Admiralty Richard Grenville-Temple was granted an audience with the King to request clemency, but this was refused in an angry exchange. Four members of the board of the court martial petitioned Parliament, seeking to be relieved from their oath of secrecy to speak on Byng's behalf. The Commons passed a measure allowing this, but the Lords rejected the proposal.

Prime Minister William Pitt the Elder was aware that the Admiralty was at least partly to blame for the loss at Minorca due to the poor manning and repair of the fleet. The Duke of Newcastle, the politician responsible, had by now joined the Prime Minister in an uneasy political coalition and this made it difficult for Pitt to contest the court martial verdict as strongly as he would have liked. He did, however, petition the King to commute the death sentence. The appeal was refused; Pitt and King George II were political opponents, with Pitt having pressed for George to relinquish his hereditary position of Elector of Hanover as being a conflict of interest with the government's policies in Europe.

The severity of the penalty, combined with suspicion that the Admiralty had sought to protect themselves from public anger over the defeat by throwing all the blame on the admiral, led to a reaction in favour of Byng in both the Navy and the country, which had previously demanded retribution. Pitt, then Leader of the House of Commons, told the King: "the House of Commons, Sir, is inclined to mercy", to which George responded: "You have taught me to look for the sense of my people elsewhere than in the House of Commons."

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The Shooting of Admiral Byng, artist unknown

The King did not exercise his prerogative to grant clemency. Following the court martial and pronouncement of sentence, Admiral Byng had been detained aboard HMS Monarch in the Solent and, on 14 March 1757, he was taken to the quarterdeck for execution in the presence of all hands and men from other ships of the fleet in boats surrounding Monarch. The admiral knelt on a cushion and signified his readiness by dropping his handkerchief, whereupon a squad of Royal Marines shot him dead

Legacy
Byng's execution was satirised by Voltaire in his novel Candide. In Portsmouth, Candide witnesses the execution of an officer by firing squad and is told that "in this country, it is good to kill an admiral from time to time, in order to encourage the others" (Dans ce pays-ci, il est bon de tuer de temps en temps un amiral pour encourager les autres).

Byng was the last of his rank to be executed in this fashion and, 22 years after the event, the Articles of War were amended to allow "such other punishment as the nature and degree of the offence shall be found to deserve" as an alternative to capital punishment.

In 2007, some of Byng's descendants petitioned the government for a posthumous pardon. The Ministry of Defence refused. Members of his family continue to seek a pardon, along with a group at Southill in Bedfordshire where the Byng family lived.

Byng's execution has been called "the worst legalistic crime in the nation's annals". But naval historian N. A. M. Rodger believes it may have influenced the behaviour of later naval officers by helping inculcate:

"a culture of aggressive determination which set British officers apart from their foreign contemporaries, and which in time gave them a steadily mounting psychological ascendancy. More and more in the course of the century, and for long afterwards, British officers encountered opponents who expected to be attacked, and more than half expected to be beaten, so that [the latter] went into action with an invisible disadvantage which no amount of personal courage or numerical strength could entirely make up for."


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Byng
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Byng,_1st_Viscount_Torrington
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Minorca_(1756)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Monarch_(1747)
 
8 August 1796 - HMS Mermaid (1784 – 32 gun Active class Frigate) engaged Vengeance and batteries.

HMS Mermaid was a 32-gun Active-class fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy, launched in 1784. During the French Revolutionary Wars she served in the West Indies, the Channel, and the Mediterranean. During the Napoleonic Wars she first served in the Americas, but from early 1811 on, she was armed en flute and served as a troopship until she was broken up in 1815.

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She came under the command of Captain Henry Warre in June 1794, and then sailed to the Leeward Islands on 5 May 1794. Then Mermaid captured the 10-gun Brutus off Grenada on 10 October 1795. However, the brig's crew of 50 men, together with some 120 troops, were able to get ashore before Mermaid could capture them. Brutus had been in the company of a ship, which temporarily escaped. Still, on 14 October Mermaid was able to find and capture the ship after a fight that cost Mermaid one man killed and three men wounded. The French ship was the Républicaine, and she was armed with eighteen guns and had some 250–260 men aboard at the start of the action, one of whom was a French general on his way to take command of Grenada. In the action, the French lost 20 men killed and some wounded. Zebra shared by agreement. The Royal Navy took Republicaine into service as HMS Republican.

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Brutus captured by the Mermaid

On 30 October 1795 Robert Waller Otway received promotion to post-captain; he took command of Mermaid the next month at Grenada. In February 1796 Mermaid briefly came under the command of Captain Charles Davers, but by April Otway had returned.

At the time Grenada and several of the other islands were in a state of insurrection, with the slaves joining the French inhabitants under the leadership of Victor Hugues in opposition to the British. HMS Mermaid was off Labaye, in company with HMS Favorite, when a British blockhouse came under attack from a battery that the rebels had erected. Otway led a landing party of seamen and marines that stormed the battery and destroyed it. Soon thereafter, a large contingent of British troops landed near Labaye. At the same time two French vessels, under British colours, arrived with French troops from Saint Lucia. The British general wished to withdraw, but Otway declined to permit him to do so. Instead, Otway rode up a hill on which there were some field guns that he ordered to fire on the French vessels. The battery commander did so, with the result that the French vessels withdrew, having failed to land their troops. Favorite pursued the French vessels but could not keep up after losing her topmast. The British troops then attacked and captured Pilot Hill.

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Scale: 1:48. A contemporary full hull model of the 'Mermaid' (1784), a 32-gun frigate, built in 'bread and butter' fashion, planked and finished in the Georgian style. Model is partially decked and equipped, and is mounted on its launching cradle in a slipway, depicting the vessel prior to launch. On deck there is a full set of launching flags including from the bow, the Union Jack, Admiralty flag with foul anchor motif, Royal Standard and furthest aft, the Union flag. As part of the base unit there is a drawer at one end, which hides a separate section of slipway. Once pulled out, it doubles the length of the slip. A small catch can then be depressed which releases the model down slipway. The stern decoration is typical for this period where the style of carving is crisp and finished with clear varnish, even down to the name plaque mounted on the counter. The 'Mermaid’ was present at the capture of Toulon in 1793 and, later, in 1798 whilst in the West Indies, it is credited with the capture of three French warships. In 1797 it captured a Spanish packet off Corunna, before finally being broken up in 1815.
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/66279.html#OBGttzL6DzmiCYX1.99



Then on 8 August, Rear-Admiral Pole, in HMS Carnatic (1783 - 74 guns), was lying at The Saintes with several British vessels, including Mermaid, when a strange vessel was sighted. Pole dispatched Mermaid to investigate. The vessel turned out to be the 40-gun French frigate Vengeance. An engagement ensued in which Mermaid managed to inflict heavy casualties although Vengeance outgunned her. When the 40-gun British frigate Beaulieu came up Vengeance retired, taking refuge under the batteries in the roads of Basse-Terre. Mermaid suffered no casualties, but later reports were that the French had lost 12 men killed and 26 wounded.

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HMS Seine captures Vengeance on 20 August 1800, depicted in a print by Thomas Whitcombe

On 20 August 1800 the frigate HMS Seine (1798 - 38 guns), under the command of Captain David Milne, attacked her in the Mona Passage. Both ships sustained heavy casualties; 13 crew were killed aboard Seine, 29 were wounded, and the ship was cut up. Vengeance, still under the command of Pitot, sustained worse damage and surrendered after about an hour and a half of hard fighting. One source estimates that Vengeance suffered some 35 men killed and some 70 wounded before she struck.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Mermaid_(1784)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Vengeance_(1800)
 
8 August 1806 - Launch of French 110 gun ship Commerce de Paris


The Commerce de Paris was a 110-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class.

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The Commerce de Paris under construction in Toulon in 1806

She was offered to the French Republic by a subscription of merchants from Paris on 27 May 1803 and started as Ville de Paris. She was renamed Commerce de Paris on 21 November 1804.

In 1808, she served as flagship of the Mediterranean squadron under Vice-Amiral Ganteaume and Contre-Amiral Cosmao, with Captain Violette as her flag officer. In 1809, Ganteaume transferred on Majestueux. In June 1809, command of Commerce de Paris was transferred to Captain Brouard.

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Commerce de Paris in tow of Magnanime, by Ange-Joseph Antoine Roux, 1809.

On 29 August 1814, after the Hundred Days, she was transferred from Toulon to Brest, along with Austerlitz and Wagram, where she was decommissioned.

From 1822 to 1825, she was razeed by one battery. In 1830, she was renamed Commerce, then Borda in 1839. She was used as a school ship from 1840, replacing Orion. Renamed Vulcain in 1863, she was eventually scrapped in 1885.

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The Commerce de Paris class were a series of ships of the line of the French Navy, designed in 1804 by Jacques-Noël Sané as a shortened version of his 118-gun Océan-class three-deckers, achieved by removing a pair of guns from each deck so that they became 110-gun ships. Two ships were built to this design in France. Four more were begun at Antwerp in 1810–1811, but these were never completed and were broken upon the ways; three more were ordered in Holland, but these were never laid down.

Ships of the Class
Builder: Toulon shipyard
Ordered: 14 May 1804
Laid down: October 1804
Launched: 8 August 1806
Completed: May 1807
Fate: razeed in 1825. Renamed Commerce on 11 August 1830, then Borda on 18 December 1839 and Vulcain on 18 August 1863; broken up in 1885.
She was laid down on 6 March 1805 as Victorieux ("Victor"). During her construction, she was renamed Iéna in January 1807, and Duc d'Angoulême in July 1814 with the Bourbon Restoration. She was launched on 30 August 1814. The next year, during the Hundred Days, she briefly took back the name of Iéna in March, and was renamed Duc d'Angoulême again in July. On 9 August 1830, following the July Revolution, she again took the name of Iéna.
In 1854, she took part in the Crimean War, and was converted to a troopship the next year.
She was struck on 31 December 1864, and served as a hulk in Toulon until 1915

Builder: Rochefort shipyard
Ordered: 8 May 1804
Laid down: April 1805
Launched: 30 August 1814
Completed: January 1815
Fate: Renamed Iéna on 22 March 1815, reverting to Duc d'Angueleme on 15 July 1815; became Iéna again on 9 August 1830; broken up in 1886 (or 1915).
  • Monarque (never finished; renamed Wagram on 15 December 1810)
Builder: Antwerp shipyard
Ordered: early 1810 (named 23 July 1810)
Laid down: April 1810
Fate: Sold and broken up on the ways in 1814
  • Hymen (never finished)
Builder: Antwerp shipyard
Ordered: early 1810 (named 23 July 1810)
Laid down: May 1810
Fate: Sold and broken up on the ways in 1814
  • Neptune (Never finished)
Builder: Antwerp shipyard
Ordered: 15 March 1811 (named 26 August 1811)
Laid down: May 1811
Fate: Sold and broken up on the ways in 1814
  • Terrible (Never finished)
Builder: Antwerp shipyard
Ordered: 15 March 1811 (named 26 August 1811)
Laid down: June 1811
Fate: Sold and broken up on the ways in 1814

In October 1811 Napoleon asked for three 110-gun ships to be begun at Amsterdam, but only one was ordered; two more ships to be same design were ordered in 1812 to be built at Amsterdam and at Rotterdam, but none of the three was named or laid down, although prefabrication of the frame for the first had been begun during 1813.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ship_Commerce_de_Paris
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commerce_de_Paris-class_ship_of_the_line
http://www.netmarine.net/bat/hydro/borda/ancien.htm
 
8 August 1808 - Boats of HMS Porcupine (1807 - 22 guns), Cptn. Hon. Henry Duncan, cut out Conception.


HMS Porcupine was a Royal Navy Banterer-class post ship of 24 guns, launched in 1807. She served extensively and relatively independently in the Adriatic and the Western Mediterranean during the Napoleonic Wars, with her boats performing many cutting out expeditions, one of which earned for her crew the Naval General Service Medal. She was sold for breaking up in 1816 but instead became the mercantile Windsor Castle. She was finally sold for breaking up in 1826 at Mauritius.

After dark on 8 August, Porcupine, still under the command of Duncan, had her cutter and jolly boat under Lieutenant Francis Smith cut out a vessel she had run ashore on the island of Pianosa. The cutting out party was successful, bringing out Concepcion, which was armed with four guns. She had been lying within 30 yards of a tower and a shore battery of six guns. She was also defended by soldiers on the beach and one of her guns which she had landed. She had been carrying bale goods from Genoa to Cyprus. The action cost Porcupine one man killed, and a lieutenant and eight men severely wounded, with three men later dying of their wounds. Smith might have received a promotion for this and prior actions but Duncan's letter to Admiral Collingwood was lost and the duplicate arrived only after Collingwood had died in March 1810.

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Wooden model of frigate HMS Cyane. Scale 1:98


The Banterer-class sailing sixth rates were a series of six 22-gun post ships built to an 1805 design by Sir William Rule, which served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic War. The first four were launched in 1806 and the remaining two in 1807. One ship – the Banterer – was lost in 1808 and another – the Cyane – captured by the United States Navy in 1815; the remaining four were all deleted during 1816.

Ships in class

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Porcupine_(1807)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banterer-class_post_ship
 
8 August 1914 - The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914–17), also known as the Endurance Expedition started from Plymouth

The Edurance Expedition is considered the last major expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Conceived by Sir Ernest Shackleton, the expedition was an attempt to make the first land crossing of the Antarctic continent. After the conquest of the South Pole by Roald Amundsen in 1911, this crossing remained, in Shackleton's words, the "one great main object of Antarctic journeyings". The expedition failed to accomplish this objective, but became recognised instead as an epic feat of endurance.

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Endurance under full sail by Frank Hurley, paget plate, 1914–1915 State Library New South Wales a090012h

Shackleton had served in the Antarctic in Captain Scott's Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, and had led the British Antarctic Expedition, 1907–09. In this new venture he proposed to sail to the Weddell Sea and to land a shore party near Vahsel Bay, in preparation for a transcontinental march via the South Pole to the Ross Sea. A supporting group, the Ross Sea party, would meanwhile establish camp in McMurdo Sound, and from there lay a series of supply depots across the Ross Ice Shelf to the foot of the Beardmore Glacier. These depots would be essential for the transcontinental party's survival, as the group would not be able to carry enough provisions for the entire crossing. The expedition required two ships: Endurance under Shackleton for the Weddell Sea party, and Aurora, under Aeneas Mackintosh, for the Ross Sea party.

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Map published in March 1916, indicating the planned course of the expedition.

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Endurance trapped in pack ice during the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition; Very old (ship was sunk in 1915).

Endurance became beset in the ice of the Weddell Sea before reaching Vahsel Bay, and drifted northward, held in the pack ice, throughout the Antarctic winter of 1915. Eventually the ship was crushed and sunk, stranding its 28-man complement on the ice. After months spent in makeshift camps as the ice continued its northwards drift, the party took to the lifeboats to reach the inhospitable, uninhabited Elephant Island. Shackleton and five others then made an 800-mile (1,300 km) open-boat journey in the James Caird to reach South Georgia. From there, Shackleton was eventually able to mount a rescue of the men waiting on Elephant Island and bring them home without loss of life. On the other side of the continent, the Ross Sea party overcame great hardships to fulfil its mission. Aurora was blown from her moorings during a gale and was unable to return, leaving the shore party marooned without proper supplies or equipment. Nevertheless, the depots were laid, but three lives were lost before the party's eventual rescue.

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Endurance final sinking November 1915

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Trans-Antarctic_Expedition
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endurance_(1912_ship)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SY_Aurora
 
8 August 1915 - Beginning of the Battle of the Gulf of Riga

The Battle of the Gulf of Riga was a World War I naval operation of the German High Seas Fleet against the Russian Baltic Fleet in the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea in August 1915. The operation's objective was to destroy the Russian naval forces in the Gulf in preparation for landing German troops to facilitate the fall of Riga in the later stages of the Central Powers' offensive on the Eastern Front in 1915. The German fleet, however, failed to achieve its objective and was forced to return to its bases; Riga remained in Russian hands until it fell to the German Army on 1 September 1917.

Prelude
In early August 1915, several powerful units of the German High Seas Fleet were transferred to the Baltic to participate in the foray into the Riga Gulf. The intention was to destroy the Russian naval forces in the area, including the pre-dreadnought battleship Slava, and to use the minelayer Deutschland to block the entrance to Moon Sound with mines.

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Russian Battleship Slawa (1915)

The German naval forces, under the command of Vice Admiral Hipper, included the four Nassau-class and four Helgoland-class battleships, the battlecruisers SMS Moltke, Von der Tann, and Seydlitz, and a number of smaller craft.

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Scheme of defence of gulfs of Finland and Riga by the Russian Navy.

Battle
On 8 August, the first attempt to clear the gulf was made; the old battleships SMS Braunschweig and Elsass kept Slava at bay while minesweepers cleared a path through the inner belt of mines. During this period, the rest of the German fleet remained in the Baltic and provided protection against other units of the Russian fleet. However, the approach of nightfall meant that Deutschland would be unable to mine the entrance to the Suur Strait in time, and so the operation was broken off.

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SMS Braunschweig

In the meantime, the German armored cruisers SMS Roon and Prinz Heinrich were detached to shell the Russian positions at the Sõrve Peninsula in the Saaremaa island. Several Russian destroyers were anchored at Sõrve, and one was slightly damaged during the bombardment. The battlecruiser Von der Tann and the light cruiser SMS Kolberg were sent to shell the island of Utö.

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The German battleship SMS Nassau, photographed very early in her career.

On 16 August, a second attempt was made to enter the gulf. The dreadnoughts SMS Nassau and Posen, four light cruisers, and 31 torpedo boats breached the defenses to the gulf. On the first day of the assault, the German minesweeper T46 was sunk, as was the destroyer V99. On 17 August, Nassau and Posen engaged in an artillery duel with Slava, resulting in three hits on the Russian ship that prompted her withdrawal. After three days, the Russian minefields had been cleared, and the flotilla entered the gulf on 19 August, but reports of Allied submarines in the area prompted a German withdrawal from the gulf the following day.

Throughout the operation, the German battlecruisers remained in the Baltic and provided cover for the assault into the Gulf of Riga. On the morning of the 19th, Moltke was torpedoed by the British E-class submarineHMS E1; the torpedo was not spotted until it was approximately 200 yd (180 m) away. Without time to manoeuver, the ship was struck in the bow torpedo room. The explosion damaged several torpedoes in the ship, but they did not detonate themselves. Eight men were killed, and 435 t (480 short tons) of water entered the ship. The ship was repaired at Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, between 23 August and 20 September.

Four large, flat-bottomed barges loaded with German troops attempted to land at Pernau on the 20th, but were repelled by small Russian warships. The Russian gunboat Sivuch was destroyed in an engagement with the German cruiser Augsburg and eight destroyers, while the damaged minelaying cruiser Albatross ran ashore on the neutral coast of Gotland before the Russian battleship Rurik forced the remaining German units to retreat. Moltke was damaged by a British submarine torpedo before reaching port.

Order of battle
Russia
Germany

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Gulf_of_Riga
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_battleship_Slava
 
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