Winston Churchill News

The expedition crew aboard the late Paul G. Allen’s research vessel (R/V) Petrel discovered wreckage from USS Wasp (CV 7), which was sunk in 1942.Wasp, found Jan. 14, was sunk Sept. 15, 1942, by four Japanese torpedoes from the Japanese submarine I-19 while escorting transports carrying the Seventh Marine Regiment to Guadalcanal as reinforcements. Of the 2,162 on board, 176 were killed as a result of the attack. The sunken aircraft carrier was found in the Coral Sea, 4,200 meters (nearly 14,000 feet) below the surface.“Paul Allen’s passion for U.S. history lives on through these missions.

Liverpool City Region (UK) shipyard Cammell Laird has announced it will be honoring its illustrious naval and military heritage next month by being headline sponsor of the UK’s Armed Forces Day (AFD). The AFD celebrations will take place in Liverpool this year on June 24, with more than 1,000 serving personnel, veterans, cadets and marching bands taking part in a parade followed by a full program of events near the city’s iconic waterfront. Cammell Laird CEO John Syvret, CBE,…

British and Russian World War Two veterans gathered on Wednesday in Arkhangelsk, 75 years to the day since Britain's first Arctic convoy of military supplies steamed into the northern port. Britain's Princess Anne has been among those attending events honouring those who sailed, and the thousands who died, protecting supply convoys dispatched to aid the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany. On Aug. 31, 1941, two months after Hitler's surprise attack on his erstwhile ally prompted Josef Stalin to seek support from a beleaguered Britain, the first convoy, codenamed "Dervish", sailed into Arkhangelsk, or Archangel, after a 10-day crossing.

Russia is building an “arc of steel” from the Arctic to the Mediterranean Sea said a NATO commander, in the same vein as Winston Churchill’s Iron Curtain metaphor. Navy Adm. Mark Ferguson, who commands NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command in Naples, Italy, and U.S. Navy forces in Europe and Africa, spoke at the Atlantic Council here. The alliance also faces threats from the south, and both threats argue for more attention from the United States, NATO members and allied states, Ferguson said. From the North Atlantic to the Black Sea, Russia is fielding an increasingly capable navy, he added, unveiling a new maritime strategy and demonstrating new equipment and capabilities at sea.

A scale model of the famed ocean liner Queen Mary, carved about 80 years ago from a 200-year-old white mahogany log and exact in every detail, will be the centerpiece of a new gallery on the ship that was the epitome of luxury travel in its heyday. The 1/45th scale model, 21 feet long and weighing nearly 1,000 pounds (454 kg) includes a figure of Sir Winston Churchill on the afterdeck. It will be moved on Wednesday from New York's South Street Seaport Museum, where is has been housed for decades…

London's Baltic Exchange informs that the achievements of Eyal Ofer, the principal of ship management company Zodiac Group, have been celebrated with the award of honorary life membership of the Exchange. The prestigious award was last awarded in 2009 to the late Sammy Ofer, KBE, father of Mr Eyal Ofer. Other recipients of Baltic Exchange honorary membership have included the Duke of Edinburgh, Winston Churchill, and Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller. Presenting the award Baltic Exchange chairman Quentin Soanes said: 

“We thank you for your services to the London shipping market and the UK ship register. Receiving the award Eyal Ofer said:

“I and Zodiac Maritime have a longstanding association with the Baltic Exchange which will always remain important to us.

Once queen of the express liners, and the fastest, safest and biggest passenger liner in history, the SS United States today quietly awaits rescue from a pending cruise to the scrapyard. The Big Ship the Big U, the one that didn’t sink. The S.S. She is waiting for a rescue that may never come from an appointment with the scrap yard looming large on her summer schedule. And that would be a shame according to her many supporters, not the least of which was the late newsman and sailor, Walter Cronkite.

The design and construction of WWII Liberty cargo ships revolutionized shipbuilding by overhauling the blueprint process and standardizing on commonality of parts, welding, pre-fabrication and assembly line construction. Give me Liberty, or give me death!” a rallying cry of the Revolutionary War, got a second act in World War II. “Built by the mile and chopped off by the yard,” Roosevelt promised the no-frills Liberties would form a “bridge of ships” across the Atlantic. And they did. An exaggeration perhaps, but in truth, the Liberty wasn’t much to write home about.

Today in U.S. 1815 - Capt. Stephen Decatur concludes treaty for U.S. 1842 - Signing of Webster-Ashburton Treaty under which U.S. and Great Britain agreed to cooperate in suppressing the slave trade. 1865 - Return of Naval Academy to Annapolis after four years at Newport, R.I. 1945 - Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. Navy weaponeer arms the atomic bomb. 1949 - First use of pilot-ejection seat for emergency escape in U.S. made by LT Jack I. Fruin of VF-171 near Walterboro, S.C.

PSX ONE coating restores ‘Battleship of Presidents,’ now an interactive naval museum. The USS Iowa protected America for nearly 50 years. Now PSX® ONE coating, an advanced marine coating introduced last year by PPG Industries, is protecting the ship. Known as the “World’s Greatest Naval Ship” and the “Big Stick,” the 887-foot-long, 45,000-ton USS Iowa was first deployed in 1943. It is also called the “Battleship of Presidents” because it hosted more visits by U.S. presidents than any ship of its kind, including its historic escort of Franklin D.

Historic battleship being restored, now interactive naval museum at Port of Los Angeles. The exterior of the historic battleship USS Iowa has been repainted using PSX(R) ONE coating, a one-component acrylic-siloxane coating introduced last year by PPG Industries’ (NYSE:PPG) protective and marine coatings business (PMC). The ship, which was originally commissioned in 1943 and served in the Atlantic and Pacific fleets during World War II, opened July 7 as an interactive naval museum at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, Calif.

Surrounded by pleasure boats and other vessels, the 887-foot long, 58,000-ton battlewagon was towed through the bay and passed under the Golden Gate Bridge. Crowds watched from both sides of the bridge as the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Sockeye provided an official escort and the San Francisco fireboat Phoenix led the way. At the St. Francis Yacht Club on San Francisco’s shoreline, officers and crew members of the USS Decatur, outfitted in their dress whites, saluted as the Iowa drifted past, Rogers said.

Harbor Commission Approves Environmental Impact Report, Lease Agreement; Historic Battleship Plans to Open to Public July 7. The Los Angeles Harbor Commission today voted unanimously to create a new home for the historic battleship, the USS IOWA, in a prime location along the LA Waterfront at the Port of Los Angeles. In separate actions, The Harbor Commission approved the lease agreement and an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) necessary to bring the World War II icon to the LA Waterfront  where it will be converted to an interactive naval museum and living memorial.

USNS Lewis and Clarke (T-AKE1) and USS Winston Churchill (DDG 81) assisted in the response to a suspected pirate attack on Chinese-flagged cargo ship M/V Tai An Kou, Nov. 20. M/V Tai An Kou reported to the Dubai-based UK Maritime Trade Organization that it was under attack by pirates in the North Arabian Sea at approximately 12 p.m. (Bahrain), while located about 100 nautical miles off the Omani coast. Lewis and Clark, received the distress call and, as the nearest vessel, proceeded to investigate. Upon arrival at the scene, the ship’s crew reported seeing pirates in a dhow and two skiffs firing upon Tai An Kou. The pirates then shot at the USNS Lewis and Clark which fired back in self-defense. No casualties were reported by the suspected pirates or Lewis and Clark crew. Winston S.

1815 - CAPT Stephen Decatur concludes treaty for U.S. with Tripoli 1842 - Signing of Webster-Ashburton Treaty under which U.S. and Great Britain agreed to cooperate in suppressing the slave trade. 1865 - Return of Naval Academy to Annapolis after 4 years at Newport, RI 1919 - Construction of rigid airship ZR-1 (Shenandoah) authorized 1941 - Atlantic Charter Conference is first meeting between President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill 1942 - Battle of Savo Island begins; First of many sea battles near Guadalcanal 1945 - Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. Navy weaponeer arms the atomic bomb. 1949 - First use of pilot-ejection seat for emergency escape in U.S. made by LT Jack I. Fruin of VF-171 near Walterboro, SC (Source: Navy News Service)

The last operational World War II tank-landing ship, the USS LST-325, was scheduled to refuel at the Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon during the weekend of April 16 on a visit to the city’s riverfront. This LST – which stands for Landing Ship, Tanks – is one of only two such ships preserved in the U.S. and the only one capable of sailing on its own. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. “This is the last LST out of 1,051 – all built for World War II service,” said Terry Tull, a member of the  LST-325 Memorial board of directors and a crew member of six years. “These are the ships Winston Churchill was waiting for the U.S. The ships were made during World War II to carry large amounts of battle-ready vehicles, cargo and troops.

Zenith Maritime announced that Capt. David Yell has joined its faculty of 17 instructors across the country. Captain Yell will specialize in teaching those seeking advanced licenses, above the 100 ton Master level. Educated at HMS Conway nautical college in the UK, Yell graduated with honors and received the annual prize for the proficiency in the management of boats. He followed a 24 year career path of Cadet through Master (14 years as Captain) in the merchant service specializing in refrigerated cargos on worldwide voyages.

Since the worst-case scenario became a reality with September's terrorist attacks in the U.S., organizations of all kinds have been forced to re-evaluate how security applies to their operations. While the nation's focus has been primarily on the aviation industry, those of us in the maritime community have immediately seen many ramifications for water borne transportation. Because of the monstrous scale of death and damage, the industry can expect governments and regulatory authorities to apply varying degrees of increased security measures throughout the free world's infrastructure. Substantial security measures have already been taken in the maritime sector. The U.S. Coast Guard is instituting several new port security measures. Security zones have been established in U.S.

A fleet of "Little Ships" left the famous white cliffs of Dover behind them and set off across the Channel on Friday to mark the 1940 Dunkirk evacuation of 340,000 Allied soldiers from France. The 58-strong flotilla had been due Thursday, but rough seas forced them to postpone 24 hours. Sixty years ago, a rag-tag British flotilla plucked 340,000 Allied soldiers from certain death or capture at Dunkirk. Dubbed the "great tide of small vessels" by British wartime leader Winston Churchill, hundreds of pleasure craft, fishing boats and tugs braved German fire for 10 days to ferry stranded soldiers from the beaches to navy ships in deeper waters.

The Artificial Reef Society, in conjunction with other groups, is planning on sinking the majority of former HMCS Cape Breton as the Canadian Merchant Navy Memorial Artificial Reef. HMCS Cape Breton was launched in 1944 at the Burrard Drydock facility in North Vancouver, B.C., as HMS Flamborough Head. Flamborough Head was one of a series of ships intended to operate with the British Pacific Fleet in the war against Japan and for the recolonization of Asian territories. While these ships were under construction, the Royal Navy was experiencing a severe manpower shortage. To this end, Sir Winston Churchill attempted to get Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King to provide Canadian crews. This offer was refused by the wartime Canadian leader for political reasons.

The Artificial Reef Society, in conjunction with other groups, is planning on sinking the majority of former HMCS Cape Breton as the Canadian Merchant Navy Memorial Artificial Reef. HMCS Cape Breton was launched in 1944 at the Burrard Drydock facility in North Vancouver, B.C., as HMS Flamborough Head. Flamborough Head was one of a series of ships intended to operate with the British Pacific Fleet in the war against Japan and for the recolonization of Asian territories. While these ships were under construction, the Royal Navy was experiencing a severe manpower shortage. To this end, Sir Winston Churchill attempted to get Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King to provide Canadian crews. This offer was refused by the wartime Canadian leader for political reasons.