The 24 Kaiman-class ships were high-seas torpedo boats built for the
Austro-Hungarian Navy between 1904 and 1910. Yarrow Shipbuilders built
the lead ship (launched on 3 June 1905), Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino
of Trieste built 13 boats, and Ganz-Danubius constructed the remaining
10 boats at their shipyards at Fiume. The class was considered to be a
very successful design, and all boats saw extensive active service
during World War I, undertaking a range of tasks, including escort
duties, shore bombardments and minesweeping. All survived, although
several were damaged by naval mines and collisions. One was torpedoed
and badly damaged by a French submarine, and two sank an Italian
submarine. All the boats were transferred to the Allies and scrapped at
the end of the war, except for four that were allocated to the navy of
the newly created Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. These were
discarded and broken up between 1928 and 1930.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiman-class_torpedo_boat>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1844:
The last known pair of great auks (specimens depicted), the
only modern species in the genus Pinguinus, were killed on Eldey, off
the coast of Iceland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_auk>
1950:
Herzog and Lachenal of the French Annapurna expedition became
the first climbers to reach the summit of an 8,000-metre peak.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950_French_Annapurna_expedition>
1969:
During a SEATO exercise HMAS Melbourne of the Royal Australian
Navy collided with the U.S. Navy's USS Frank E. Evans, cutting the
latter in two and killing 74 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne%E2%80%93Evans_collision>
1982:
An assassination attempt on Shlomo Argov, the Israeli
ambassador to the United Kingdom, failed; this was later used as
justification for the 1982 Lebanon War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shlomo_Argov>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
disport:
(transitive, intransitive, reflexive, dated) To amuse oneself
divertingly or playfully; in particular, to cavort or gambol.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/disport>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Let's forget today who is friend or foe, and hold each other in
caring embrace. Let your love be the magnet to bring the humanity to
Allah's grace. Remember those in perennial fast, constantly in hunger
and deprivation, Share with the poor, orphans and the destitutes, to
make inclusive your celebration.
--Kazi Nazrul Islam
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kazi_Nazrul_Islam>