This Day In United States Naval History

This Day In United States Naval History - May 30th

YouTube (On This Day: May 30th)



1864 - During the Civil War, the side-wheel steamship USS Keystone State and the iron screw steamship USS Massachusetts capture British blockade-runner Caledonia south of Cape Fear, N.C.

1904 - The Marine Detachment from USS Brooklyn (ACR 3) lands at Tangiers, Morocco to protect the American Consulate during the dispute between Raisuli and the Sultan Abdelaziz of Morocco. The tension started after kidnapping of American businessman Ion Perdicaris on May 18, 1904 and held for ransom. Perdicaris is eventually released unharmed.

1944 - USS Guitarro (SS 363) sinks Japanese freighter Shisen Maru, 60 miles south-east of Keelung, Formosa. Also on this date, USS Pompon (SS 267) sinks Japanese freighter Shiga Maru off Muroto Saki, Japan while USS Rasher (SS 269) sinks the gunboat Anshu Maru about 110 miles north-northeast of Halmahera.

1945 - A TBM (VC 82) from USS Anzio (CVE 57) sinks Japanese submarine (I 361), 400 miles southeast of Okinawa. Also on this date, USS Blenny (SS 324) sinks Japanese cargo ship Hokoku Maru 40 miles southwest of Banjarmasin, Borneo while USS Croaker (SS 246) sinks Shuttle Boat (No.154) and Shuttle Boat (No. 146).

1998 - USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) is commissioned in San Diego, Calif.

2008 - USS Dubuque (LPD 8) rescues six Filipino mariners from a sinking vessel in the Balabac Strait. She was originally commissioned in September 1967 and decommissioned in June 2011. Dubuque is now in the reserve fleet at Bremerton, Wash.

This Day In United States Naval History - June 1st

YouTube (On This Day: June 1st)



1813 - HMS Shannon, commanded by Capt. Philip Broke, captures USS Chesapeake, commanded by Capt. James Lawrence off the coast of Boston, Mass. During the battle, Capt. Lawrence is mortally wounded, but as he is carried below deck, he orders the iconic phrase: "Tell the men to fire faster! Dont give up the ship!"

1871 - Two ships under the squadron command of Commodore John Rodgers, on USS Colorado, are attacked from Korean forts and batteries. The squadron is carrying Frederick Low, U.S. foreign minister to China, who was sent to negotiate trade with Korea. A Marine Corps expedition destroys the forts and inflicts heavy casualties on the Koreans on June 10-11.

1939 - Capt. Hollis M. Cooley, director of the Naval Research Laboratory, proposes research in atomic energy for future use in nuclear powered submarine.

1943 - USS Trigger (SS 237) sinks Japanese merchant collier Noborikawa Maru off Kominato, southern Honshu.

1944 - Blimp Squadron Fourteen (ZP 14) Airships, (K 123) and (K 130), complete the first crossing of the Atlantic by non-rigid, lighter-than-air aircraft. The journey takes 50 hours after leaving Naval Air Station, South Weymouth, Mass., and arriving at Gibraltar.

1991 - USS Rushmore (LSD 47) is commissioned at River Walk in New Orleans, La., the seventh of eight Whidbey Island-class dock landing ships. Its homeport is Naval Base San Diego.

This Day In United States Naval History - June 3rd

YouTube (On This Day: June 3rd)



1785 - The order is given to sell the last ship remaining in the Continental Navy, the frigate Alliance. No other Navy ships are authorized until 1794.

1898 - During the Spanish-American War, the 8-man volunteer crew from USS Merrimac are taken as prisoners of war by the Spanish following a courageous attempt to sink the collier to obstruct navigation. For their extraordinary heroism during this operation, the men are awarded the Medal of Honor.

1942 - The Japanese start a two-day attack at Dutch Harbor, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, in an attempt to distract America from the Midway Island invasion. During the two-day invasion, 43 Americans die.

1949 - Midshipman Wesley A. Brown becomes the first African-American to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy.

1966 - Gemini 9 is launched. Gemini 9 is piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Eugene A. Cernan. The mission includes 45 orbits over 3 days. Recovery is by USS Wasp (CVS 18).

This Day In United States Naval History - June 5th

YouTube (On This Day: June 5th)



1794 - The first officers of the U.S. Navy under the new United States Constitution are appointed: John Barry, Samuel Nicholson, Silas Talbot, Joshua Barney, Richard Dale, and Thomas Truxtun. They are also asked to supervise the construction of new ships.

1917 - USS Jupiter (AC 3), which transports the First Naval Aeronautical Detachment, arrives at Pauillac, France prior to World War I. The men are commanded by Lt. Kenneth Whiting. Offloading is completed by June 10. USS Jupiter (AC 1) is later converted into the Navys first aircraft carrier USS Langley (CV 1).

1944 - USS Puffer (SS 268) attacks a Japanese convoy in the Sulu Sea and sinks underway replenishment vessel Ashizuri and oiler Takasaki while also damaging tanker No.2 Hishi Maru, north-east of Borneo. Also on this date, USS Shark (SS 314) sinks Japanese transport Tamahime Maru and army transport Takaoka Maru west of the Mariana Islands.

1945 - A typhoon hits while Task Group 38.1 and Task Group 30.8 are off the coast of Okinawa. Task Group 38.1 passes through the eye of the storm at 7 a.m. that morning. Hurricane force winds of 70 knots (80.5 miles per hour), with gusts up to 100 knots (115 per hour) damage almost every ship in the task groups.

2013 - USNS Millinocket (JHSV 3) is launched in Mobile, Ala. The Joint High Speed Vessel is a non-combatant transport operated by Military Sealift Command.

This Day In United States Naval History - June 7th

YouTube (On This Day: June 7th)



1898 - During the Spanish-American War, USS Marblehead (C 11), along with auxiliary cruisers USS Yankee and USS St. Louis, engage the Spanish gunboat Sandoval and the shore batteries at Guantanamo, Cuba for 2 1/2 hours.

1917 - During World War I, U.S. submarine chasers arrive at Corfu, Greece, for anti-submarine patrols.

1942 - Just after dawn, USS Yorktown (CV 5) sinks after being torpedoed the previous day by Japanese submarine (I 168).

1944 - The construction of artificial harbors and sheltered anchorages, also known as Mulberries, begins off the Normandy coast.

1944 - USS Susan B. Anthony (AP 72) strikes a German mine while approaching "Omaha" Beach to land reinforcements. After an unsuccessful effort to contain flooding, she is abandoned and, within a few hours, sinks. No lives are lost in her sinking.

1944 - USS Mingo (SS 261) torpedoes and sinks Japanese destroyer Tamanami, 150 miles west-southwest of Manila while USS Skate (SS 305) attacks a Japanese convoy in the southern Sea of Okhotsk and sinks destroyer Usugumo, 160 miles north of Etorofu, Kuril Islands. Additionally, USS Sunfish (SS 281) attacks Japanese fishing boats en route from Matsuwa to Uruppu, Kuril Islands, shelling and sinking No.105 Hokuyo Maru, No.5 Kannon Maru, Ebisu Maru, and Kinei Maru while USS Flasher (SS 249) sinks Japanese transport No.2 Koto Maru off Cape Varella, French Indochina. Lastly, USS Bonefish (SS 223) shells and sinks Japanese guardboat Ryuei Maru at the mouth of Tarakan Harbor, Borneo.

1945 - During the Okinawa Campaign, while serving with the Third Marine Battalion, Twenty-Ninth Marines, Sixth Marine Division, Pvt. Robert M. McTureous's company suffers casualties after capturing a hill on Oroku Peninsula, and the wounded can't be evacuated due to heavy Japanese fire. Waging a one-man assault to redirect enemy fire away from the wounded, McTureous attacks numerous times and suffers severe wounds in the process. He crawls 200 yards back to safety before asking for aid. His actions confuse the enemy and enable his company to complete its mission. He dies on June 11 on board USS Relief. For his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity" on this occasion, McTureous is posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

This Day In United States Naval History - June 9th

YouTube (On This Day: June 9th)



1813 - During the War of 1812, the frigate, President, commanded by John Rodgers, is en route between the Azores and England when it begins a series of captures of British vessels that include the brig Kitty, the packet brig Duke of Montrose, the brig Maria, and the schooner Falcon.

1869 - Secretary of the Navy Adolph E. Borie, orders the construction of the first torpedo station on Goat Island, Newport, R.I. Cmdr. Edmund O. Matthews is the first Commanding Officer. During the establishment, the station experiments with torpedoes and trained sailors in the use of the weapons.

1882 - The Office of Naval Records of the War of the Rebellion (which later becomes part of the Naval History and Heritage Command) is established. The office is placed under the direction of James R. Soley, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy in the 1890s.

1944 - During her Fifth War Patrol, USS Harder (SS 257) sinks Japanese destroyer Tanikaze in the Sibitu Passage, about 90 miles southwest of Basilan Island. On June 6, she sinks the Japanese destroyer Minazuki 120 miles east-northeast of Tarakan, Borneo. On June 7, Harder sinks the Japanese destroyer Hayanami south of the Japanese fleet anchorage at Tawi Tawi, southeast of the Sibitu Passage, Borneo. On the morning of Aug. 24, Harder is sunk in Dasol Bay, Philippines, by enemy depth charges on its Sixth War Patrol. There are no survivors and the crew is never recovered. For his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity " in sinking the Japanese destroyers during the Fifth War Patrol, Cmdr. Samuel D. Dealey, Harders CO, is posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

1945 - Coordinated submarine attack group, TG.17.21, commanded by Cmdr. Earl T. Hydeman on flagship USS Sea Dog, begins operations off the northwest coast of Honshu, sinking three subs, while TG.17.23 off Korea sinks a freighter and transport ship.

1959 - USS George Washington (SSBN 598), the first U.S. Navy nuclear-powered fleet ballistic missile submarine, is christened and launched at Groton, Conn. Her nuclear capability is removed in 1983, and she is classified as SSN 598 serving until 1985. USS George Washington is later processed in the nuclear recycling program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in 1998.

2007 - USS Kidd (DDG 100) is commissioned at Galveston, Texas. The 49th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is named after Rear Adm. Isaac C. Kidd, who was killed in action onboard USS Arizona during the Japanese Navys attack on Pearl Harbor. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The ship is homeported at Naval Base San Diego.

This Day In United States Naval History - June 11th

YouTube (On This Day: June 11th)



1871 - During the Korean Expedition, Rear Adm. John Rodgers squadron lands a party of 650 Marines and Sailors to attack and capture Fort McKee (also known as the Citadel), Korea. Fifteen receive the Medal of Honor for their action during the capture of the Korean fort.

1871 - During the Korean Expedition, Landsman William Lukes rescues a mortally wounded Lt. H. W. McKee during the capture of the Han River forts. Lukes bravely continues to fight after receiving a head injury. Unfortunately, Lt. McKee dies later that day. For his actions, Lukes receives the Medal of Honor. Fourteen other Marines and Sailors also receive the Medal of Honor for their action during the capture of the Korean fort.

1898 - During the Spanish American War, 1st Lt. Herbert Draper, USMC, First Marine Battalion, raises the U.S. flag for the first time at Camp McCalla, Guantanamo, Cuba. Camp McCalla is named in honor of Cmdr. Bowman H. McCalla, Commanding Officer of USS Marblehead (C 11) who is also designated to command the new base.

1927 - USS Memphis (CL 13) arrives at Washington, D.C., with Charles Lindbergh and his plane, Spirit of St. Louis, after his non-stop flight across the Atlantic. Later that day, Lindbergh becomes the first person to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross when President Calvin Coolidge presents the award at the Washington Monument grounds.

1944 - F6Fs from TF 58, commanded by Vice Adm. Marc A. Mitscher, begin to intercept and splash Japanese planes in the vicinity of the Mariana Islands, taking the enemy by surprise.

1945 - While operating off the Ryukyu Chain, Japan, two Japanese kamikazes attack USS LCS(L)(3) 122. Lt. Richard M. McCool, Jr. organizes a counter attack, downs one of the kamikazes, and damages the second before it crashes into his vessel. Severely wounded and suffering severe burns, he leads his men to fight the fires and rescue crewmembers. For his conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity on this occasion, McCool is awarded the Medal of Honor.

1944 - Aircraft from (VC 95) based onboard USS Croatan (CVE 25), along with USS Frost (DE 144), USS Huse (DE 145), and USS Inch (DE 146), sink German submarine (U 490) between Flores Island and Flemish Cap.

1994 - USS Sirocco (PC 6) is commissioned at the Washington Navy Yard, the first commissioning of a Navy ship at that location in 120 years. The sixth of the Cyclone-class patrol coastal boat is originally homeported at Little Creek, Va., but is currently stationed at Bahrain.

2017 - The guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) arrives in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to support humanitarian assistance operations in the wake of severe flooding and landslides that devastated many regions of the country.