This Day In United States Naval History

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - April 4th

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1776 - Continental Navy Frigate Columbus captures the British schooner HMS Hawk, making the first American capture of a British armed vessel. Columbus later captures the British brig Bolton.

1854 - American and British naval brigades of 90 and 150 men engage Chinese Imperial troops at Shanghai after acts of aggression against American and British citizens. The American party fell under the command of Cmdr. J. Kelly, the commanding officer of USS Plymouth.

1933 - USS Akron (ZRS-4)crashes tail-first into the sea due to a violent storm coming off the New Jersey coast, killing Rear Adm. William A. Moffett, Medal of Honor recipient and the first Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics, along with 75 others. Only three survive.

1943 - USS Porpoise (SS 172) sinks the Japanese whaling ship Koa Maru near Eniwetok.

1949 - The North Atlantic Treaty is signed in Washington, D.C., establishing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The treaty promotes peace, stability, and well-being in the North Atlantic area with a collective defense effort.

1981 - USS Stephen W. Groves (FFG 29) is launched and commissioned the following year. She is named in honor of Ensign Groves for "fearlessly plunging into aerial combat against large formations of enemy aircraft threatening the American carriers in the Battle of Midway."

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - April 5th

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1943 - USS O'Bannon (DD 450) sinks the Japanese submarine RO 34 near Russell Island, Solomon Islands.

1944 - PB4Y aircraft (VB 109) sink Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 46 off Wake Island.

1946 - USS New (DD 818), named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Marine Pvt. 1st Class John D. New, is commissioned.

1946 - USS Missouri (BB 63) transports the body of the late Turkish Ambassador to the United States, Mehmet Munir Ertegun, home for burial, on a mission that was also made to influence Soviet Middle East policy.

1951 - During the Korean War, Hospital Corpsman Richard De Wert is killed in action while administering first aid to an injured comrade. He is posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

1961 - A fire-fighting party from USS Prichett (DD 561) boards the burning Chinese tanker Kwang Lung at Kaohsiung Harbor, Taiwan, and extinguishes the fire before it spreads to a million gallons of gasoline.

2009 - USS Warrior (MCM 10) and USS Chief (MCM 14), along with the Mexican Navy, rescue two fisherman 36 miles off Mexico.

2014 - Littoral Combat Ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) is formally placed in commission during a ceremony in Coronado, Calif. This followed the ship's official commissioning which happened on Jan. 27, 2014 the same day she departed the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Ala. where she was built.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - April 6th

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1776 - The Continental Navy Squadron, commanded by Commodore Esek Hopkins, is attacked by the British frigate HMS Glasgow and her tender while entering Long Island Sound.

1862 - Naval gunfire from gunboats Tyler and Lexington protect the advanced river flank of Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's army at the Battle of Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing).

1909 - Cmdr. Robert E. Peary reports reaching the North Pole, dropping a note in a glass bottle into a crevice in the ice that states: "I have this day hoisted the national ensign of the United States of America at this place, which my observations indicate to be the North Polar axis of the earth, and have formally taken possession of the entire region, and adjacent, for and in the name of the President of the United States of America."

1917 - Following the sinking of U.S. merchant vessels by German U-boats, the U.S. declares war on Germany, entering World War.

1945 - The first heavy kamikaze attacks begin on ships at Okinawa.USS Bush (DD 529), USS Colhoun (DD 801), USS Emmons (DMS 22) and LST 447 are damaged beyond repair.

1945 - USAAF B-25s attack Japanese convoy HOMO-03 and destroy a Japanese destroyer, minesweeper, a cargo ship and other ships. USS Besugo (SS 321) and USS Hardhead (SS 365) also sink Japanese ships.

1968 - USS New Jersey (BB 62) is recommissioned for shore bombardment duty at Vietnam.

2013 - The commissioning ceremony for USS Arlington (LPD 24) is held at Naval Station Norfolk, the ship's homeport. The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship joins sister ships USS New York and Somerset to be named for the sites attacked by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001. Steel salvaged from the Pentagon, based in Arlington, are showcased in the ship's museum.

[stevep]

Apr 6, 2020 2:47:22 GMT lordroel said:

This Day In United States Naval History - April 6th


1909 - Cmdr. Robert E. Peary reports reaching the North Pole, dropping a note in a glass bottle into a crevice in the ice that states: "I have this day hoisted the national ensign of the United States of America at this place, which my observations indicate to be the North Polar axis of the earth, and have formally taken possession of the entire region, and adjacent, for and in the name of the President of the United States of America."

  lordroel,

  Couldn't remember reading this before, that Peary claimed the pole, and undefined adjacent regions for the US.  Just don't let Trump know or we'll have another bombastic claim about US territories.

  Steve

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - April 7th

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1776 - The Continental brig Lexington, commanded by John Barry, captures the British tender Edward near the Virginia Capes after a fierce fight that takes nearly an hour.

1944 - USS Saufley (DD 465) sinks the Japanese submarine I 2, west-northwest of New Hanover, while USS Champlin (DD 601) is damaged after intentionally ramming German submarine U-856 380 miles off Nova Scotia, Canada. Champlin then teams with USS Huse (DE 145) to sink U-856.

1944 - USS Gustafson (DE 182) sinks the German submarine U 857 off Cape Cod, Mass.

1945 - First two Navy flight nurses land on an active battlefield at Iwo Jima.

1945 - Fast Carrier Task Force 58 aircraft attack the Japanese First Diversion Attack Force, sinking Japanese battleship Yamato and light cruiser Yahagi west-southwest of Kagoshima, Japan, as well as sinking four Japanese destroyers and damaging four others in the East China Sea.

1979 - USS Ohio (SSBN 726), the first Trident submarine, launches at Groton, Conn. She is commissioned into the Navy in November that same year. Following a conversion to a guided-missile submarine in 2006, she is now SSGN-726.

1990 - The Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Albany (SSN 753) is commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk.

1993 - The Avenger-class mine countermeasure ship USS Warrior (MCM 10) is commissioned. The ship is currently based in Sasebo, Japan.

2017 - On the orders of President Trump, USS Ross (DDG 71) and USS Porter (DDG 78) launch Tomahawk missiles into Syria April 7, in retaliation for the regime of Bashar Assad using nerve agents to attack his own people.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - April 8th

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1823 - The barges USS Mosquito, USS Gallinipper, and sloop-of-war Peacock chase the pirate schooner, Pilot, which is driven ashore off Havana, Cuba.

1848 - The first U.S. flag is flown over the Sea of Galilee when Lt. William F. Lynch sails in an iron boat up the Jordan River. He later authors a book, Narrative of the United States' Expedition to the River Jordan and the Dead Sea.

1925 - Lt. John D. Price, piloting a VF-1 plane, makes a night landing on USS Langley (CV 1), at sea off San Diego, Calif., the first on board a U.S. Navy carrier.

1944 - USS Seahorse (SS 304) and USS Trigger (SS 237) successfully attack a Japanese convoy off Guam, damaging a Japanese destroyer and a tanker.

1961 - USS Laffey (DD 724) and USS Tanner (AGS-15) assist in rescue work and firefighting after the British passenger liner Dara catches fire in the Persian Gulf.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - April 9th

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1848 - A party of men from the sloop-of-war USS Dale march 12 miles inland from Guaymas, Mexico, to capture and spike a 3-gun Mexican battery that was firing at other ships.

1941 - USS North Carolina (BB-55) is commissioned. Some of the notable battles she participates in are the Guadalcanal Campaign, the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, the Battle of Philippine Sea, and gunfire support during the Iwo Jima invasion.

1943 - Due to World War II, the rank of commodore is reestablished as a temporary rank. During the 1986 Defense Authorization bill, O-7 officers are called rear admiral (lower half).

1944 - TBM bombers and FM-2s aircraft (VC 58) from USS Guadalcanal (CVE 60), together with USS Pillsbury (DE 133), USS Pope (DE 134), USS Flaherty (DE 135), and USS Chatelain (DE 149) sink German submarine U 515.

1959 - The first seven Mercury astronauts are selected, including three Navy aviators and one Marine: Lt. Cmdr. Walter M. Schirra, Lt. Malcom S. Carpenter, Marine Lt. Col. John Glenn Jr., and Lt. Cmdr. Alan B. Shepard.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - April 10th

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1941 - USS Niblack (DD 424) picks up three boatloads of survivors from Dutch freighter Saleier, which was sunk the previous day by a German U-boat. The destroyer detects a submarine preparing to attack and drives it off with a depth charge attack. It is the first action between American and German forces in World War II.

1942 - USS Thresher (SS 200) torpedoes and sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Maru six miles north of Oshima, near the entrance to Tokyo Bay, Honshu, Japan.

1944 - TBM bombers and FM-2s aircraft (VC 58) from USS Guadalcanal (CVE 60) sink German submarine U 68 off Madeira Island.

1963 - During diving tests, USS Thresher (SSN 593) is lost with all hands east of Cape Cod, Mass., including commanding officer and 17 civilian technicians.

1966 - During the Vietnam War, the river patrol boats (PBRs) of River Patrol Force commence operations on inland waters of South Vietnam.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - April 11th

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1783 - Congress declares the cessation of arms against Great Britain, just a few days after British Parliament passed a similar resolution, thus ending hostilities of the American Revolution.

1944 - USS Redfin (SS 272) sinks the Japanese destroyer Akigumo in the eastern entrance to Basilan Strait.

1945 - The kamikaze attacks during the Okinawa Campaign damage eight Navy ships.

1970 - Apollo 13 is launched, commanded by Navy Capt. James A. Lovell. The ship endures an explosion forcing an immediate return to Earth. Recovery is by helicopters from USS Iwo Jima (LPH 2).

1991 - The U.N. Security Council declares a formal cease-fire ending the Persian Gulf War.

1992 - USS Annapolis (SSN 760) is commissioned at the Electric Boat Division at Groton, Conn. The 10th of her Los Angeles "Improved" class of attack submarines, she is homeported at Groton.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - April 12th

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1861 - The Civil War begins with Confederates firing on Fort Sumter, S.C. The Union Navy plays an integral part blockading Confederates, keeping them diplomatically and economically contained from other nations.

1944 - USS Halibut (SS 232) sinks Japanese army passenger/cargo ship Taichu Maru despite the presence of at least three escort vessels.

1945 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies at Warm Springs, Ga. Besides being the nations longest-serving president, he also was an Assistant Secretary of the Navy.

1962 - U.S. Navy demonstrates new landing craft with retractable hydrofoils, LCVP (H), which are named Highlanders. The Navy eventually rejects the craft because it cant keep a straight path like a standard LCVP.

1981 - The first re-useable Space Shuttle, Columbia (STS-1) is launched with an all-US Navy crew: Capt. John W. Young (Ret.) is the shuttles commander and Lt. Cmdr. Robert L. Crippen is the pilot.

1986 - USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) is commissioned at Bath, Maine and then homeported at Newport, R.I.

1993 - Aircraft from USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) and NATO forces begin enforcing the no-fly zone over the Bosnia in Operation Deny Flight.

2003 - USS Mason (DDG 87) is commissioned at Cape Canaveral, Fla. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is the 37th in the class and the ninth of the Flight IIA variant.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - April 13th

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1917 - USS New Mexico (BB 40) is launched. She is the first dreadnought with turbo-electric drive.

1940 - USS J. Fred Talbott (DD 156) returns to the Panama Canal Zone after providing medical assistance to a passenger on board Japanese steamship SS Arimasan Maru.

1942 - USS Grayling (SS 209) sinks the Japanese freighter Ryujin Maru off southest tip of Shikoku, Japan.

1944 - USS Harder (SS 257) sinks the Japanese destroyer Ikazuchi, 180 miles SSW of Guam.

1952 - During the Korean War, sorties launch from USS Philippine Sea (CV 47) and Boxer (CV 21) and deliver 200 tons of aircraft ordnance to the North Korean target area.

1960 - The Navy's navigation satellite, Transit 1B, which demonstrates the first engine restart in space, is placed into orbit from Cape Canaveral, Florida, by Thor-Able-Star.

1981 - AV-8A Harriers deploy as a Marine Air Group on board an amphibious assault ship for the first time.

1996 - USS Carney (DDG 64) is commissioned at Mayport, Fla., her homeport. The destroyer is the 14th of the Arleigh Burke-class and the first to be named after Adm. Robert Carney, the Chief of Naval Operations during the Eisenhower administration.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - April 14th

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1898 - The first post-Civil War hospital ship, USS Solace (AH 2) is commissioned and soon participates in the Spanish-American War attending to wounded servicemen from battles in Cuba.

1942 - USS Roper (DD 147) sinks German submarine U 85 off the Virginia Capes. Before being sunk by Roper, U 85 sank three Allied merchant vessels.

1945 - USS Tirante (SS 420), commanded by Lt. Cmdr. George L. Street III, attacks a Japanese convoy in the approaches to the Yellow Sea and sinks a transport ship and two vessels. Street earns Medal of Honor for his actions.

1956 - USS Saratoga (CVA 60) is commissioned.

1969 - A North Korean aircraft shoots down an unarmed EC-121 propeller-driven Constellation, killing all 31 crewmembers on board.

1988 - During Operation Ernest Will, USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) strikes an Iranian mine off Qatar, injuring 10 sailors. Four days later, the US Navy retaliates with Operation Praying Mantis, which strikes Iranian oil platforms, sinks an Iranian frigate, patrol ship, and damages another frigate.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - April 15th

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1912 - The scout cruisers USS Chester (CL 1) and USS Salem (CL 3) sail from Massachusetts to assist RMS Titanic survivors, and escort RMS Carpathia, which carried the survivors of the Titanic, to New York.

1914 - USS New York (BB 34) is commissioned.

1918 - First Marine Aviation Force, under the command of Capt. Alfred A. Cunningham, USMC, is formed at Marine Flying Field, Miami, Fla.

1943 - USS Yorktown (CV 10) is commissioned.

1945 - USS Frost (DE 144) and USS Stanton (DE 247) join to attack and sink German submarine U 880 and then German sub U 1235, north of the Azores.

1961 - The first nuclear-powered frigate, USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25), is launched at Quincy, Mass.

1962 - USS Princeton (LPH 5) brings the first advisory unit to Vietnam and the Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM) 362 SocTrang, Mekong Delta, South Vietnam.

1986 - Operation El Dorado Canyon begins. Navy aircraft from USS America (CV-66) and USS Coral Sea (CV-43) attack Libya.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - April 16th

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1942 - USS Tambor (SS 198) sinks the Japanese stores ship Kitami Maru 50 miles southeast of Kavieng, New Ireland.

1944 - USS Gandy (DE 764) intentionally rams German submarine U 550 off Nantucket Shoals in Atlantic Ocean. USS Joyce (DE 317) and USS Peterson (DE 152) join Gandy and deploy depth charges and gunfire to sink the submarine.

1944 - USS Wisconsin (BB 64) is commissioned and joins the Pacific Fleet, providing gunfire support for the Battle for Iwo Jima and the Okinawa Campaign.

1945 - After three days of US naval and aerial bombardment and Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) beach reconnaissance during the Okinawa Campaign, the 77th Army Division lands on Ie Shima. Kamikaza attacks take their toll on Navy ships, sinking USS Pringle (DD-477) and damaging 10 other ships.

1947 - Congress passes Army-Navy Nurses Act, giving Navy Nurse Corps members commissioned rank.

1959 - Helicopters from USS Edisto (AGB-2) begin rescue operations in Montevideo, Uruguay. By April 26, they carry 277 flood victims to safety.

2011 - USNS William McLean (T-AKE 12), is christened and launched at San Diego, Calif.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - April 17th

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1778 - The sloop-of-war Ranger, commanded by John Paul Jones, captures British ship, Lord Chatham, in St. Georges Channel, during the American Revolution.

1808 - Napoleon Bonaparte issues the Bayonne Decree, which authorizes the French seizure of all United States ships entering all ports of the Hanseatic League. Napoleon argues the decree will help the United States enforce the Embargo Act signed by President Thomas Jefferson in December 1807.

1915 - Chief Gunners Mate Frank Crilley, a naval diver, rescues a fellow diver who had become entangled at a depth of 250 feet during salvage operations for USS F-4 submarine that had sunk March 25, 1915, with the loss of her entire crew. For his heroism on this occasion, he is awarded the Medal of Honor in 1929.

1918 - USS Stewart (DD 13) is on escort duty in Quiberon Bay, France when nearby the American steamship Florence H suffers an internal explosion. Ships Cook Third Class Jesse W. Covington and Quartermaster Frank M. Upton dive overboard to save an exhausted survivor surrounded by exploding power boxes. For their actions, both sailors receive the Medal of Honor.

1942 - USS Searaven (SS 196) begins rescue of stranded Australian sailors, airmen, and soldiers from Japanese-occupied Timor, N.E.I.

1944 - Minesweeper USS Swift (AM 122) and patrol craft USS PC 619 sink the German submarine, U 986, in the North Atlantic.