This Day In United States Naval History

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This Day In United States Naval History - May 29th

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1781 - During the American Revolution, the Continental frigate Alliance, under command of Capt. John Barry, battles HMS Atalanta and HMS Trepassy off Nova Scotia. After several broadsides by Alliance, the British ships surrender.

1844 - The frigate Constitution, commanded by John Percival, sails from New York to depart on her 52,370-mile around-the-world cruise. Heading eastward, she visits places such as Brazil, Borneo, China, the Philippines, Hawaii, and Mexico before returning to Boston on September 27, 1846.

1863 - During the Civil War, the side-wheel "double-ender" gunboat , USS Cimarron, commanded by Cmdr. Andrew J. Drake, captures the blockade-runner, Evening Star, off Wassaw Sound, Ga.

1944 - USS Block Island (CVE 21) is torpedoed and is sunk by German submarine U 549. During this attack, USS Barr (DE 576) is also damaged. Block Island is the only U.S. carrier lost in the Atlantic during World War II. U-549 is later sunk that night by USS Eugene E. Elmore (DE-686) and USS Ahrens (DE 575).

1945 - USS Sterlet (SS 392) sinks Japanese army cargo ships Kuretake Maru and Tenyro Maru despite the close proximity of the escort Coast Defense Ship No. 65.

1952 - During the Korean War, USS Ozbourn (DD 846), USS Radford (DDE 446), and USS Heron (AMS 18), are engaged by enemy shore batteries and machine guns for two days off Wonson, Korea. Enemy batteries are silenced by counter-battery fire.

2004 - USS Pinckney (DDG 91) is commissioned at Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme, Calif. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is named for Cook 1st Class William Pinckney, who received the Navy Cross for rescuing a fellow USS Enterprise (CV 6) crew member during the Battle of Santa Cruz Oct. 26, 1942.

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This Day In United States Naval History - May 30th

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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.

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This Day In United States Naval History - May 31st

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1900 - Sailors and Marines from USS Newark (C 1) and USS Oregon (BB 3) arrive at Peking (now known as Beijing), China, to protect U.S. and foreign diplomatic legations during the Boxer Rebellion.

1918 - USS President Lincoln is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine, (U 90). Twenty-six lives are lost.

1919 - Curtiss flying boat NC 4 lands at Plymouth, England, concluding the first transatlantic flight.

1944 - USS England (DE 635), assisted by six destroyers and destroyer escorts, sinks sixth Japanese submarine in less than two weeks.

1944 - USS Barb (SS 220) and USS Herring (SS 233) attack Japanese shipping in the Sea of Okhotsk about 150 miles west of Matsuwa Island, Kuril Islands, sinking several ships.

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This Day In United States Naval History - June 1st

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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.

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This Day In United States Naval History - June 2nd

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1814 - During the War of 1812, the sloop of war Wasp, commanded by Capt. Johnston Blakely, captures and burns the British merchant barque Neptune, southwest of Ireland.

1865 - Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith signs the Terms of Surrender for the Confederate forces onboard USS Fort Jackson in Galveston Bay, Texas.

1941 - The first aircraft escort vessel, USS Long Island (CVE 1), is commissioned. Following World War II, she participates in Operation "Magic Carpet."

1943 - USS PC 565 sinks German submarine U 521 off the Virginia capes. The German sub had sunk four Allied merchant vessels, including two U.S. vessels: tanker Hahira (Nov. 3, 1942) and merchant Molly Pitcher (March 18, 1943).

1943 - USS Tambor (SS 198) sinks Japanese transport Eika Maru in the Tonkin Gulf off French Indochina.

2012 - USS Mississippi (SSN 782) is commissioned in Pascagoula, Miss. The Virginia-class nuclear-powered fast attack submarine is homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor.

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This Day In United States Naval History - June 3rd

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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).

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This Day In United States Naval History - June 3rd

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1934 - USS Ranger (CV 4), the first U.S. Navy ship designed from the keel up as a carrier, is commissioned at Norfolk, Va. During World War II, she participates in Operation Torch and Operation Leader.

1942 - The Battle of Midway begins. During that morning, after sending planes to attack the U.S. base at Midway, the Japanese carriers Akagi, Kaga and Soryu are fatally damaged by dive bombers from USS Enterprise (CV 6) and USS Yorktown (CV 5). Later in the day, USS Yorktown is abandoned after bomb and torpedo hits by planes from Hiryu. The latter is, in turn, knocked out by U.S. carrier planes. Compelled by their losses to abandon their plans to capture Midway, the Japanese retire westward. The battle is a decisive win for the U.S, bringing an end to Japanese naval superiority in the Pacific.

1942 - As the Battle of Midway continues, US dive-bomber pilots spot the whole Japanese carrier strike force below. The Japanese combat air patrol that should have been above the carriers to protect them were at sea level destroying the American torpedo-bombers. The SBD Dauntless dive bombers attack from 15,000 feet just at the moment when the decks of the carriers Akagi, Kaga, and Soryu are loaded with planes, fuel and ordnance. They were quickly enveloped in flames and destroyed.

1943 - TBF aircraft from USS Bogue (CVE 9) attack German submarine U 603 in the Atlantic. Though U 603 is not sunk, its forced to submerge, sparing a nearby LCI convoy from attack. USS Bronstein (DE 189) finally sinks U 603 in the North Atlantic on March 1, 1944.

1944 - The hunter-killer group comprises of five destroyer escorts and USS Guadalcanal (CVE 60) captures German submarine, (U 505). This marks the first time a U.S. Navy vessel captures an enemy vessel since the early 19th century. The feat earns Lt. Albert L. David, who led the team to board the sub, the Medal of Honor.

1944 - USS Flier (SS 250) sinks Japanese troopship Hakusan Maru about 375 miles southwest of Chichi Jima, Bonin Islands. Also on this date USS Golet (SS 361) sinks Japanese guardboat No.10 Shinko Maru east of Japan.

2011 - USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110) is commissioned at the Port of Mobile, Ala. The destroyer, the 60th in her Arleigh Burke-class, departs soon after to her homeport at Naval Station San Diego.

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This Day In United States Naval History - June 5th

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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.

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This Day In United States Naval History - June 6th

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1850 - The brig USS Perry, commanded by Lt. Andrew H. Foote, captures American slaver Martha off Ambriz (near the city of Luanda), Angola, Africa.

1918 - After Allied troops take Hill 142 at Chateau-Thierry, France, during World War I, 12 enemy soldiers crawl in a position to counter attack with five light machine guns. Realizing his company might withdraw if fired upon, Marine Gunnery Sgt. Maj. Ernest A. Janson, quickly rushes and bayonets two enemy leaders, forcing the rest of the enemy attackers to withdraw. For his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity" on this occasion, he is awarded the Medal of Honor by both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army.

1918 - During World War I at the Battle of Belleau Wood, Lt. j.g. Weedon E. Osborne is killed in action while attempting to rescue a wounded officer. For his "extraordinary heroism" on this occasion, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

1942 - During the Battle of Midway, planes from the U.S. carriers Enterprise (CV 6) and Hornet (CV 8) pursue the retreating Japanese fleet, sinking the heavy cruiser Mikuma and damaging the destroyer Mogami. The abandoned USS Yorktown (CV 5) is reboarded and salvage attempts begin. However, a successful torpedo attack by the Japanese submarine I-168 sinks the destroyer USS Hammann (DD 412) and forces the salvage party to leave Yorktown.

1944 - Allied forces land troops on Normandy beaches for the largest amphibious landing in history, Operation Overlord (D-Day), beginning the march eastward to defeat Germany.

1957 - Two F8U Crusaders and 2 A3D Skywarriors fly nonstop from USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA 31) off the coast of California to USS Saratoga (CVA 60) off the east coast of Florida. This is the first carrier-to-carrier transcontinential flight. The F8Us take 3 hours and 28 minutes and the A3Ds completed the crossing in 4 hours and 1 minute.

1987 - USS Antietam (CG 54) is commissioned at Baltimore, Md. The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser is named after the 1862 Battle of Antietam in Baltimore during the Civil War. The cruisers first homeport is Long Beach, Calif.

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This Day In United States Naval History - June 7th

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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.

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This Day In United States Naval History - June 8th

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1830 - The sloop of war USS Vincennes becomes the first US Navy warship to circle the globe when she returns to New York. She departs on Sept. 3, 1826, rounds Cape Horn and cruises the Pacific protecting American merchantmen and whalers until June 1829.

1880 - Congress authorizes the Office of Judge Advocate General. Vice Adm. Nanette M. Derenzi currently serves as the 42nd Judge Advocate General of the Navy.

1937 - Capt. Julius F. Hellweg commands the Navy detachment that observes a total eclipse of the sun.

1943 - TBF aircraft from USS Bogue (ACV 9) damage German submarine (U 758) west by south of the Canary Islands

1943 - USS Finback (SS 230) attacks a Japanese convoy and sinks auxiliary minelayer Kahoku Maru about 100 miles north of Palau.

1945 - Hospital Apprentice 1st Class Fred F. Lester serves with an assault rifle platoon attached to the First Battalion, Twenty-Second Marines, Sixth Marine Division, against the Japanese on Okinawa Shima. Spotting a wounded Marine beyond front lines, he crawls to him, despite being hit twice by enemy gun fire, and pulls him to safety. Refusing medical treatment for his fatal injuries, Lester guides squad members in providing medical treatment on the rescued Marine, and to others, before dying shortly thereafter. For his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity" on this occasion, he is posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

1959 - The Navy and the Post Office deliver the first official missile mail when USS Barbero (SS-317) fires a Regulus I missile with 3,000 letters 100 miles east of Jacksonville, Fla., to Mayport, Fla.

1967 - USS Liberty (AGTR-5) is mistakenly attacked by four Israeli jet fighters and three motor torpedo boats (MTB). Of the 293 U.S. personnel aboard, 34 (31 Sailors, 2 Marines, and 1 National Security Agency civilian) are killed and 171 wounded as a result of multiple strafing runs by jet aircraft, surface fire from the MTBs, and one hit by a 19-inch torpedo.

1996 - USS Cole (DDG 67) is commissioned at Port Everglade, Fla. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer is named after Medal of Honor recipient Marine Sgt. Darrell S. Cole, a machine-gunner killed in action during action on Iwo Jima Feb. 19, 1945. The destroyers first homeport is Naval Station Norfolk, Va.

1996 - USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) is commissioned. The Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship is homeported at Little Creek, Va. Oak Hill is the second named to honor the home of President James Monroe, where he penned the Monroe Doctrine.

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This Day In United States Naval History - June 9th

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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.

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This Day In United States Naval History - June 10th

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1854 - The first formal graduation exercises are held at the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. Previous classes graduated without a ceremony. Rear Adm. Thomas O. Selfridge and Rear Adm. Joseph N. Miller are two of the six graduates that year.

1896 - Authorization is given for the first experimental ship model basin, which was under the supervision of Chief Constructor of the Navy, Capt. David W. Taylor. The basin, in Building 70 at the Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C., is used by the Navy to monitor new hull designs.

1944 - USS Glennon (DD 620) capsizes and sinks that evening off the Normandy coast, killing 25 crew members, while USS Rich (DE 695), while rescuing USS Glennons crew, loses 90 crew members after striking two mines.

1944 - USS Bangust (DE 739) sinks the Japanese submarine (RO 42), 70 miles northeast of Kwajalein, while USS Taylor (DD 468) sinks Japanese submarine RO 111, 210 miles north-northwest of Kavieng, New Ireland.

1945 - USS Skate (SS 305) sinks Japanese submarine (I 122) in the Sea of Japan.

1952 - USS Evansville (PF 70) is fired on by shore batteries in Songjin Harbor. She avoids damage by maneuvering while USS Endicott (DMS 35) and USS Thomason (DE 203) fire on and silence enemy guns.

1960 - Helicopters from USS Yorktown (CVS 10) rescue 54 crewmen of British SS Shunlee, grounded on Pratus Reef in South China Sea.

1995 - USS Firebolt (PC 10) is commissioned. The coastal patrol boat is the 10th of the Cyclone-class and currently homeported in Manama, Bahrain.

2006 - USS Farragut (DDG 99) is commissioned at Mayport, Fla., her homeport. The 49th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is the fifth Navy ship named for Adm. David Farragut.

2017 - Littoral Combat Ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) is commissioned in a ceremony attended by nearly 2,500 guests at Pier 21 at the Port of Galveston, Texas. The ship is named after former United States Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona's 8th district.

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This Day In United States Naval History - June 11th

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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.

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This Day In United States Naval History - June 12th

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1775 - HMS Margaretta, commanded by Capt. James Moore, enters Machias Harbor to commandeer a load of lumber for the British Army at Boston. Jeremiah OBrien leads the crew of the American sloop, Unity, and engages the British. After an hour-long bloody struggle, the Americans defeat the British. This action is the first naval engagement of the American Revolution.

1942 - USS Swordfish (SS 193) sinks Japanese freighter Burma Maru northwest of Pulo Wai in the Gulf of Siam.

1943 - TBF aircraft from Composite Squadron Nine (VC 9) based on board USS Bogue (ACV 9) sink German submarine (U 118) west by north of the Canary Islands.

1957 - More than 100 ships from 17 nations take part in the International Naval Review at Hampton Roads, Va. in honor of the 350th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, Va.

1970 - After an earthquake in Peru, USS Guam (LPH 9) begins 11 days of relief flights to transport medical teams and supplies, as well as rescue victims.

1993 - USS Cape St. George (CG 71) is commissioned at its homeport of Norfolk Naval Base. The Ticonderoga-class Aegis guided-missile cruiser is the first named for the Battle of Cape St. George when a destroyer squadron led by Capt. Arleigh Burke faced off against a five-ship Japanese destroyer force on Nov. 25, 1943 near New Ireland. DESRON 23 sank three destroyers and damaged a fourth during that World War II battle.