This Day In United States Naval History

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This Day In United States Naval History - November 29th

1776 - Continental brig Reprisal arrives in Quiberon Bay, France, becoming the first Continental vessel to arrive in Europe. Reprisal was carrying Benjamin Franklin who was acting as the diplomatic agent to the country.

1929 - Cmdr. Richard E. Byrd makes the first flight over the South Pole.

1943 - TBF aircraft of VC-19 based on board USS Bogue (CVE 9) sink the German submarine U-86 about 385 miles east of Terceira, Azores.

1944 - USS Maryland (BB 46) is hit by a kamikaze off Leyte. She is repaired in time for Okinawa Invasion where she is hit by a kamikaze again April 7, 1945.

1944 - USS Archerfish (SS 311) sinks Japanese carrier Shinano on her maiden voyage 160 nautical miles southwest of Tokyo Bay. Shinano is the largest warship sunk by any combatant submarines during World War II. Also on this date, USS Scabbardfish (SS 397) sinks Japanese submarine I-365 east of Honshu.

Painting: Painting of the USS Archerfish sinking the Shinano



1990 - The UN approves Security Council Resolution 678 authorizing the use of military force unless Iraq vacates Kuwait by 15 January 1991.

1995 - An F/A-18E1, the first Super Hornet, makes its first flight at Lambert International Airport near St. Louis, Mo.

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This Day In United States Naval History - November 30th

1881 - The whaler Rodgers is destroyed by a fire at St. Lawrence Bay on the Siberian coast. . Before the fire, Rodgers had charted Wrangel Island, proving conclusively that it was not part of the Asian continent.

1912 - Lt. Theodore G. Ellyson, the first U.S. Navy officer to qualify as an airplane pilot, tests the Navys first C-1 flying boat at Hammondsport, N.Y.

1942 - USS Northampton (CA 26) is sunk and USS Pensacola (CA 24), USS New Orleans (CA 32), and USS Minneapolis (CA 36) are badly damaged by a Japanese torpedo counter-attack during the Battle of Tassafaronga at Guadalcanal.

1943 - PBY aircraft sink the Palau-bound Japanese cargo ship Himalaya Maru south of New Hanover, Bismarck Archipelago.

1993 - President William J. Clinton signs legislation that lifts the ban on women serving aboard combat ships.

2001 - The Battle of Tora Bora begins when naval reconnaissance aircraft spot Taliban troops fleeing toward Tora Bora, a summit that rises from the Spin Ghar Mountains about 35 miles southwest of Jalalibad, Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda terrorist Osama bin Laden had lavished gifts among the local Suleiman Khel tribesmen who thus sheltered the fugitive and his followers.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 1st

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1842 - Midshipman Philip Spence, Boatswains Mate Samuel Cromwell, and Seaman Elisha Small of the Bainbridge-class brig Somers are executed for mutiny. Spencer was the son of then-Secretary of War, John Canfield Spencer.

1914 - Rear Adm. Alfred Thayer Mahan dies. A graduate of the Naval Academy and a veteran of the Civil War, he served two tours as President of the Naval War College. He is also known for his numerous naval publications, notably The Influence of Sea Power upon History.

1921 - The first flight of an airship filled with helium, the C-7, leaves Norfolk, Va., and arrives later that day in Washington, D.C. The airship is commanded by Lt. Cmdr. Zachary Lansdowne and piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Ralph F. Wood.

1943 - USS Bonefish (SS 223) sinks Japanese transport Nichiryo Maru in the Celebes Sea while USS Pargo (SS 264) sinks the Japanese transport Shoko Maru north of Ulithi. Also on this date, USS Peto (SS 265) sinks Japanese transport Tonei Maru.

1945 - Capt. Sue S. Dauser, Navy Nurse Corps, receives the first Distinguished Service Medal awarded to a nurse for her leadership of Navy nurses during World War II.

1984 - USS Taylor (FFG 50) is commissioned. The ship is named after the late Jesse Junior Taylor, who gave his life attempting to save the life of a downed pilot during an attack on the key bridge near the North Vietnamese port of Haiphong, and consequently awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism.

2013 - Pilots and Sailors of VP-16 arrive on station at Kadena Air Base Okinawa for the first deployment of the P-8A Poseidon aircraft. The P-8A will eventually replace the venerable P-3 Orion.

2018 - The Navy commissioned its newest guided-missile destroyer, USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), at Flynn Cruiseport in Boston, Massachusetts Saturday, Dec. 1. USS Thomas Hudner honors naval aviator and Medal of Honor recipient Capt. Thomas J. Hudner Jr.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 2nd

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1891 - New York (CA 2) launches. In 1911, it is renamed Saratoga and renamed again in 1917 to Rochester. Rochester serves as the flagship of the Asiatic Fleet from 1932-33 and is decommissioned in 1933.

1908 - Rear Adm. William S. Cowles submits the report prepared by Lt. George C. Sweet recommending to the Secretary of the Navy the purchase of aircraft suitable for operating from naval ships on scouting and observation missions.

1944 - USS Sea Devil (SS 400) attacks a Japanese convoy in the East China Sea and sinks merchant tanker Akigawa Maru and passenger-cargo ship Hawaii Maru, while USS Gunnel (SS 253) evacuates 11 rescued aviators from Palawan, Philippines and turns over all available stores to Filipino forces ashore.

1944 - In order to halt resupply and reinforcement of troops on Leyte, Destroyer Division 120 leaves to attack a Japanese convoy escorted by destroyers Take and Kuwa. After midnight during the Battle of Ormoc Bay, USS Allen M. Sumner (DD 692) and USS Cooper (DD 695) sink Kuwa, but USS Cooper sinks from a torpedo.

1965 - USS Enterprise (CVAN 65) and USS Bainbridge (DLGN 25) become the first nuclear-powered task unit used in combat operations with launch of air strikes near Bien Hoa, Vietnam.

2005 - The Navy announces the selection of George Washington (CVN 73) to relieve Kitty Hawk (CV 63) in 2008 as the forward deployed carrier at FSA Yokosuka, Japan.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 3rd

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1775 - The first American flag is raised on board a Continental ship when Lt. John Paul Jones hoists the Grand Union Flag during Continental ship Alfreds commissioning at Philadelphia, Penn.

1863 - The armed steamer Cambridge captures schooner J.C. Roker off the coast of North Carolina and the schooner Emma Tuttle off Cape Fear.

1943 - USS Tinosa (SS 283) sinks the Palau-bound Japanese fleet tanker Azuma Maru northwest of Sonsorol.

1956 - The first ship converted to support the Fleet Ballistic Missile program, USS Compass Island (EAG 153), is commissioned.

1983 - Two F-14s are fired upon off Lebanon. The next day, USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) and USS Independence (CV 62) launch a strike against Syrian anti-aircraft positions. During the strike, two U.S. Navy planes, A-6E and A-7E, are shot down. In the A-6E, Lt. Mark A Lange is killed while Lt. Robert O. Goodman is captured. Goodman is released Jan. 1984.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 4th

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1918 - President Woodrow Wilson sails on board the transport George Washington for the Paris Peace Conference.

1943 - TBF aircraft from USS Lexington (CV 16), USS Independence (CVL 22), and USS Yorktown (CV 10) attack Kwajalein Atoll and sink the Japanese vessels Asakaze Maru, Tateyama Maru, Takunan Maru, and Mikuni Maru.

1944 - USS Flasher (SS 249) sinks Japanese destroyer Kishinami and damages a merchant ship in the South China Sea. Flasher is the only U.S. submarine to sink more than 100,000 tons of enemy shipping in World War II.

1950 - While serving with VF-32 from USS Leyte (CV 32) during the Korean War, Lt. j.g. Thomas J. Hudner crash-lands his plane near the Chosin reservoir in an effort to rescue Ensign Jesse L. Brown, another VF-32 pilot whose plane had been shot down. Hudner is awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions.

1965 - Gemini 7 is launched. The missions command pilot is Air Force Maj. Frank F. Borman and the pilot is Lt. Cmdr. James A. Lovell. This flight consists of 206 orbits at an altitude of 327 km and lasts 13 days and 18 hours.

1998 - USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) is commissioned at Philadelphia, Pa. The ship is named in honor of the late Marine Corps Colonel Donald G. Cook, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism in Vietnam while held as prisoner for three years by the Viet Cong.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 5th

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1813 - During the War of 1812, the frigate Congress captures the British brig Atlantic in the North Atlantic. Also on this date USS President captures schooner Comet off New York.

1862 - During the Civil War, boats from the gunboat Mahaska and the converted tug General Putnam capture and destroy several fine Confederate boats, a schooner and two sloops in branches of Severn River, Md., and bring back schooners Seven Brothers and Galena.

1941 - USS Lexington (CV 2) sails with Task Force 12 to ferry Marine aircraft to Midway, leaving no carriers at Pearl Harbor. Previously, on Nov. 28, USS Enterprise (CV 6) sails from Pearl Harbor for Wake Island to ferry Marine aircraft to island.

1943 - USS Narwhal (SS 167) embarks nine evacuees at Alubijid, Mascalar Bay and then sinks Japanese cargo ship Himeno Maru off Camiguin Island.

1944 - USS Hake (SS 256) evacuates downed aviators and turns over all supplies that can be spared to Filippino guerilla forces ashore at Libertad, Panay, Philippines.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 6th

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1861 - During the Civil War, the side-wheel steam cruiser Augusta, commanded by Cmdr. Enoch G. Parrott, captures British blockade runner Cheshire off South Carolina.

1917 - During World War I, German submarine U-53 torpedoes and sinks USS Jacob Jones (DD-61) off England with the loss of 64 lives. U-53s commanding officer, Hans Rose, in a rare gesture, reports the 38 survivors drift location to the American base in Queenstown, Ireland.

1941 - USS Decatur (DD 341), in Task Unit 4.1.4, while on escort duty with convoy ONS 39, carries out a depth charge attack on a suspicious contact in the North Atlantic.

1941 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt sends a letter to the Japanese emperor reminding the Japanese leader of their country's long-standing relationship and his concern about developments occurring in the Pacific area.

1943 - USS Raven (AM 55) rescues 16 survivors from U.S. tanker Touchet, which was sunk by German submarine U 193 three days earlier. The entire merchant complement of 50 men survive but 10 of the 30-man armed guard are lost with the ship.

1959 - Cmdr. Lawrence E. Flint, Jr., piloting a McDonnell F4H-1 Phantom II powered by two GE J-79 engines, betters the existing world altitude record by reaching 98,560 feet above Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The previous record of 94,658 feet was reached in the USSR by a TU-431 jet.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 7th

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1796 - In his Eighth Annual Message to Congress, President George Washington urges Congress to increase naval strength.

1941 - In one of the defining moments in U.S. history, the Japanese attack the U.S. Pacific Fleet and nearby military airfields and installations at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and remove the U.S. Navys battleship force as a possible threat to the Japanese Empires southward expansion. The U.S. is brought into the World War II as a full combatant.

1941 - As the Japanese attacked Midway Island, 1st Lt. George H. Cannon remains at his post until all of his wounded men are evacuated, though severely wounded himself. Because of his dedication to his men, Cannon dies due loss of blood from his wounds. For his "distinguished conduct in the line of his profession", Cannon is posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

1941 - Capt. Mervyn Sharp Bennion, commanding officer of USS West Virginia (BB 48), evidenced apparent concern only in fighting and saving his ship, and strongly protested against being carried from the bridge. For devotion to duty and courage during the Pearl Harbor attack, Bennion is awarded the Medal of Honor.

1941 - Ensign Francis C. Flaherty remains in his turret, holding a flashlight so the remainder of the turret crew could see the escape, thereby sacrificing his own life. For devotion to duty and courage during the Pearl Harbor attack, Flaherty is awarded the Medal of Honor.

1941 - Lt. Cmdr. Samuel Glenn Fuqua rushes to the quarterdeck of USS Arizona, where a large bomb hits and penetrates several decks, and the explosion starts a severe fire and also stuns and knocks him down. Upon coming to, he begins to direct the firefighting and rescue efforts. A tremendous explosion forward appears to make the ship rise out of the water, shudder and settle down by the bow. Flames envelope the forward part of the ship and spread, as wounded men pour out of the ship to the quarterdeck. Despite the mayhem, Fuqua keeps calm under pressure and continues to direct the firefighting efforts so that the wounded could be taken from the ship, and in so doing inspires everyone who sees him. Realizing that the ship cannot be saved and that he was the senior surviving officer aboard, he orders the crew to abandon ship. Fuqua remains on the quarterdeck until satisfied that all personnel that could be had been saved, after which he leaves the ship with the last boatload.

1941 - Chief Boatswain Edwin Joseph Hill leads his men of the line-handling details of USS Nevada to the quays, casts off the lines and swims back to this ship. Later, while on the forecastle attempting to let go the anchors, he is blown overboard and killed by the explosion of several bombs. Chief Hill earned the Medal of Honor that day for his distinguished conduct in the line of his profession, extraordinary courage, and disregard of his own safety during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor.

1941 - Ensign Herbert C. Jones organizes and leads a party in supplying ammunition to the antiaircraft battery of the USS California after the mechanical hoists were put out of action. Jones is then fatally wounded by a nearby bomb explosion and when two men attempt to take him from the area which was on fire, he refuses to let them, saying, in words to the effect, Leave me alone! I am done for. Get out of here before the magazines go off.

1941 - Rear Adm. Isaac C. Kidd immediately goes to the bridge and as the commander of battleship division one, he courageously performs his duties as Senior Officer Present Afloat until his flagship, USS Arizona, blows up from magazine explosions and he is killed by a direct bomb hit on the bridge.

1941 - As the mechanized ammunition hoists are put of action in USS California, Chief Radioman Thomas James Reeves, on his own initiative, in a burning passageway, assists in the maintenance of an ammunition supply by hand to the antiaircraft guns until he is overcome by smoke and fire, resulting in his death.

1941 - As his station in the forward dynamo room aboard the USS Nevada becomes almost untenable due to smoke, steam, and heat, Lt. Cmdr. Donald Kirby Ross forces his men to leave the station and performs all the duties himself until blinded and unconscious. Upon being rescued and resuscitates, he returns and secures the forward dynamo room and proceeds to the aft dynamo room where he is again rendered unconscious by exhaustion. Again recovering consciousness, he returns to his station where he remained until directed to abandon it.

1941 - Chief Aviation Ordnanceman John William Finn mans a .50-caliber machine gun mounted on an instruction stand in an exposed section of the parking ramp, under heavy enemy machine-gun strafing fire. While painfully wounded, he continued to man the gun and return the enemys fire with telling effect throughout the enemy strafing and bombing attacks. He was at last persuaded to leave his post to seek medical attention after being specifically ordered to do so. After receiving first-aid, the chief returned to the squadron area and actively supervised the rearming of returning planes. Chief (later Lieutenant) Finn earned the Medal of Honor that day for his extraordinary heroism, distinguished service, and devotion above and beyond the call of duty during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor.

1944 - The 7th Fleet forces land the 77th Army Infantry Division on the shore of Ormoc Bay. Kamikazes attack the Task Force, damaging several U.S. Navy ships. USS Ward (APD-16) is scuttled after being hit by a kamikaze.

2017 - Rear Adm. Matthew J. Carter, deputy commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, presented the Bronze Star Medal with V device for valor to Joe Ann Taylor, the daughter of Chief Boatswain's Mate Joseph L. George. Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer had previously authorized the award for George's heroic achievement while serving aboard the repair ship USS Vestal (AR 4) Dec. 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor.

2017 - Navy Chief of Chaplains Rear Adm. Margaret Kibben presented the Silver Star Medal to descendants of Chaplain Lt. j.g. Aloysius H. Schmitt. Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer had previously authorized the award (an upgrade of an earlier medal) for gallantry in action against the enemy while serving on the battleship USS Oklahoma (BB 37) Dec. 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 8th

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1846 - While commanded by Lt. Raphael Semmes, the brig Somers is a blockade runner off Vera Cruz when she is caught in a sudden storm. Capsized by the heavy winds, she quickly sinks with the loss of more than 30 of her crew. In recent years, her wreck has been discovered and explored by divers.

1941 - After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States declares war on Japan.

1941 - USS Wake (PR 3), a river gunboat moored at Shanghai, surrenders to the Japanese. During WWII, Wake is the only US Navy vessel to be captured by the enemy intact.

1942 - Eight PT boats (PT 36, PT 37, PT 40, PT 43, PT 44, PT 48, PT 59, and PT 109) turn back eight Japanese destroyers attempting to reinforce Japanese forces on Guadalcanal.

1943 - USS Sawfish (SS 276) sinks Japanese transport Sansei Maru southeast of Chi Chi Jima. Also on this date, TBFs sinks Rabaul-bound fishing boats No. 3 Yusho Maru, No.7 Fukuri Maru, No.2 Takatori Maru, and No.1 Hoko Maru.

1967 - President Lyndon B. Johnson signed legislation to create the Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps of the Department of the Navy. The law established active-duty attorneys as a distinct professional group, and it ushered in a new era of legal administration within the Navy.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 9th

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1864 - While operating on the Roanoke River at Rainbow Bluff, N.C., the side-wheel gunboat Otsego strikes two Confederate mines. The steam tugboat Bazely rushes to help Otsego, but she also hits a mine. Both vessels eventually sink. During this operation, the side-wheel gunboat Wyalusing provides fire cover while boats dragged for mines.

1938 - A prototype shipboard radar, XAF, designed and built by the Naval Research Laboratory, is installed on USS New York (BB-34). Installation on U.S. Navy vessels begins in 1940 and proves fruitful in detecting the enemy in World War II.

1941 - USS Swordfish (SS 193) makes initial U.S. submarine attack on Japanese ship, torpedoing a ship 150 miles west of Manila. Her claim of sinking, though, is not confirmed in enemy records.

1944 - USS Charles F. Hughes (DD 428) and USS Madison (DD 425) bombard German coast artillery positions and troop concentrations along the Franco-Italian border.

2017 - The Navy launches its latest branding campaign aimed at attracting a new generation of recruits during live national coverage of the Army-Navy football game. The launch also marks the debut of the Navy's new tagline, "Forged by the Sea."

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 10th

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1843 - The first steam ship with screw propeller, Princeton, is launched. In 1844, its guns explode during a demonstration and kill Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur, Secretary of the Navy Thomas Gilmer and several others.

1941 - SBD aircraft from USS Enterprise (CV 6) attack and sink the Japanese submarine I-70 north of Hawaiian Islands. A participant in the Pearl Harbor attack, I-70 is the first major Japanese combatant ship sunk during World War II.

1941 - A PBY aircraft piloted by Lt. Harmon T. Utter is attacked by three Japanese Mitsubishi A6M2 Type 0 carrier fighters. Chief Boatswain Earl D. Payne, Utter's bow gunner, shoots one down, scoring the Navy's first verifiable air-to-air kill of a Japanese plane in the Pacific War.

1982 - The nuclear powered USS Ohio (SSBN 726), first Trident-Class submarine, returns from its first deterrent patrol.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 11th

1863 - During the Civil War, the iron-clad river gunboat Carondelet fires upon Confederate troops that are firing upon iron-clad river gunboat Indianola, which had been stuck on a bar in the Mississippi River since earlier that year and had not yet been freed. The effective counter-fire by Carondelet drives off the Confederates.

1865 - Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles writes to Secretary of State William H. Seward, complaining of the action of the British government in releasing the officers and crew of CSS Shenandoah.

1941 - The Wake Island Garrison under Cmdr. Winfield Cunningham repulses the Japanese invasion force with shore battery fire that sink Japanese destroyer Hayate while Marine F4Fs sink destroyer Kisaragi.

1941 - The United States declares war on Germany and Italy.

1943 - The U.S. Navy dispatches vessels to help the U.S. collier Suffolk, which is foundering and eventually sinks in a storm.

1944 - USS Gar (SS 206) lands 35 tons of supplies at Darigayos Inlet on the west coast of Luzon and picks up secret intelligence documents. Also on this date, USS Sea Owl (SS 405) sinks Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 76 in the East China Sea.

1954 - The first supercarrier USS Forrestal (CVA 59) is launched.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 12th

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1862 - During the Civil War, a Confederate torpedo (mine) sinks USS Cairo in Yazoo River. Her wreck is recovered in 1965, but is badly damaged during the salvage efforts.

1937 - After Japan invades Nanking, China, USS Panay (PR 5) evacuates American citizens when it comes under attack from Japanese aircraft, killing three men and wounding 43 sailors and five civilians.

1941 - The Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) is established.

1942 - Five torpedo boats attack 11 Japanese destroyers off Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal. Motor torpedo boats PT 37 and PT 40 sink Japanese destroyer Terutsuki. In return, the Japanese destroyers Kawakaze and Suzukaze sink PT 44 off Savo Island.

1972 - Capt. Eugene A. Cernan, commander of Apollo 17, walks on the Moon and raises the U.S. flag. Cmdr. Ronald E. Evans is the Command Module Pilot and Harrison H. Schmitt is the Lunar Module pilot. The mission lasts 12 days, 13 hours and 52 minutes.

2001 - USS Russell (DDG 59) recovers four crewmembers from an Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber, which crashed at about 11:30 a.m. EST into the Indian Ocean 30 miles north of the British base of Diego Garcia.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 13th

1775 - The Continental Congress provides for the construction of five ships of 32 guns, five ships of 28 guns, and three ships of 24 guns at an estimated cost of $866,666. The ships are Hancock, Randolph, Raleigh, Warren, Washington, Congress, Effingham, Providence, Trumbull, Virginia, Boston, Delaware, and Montgomery.

1941 - Cmdr. William A. Sullivan is designated the first Supervisor of Salvage.

1943 - USS Osmond Ingram (DD 255), USS George E. Badger (DD 196), USS Clemson (DD 186), and FMs VC-19 from USS Bogue (CVE 9) sink German submarine U 172 west of the Canary Islands.

1943 - USS Wainwright (DD 419) and British destroyer HMS Calpe sink German submarine U-593 150 miles northeast of Algiers.

1943 - USS Sailfish (SS 192) sinks Japanese cargo ship Totai Maru east of Tokara Strait while PBY aircraft sink Tokiwa Maru in the Bismarck Sea.