This Day In United States Naval History

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This Day In United States Naval History - September 16th

1814 - A squadron from the schooner USS Carolina attacks and raids the base of the pirate Jean Lafitte, at Barataria, La., capturing six schooners and other small craft while the pirates flee the attack.

1823 - Samuel Southard becomes the seventh Secretary of the Navy, serving until March 3, 1829. During his tenure, he enlarges the Navy, improves administration, purchases land for the first Naval Hospitals, begins construction of the first Navy dry docks, undertakes surveying U.S. coastal waters and promotes exploration in the Pacific Ocean.

1854 - Mare Island, Calif. becomes the first permanent U.S. naval installation on the west coast, with Cmdr. David G. Farragut as its first base commander.

1922 - Cmdr. Halsey Powell in USS Edsall (DD 219 becomes the senior officer directing the evacuation of 250,000 Greek refugees from Turkey after war between Greece and Turkey.

1944 - USS Barb (SS 220) sinks the Japanese 11,700-ton tanker, Azusa, and the 20,000-ton escort carrier, Unyo, 200 miles southeast of Hong Kong. Additionally, while off Yokosuka, Japan, USS Sea Devil (SS 400) sinks the Japanese submarine I-364.

1947 - The National Security Act becomes effective after the bill signed by President Harry S. Truman on July 26, 1947. The Act realigns and reorganizes the U.S. Armed Forces, foreign policy, and Intelligence Community apparatus in the aftermath of World War II. The Act merges the Department of War and the Department of the Navy into the National Military Establishment, headed by the Secretary of Defense, Adm. James Forrestal.

1958 - USS Grayback (SSG 574) fires the first operational launch of a Regulus II surface-to- surface guided missile, while off the coast of California.

1966 - USS Oriskany (CVA 34) helicopters rescue 44 men of British merchant ship, Aug. Moon, as she was breaking up in heavy seas on Pratas Reef 175 miles southeast of Hong Kong.

1994 - USS Charlotte (SSN 766) is commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk. The 16th of the Los Angeles-class(improved) attack submarines, the boat is the fourth Navy ship to be named for the North Carolina city.

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This Day In United States Naval History - September 17th

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1787 - The Continental Convention signs the Constitution of the United States at Philadelphia, Pa., replacing the Articles of the Confederation. Named in honor of the Constitution, USS Constitution is launched in 1797 and to date is the world's oldest commissioned U.S. Navy ship in service.

1852 - A party of Marines from USS Jamestown land at Buenos Aires, Argentina, to protect Americans during a revolution. During this time, USS Jamestown serves as part of the Brazil Squadron.

1861 - During the Civil War, a landing party from USS Massachusetts takes possession of Ship Island, Miss., forcing the Confederates to evacuate.

1902 - Landing parties of Marines and Sailors from the sternwheel gunboat USS Cincinnati go ashore at Coln, Panama (later Colombia) to protect American property during a period of unrest.

1944 - The Naval Task Force under Rear Adm. William H. P. Blandy lands Army troops on Angaur, Palau Islands, supported by Navy carrier aircraft from USS Wasp (CV 7)and shore bombardment from USS Tennessee. Two days later, Marines land. On Sept. 20, the island is declared secure.

2011 - USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) is christened and launched at Mobile, Ala. The joint high-speed vessel provides rapid transport of military equipment and personnel in theater.

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This Day In United States Naval History - September 18th

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1860 - The sloop of war, USS Levant, sails from Hawaii for Panama. She is never seen again. In June 1861 a mast and a part of a lower yardarm believed to be from USS Levant are found near Hilo. Spikes had been driven into the mast as if to a form a raft. Some rumors had her running aground on an uncharted reef off California; others had her defecting to the Confederacy.

1906 - A Marine battalion from USS Dixie lands at Cienfuegos, Cuba to reinforce a party guarding American owned plantations, where tensions are still high from the stalled revolution attempt from Sept. 13.

1936 - Squadron 40-T, based in the Mediterranean, is established to protect U.S. interests and evacuate U.S. citizens around the Iberian Peninsula throughout the Spanish Civil War.

1943 - U.S. Navy aircraft perform aerial raids on the Tarawa Makin Islands, where the aerial photography taken proves to be fruitful for the oncoming invasion of the islands.

1947 - Pursuant to provisions of the National Security Act of 1947 of the previous July 26, the Department of the Air Force is established.

1993 - USS Gladiator (MCM 11) is commissioned at Naval Station Newport, R.I. The 11th Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship is the third U.S. ship named Gladiator.

1993 - USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) is commissioned at her homeport of Naval Station Norfolk. The guided-missile cruiser is the 26th in the Ticonderoga-class and the second Navy ship to be named after the famed Battle of Vella Gulf from the Solomons campaign of World War II.

2004 - USS Chung Hoon (DDG 93) is commissioned. USS Chung Hoon is named in honor of Rear Adm. Gordon Pai'ea Chung-Hoon, first Asian-American Naval Academy graduate and first Asian-American flag officer. During World War II, he was in command of USS Sigsbee (DD 502) when a kamikaze crashed into her in Apr. 1945.

2008 - USNS Carl Brashear (T-AKE 7) is christened and launched at San Diego, Calif. The dry cargo ship provides ammunition, food, repair, parts, stores and small quantities of fuel for the U.S. Marine Corps. The ship is named for Master Chief Carl Brashear, the first African American Master Diver in the U.S. Navy and the first amputee to be recertified as a diver after amputation.

2017 - Hurricane Maria makes landfall with the Caribbean island of Dominica. Joint Task Force-Leeward Islands (JTF-LI) was established to support relief efforts in St. Martin and Dominica as requested by the U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA). JTF-LI with the USS Wasp (LHD 1) assisted with the evacuation of 2,073 American Citizens (AMCITs) from St. Martin and at least 178 AMCITs from Dominica. Additionally, the JTF-LI provided 83,020 gallons of potable water to St. Martin and assisted with distributing relief supplies to Dominica.

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This Day In United States Naval History - September 19th

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1777 - During the American Revolution, the British cutter HMS Alert captures the brig Lexington.

1862 - The side-wheel ram Queen of the West exchanges sharp fire with Confederate infantry and artillery above Bolivar, Miss., while escorting two troop transports.

1864 - Confederates seize steamer Philo Parsons, in an attempt to bribe USS Michigan officers and crew for the release of Confederate prisoners. The plot is foiled and the mission aborted.

1942 - USS Hughes (DD 410), while serving in Task Force Seventeen (TF 17), rescues the surviving crewmen of a USAAF (B 17) that makes a forced landing in the Coral Sea one week before.

1944 - USS Shad (SS 235) torpedoes and sinks Japanese coast defense ship, Ioshima. (ex-Chinese cruiser, Ning Hai) 85 miles off Hachij, Jima.

1952 - USS Alfred A. Cunningham (DD 752) takes fire from three guns, estimated 105 to 155 mm in the Wonsan area of Korea. Thirteen personnel casualties, none fatal, were suffered. She expended 75 rounds of 5 inch and 84 of 3 inch in return counter battery fire. After emergency repairs, USS Alfred A. Cunningham was able to continue her combat operations.

1957 - Bathyscaphe Trieste, in a dive sponsored by the Office of Naval Research in the Mediterranean, reaches a record depth of two miles. Three years later, Trieste would set a new record of seven miles on Jan. 23, 1960.

1992 - USNS Loyal (T-AGOS 22) is christened and launched at McDermott Shipyards, Morgan City, Louisiana. The Military Sealift Command ship conducts surveillance towed array sensory system operations.

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This Day In United States Naval History - September 20th

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1942 - During World War II, the U.S. Naval Operating Base at Auckland, New Zealand, is established.

1943 - USS S-28 (SS 133) sinks Japanese gunboat No. 2 Katsura Maru, 165 miles southwest of Paramushir, Kuril Islands.

1943- While conducting daylight reconnaissance of the Bay of Naples to investigate German shore battery activity on the Sorrento Peninsula, Motor Torpedo Boats PT 204 and PT 209 are showered with water from near-hits but escape damage. They chart the location of the battery before leaving the area.

1951- During Operation Summit, the first helicopter-borne landing of a combat unit is performed when Marines are landed by Marine helicopter squadron (HMR 161) in dense fog in Korea.

1981 - Philippine Navy frigate, Datu Kalantia, previously, USS Booth (DE 170), is forced aground by Typhoon Clara while at anchor near Clayan Island, 340 miles north of Manila. USS Mount Hood (AE 29), with a special medical team embarks and joins in on rescue operations on Sept. 21. Only 18 members of the crew survive.

1986 - USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) is commissioned at Charlestown Naval Shipyard in Boston, near the American Revolutionary War battleground for which the ship is named.

1997 - USS Bataan (LHD 5) is commissioned at Pascagoula, Miss. It is the second US Navy ship named in remembrance of the valiant resistance of American and Filipino troops on the Bataan Peninsula in the dawning days of World War II.

2017 - Hurricane Maria makes landfall in Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm with deadly flooding. The Navy responds by sending USS Wasp (LHD 1), USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), USS Oak Hill (LSD 51), USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) and 17 aircraft to provide humanitarian assistance that lasts until Nov. 20.

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This Day In United States Naval History - September 21st

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1858 - The sloop, USS Niagara, departs Charleston, S. C., for Liberia carrying 200 Africans liberated from the slave brig Echo off the coast of Cuba by USS Dolphin.

1860 - The sloop USS Portsmouth captures the American slave ship Emily at Loango, Africa.

1862 - During the Civil War, the wooden screw gunboat USS Albatross, commanded by Cmdr. Henry French, captures the schooner Two Sisters off the Rio Grande River. The schooner later serves in the East Gulf Blockading Squadron.

1944 - USS Haddo (SS 255) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese survey ship, Katsuriki, off Manila, Philippines.

1956 - An F11F Tiger aircraft shoots itself down while conducting firing tests over eastern Long Island, N.Y. The plane runs into 20-mm projectiles, which fires seconds before at a higher altitude.

2017 - The Navy awards a $5.1 billion contract to General Dynamics Electric Boat for Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD) of the Columbia-class Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine (SSBN). The IPPD contract award includes design, completion, component and technology development and prototyping work.

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This Day In United States Naval History - September 22nd

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1861 - Commodore William W. McKean assumes command of the Gulf Blockading Squadron.

1863 - During the Civil War, USS De Soto, commanded by Capt. W. M. Walker, recaptures the Army tug Leviathan in the Gulf of Mexico, some 40 miles off shore. She had been captured by the Confederates earlier in the day.

1944 - USS Yukon (AF 9) is hit in her starboard side by a torpedo fired by German submarine U-979, about 43 miles west of Reykjavik, Iceland. Damaged, she steams at three knots until her SOS is responded to by tugs from Reykjavik.

1952 - During the Korean War, enemy guns fire on Sosari. HMS Cardigan Bay (PF) and USS Bradford (DD 545) provide direct counter battery fire, silencing the guns.

1959 - USS Patrick Henry (SSBN 599) is launched. In 1982, her ballistic missile tubes are disabled, and she is reclassified as an attack submarine.

1979 - USNS Catawba (T-ATF 168) is christened and launched at Marinette marine Corp, Marinette, Wisc. The fleet ocean tug, provides towing, diving and standby submarine rescue services to the Navys numbered fleet commanders.

1989 - After Hurricane Hugo, Sailors and Marines provide assistance to Charleston, S.C. through Oct. 10.

1990 - USNS Kanawha (T-AO 196) is christened and launched at the Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Chester, Penn. The Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler provides underway replenishment of fuel, fleet cargo and stores to the Navy through the Military Sealift Command.

2012 - USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) is commissioned in Galveston, Texas. The littoral combat ship is the first US Navy warship to be named after the fifth largest city in Texas.

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This Day In United States Naval History - September 23rd

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1779 - The frigate, Bonhomme Richard, commanded by John Paul Jones, engages HMS Serapis. During the battle, with his ship nearly destroyed, he refuses to surrender, shouting I have not yet begun to fight. With assistance from the Continental frigate Alliance, John Paul Jones captures Serapis. Two days later, Bonhomme Richard sinks under the sea.

1813 - During the War of 1812, the frigate President, commanded by Commodore John Rodgers, captures the British HMS High Flyer off Nantucket Sound.

1861 - Rear Adm. Louis M. Goldsborough assumes command of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron including operations in the Chesapeake during the Civil War.

1931 - The first landing of an autogiro on board an aircraft carrier is made by Lt. Alfred M. Pride, USN, in a (XOP 1), onboard USS Langley (CV 1) while underway.

1944 - USS West Virginia (BB 48) reaches Pearl Harbor and rejoins the Pacific Fleet, marking the end of the salvage and reconstruction of 18 ships damaged Dec. 7, 1941.

1989 - USNS Pecos (T-AO 197) is christened and launched at the Avondale Shipyards in New Orleans, La. The Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler provides underway replenishment of fuel, fleet cargo and stores to the Navy through the Military Sealift Command.

1990 - During Operation Desert Shield, the two hospital ships, USNS Mercy (T AH 19) and USNS Comfort (T AH 20), steam together for first time in the Persian Gulf.

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This Day In United States Naval History - September 24th

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1864 - The steam tug USS Fuschia and the sidewheel steamer Thomas Freeborn conduct a raid against a boat works above Milford Haven, Va., on Stutts Creek. Some three miles upstream a force of 40 sailors land, destroying four Confederate boats, capturing five, and demolishing a fishery.

1918 - Lt. j.g. David S. Ingalls, while on a test flight in a Sopwith Camel, sights an enemy two-seat Rumpler over Nieuport. In company with another Camel he attacks and scores his fifth aerial victory in six weeks to become the Navy's first ace.

1941 - USS Eberle (DD 430) is screening convoy HX 150 in Task Unit 4.1.1. when she rescues the crew of British freighter, Nigaristan after it suffered an engine room fire.

1943 - USS Cabrilla (SS 288) attacks three Japanese ships, a carrier, escort carrier and destroyer, northwest of Chichi Jima.

1960 - USS Charles Berry (DE 1035) begins a goodwill cruise of the southern Philippine Islands, visiting the small cities not usually visited by naval units.

1960 - The first nuclear powered aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise (CVAN 65), is launched at Newport News, Va. In 1975, she is designated (CVN 65).

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This Day In United States Naval History - September 25th

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1863 - Commodore Henry H. Bell reports to Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles from New Orleans about the yellow fever outbreak onboard steamers coming into port.

1925 - USS S-51 sinks after being rammed by SS City of Rome off Block Island, R.I., killing 33 of her crew.

1943
USS Skill (AM 115) is sunk by German submarine (U 593) in Gulf of Salerno. Only 32 of her men survive from the 103 officers and men on board.

1944 - USS Searaven (SS 196) is attacked by a Japanese small craft off southwest tip of Etorofu, Kurils. USS Barbel (SS 316) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship, Bushu Maru, off Togara Gunto. Additionally, USS Guardfish (SS 217) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship, No.2, Miyakawa Maru, in the Yellow Sea off Chinnampo. Also, on this day,USS Thresher (SS 200) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship, Nissei Maru, in the Yellow Sea.

1952 - USS Taylor (DD 468) is fired on by a shore battery in the vicinity of Wonsan, Korea. Counter-battery fire by USS Taylor silences the enemy guns.

1957 - In project Stratoscope, Office of Naval Research obtains sharp photographs of sun's corona from first balloon-borne telescope camera.

1982 - USS Houston (SSN 713) is commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk. For two months in 1989, the boat participated in the filming of The Hunt for Red October off the coasts of Washington and California.

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This Day In United States Naval History - September 26th

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1860 - The sloop-of-war, USS Constellation captures the American slaver Cora with 705 slaves on board off the Congo River. The newly freed slaves are taken to Monrovia, Liberia.

1863 - During the Civil War, the double-ender side-wheel steamer, USS Tioga captures Confederate steamer Herald near the Bahamas off the Florida Keys with cargo including cigars and sugar.

1918 - After shepherding a convoy to the Irish Sea, while under the command of the U.S. Navy during World War I, Coast Guard cutter Tampa is steaming through the Bristol Channel when she is torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine UB-91. All those on board, 115 crew members and 16 passengers, are killed, resulting in the greatest combat-related loss of life suffered by the U.S. Naval forces during WWI.

1931 - The keel to USS Ranger (CV 4) is laid at Newport News, Va. She is the first ship designed and constructed as an aircraft carrier.

1944 - USS Pargo (SS 264) sinks the Japanese minelayer, Aotaka, off Borneo. Also on this date, USS McCoy Reynolds (DE 440) sinks Japanese submarine I-175 northeast of Palau.

1961 - USNS Potomac (T AO 181) is damaged by fire and explosion while at Morehead City, N.C.

1963 - First steam-eject launch of Polaris missile at sea occurs off Cape Canaveral, Fla., from USS Observation Island (EAG 154).

1987 - USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) is commissioned at Port Everglades, Fla. The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser is the ninth in her class and the second to be named after the World War II Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Pacific.

1991 - USNS Effective (T-AGOS 21) is christened and launched at Morgan City, La. The Military Sealift Command vessel is one of several ocean surveillance ships that conduct Surveillance Towed Array Sensory System (SURTASS).

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This Day In United States Naval History - September 27th

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1860 - A landing party of Marines are put ashore at Panama from the sloop-of-war, USS St. Mary's, during an insurrection. The Marines capture the railroad station in an attempt to establish order.

1863 - During the Civil War, the steamer USS Clyde seizes the Confederate schooner Amaranth near the Florida Keys.

1941 - SS Patrick Henry, the first U.S. Liberty ship, is launched by President Franklin D. Roosevelt at Baltimore, Md. Numerous other vessels are launched on that day, known as "Liberty Fleet Day."

1942 - The freighter, SS Stephen Hopkins, engages the German auxiliary cruiser, Stier, and supply ship, Tannenfels, in a surface gunnery action in the central South Atlantic. Stier sinks SS Stephen Hopkins but the German raider sinks after having receiving heavy damage by SS Stephen Hopkins naval armed guard, Lt. j.g. Kenneth M. Willett. For his actions, Willett posthumously receives the Navy Cross.

1942 - While leading a group of landing craft during the Guadalcanal Campaign, Signalman 1st Class Douglas A. Munro, USCG, participates in the evacuation of the First Battalion, Seventh Marines from Matanikau River, Guadalcanal. Using his boat as a shield between the Japanese and the Marines, he enables the operation to proceed successfully, but is killed by enemy gunfire. For his "extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry", Munro is posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

1944 - USS Apogon (SS-308) sinks the Japanese cargo ship Hachirogata Maru in the Sea of Okhotsk off Shimushir Island. Also on this date, USS Plaice (SS-390) sinks Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.10, 100 miles north-northwest of Amami-O-Shima.

1955 - A P2V-5 Neptune patrol plane of Early Warning Squadron 4 is lost with nine crew members and two journalists while tracking Hurricane Janet over the Caribbean Sea.

1986 - USS Chicago (SSN 721) is commissioned at Norfolk, VA. The Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine is the fourth U.S. Navy ship to be named after the Windy City of Illinois, and is ideally suited for covert surveillance, intelligence gathering and special forces missions.

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This Day In United States Naval History - September 28th

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1822 - Under Commodore David Porter's West India Squadron, the sloop of war USS Peacock raids a pirate camp at Funda Bay, burning two pirate boats, capturing five others, while also liberating "89 sacks of coffee concealed in the woods...."

1850 - Flogging on Navy and merchant marine ships is abolished by an appropriation bill by Congress, which President Millard Fillmore signs into law.

1861 - During the Civil War, the side-wheel steamer USS Susquehanna captures Confederate schooner San Juan bound for Elizabeth City, N.C., with a cargo of salt, sugar, and gin.

1957 - After reconfiguration and reclassification, the former LST-32 becomes USS Alameda County (AVB 1), an advance aviation base ship. The first of her class, she is designated to provide fuel, spare parts, technicians, and facilities necessary to establish and operate an airstrip for patrol and carrier aircraft in locations where there are no base facilities.

1964 - The first deployment of a Polaris A-3 missile takes place on board USS Daniel Webster (SSBN 626) from Charleston, S.C.

1991 - USS Asheville (SSN 758) is commissioned during a ceremony at Newport News, Va. The Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered submarine is the fourth ship in the Navy to be named after the city in North Carolina, and is ideally suited for covert surveillance, intelligence gathering and special forces missions.

1991 - USNS Rainier (T-AOE 7) is christened and launched at San Diego, Calif. The fast combat support ship delivers petroleum products, ammunition, food and other cargo to ships at sea. It is Military Sealift Commands largest combat logistics ship and the third Navy vessel to be named after Mount Rainier in Washington. The ship is based out of Bremerton, Wash.

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This Day In United States Naval History - September 29th

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1829 - The brig-sloop USS Hornet is driven from her anchorage off Tampico, Mexico by a gale. She is never seen again and her crew of 140 is lost.

1854
The sloop-of-war USS Albany departs Aspinwall, Columbia (now Colon, Panama) for New York with a crew of 193. She is never seen again.

1906 - USS Connecticut (BB 18) is commissioned. During World War I, USS Connecticut is employed as a training ship off the United States East Coast and in the Chesapeake Bay. In the first half of 1919, she serves as a transport, making four trans-Atlantic voyages to bring home veterans from France.

1944
USS Narwhal (SS 167) evacuates 81 allied prisoners of war from Lanboyan Point, Sindangan Bay, Mindanao, Philippines. They had survived the Sept. 7 sinking of Japanese POW transport Shinyo Maru.

1946 - Lockheed P2V Neptune, Truculent Turtle, departs Perth, Australia on a long distance non-stop, non-refueling flight to the mainland United States that ends on Oct. 1 at Columbus, Ohio. The flight breaks the world record for distance without fueling at 11,235.6 miles over 55 hours and 17 minutes.

1959 - USS Kearsarge (CVS 33), with Helicopter Squadron 6 and other 7th Fleet units, begin six days of disaster relief to Nagoya, Japan, after Typhoon Vera.

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This Day In United States Naval History - September 30th

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1800 - French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and American envoys sign the Treaty of Mortefontaine that releases the United States from its Revolutionary War alliance with France and ends the Quasi-War.

1918 - During World War I, German submarine U-152 sinks USS Ticonderoga. Seriously wounded early in the battle, commanding officer Lt. Cmdr. James J. Madison remains on the bridge controlling the ships fight until she is abandoned. The lost included 112 Sailors and 101 Soldiers and was the greatest combat loss of life on any US Navy ship during World War I. For his "exceptionally heroic service" during this action, Lt. Cmdr. Madison is awarded the Medal of Honor.

1943 - USS Bowfin (SS 287) delivers supplies and evacuates people from Siquijor Island, Philippines and sinks Japanese cargo ship, Mitake Maru. Also on this date, USS Harder (SS 257) sinks Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser No.3 Shosei Maru, while USS Pogy (SS 266) sinks Japanese army transport, Maebashi Maru, 300 miles east of Palau.

1944 - USS Nautilus (SS 168) lands 95 tons of supplies, 70 drums of gasoline, and four drums of oil at designated spot on Panay, Philippine Islands and embarks 47 evacuees (seven servicemen, 10 women, five civilian males, and 25 children).

1944 - USS Fessenden (DE 142) depth charges and sinks German submarine, (U 1062), south of the Cape Verde Islands.

1954 - The world's first nuclear-powered submarine, USS Nautilus (SSN 571), is commissioned at Groton, Conn. On Aug. 3, 1958, she is the first U.S. vessel to transit across the geographic North Pole. Nautilus now serves as the historic ship at the Submarine Force Museum at Groton.

1981 - USS La Jolla (SSN 701) is commissioned at Naval Submarine Base New London, Groton, Conn., before transferring to its new homeport of Naval Submarine Base Point Loma in San Diego, Calif. The Los Angeles-class attack submarine is ideally suited for covert surveillance, intelligence gathering and Special Forces missions.

1995 - USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) is commissioned at Julia Street Wharf in New Orleans, La. The Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship is the second U.S. Navy ship to be named for the historical estate in Clarke County, Va., built by Nathaniel Burwell to honor his grandfather, Robert King Carter, a wealthy plantation owner and acting governor of Virginia in 1726-27.