This Day In United States Naval History

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - October 14th

1862 - The Union iron screw gunboat Memphis, with acting commander Lt. P.G. Watmough, captures blockade running British steamer Ouachita at sea off Cape Roman, S.C. during the Civil War.

1915 - The keel to first electrically-driven battleship USS New Mexico (BB 40) is laid. She is commissioned May 1918, and later provides numerous off-shore bombardments during World War II in the Pacific.

1935 - Lt. Cmdr. Knefler McGinnis, Lt. j.g. James K. Averil, NAP Thomas P. Wilkerson and a crew of three fly an XP3Y-1 consolidated patrol plane from Cristobal Harbor, Canal Zone to Alameda, Calif. in 34 hours and 45 minutes and establish a new world record for Class C seaplanes of 3,281.383 miles.

1942 - USS Greenling (SS 213) sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Takusei Maru six miles off Todo Saki near the northern coast of Honshu and USS Sculpin (SS 191) sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Sumiyoshi Maru 75 miles southwest of Kavieng, New Ireland.

1965 - The 1,200-nautical-mile range Polaris A-1 fleet ballistic missile is retired from service when submarine Abraham Lincoln (SSBN 602) returns to the United States for overhaul and refitting with 2,500-nautical-mile range Polaris A-3s.

2017 - Following more than 46 years of honorable naval service, the afloat forward staging base (interim) USS Ponce (AFSB(I) 15) is decommissioned during a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - October 15th

1917 - USS Cassin (DD 43) is torpedoed by German submarine U 61 off the coast of Ireland. In trying to save the ship, Gunner's Mate 1st Class Osmond Kelly Ingram is killed. Ingram is posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism and, in 1919, becomes the first enlisted man to have a ship named for him.

1943 - USS Tullibee (SS 284) attacks a 10-ship Japanese convoy in Formosa Strait and sinks the transport Chicago Maru.

1948 - The first women officers on active duty are sworn in as commissioned officers in the Regular Navy under the Womens Armed Services Integration Act of June 1948 by Secretary of the Navy John L. Sullivan. The women are Capt. Joy B. Hancock, Lt. Cmdr. Winifred R. Quick, Lt. Cmdr. Anne King, Lt. Cmdr. Frances L. Willoughby, Lt. Ellen Ford, Lt. Doris Cranmore, Lt. j.g. Doris A. Defenderfer, and Lt. j.g. Betty Rae Tennant.

1955 - The Navy sets the world speed record for the 500 km closed circuit course at Muroc, Calif. when Lt. Gordon Gray flies an A-4D Skyhawk at 695.163 mph.

1965 - U.S. Naval Support Activity Da Nang, Vietnam is established. During the Vietnam War, it becomes the U.S. Navys largest overseas logistics command. In 1973, U.S. Naval Support Activity Da Nang is disestablished.

1992 - HS-14 becomes the first U.S. squadron to land aircraft on the deck of Russian warship, when an SH-3H Sea King set down onto Udaloy-class destroyer Admiral Vinogradov during joint exercises in the Persian Gulf.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - October 16th

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1821 - The schooner Enterprise, commanded by Lawrence Kearny, engages four pirate schooners and one pirate sloop off Cape Antonio, Cuba who are in the act of robbing two American vessels and one British ship. The pirate leader, Capt. Charles Gibbs, escapes to shore but his ship and two others were burned. The remaining ships are sent to Charleston, S.C. as prizes.

1861 - The Union screw steamer South Carolina captures the schooner Edward Barnard, with a cargo of turpentine on board, at Southwest Pass, Mississippi River.

1885 - Capt. Alfred Thayer Mahan becomes the superintendent of the Naval War College at Newport, R.I.

1891 - Two sailors from the cruiser Baltimore are killed and 17 are injured by a mob in Valparaiso, Chile. The incident shifts relations between the United States and Chile. In 1892 Chile pays $75,000 in gold for restitution and apologizes for the incident.

1942 - USS Thresher (SS 200) mines the approaches to Bangkok, Thailand, the first US Navy submarine mine plant during World War II.

1943 - The Navy accepts its first helicopter, a Sikorsky YR-4B (HNS-1) at Bridgeport, Ct., following a 60-minute test flight by U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Frank A. Erickson.

1957 - USS Lake Champlain (CVS 39) reaches Valencia, Spain to assist in flood rescue work at the request of the American ambassador to Spain, John Davis Lodge. The ship's Chickasaw helicopters undertake numerous rescue missions, and the ship's crew fight in the "mud battle" that follows the disaster.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - October 17th

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1863 - Sailors from the Union screw steam gunboat Tahoma and side-wheel steamer Adela board the blockade runners Scottish Chief and Kate Dale at Old Tampa Bay, Fla. and destroy them. During the battle, five of the landing party are killed, 10 are wounded and five are taken prisoner. This mission also diverts the real attention from the shelling of Tampa, Fla.

1918 - German submarine U-155 torpedoes and sinks the freighter S.S. Lucia in the Atlantic. Despite being rigged with buoyancy boxes to render her virtually unsinkable, a torpedo penetrates the engine room, killing two men and sinking her the next day. USS Fairfax (DD 93) rescues her crew and transfers them to armored cruiser No. 5 USS Huntington.

1922 - The Vought VE-7SF, piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Virgil C. Griffin, makes the Navys first carrier takeoff from USS Langley (CV 1), anchored in York River, Va.

1941 - Before the United States' entry into World War II, German submarine U-568 torpedoes and damages USS Kearny (DD 432) near Iceland, killing 11 and injuring 22.

1942 - USS Trigger (SS 237) sinks the Japanese freighter Holland Maru near the mouth of Bungo Strait off Kyushu, Japan. Lost in action with all hands later in the war, Trigger receives 11 battle stars for her World War II service and the Presidential Unit Citation for her fifth, sixth, and seventh war patrols.

1943 - USS Tarpon (SS 175) sinks German auxiliary cruiser Michel (Schiffe No. 28) off Chichi Jima, Bonin Islands.

1944 - Naval forces land Army rangers on islands at the entrance to Leyte Gulf in preparation for landing operations on Leyte Island.

1962 - Operation Blue Moon—low-level reconnaissance flights over Cuba to help verify Soviet military deployments to that country—becomes operational. VFP-62 initially prepares ten photo variant RF-8A Crusaders with aerial cameras for high-speed, low-level photo missions, and places four of the jets on four-hour alert at NAS Cecil Field, FL, but subsequently shifts the Crusaders to NAS Key West, FL.

1986 - Aboard USS America (CV 66), Lt. Cmdr. Barry D. Gabler of VFP-206, the Navy’s last photoreconnaissance squadron, makes the final catapult takeoff and carrier landing of an F-8 Crusader.

1989 - An earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale devastates northern California killing 62 people. HM-15 Detachment 3, HC-1, and HC-11 Detachment conduct lifts of food, water, and relief materials to the heavily damaged areas from ammunition ship Flint (AE 32) and fast combat support ship Kansas City (AOE 3). Amphibious assault ship Peleliu (LHA 5) provides food and shelter to 300 homeless earthquake victims.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - October 18th

1812 - The sloop-of-war Wasp, commanded by Master Commandant Jacob Jones, captures HMS Frolic. After a severe engagement of 43 minutes, both vessels are dismasted. HMS Poictiers appears shortly thereafter and Wasp has to surrender as it can neither run nor hope to fight such an overwhelming opponent as the 74-gun ship-of-the-line. Wasp serves the British as HMS Peacock until it is lost off the Virginia Capes in 1813.

1867 - The sloop-of-war Ossipee and the third-class screw steamer Resaca participate in formal transfer of Alaska from Russia to U.S. authority at Sitka and remain to enforce law and order in the new territory.

1944 - USS Bluegill (SS 242) and USS Raton (SS 270) attack a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea. Bluegill sinks the army cargo ships Arabia Maru and Chinsei Maru and freighter Hakushika Maru. Raton sinks the army cargo ships Taikai Maru and Shiranesan Maru.

1977 - USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) is commissioned at Norfolk, Va. The Ike, named after the nations 34th president, is the third nuclear-powered and second Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.

2003 - USS Chafee (DDG 90) is commissioned at Newport, R.I. The first U.S. Navy ship named to honor John Hubbard Chafee, the late Senator from Rhode Island, who also served as Secretary of the Navy under President Nixon.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - October 19th

1843 - While commanding the first screw propelled U.S. naval steamer Princeton, Capt. Robert F. Stockton challenges the British merchant ship Great Western to a speed race off New York. Princeton easily wins the race.

1864 - The steamer Mobile captures schooner Emily off San Luis Pass, Texas with a cargo of 150 bales of cotton.

1915 - The Naval Submarine Base at New London, Conn. is established.

1944 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt approves Secretary of Navy James V. Forrestal's order for African American women to be accepted into the Naval Reserve.

1987 - U.S. Navy destroyers destroy two Iranian oil-drilling platforms during Operation Nimble Archer. This action was in response to the Iranian Silkworm Missile that hit MV Sea Isle City, which was under the protection of Operation Earnest Will.

2000 - USNS Mary Sears (T-AGS 65) is launched at Halter Marine in Pascagoula, Miss. She is the sixth Military Sealift Command Pathfinder class oceanographic survey ship.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - October 20th

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1903 - President Theodore Roosevelt issues an Executive Order placing Midway Islands under the jurisdiction of the Navy Department due to recurring complaints of Japanese squatters and poachers.

1909 - Ship Fitter First Class George H. Wheeler and Boatswains Mate William H. Gowan display bravery and extraordinary heroism while fighting a fire and keeping it from spreading in Coquimbo, Chile. For their actions on this occasion, both men are awarded the Medal of Honor.

1914 - The aviation unit from Annapolis, Md., under Lt. John H. Towers, as Officer in Charge, arrived at Pensacola, Fla., to set up a flying school.

1943 - USS Brennan (DE 13) is commissioned. Originally launched as British destroyer escort Bentinck (BDE-13), she is reallocated to the United States and serves as a training ship in the Miami, Fla., area for student officers and prospective crews of destroyer escorts.

1944 - USS Batfish (SS 310) and USS Gar (SS 206) attack Japanese convoys and sink transport Hidaka Maru south of Shiono Misaki and army cargo ship Koyo Maru about 50 miles south-southwest of Palau.

2017 - By a 98-1 vote, the Senate confirms retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis to be the 26th secretary of defense. He is sworn in shortly afterward. Mattis is the first retired general officer to hold the position since General of the Army George C. Marshall in the early 1950s.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - October 21st

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1862 - Navy ship USS Ethan Allen, commanded by acting-Lt. William B. Eaton, captures the schooner Olive Branch at sea off the Florida coast.

1943 - Submarines USS Pollack (SS 180) and USS Gato (SS 212) attack and cause the sinking of two Japanese ships.

1945 - TF 38 aircraft attacks Japanese shipping and airfields on Formosa and in the Pescadores, sinking approximately 15 vessels.

1954 - The world's first nuclear submarine, USS Nautilus (SSN-571), is christened and launched at Groton, Conn.

1961 - USS George Washington (SSBN 598) completes the first operational voyage as a fleet ballistic missile submarine, staying submerged 66 days.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - October 22nd

1846 - Lavinia Fanning Watson of Philadelphia christens the sloop-of-war Germantown, the first U.S. Navy ship to be sponsored by a woman.

1862 - The screw frigate Wabash provides artillery support for Union infantry troops at the Battle of Pocotaligo, S.C. One of the gun crew, who was seriously injured, was Ordinary Seaman Oscar W. Farenholt, the first enlisted man in the Navy to reach flag rank. The battery from Wabash took part in artillery operations all along the South Atlantic coast.

1942 - An amendment to a design study contract authorizes Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. to construct two 19A axial-flow turbojet powerplants. The move initiates the fabrication of the first jet engine of wholly U.S. design.

1942 - The destroyers USS Mahan (DD 364) and USS Lamson (DD 367) sink the Japanese gunboat Hakkaisan Maru southwest of Tamana.

1951 - The first detonation, Able, takes place in the Operation Buster-Jangle nuclear tests. Uncle, the last of the seven tests, is detonated Nov. 29. Navy and Marine Corps observers and 3rd Marines take part in this Department of Defense operation.

1962 - President John F. Kennedy orders a surface blockade of Cuba to prevent Soviet offensive weapons from reaching Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis. By forcefully employing U.S. naval forces, President John F. Kennedy is able to achieve his strategic objectives and deal with a dangerous and well-armed Soviet Union without war.

1972 - The Navy Counselor (NC) rating is established to assist in managing retention and augmenting recruiting with subject matter experts in the all-volunteer force. The rating is not open to first-term enlistees due to depth of the Navy’s organization, and only second and first class petty officers are accepted to join the rate.

1988 - On this day, the USS Wisconsin (BB 64) is re-commissioned. This is the first time all four Iowa-class battleships are operational since 1958.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - October 23rd

1862 - CSS Alabama, commanded by Capt. Raphael Semmes, captures and burns the American bark Lafayette south of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

1864 - During the Civil War, the blockade-runner Flamingo, which is run aground off Sullivans Island, S.C., is destroyed by shell fire from Fort Strong and Putnam, Battery Chatfield, and ships of Rear Adm. John A. Dahlgren's South Atlantic Blockading Squadron.

1942 - USS Kingfish (SS 234) sinks Japanese gunboat at the entrance to Kii Suido, Honshu, Japan.

1944 - The Battle of Leyte Gulf, considered the largest naval battle of World War II, begins with the U.S. submarines attacking two elements of the Japanese armada moving towards Leyte. In the Palawan Passage, USS Darter and USS Dace sink heavy cruisers Maya and Atago. Takao is also hit, but survives. Off Manila Bay, USS Bream's torpedoes damage the heavy cruiser Aoba.

1961 - Submarine Ethan Allen (SSBN 608) makes the first underwater launch of a Polaris A-2 fleet ballistic missile. The Polaris soars 1,500 miles down the Atlantic Missile Range.

1972 - The United States ends all tactical air sorties into North Vietnam above the 20th parallel and brings to close Operation Linebacker raids as a goodwill gesture to promote the peace negotiations in Paris. From May through October, Navy aircraft fly a total of 23,652 attack sorties into North Vietnam, which helps stem the flow of supplies into North Vietnam.

1983 - A suicide truck bomb explodes at the Marine Barracks at Beirut Airport and kills 241 Americans (220 Marines, 18 Sailors, and three Army Soldiers).

1983 - The U.S. Navy begins preparation for Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada, West Indies), which occurs only two days later.

1999 - USS O'Kane (DDG 77) is commissioned at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

2004 - USS Virginia (SSN 774) is commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., the sixth U.S. Navy ship named Virginia; she is the first of its submarine class.

[gillan1220]

Oct 23, 2020 8:04:30 GMT lordroel said:

1983 - A suicide truck bomb explodes at the Marine Barracks at Beirut Airport and kills 241 Americans (220 Marines, 18 Sailors, and three Army Soldiers).

1983 - The U.S. Navy begins preparation for Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada, West Indies), which occurs only two days later.

Considering these two events occurred close to each other, it's no surprise why 1983 was on the brink of the Third World War.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - October 24th

1862 - A landing party from stern wheel casemate gunboat Baron de Kalb, commanded by Capt. J.A. Winslow, lands at Hopefield, Ark., and engages a small Confederate scouting party. On mounted horses, the sailors then engage in a nine mile running fight, ending with the capture of the Confederate party.

1944 - The Battle of Leyte Gulf continues, with Task Force 38 aircraft attacking the Japanese in the Sibuyan and Sulu Seas. U.S. Navy carrier planes sink the Japanese battleship Musashi and damage numerous other enemy ships, among them battleships Yamato, Nagato, Fuso and Yamashiro. Japanese air attacks hit the small USS Princeton (CVL 23), which eventually has to be scuttled. The desperate kamikaze tactic makes its appearance, causing damage and casualties on U.S. ships off the Leyte invasion beaches.

1944 - USS Shark (SS 314) is lost in the vicinity of Luzon Strait while participating in a coordinated attack by Task Group 17.15 with USS Seadragon (SS 194) and USS Blackfish (SS 221). Also, USS Richard M. Rowell (DD 403) sinks Japanese submarine I-54, 70 miles east of Surigao, and USS Tang (SS 306) is lost when she runs into her own torpedoes.

1958 - USS Kleinsmith (APD 134) rescues 56 U.S. citizens and three foreign nationals at Nicaro, Cuba, where they are endangered by military operations between the Cuban Army and the Castro rebels.

2009 - USS Makin Island (LHD 8) is commissioned at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - October 25th

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1812 - The frigate United States, commanded by Capt. Stephen Decatur, captures the British frigate Macedonian, commanded by John S. Carden, west of the Canary Islands. During battle, United States broadsides the British frigate and destroys her mizzen top mast, which let her driver gaff fall. This advantage allows United States to riddle the enemy methodically with shot. After surrender, Macedonian is eventually repaired and entered into U.S. naval service.

1813 - Congress, commanded by Capt. John Smith, captures and burns the British merchant ship Rose in the Atlantic off the coast of Brazil.

1944 - U.S. and Australian warships maul the advancing enemy with torpedoes and heavy guns during the Battle of Surigao Strait in the midst of the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The Japanese lose battleships Fuso and Yamashiro, plus three destroyers. The Battle of Surigao Strait marks the end of an era in naval warfare -- it was the last engagement of a battle line.

1944 - During the Battle off Samar in the midst of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, four Japanese battleships, eight cruisers and 11 destroyers surprise U.S. Navy Task Unit 77.4.3 consisting of six escort carriers, three destroyers, and four destroyer escorts. Despite their great inferiority in numbers, speed and fire power, U.S. airmen and surface sailors fight heroically to defend their carriers.

1944 - During the Battle off Cape Engaño, 3rd Fleet carrier aircraft, surface ships and submarines strike the Japanese Northern Force off northeastern Luzon. The Japanese lose aircraft carriers Zuikaku, Zuiho, Chitose and Chiyoda, as well as a light cruiser and two destroyers.

1967 - A Zuni 5-inch rocket ignites during a routine test in the forward assembly area aboard USS Coral Sea (CVA 43) burning nine sailors, three critically. All nine casualties were flown for treatment to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines.

1970 - Amphibious assault ship Okinawa (LPH 3), dock landing ship Anchorage (LSD 36), amphibious transport dock Duluth (LPD 6), and Sailors and marines from shore establishments complete four days of assistance to thousands of people following Typhoon Joan, which left 600 people dead and 80,000 without shelter across southern Luzon and Catanduanes Island, Philippines.

1979 - Former Navy lieutenant, Edward Hidalgo becomes the 64th Secretary of the Navy and first Hispanic male to hold the position

1983 - Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada, West Indies) begins. By Nov. 2, all military objectives are secured. The next day, hostilities are declared to be at an end. Grenadians put their country back in order--schools and businesses reopen for the first time in at least two weeks.

1986 - USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) is commissioned at Newport News, Va.

1994 - Pilot Lt. Kara S. Hultgreen and radar intercept officer Lt. Matthew P. Klemish of VF-213 crash an F-14A Tomcat, BuNo 160390, while attempting to land aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) off San Diego. Hultgreen becomes the first naval female combat pilot to die in an aircraft accident. Klemish ejects and survives with minor injuries.

2008 - Virginia class submarine USS New Hampshire (SSN 778) is commissioned at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine.

2014 - Virginia class submarine USS North Dakota (SSN 784) is commissioned at Groton, Conn.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - October 26th

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1893 - The battleship Oregon (BB 3) launches. During the Spanish-American War, she participates in the Battle of Santiago. After decommissioning in 1924, she serves as a historic ship before being sold to become a storage hulk for ammunition during World War II.

1921 - An N-9 seaplane piloted by Cmdr. Holden C. Richardson successfully completes its first compressed-air turntable catapult from a pier at Philadelphia Navy Yard, Penn.

1922 - Lt. Cmdr. Godfrey de Chevalier, flying an Aeromarine, makes the first landing on board a carrier, USS Langley (CV 1) while underway off Cape Henry, Va.

1942 - In the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, the Japanese try again to drive U.S. forces from Guadalcanal. During this aircraft carrier action, the fourth of the Pacific War, USS Hornet (CV 8) and a destroyer are lost and USS Enterprise (CV 6) is badly damaged. Two Japanese carriers and a heavy cruiser are severely damaged, giving the US time to further strengthen Guadalcanals defenses.

1944 - The Battle of Leyte Gulf ends with Navy carriers and U.S. Army Air Forces aircraft continuing the attack on the retreating Japanese. Three enemy light cruisers and several smaller ships are lost during the day. At a distinct disadvantage at the beginning of the Leyte Gulf fight, the Japanese Imperial Navy loses so many ships and men in a few days of battle that it could play only a minor role during the remainder of World War II.

1944 - Three U.S. Navy submarines sink a number of Japanese vessels: USS Drum (SS 228) sinks freighter Taishu Maru, cargo ship Taihaku Maru and damages transports Aoki Maru and Tatsura Maru; USS Icefish (SS 367) sinks freighter Taiyo Maru and USS Rock (SS 274) sinks Takasago Maru.

1950 - U.S. Amphibious Force Seventh (7th) lands 1st Marine Division at Wonsan, Korea.

1963 - USS Andrew Jackson (SSBN 619) launches the first Polaris A-3 missile while cruising submerged 20 miles off Cape Canaveral, Fla.

1966 - Tragedy strikes USS Oriskany (CVA 34) when a fire erupts on the starboard side of the ship's forward hangar bay and races through five decks, killing 44 members of her crew and air group.

[lordroel]

This Day In United States Naval History - October 27th

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1812 - During the War of 1812, the frigate Essex, commanded by Capt. David Porter, departs Delaware capes on a cruise into the Pacific Ocean around Cape Horn for attacks on the British whaling industry.

1864 - Lt. William B. Cushing takes the torpedo boat Picket Boat No. 1 upriver to Plymouth, N.C. and attacks CSS Albemarle at her berth, sinking her with a spar torpedo.

1922 - The Navy League of the United States sponsors the first celebration of Navy Day to focus public attention on the importance of the U.S. Navy. The date is selected because it is Theodore Roosevelts birthday. Navy Day is last observed Oct. 27, 1949. In the 1970s, Adm. Elmo R. Zumwalt works with the Navy League to define Oct. 13 to celebrate the Navy.

1944 - Aircraft from USS Essex (CV 9) sink the Japanese destroyer Fujinami while aircraft from USS Enterprise (CV 6) sink the Japanese destroyer Shiranui 80 miles north of Iloilo, Panay..

1945 - Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB 42) is commissioned at New York Naval Shipyard, NY, with Capt. Apollo Soucek in command. The event marks the first exception to the traditional naming of fleet carriers for battles or famous ships.

1975 - As increased fighting among rival Lebanese political factions lead to U.S. concerns for Americans within the country, the State Department advises Americans to evacuate their dependents from Lebanon. The Sixth Fleet dispatches amphibious assault ship Inchon (LPH 12) as contingency evacuation ship, supported by USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67).