This Day In United States Naval History

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 14th

1814 - Under the command of Commodore Thomas Catesby Jones, U.S. gunboats, along with Sea Horse and Alligator, engage the British during the Battle of Lake Borgne, La. Though the American flotilla is defeated, the engagement delays the British attack on New Orleans for nine days, buying precious time for Gen. Andrew Jacksons successful defense of New Orleans.

1911 - USS California (ACR 6) breaks a red, white, and blue ribbon stretched across a Hawaiian channel to become the first ship to call on Pearl Harbor after it becomes a naval base.

1942 - Pharmacist's Mate 1st Class Harry B. Roby performs an appendectomy on Torpedoman 1st Class W. R. Jones on board USS Grayback (SS 208). It is the second appendectomy performed on board a submarine.

1944 - The rank of Fleet Admiral (five-star admiral) of the U.S. Navy is established during World War II due to the rapid build-up of U.S. military forces. The first five-star admirals are: William D. Leahy, Ernest J. King, and Chester W. Nimitz. Adm. William F. Halsey joined the selected group Dec. 11, 1945.

1944 - Task Force 38 aircraft begins the attack on Japanese transport Oryoku Maru which, unbeknownst to the Task Force, is carrying approximately 1,600 Allied prisoners of war. The following day, the ship is sunk at Subic Bay.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 15th

1845 - Yorktown captures the slaver Panther off Kabenda, Africa. Previously that September, Yorktown also captured the slavers Pons and Patuxent.

1944 - USS Hawkbill (SS 366) sinks the Japanese destroyer Momo west of Luzon.

1944 - The invasion of Mindoro Island, Philippines begins. During the battle, USS LST 738 is hit by a Japanese kamikaze plane and set ablaze. After attempts to control the fires are unsuccessful, LST-738 is sunk by the guns of other ships of the invasion fleet. USS LST 472 is also hit by the kamikaze attack and sinks six days later.

1965 - Gemini 6 is launched, making 16 orbits in 25 hours and 51 minutes. Capt. Walter M. Schirra is command pilot and Thomas P. Stafford is pilot.

1988 - Operation Earnest Will ends in the Persian Gulf. U.S. Navy ships escorted reflagged Kuwaiti tankers and approximately 270 neutral ships and tankers to protect them from missile attacks and mines laid during the Iran-Iraq War.

2018 - The Navy christened its newest Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, USS St. Louis (LCS 19) during a ceremony Dec. 15, in Marinette, Wisconsin. The future USS St. Louis, designated LCS 19, honors Missouri.

Photo: The U.S. Navy littoral combat ship USS St. Louis (LCS-19) before its christening at Marinette Marine, Wisconsin (USA).

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 16th

1821 - Lt. Robert F. Stockton and Dr. Eli Ayers, a naval surgeon and member of American Colonizing Society, persuade a local African king to sell territory for a colony that becomes the Republic of Liberia.

1907 - The Great White Fleet departs Hampton Roads, Va. to circumnavigate the world in 14 months, a journey of 43,000 miles that included 20 port calls across six continents. Fourteen thousand Sailors and Marines participated in the voyage, leaving a lasting legacy at home and abroad.

1922 - Lt. Cmdr. Walter A. Edwards, commanding USS Bainbridge (DD 246), leads the rescue of 482 passengers from the burning French transport Vinh-Long by placing his destroyer in dangerous positions to ensure the passengers could disembark, despite a series of explosions. He later brings them to Constantinople. For his leadership and heroism, Edwards receives the Medal of Honor.

1944 - USS Swordfish (SS 193) attacks a Japanese convoy south of Hainan Island and sinks Japanese army transport Atsutasan Maru.

1998 - In Operation Desert Fox, Navy cruise missiles attack Iraq to degrade Saddam Hussein's ability to make and use weapons of mass destruction.

2017 - The Freedom variant littoral combat ship USS Little Rock (LCS 9) is commissioned in a ceremony at the Canalside waterfront in Buffalo, New York. It is the second warship named for the Arkansas state capital and is commissioned alongside the first USS Little Rock (CL 92), which serves as a museum at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park.

Photo: USS Little Rock (CL-92) next to LCS-9, Canalside

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 17th

1812 - The brig Argus, commanded by Arthur Sinclair, recaptures the American schooner Vancise during the War of 1812. The ship had been abandoned and found derelict by another ship.

1863 - The bark-rigged clipper ship Roebuck seizes blockade-runner British schooner Ringdove off Indian River, Fla., with cargo including salt, coffee, tea, and whiskey.

1917 - USS Remlik (SP 157) reportedly encounters an enemy submarine during a storm in the Bay of Biscay, but the weather prevents an engagement. While she is fighting the heavy seas that day, a depth charge breaks loose on her after deck and is secured by Chief Boatswain's Mate John MacKenzie, who receives the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions.

1917 - While underway off Point Loma, Calif., USS F 1 collides with her sister submarine, USS F 3. With her hull torn open amidships, she rapidly sinks and loses 19 crewmen.

1942 - USS Grouper (SS 214) sinks the Japanese army passenger cargo ship Bandoeng Maru about 15 miles northwest of Cape Henpan, Buka Island, Solomons and survives the counterattack by submarine chaser Ch 29.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 18th

1902 - During the Venezuela Crisis of 1902-1903, Adm. George Dewey receives orders from President Theodore Roosevelt to sail with the North and South Atlantic Squadron to Trinidad then Venezuela to ensure Great Britain and Germany's dispute with Venezuela is settled by peaceful arbitration, not force. A settlement is reached February 1903.

1927 - Chief Gunners Mate Thomas Eadie dives under adverse conditions to help Chief Torpedoman Fred Michels, who had problems connecting an air line to USS S 4 as she is sinking. After two hours of extremely dangerous work, Eadie succeeds in his mission and brings Michels safely to the surface. For his extraordinary heroism Eadie is awarded the Medal of Honor. Michels receives his second Navy Cross for his rescue efforts on USS S 4.

1943 - USS Aspro (SS 309) attacks a Japanese convoy in Sakishima Gunto, damaging fleet tankers Sarawak Maru and Tenei Maru, and escapes counter attacks by destroyer Shoikaze. Meanwhile, USS Grayback (SS 208) sinks Japanese freighter Gyokurei Maru east-northeast of Naha, Okinawa and escapes counter attacks by destroyer Numakaze.

1944 - Adm. Halsey's 3rd Fleet encounters a typhoon northeast of Samar. Destroyers USS Hull (DD 350), USS Spence (DD 512), and USS Monaghan (DD 354) capsized and went down with practically all hands, while a cruiser, five aircraft carriers, and three destroyers suffered serious damage. Approximately 790 officers and men were lost or killed, with another 80 injured.

1965 - The River Patrol Force is established in Vietnam. In Dec. 1970, the resources are transferred by Admiral Elmo Zumwalt to the Vietnamese navy.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 19th

1870 - Coxswain William Halford, the lone survivor of five, reaches Hawaii after a month at sea in a 22-foot boat and seeks help for the crew of the side-wheel steamer Saginaw, wrecked near Midway Island.

1941 - The U.S. Naval Academy class of 1942 graduates six months early due to the nation's entry into World War II.

1943 - USS Grayback (SS 208) sinks the Japanese destroyer Numakaze 50 miles east-northeast of Naha, Okinawa.

1944 - USS Redfish (SS 395) sinks the Japanese carrier Unryu 200 nautical miles southeast of Shanghai, China. In the course of this engagement, Redfish is damaged and terminates her patrol early.

1944 - PB4Y-1s (VPB 104) attack a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea and sink transport Shinfuku Maru.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 20th

1822 - Congress authorizes the West Indies Squadron to suppress piracy in the Caribbean. Under the leadership of Commodores James Biddle, David Porter, and Lewis Warrington, the newly created squadron crushes the pirates.

1941 - Adm. Ernest J. King is announced as the designated Commander-in-Chief, United States Fleet, in charge of all operating naval fleets and coastal frontier forces, reporting directly to the President.

1943 - TBF aircraft (VC-19) from escort carrier USS Bogue (CVE 9) attacks German submarine U-850, which responds with anti-aircraft fire. TBFs and FMs (VC-19) reinforce the TBF and sink U-850 as it tries to submerge 530 miles southwest of Fayal, Azores.

1964 - USS Richard E. Kraus (DD 849) completes a successful emergency mission in aiding the disabled American merchant ship SS Oceanic Spray in the Red Sea.

1974 - Task Force 65 concludes Operation Nimbus Star, the clearance of mines and unexploded ordnance in the Suez Canal, as part of a joint effort to reopen this vital artery to international shipping.

1989 - Naval Special Warfare Task Force Papa attacks Punta Paitilla Airport during Operation Just Cause to prevent the dictator, Gen. Manuel Noriega, from leaving Panama. Chief Engineman Donald McFaul is mortally wounded while carrying a wounded SEAL to safety.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 21st

1821 - The schooner Enterprise, commanded by Lt. Lawrence Kearny, captures and burns a pirate schooner off Cape Antonio, West Indies. A landing party destroys a shore base and burns five pirate prizes.

1859 - The sloop-of-war Constellation captures the American slaver Delicia off Kabenda, Africa.

1861 - Congress authorizes the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award, for Naval enlisted personnel.

1942 - USS Seadragon (SS 194) sinks Japanese submarine I-4 between New Britain and New Ireland while I-4 is engaged in a resupply mission to Guadalcanal.

1951 - The first helicopter lands on board USS Consolation (AH 15) during Operation Helicopter, where casualties are directly evacuated from the battlefield to a hospital ship for the first time.

1968 - Apollo 8 launches with Capt. James A. Lovell, Jr. as the command module pilot. During the mission Lovell is one of the first two people to see the far side of the moon. The mission lasts six days and three hours and includes 10 moon orbits. Recovery is executed by HS-4 helicopters from USS Yorktown (CVS 10).

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 22nd

1775 - Congress commissions the first naval officers: Commander-in-Chief of the Fleet Esek Hopkins; Captains Dudley Saltonstall, Abraham Whipple, Nicolas Biddle, and John Hopkins; and 13 lieutenants including John Paul Jones.

1841 - The Navy's first ocean-going side-wheel steam ship, the Mississippi, is commissioned at Philadelphia, Pa.

1942 - Sue Dauser takes the oath of office as Superintendent of Navy Nurse Corps, becoming the first woman with the relative rank of captain in U.S. Navy. She is promoted to the rank of captain Feb. 26, 1944.

1942 - On board USS Silversides (SS 236), Pharmacists Mate 1st Class Thomas A. Moore performs an emergency appendectomy on Fireman 3rd Class George M. Platter while the submarine is submerged and on war patrol in the Solomon Islands. Platter returned to duty within a few days of the operation.

1960 - HS-3 and HU-2 helicopters, operating from USS Valley Forge, rescue 28 men from oiler SS Pine Ridge breaking up in heavy seas off Cape Hatteras, N.C.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 23rd

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1803 - The schooner Enterprise, commanded by Lt. Stephen Decatur, captures the Turkish ketch Mastico with a cargo of female slaves as it is sailing from Tripoli to Constantinople under Turkish colors and without passports. Renamed Intrepid, the former Mastico is taken into U.S. service.

1826 - Capt. Thomas Catesby Jones of the sloop-of-war Peacock and King Kamehameha negotiate the first treaty between Hawaii and a foreign power.

1910 - Lt. Theodore G. Ellyson becomes the first naval officer sent to flight training when he was ordered to report to the Glenn H. Curtiss Aviation Camp at North Island, San Diego, Calif.

1944 - USS Blenny (SS 324), despite an escort vessel close by, sinks the Japanese merchant tanker Kenzui Maru off San Fernando, Luzon, Philippines.

1968 - The sailors of USS Pueblo (AGER 2) are repatriated following their release by the North Korean government. The crew had been captured off Wonson on Jan. 23, 1968.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 24th

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1814 - The Treaty of Ghent ends the War of 1812. Great Britain agrees to relinquish claims to the Northwest Territory, and both countries pledge to work toward ending the slave trade. America, in turn, gains influence as a foreign power.

1941 - The Arcadia Conference takes place in Washington, D.C., between President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, establishing the Combined Chiefs of Staff and the eventual 26 nations forming the United Nations for Allied war planning against Germany.

1943 - USS Griswold (DE 7) sinks Japanese submarine, I-39, off Koli Point, Guadalcanal.

1943 - USS Schenck (DD 159) sinks German submarine, U 645. Previously, U-645 sank two American merchant vessels: Frederick Douglass and Yorkmar.

1943 - USS Leary (DD 158) is torpedoed and sunk by U-275 and U-382, 585 miles west-northwest of Cape Finisterre, Spain.

1950 - Under cover of naval gunfire support, Task Force 90 completes a 14-day evacuation of 100,000 troops and equipment and 91,000 refugees from Hungnam, North Korea during the Korean War.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 25th

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1863 - Confederate batteries on Johns Island attack the gunboat Marblehead near Legareville, S.C. in the Stono River and sustain 20 hits as the sloop Pawnee and mortar schooner C. P. Williams add firepower to the return bombardment. After more than an hour, the Confederates break off the engagement and withdraw. Medals of Honor are given to Boatswains Mate William Farley and Quartermaster James Miller for their actions during the engagement, while Contraband Robert Blake, an escaped slave, also receives a Medal of Honor for bravery while manning the rifle gun.

1943 - Planes from USS Bunker Hill (CV 17) and USS Monterey (CVL 26) sink Japanese transport Tenryu Maru and damage the minesweepers W.21 and W.22. USS Skate (SS 305) torpedoes and damages the Japanese battleship Yamato northeast of Truk.

1944 - USS Barbero (SS 317) attacks a Japanese convoy and sinks transport Junpo Maru.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 26th

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1862 - The first female nurses to serve on a U.S. Navy ship report on board hospital ship Red Rover. They are nuns from the Catholic order Sisters of the Holy Cross.

1872 - While serving on the side-wheel steamer Powhatan at Norfolk, Va., Seaman Joseph Noil saves drowning shipmate, Boatswain J.C. Walton. For his conduct on this occasion, he is awarded the Medal of Honor.

1942 - SBDs, F4Fs, and P-38s attack Japanese transports at Wickham Anchorage, New Georgia and sink the freighters Takashima Maru and Iwami Maru.

1943 - USS Fanning (DD 385) sinks the Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser No.7 Myo Maru off Okino Misaki, Bonin Islands.

1943 - Operation Backhander begins. Task Force 76 lands 1st Marine Division at Cape Cloucester, New Britain. During retaliatory Japanese air attacks, destroyer USS Brownson (DD 518) sinks while destroyers USS Lamson (DD 367), USS Shaw (DD 373) and USS Mugford (DD 389), along with USS LST 66 and coastal transport APC 15 are damaged.

1944 - Harriet Ida Pickens and Frances F. Wills are commissioned as the first two African-American WAVES officers.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 27th

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1862 - During the Civil War, the ironclad river gunboat Baron De Kalb returns after a five-day Yazoo River mission, where the gunboat burns trapped steamers, captures and destroys large quantities of enemy equipment while also taking several prisoners. For "distinguished actions during this mission," five men receive the Navy Medal of Honor.

1942 - The minelayers, USS Keokuk (CM 8), USS Salem (CM 11), and USS Weehawken (CM 12) begin mining approaches to Casablanca, French Morocco, which lasts two days.

1943 - USS Flying Fish (SS 229) sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Kyuei Maru in the South China Sea west of Luzon Strait. Also on this date, USS Ray (SS 271) sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Kyoko Maru (ex-Dutch Semiramis) west of the Celebes.

1944 - Task Group 94.9, commanded by Rear Adm. Allan E. Smith, bombards Japanese installations on Iwo Jima. USS Dunlap (DD 384), USS Fanning (DD 385), and USS Cummings (DD 365) sink Japanese fast transport T.7 and landing ship T.132.

1990 - Lt. Cmdr. Darlene Iskra, the first female commanding officer of a U.S. Navy warship, reports for duty on board USS Opportune (ARS 41), then at Naples, Italy, serving until 1993.

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This Day In United States Naval History - December 28th

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1905 - The dry dock Dewey leaves Solomon's Island, Md., en route through the Suez Canal to the Philippines to serve as repair base. It is the longest towing job accomplished at the time, guided by the tug Potomac, a pair of colliers Brutus and Caesar, and the storeship Glacier, arriving at its destination nearly six months later, July 10, 1906.

1941 - Rear Adm. Ben Moreell, chief of Bureau of Yards and Docks, requests construction battalions be recruited.

1944 - USS Dace (SS 247) attacks a Japanese convoy off Cape Varella, French Indochina and sinks supply ship Nozaki and damages Chefoo Maru.

1982 - USS New Jersey (BB 62), the first of four Iowa-class battleships, is recommissioned for the third time after her original 1943 commissioning.

1990 - USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) and USS America (CV-66) Carrier Battle Groups deploy from Norfolk, Va., for the Middle East to join Operation Desert Shield.