4 OCTOBER 1797 XYZ AFFAIR AND THE QUASI-WAR WITH FRANCE England and France, the naval superpowers of the 18th century, were at each other’s throats again in the 1790s. Spain and the Netherlands were soon drawn in, creating a true “world Read More
29 SEPTEMBER 1879 CLOCKING THE SPEED OF LIGHT Midshipman Albert A. Michelson excelled in science during his years at the Naval Academy. In his 29-member graduating class of 1873 he was ranked ninth overall, first in the subject of optics and Read More
25-27 SEPTEMBER 1943 LOSS OF POMPANO On Thursday, September 30th, 1943, the staff of COMSUBPAC in Pearl Harbor awaited the arrival of USS POMPANO (SS-181), completing her seventh war patrol. She had last been seen five weeks earlier on 20 August, Read More
20 SEPTEMBER 1776 250th ANNIVERSARY PROVIDENCE vs. MILFORD On 10 May 1776, temporary CAPT John Paul Jones assumed command of the Continental Navy sloop PROVIDENCE, armed with twelve 4-pounders. Jones received his permanent commission on 8 August and departed the Read More
13 SEPTEMBER 1803 PREBLE’S BOYS On this date, CDORE Edward A. Preble reached the Mediterranean in his flagship CONSTITUTION, 44, with PHILADELPHIA, 36; ARGUS, 16; SYREN, 16; ENTERPRISE, 12; NAUTILUS, 12; VIXEN, 12. He assumed command of our Mediterranean Squadron and Read More
9 SEPTEMBER 1942 OREGON FIREBOMBING “All is ready, Sir,” reported Warrant Flying Officer Nubuo Fujita to his skipper, CDR Meiji Tagami, of the submarine I-25. “Very well. Good luck, Fujita.” With that Fujita and his flight observer Petty Officer Shoji Okuda Read More
250th ANNIVERSARY 5 SEPTEMBER 1776 THE FRIGATE TRUMBULL With the sentiment of independence from Britain growing, the 1st Continental Congress in 1775 addressed the issue of seapower. Were we to declare independence (July the following year) we would need a naval force to Read More
TODAY IN NAVAL HISTORY 30-31 AUGUST 1776 EVACUATION OF LONG ISLAND Boston, the hotbed of colonial rebellion, became the British Army’s North American headquarters in the mid-1770s. But after GEN George Washington emplaced cannon in the Dorchester Heights overlooking that Read More
27-28 AUGUST 1861 HATTERAS INLET Union MGEN Benjamin F. Butler, commanding Fort Monroe but not renowned for his tactical genius, nevertheless cleared Rebels from the Newport News region of Virginia during the spring of 1861. This effort was defeated at the Read More
24 AUGUST 1944 HAKE, HARDER, AND HADDO CDR Samuel D. Dealey commanded a three-sub “wolfpack” off the Philippines comprised of his boat, HARDER (SS-257), along with HADDO (SS-255) and HAKE (SS-256). US planners were anticipating the invasion of those islands in Read More