Palawan Rescue

                                                30 AUGUST 1944                                              PALAWAN RESCUE On the night of 13 August 1944, USS FLIER’s (SS-250) surface transit of the Balabac Strait off Borneo was suddenly blasted by a deafening explosion.  Like her sister, ROBALO (SS-273), two weeks earlier, FLIER had struck Read More

The JEANNETTE Expedition

                                      8 JULY 1879-23 MARCH 1882                                      THE JEANNETTE EXPEDITION One of the less well known but certainly invaluable activities of the US Navy has been meteorologic, oceanographic, and geographic research.  Naval expeditions have surveyed the world’s oceans, reached both Poles and explored Read More

Operation “Infinite Reach”

                                                20 AUGUST 1998                                    OPERATION “INFINITE REACH” Osama bin Laden had already earned the respect of senior Islamic extremists for his efforts, both financial and personal, supporting the mujakideem against the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.  Bin Laden became further incensed during Operations Read More

Rescue of S-39

                                              13-16 AUGUST 1942                                                 RESCUE OF S-39 The 51 submarines of our S-class represented one of our most prolific post-WWI classes.  Built between 1917-1920, their technology was shortly eclipsed during a time of rapid advancements in submersible design.  The “Sugar” boats remained Read More

The Seminole Wars

                                                11 AUGUST 1835                                            THE SEMINOLE WARS Florida’s aboriginal natives fell victim to European diseases and enslavement during two centuries of Spanish rule from the 1500s.  Their demise left a vacuum into which displaced northern tribes, runaway slaves, and American squatters filed.  Read More

Capture of CSS TENNESSEE

                                                 5 AUGUST 1864                                      CAPTURE OF CSS TENNESSEE By August 1864, the last remaining Confederate seaport not in Union hands was Mobile, Alabama.  At 0530 this morning, VADM David G. Farragut’s Union squadron “damned the torpedoes” and forced their way past Fort Read More