6 SEPTEMBER 1776 FIRST SUBMARINE The world’s first operational submarine was the brainchild of physician and inventor David Bushnell while a student at Yale College in 1771. During the 1775 British blockade of Boston, he and his brother Ezra gave the idea physical Read More
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
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
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
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
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
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
29 JULY 1967 “FOREST” FIRE There were three major fires aboard US Navy aircraft carriers during the course of the Vietnam conflict. The first occurred on 26 October 1966, killing 44 sailors aboard ORISKANY (CVA-34) after a phosphorous parachute flare accidently Read More
21 JULY 1861 DARK DAY AT BULL RUN (cont.) Exploding Union shrapnel ripped through the Henry house striking udith Henry in the neck and flank and nearly amputating her foot. Her daughter, Ellen, had taken refuge within the fireplace and was Read More
21 JULY 1861 DARK DAY AT BULL RUN North and South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Virginia had all seceded from the United States and established their capital in Richmond. US Army installations in the disputed Read More