U.S. Navy timeline
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U.S. Navy Acquires Its First Submarine
On April 11, 1900, the U.S. Navy acquired its first submarine, designed by Irish immigrant John P. Holland. Propelled by gasoline while on the... Read more
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Franklin D. Roosevelt Sworn in as Assistant Secretary of Navy
Franklin D. Roosevelt was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy by Woodrow Wilson in 1913. He served under Secretary of the Navy Josephus... Read more
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Honda Point Disaster
The Navy's greatest navigational tragedy took place in September 1923 at an isolated California coastal headland locally known as Honda Point.... Read more
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Wreck of the USS Shenandoah
The first rigid airship to be designed and built by the United States Navy, Shenandoah was designed by the Bureau of Aeronautics; fabricated at the... Read more
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John F. Kennedy Appointed an Ensign in the US Navy
Despite having a bad back, Kennedy was able to join the U.S. Navy through the help of Captain Alan Kirk, the Director, Office of Naval Intelligence... Read more
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Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl... Read more
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Gerald Ford Reports for Active Duty for the US Navy
Ford received a commission as ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve on April 13, 1942. On April 20, he reported for active duty to the V-5 instructor... Read more
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George H.W. Bush Enlists in the U.S. Navy Reserve
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Bush decided to join the US Navy, so after graduating from Phillips Academy earlier in 1942,... Read more
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Richard Nixon Serves Active Duty in the U.S. Navy
Nixon was eligible for an exemption from military service, both as a Quaker and through his job working for the OPA, but he did not seek one and... Read more
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John F. Kennedy's Boat, the PT-109, is Sunk by the Amagiri
Conflicting statements have been made as to whether the destroyer captain had spotted and steered towards the boat; author Donovan, who interviewed... Read more
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Typhoon Cobra Strikes US Pacific Fleet
Typhoon Cobra, also known as the Typhoon of 1944 or Halsey's Typhoon (named after Admiral William 'Bull' Halsey), was the United States Navy... Read more
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George H.W. Bush is Honorably Discharged from the US Navy
Bush subsequently returned to San Jacinto in November 1944 and participated in operations in the Philippines until his squadron was replaced and... Read more
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Gerald Ford is Honorably Discharged from the US Navy
In January 1946, he was sent to the Separation Center, Great Lakes to be processed out. He was released from active duty under honorable conditions... Read more
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Jimmy Carter Graduated from the US Naval Academy
After high school, Carter enrolled at Georgia Southwestern College, in Americus. He would later apply to the United States Naval Academy and, after... Read more
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Jimmy Carter is Discharged from the Navy
Upon the death of his father, James Earl Carter, Sr., in July 1953, Lieutenant Carter immediately resigned his commission, and he was discharged... Read more
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USS John F. Kennedy Supercarrier is Ordered
USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) (formerly CVA-67), Ship Characteristic Board SBC-127C, is a decommissioned supercarrier of the United States Navy.... Read more
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United States Navy Formalizes the 'Positive Identification Radar Advisory Zone' Known as PIRAZ
PIRAZ is a United States Navy acronym for Positive Identification RADAR Advisory Zone. The zone is defined by the air search RADAR coverage of a... Read more
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Top-Secret Navy SEAL POW Rescue Mission, Operation Thunderbird, is Called Off After Failing to Succeed
Operation Thunderhead was a highly classified combat mission conducted by U.S. Navy SEAL Team One and Underwater Demolition Team (UDT)-11 in 1972.... Read more
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USS Cole is Bombed
The USS Cole bombing was a suicide attack against the United States Navy destroyer USS Cole on October 12, 2000, while it was harbored and refueled... Read more
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The Hainan Island Incident
On April 1, 2001, a mid-air collision between a United States Navy EP-3E ARIES II signals surveillance aircraft and a People's Liberation Army Navy... Read more
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USNS Amelia Earhart is Launched
USNS Amelia Earhart (T-AKE-6), a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for noted American... Read more
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USS New York (warship built with steel salvaged from World Trade Center) is launched
NEW ORLEANS — Peering through thick fog, hundreds stood on the banks of the Mississippi River early Tuesday and cheered as the latest piece of... Read more