Naval History Blog

April 11

1783 – Congress declares end of the Revolutionary War

1900 – Navy accepted its first submarine, USS Holland

1970 – Launch of Apollo 13, commanded by CAPT James A. Lovell, Jr., USN. Former naval aviator Fred W. Haise, Jr. was the Lunar Module Pilot. While 200,000 miles from Earth there was an explosion on board which forced Apollo 13 to circle the moon without landing. Mission duration was 5 days, 22 hours, and 54 minutes. Recovery was by HS-4 helicopters from USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2)

1991 – U.N. ceasefire ends Gulf War I

April 12

1861 - Civil War begins when Confederates fire on Fort Sumter, SC

1911 – LT Theodore Ellyson qualifies as first naval aviator

1993 – Aircraft from USS Theodore Roosevelt and NATO forces begin enforcing the no-fly zone over the Bosnia in Operation Deny Flight

April 13

1847 – Naval Forces begin 5 day battle to capture several towns in Mexico

1861 – Fort Sumter surrenders to Confederate forces

April 14

1898 – Commissioning of first Post Civil War hospital ship, USS Solace

1969 – North Korean aircraft shoots down Navy EC-121 reconnaissance aircraft from VQ-1 over the Sea of Japan

1988 – USS Samuel B. Roberts struck Iranian mine off Qatar

April 15

1912 – USS Chester and USS Salem sailed from MA to assist RMS Titanic survivors

1961 – Launching of first nuclear-powered frigate, USS Bainbridge, at Quincy, MA

1962 – USS Princeton brought first Marine helicopters to Vietnam. This was first Marine advisory unit to arrive in South Vietnam.

1986 – Operation Eldorado Canyon, Navy aircraft from USS America (CV-66) and USS Coral Sea (CV-43) attack Libya in conjunction with USAF aircraft after Libya linked to terrorist bombing of West Berlin discotheque which killed 1 American and injured 78 people.

April 16

1947 – Act of Congress gives Navy Nurse Corps members commissioned rank

1959 – Helicopters from USS Edisto begin rescue operations in Montevideo, Uruguay. By 26 April they had carried 277 flood victims to safety.

April 17

1778 – Sloop-in-war Ranger captures British brig

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