History Sections
South Vietnam War
Korean War
World War I
Mexican War
Revolutionary War
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South Vietnam War (C/SN Requirement)
Jun 1996 U.S. forces conducted simultaneous evacuation operations in Liberia and the Central African Republic.
Apr 1996 U.S. warships and Marines moved into Monrovia in the aftermath of an assault on the U.S. embassy there.
Jan-Feb 1996 In response to Chinese threats to close the Straits of Taiwan, the carriers Independence, Nimitz, and George Washington and their supporting battle groups moved into the area as a deterrent show of force.
Aug 1995 Navy and Marine aircraft attacked Bosnian Serb surface-to-air missile sites to assist a UN peacekeeping contingent caught in the middle of an artillery exchange.
Oct 1994 Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) was the first carrier to deploy with women as part of its crew.
Oct 1993 Navy and Coast Guard ships, with those of other navies, began an international quarantine of Haiti.
9 Nov 1992 An amphibious ready group (ARG) lead by the helicopter carrier Tripoli (LPH 19) arrived off Somalia, supported by the carrier Ranger (CV 61), and landed troops on Mogadishu to oversee famine relief operations.
27 Sept 1991 Pres. George Bush announced that all tactical nuclear weapons would be removed from Navy ships.
27 Feb 1991 President Bush announced ceasefire effective 0800 28 Feb. (Iraqi time). Defeated and forced out of Kuwait, Iraq accepted.
24 Feb 1991 Ground war began after Iraq failed to respond to a 1200 EST 23 Feb deadline to comply with all UN resolutions and make large-scale with drawl from Kuwait.
21 Feb 1991 Marine AV-8B harriers flew bombing strikes from the Nassau (LHA 4) the first Marine combat air strikes from a helicopter landing ship.
16 Jan 1991 Operation Desert Storm began with allied aircraft striking targets in Iraq and Kuwait. The Wisconsin and Missouri followed by other ships, began combat use of Tomahawk cruise missiles. Throughout Desert Storm, Navy surface and air forces supported air and land operations with strike missions using both cruise missiles and aircraft, fighter cover, search and rescue, mine countermeasures, and intercepts of Gulf shipping.
8 Aug 1990 Iraq declared annexation of Kuwait. President Bush ordered the commencement of Operation Desert Shield deploying major U.S. forces to Saudi Arabia to assist in defending that country against possible Iraqi incursion. U.S. land and air forces ordered in, reserves were recalled to active duty, and additional naval forces were deployed to reinforce those already in the Middle East area.
3 Jul 1988 The cruiser Vincennes, while engaged in a skirmish with Iranian gunboats, mistook an Iranian airliner for a fighter on an attack run and shot it down.
7 March 1987 Responding to Kuwait's request, the U.S. agreed to escort Kuwaiti tankers in the Persian Gulf during the Iraq-Iran War.
14 Apr 1986 In coordination with Air Force F-111s flying from England, Sixth Fleet carrier planes struck military targets in Libya.
Nov 1985 By act of Congress, the title of the Navy's one-star flag rank was changed from commodore to rear admiral (lower half). (See 15 Sept 1981).
23 Oct 1983 U.S. forces landed on the Caribbean island of Grenade, expelling Cuban forces and capturing a quantity of Soviet-supplied arms.
23 Oct 1983 A terrorist truck bomb crashed into the headquarters and barracks building of Marines assigned to the Multinational Peacekeeping Force at Beirut, Lebanon, killing 241 Marines.
2 Apr 1982 Argentine Marines and special forces captured the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands and nearby South Georgia Island from British defenders. Britain formed a task force to retake the islands; the United States announced its support the islands were recaptured after a land-sea-air campaign in which ships and aircraft were lost or damaged by missiles, and the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano was sunk by submarine torpedoes.
11 Nov 1981 The USS Ohio (SSBN 726), the first of the Trident-firing ballistic-missile submarines, was commissioned.
12 May 1975 American container ship Mayaguez was seized in the Gulf of Siam by Khmer Rouge gunboats and taken to Koh Tang Island. Marines boarded Mayaguez from USS Harold E. Holt (FF 1074) on 16 May as helicopter-landed Marines held a beachhead on Koh Tank against heavy opposition. Mayaguez's crew was rescued.
22 Jun 1973 The Skylab I team, operating the world's first orbiting space laboratory, completed a 30-day operation. Its members were all naval aviators.
Mar 1973 Last U.S. forces withdrawn from RVN after extended transfer of resources and missions to South Vietnamese Navy.
1 Aug 1970 The Military Sea Transportation Service was retitled the Military Sealift Command (MSC).
20 Jul 1969 The lunar module Eagle landed on the moon's Sea of Tranquility after detaching from Apollo 11. The commander of the mission and the first man to set foot on the moon was Neil Armstrong, who had been a Navy fighter pilot in the Korean War.
30 Jan 1968 The Tet Offensive began as Communist forces threatened most population centers and captured the city of Hue, retaken by RVN troops and U.S. Marines in heavy fighting. North Vietnamese besieged the Marine base at Khe Sanh; massive Navy/Air Force air strikes helped defeat the attackers. Communists suffered heavy losses. Large main-force units were pushed toward border areas. RVN control was extended.
13 Jan 1967 GMCM Delbert D. Black was sworn in as senior enlisted adviser of the Navy. This billet became master chief petty officer of the Navy (MCPON) on 28 Apr 1967.
8 Mar 1965 Ninth Marine Expeditionary Brigade landed at Da Nang, the first battalion-sized ground combat unit at RVN.
May 1964 Seventh Fleet carriers deployed off northern coast of South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) in an area to be called Yankee Station.
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Korean War (C/PO3 Requirement)
10 Apr 1963 The Thresher (SSN 593) was lost with all hands east of Portsmouth, N.H., because of material failure during a test dive. She was the first nuclear submarine to be lost.
Oct 1962 President John Kennedy quarantined Cuba with naval forces to keep the Soviets from sending in strategic nuclear missiles. After a period of tension, in which nuclear war appeared very possible, the issue was resolved.
20 Feb 1962 Marine Maj. John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth in Friendship 7.
9 Sept 1961 The Long Beach (CGN 9), the world's first nuclear-powered surface warship, was commissioned.
5 May 1961 Cdr. Alan B. Shepard became the first American in space, riding Mercury capsule Freedom 7 on a 15-minute suborbital flight.
1960 The Triton (SSN 586) became the first submarine to circumnavigate the world submerged.
20 Dec 1959 George Washington (SSBN 598), the first Polaris missile submarine, was commissioned.
3 Aug 1958 The Nautilus became the first ship in history to reach the North Pole.
17 Mar 1958 The Navy's Vanguard I satellite was place in orbit, where it should remain for 2000 years. It is the oldest man made object in orbit today.
7 Mar 1958 Grayback (SSG 574), built to carry Regulus II missiles, was commissioned as the Navy's first strategic missile submarine.
17 Jan 1955 The Nautilus (SSN 571), the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, began operations.
3 Dec 1954 The Gyatt (DD 712) was recommissioned as DDG 1, the first combatant Navy ship with anti-aircraft missiles.
27 Jul 1953 The Korean Armistice went into effect.
3 Nov 1952 Marine Maj. W. Stratton, in a Skynight, scored the first kill by an airborne intercept radar-equipped fighter, shooting down a Soviet-built YAK-15.
28 Aug 1952 First use of carrier-launched guided missiles. Pilot less, radio controlled (via a TV guidance system) Hellcat fighters with high explosives were used against land targets from the Boxer (CV 21).
9 Nov 1950 The first dogfight involving a Navy jet and an enemy jet was fought. Lt. Cdr. W. T. Amen, in a Panther, shot down a MiG-15, a Soviet-built fighter.
15 Sep 1950 Marines landed at Inchon, near Seoul, Korea, in a surprise thrust deep behind the front lines. This attack caused the Communist invaders to fall back northward.
26 Jun 1950 U.S. forces ordered to support South Korea against invading North Korean troops.
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World War I (C/PO2 and C/ENS Requirement)
3 Jun 1949 John Wesley Brown became the first African-American to graduate from the Naval Academy.
17 Sep 1947 James Forrestal became the first secretary of defense. The next day the National Military Establishment (NME) came into being. The NME coordinated service policies; in 1949 it became the Department of Defense (DOD), with various services as its components.
2 Jul 1946 A jet aircraft operated from an aircraft carrier for the first time.
2 Sep 1945 Japan formally surrendered on board the Missouri (BB 63).
14 Aug 1945 V-J (Victory over Japan) Day. Hostilities ceased in the Pacific, putting an end to World War II.
9 Aug 1945 A second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.
6 Aug 1945 The first atomic bomb was detonated over Hiroshima, Japan. The weaponeer on the bomber Enola Gay was Navy Capt. W. S. Parons. [DDG 33 was named after him.]
7 May 1945 Germany surrendered. Submarine losses by the Germans in the Battle of the Atlantic totaled more than 800.
14 Dec 1944 The five-star rank of fleet admiral was created. Fleet Admirals William Leahy, Earnest King, Chester Nimitz, and William Halsey have held this lifetime rank.
6 Jun 1944 The Allies invaded Normandy. Nearly 2,500 U.S. Navy ships and craft were involved in the largest amphibious assault ever. At one beach alone, 21,238 troops, 1742 vehicles, and 1695 tons of supplies were landed in 12 hours.
21 Jan 1944 The assault at Anzio was the last amphibious attack on Italy.
25 Jul 1943 The HARMON (DE 678) was launched, the first ship to be named for an African-American.
5 May 1943 The first antisubmarine hunter-killer group was formed, consisting of the escort aircraft carrier BOGUE (CVE 9) and destroyers BELKNAP (DD 251) and GEORGE E. BADGER (DD 196).
30 Nov 1942 The Battle of Tassafaronga was the last Japanese try to save Guadalcanal. The NORTHAMPTON was lost and was a Japanese destroyer. The Rogers (DD 876) was named for three brothers lost with the cruiser.
12-25 Nov 1942 In two furious night actions, U.S. naval forces slugged it out with the Japansese in the Battle of Guadalcanal. The Japanese lost two battleships and three destroyers, the Americans two cruisers and seven destroyers, but the U.S. Navy had begun receiving new units at an increasing rate and so had more muscle left than the Japanese. Five Sullivan brothers who died in one of the lost cruisers were honored by THE SULLIVANS (DD 537), the first destroyer named for more than one person. It is now a memorial at Buffalo, New York. A second USS THE SULLIVANS (DDG 68) was commissioned in 1997.
7 Aug 1942 U.S. Marines landed on Guadalcanal in the first American offensive action in the Pacific.
3 Aug 1942 Mildred McAfee was commissioned as the first woman naval (line) officer.
4-6 Jun 1942 At the Battle of Midway, four Japanese carriers were sunk and only one American (the York town) was lost, ending the period of Japanese initiative in the Pacific War.
4-8 May 1942 The Battle of the Coral Sea was fought, resulting in the end of Japanese advances in the southwest Pacific. The USS Lexington (CV 2) was lost, as was the Japanese light carrier SHOHO. This was the first battle fought solely by air groups, the ships of the opposing fleets never saw each other.
1 Mar 1942 U.S. forces at Bataan in the Philippiones surrendered to the Japanese.
26 Jan 1942 The Japanese submarine I-173 was sunk by the GUDGEON (SS 211), the first enemy naval vessel destroyed by a U.S. submarine.
7 Dec 1941 In a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese inflicted severe damage on units of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and killed 2008 Navy men.
19 Jul 1940 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Two-Ocean Navy Act, authorizing 1,425,000 tons of new ships and 15,000 naval aircraft, an unprecedented increase in size of the peacetime Navy.
1 Sep 1939 World War II began as German and Soviet troops invaded Poland. The president proclaimed neutrality but ordered the Navy to form a "neutrality patrol" to track and report belligerent ships near the United States or West Indies.
8 Aug 1925 The first night carrier landing took place aboard the LANGLEY.
20 Mar 1922 The JUPITER, a former collier (coal-carrier), was converted to be the Navy's first aircraft carrier, USS LANGLEY (CV 1).
21 Aug 1920 The first radio message heard around the world was broadcast from a Navy radio station near Bordeaux, France.
28 Feb 1919 The OSMOND INGRAM (DD 255), the first Navy ship named for an enlisted man, was launched. Ingram was the first enlisted man killed in action in World War I, lost when the destroyer CASSIN (DD 43) was torpedoed in October 1917.
11 Nov 1918 An armistice ended World War I. Celebrated for years as Armistice Day, 11 Nov is now observed as Veteran's Day.
17 Nov 1917 Germany's U-58 became the first submarine sunk by the U.S. Navy. She was done in by the destroyers FANNING (DD 37) and Nicholson (DD 52).
4 May 1917 The first U.S. destroyer squadron arrived in Queenstown, Ireland, to help the British escort convoys. Asked by English admiral when his ships would be prepared for duty, Cdr. Joseph K. Taussig replied, in a manner characteristic of "tin-can" Sail "We will be ready when fueled, sir."
6 Apr 1917 The United States entered World War I.
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Mexican War (C/PO1 and C/LTJG Requirement)
6 May 1916 The first ship-to-shore radiotelephone conversation took place between the NEW HAMPSHIRE (BB 25) Washington, D.C.
26 Jul 1912 The Letter "D" in Morse code was sent by a plane to the destroyer STRINGHAM a mile away, the first radio message received from an aircraft.
5 Mar 1912 The Atlnatic Submarine Flotilla, commanded by Lt. Chester W. Nimits was established.
Oct 1911 The Navy received its first aircraft. One was built by the Wright Brothers, and two others were built by Glen Curtiss.
18 Jan 1911 Ely landed on a platform built over the stern of the armored cruiser PENNSYLVANIA in San Francisco Bay, the first shipboard landing.
14 Nov 1910 Eugene Ely, a civilian contract pilot, flew a plane off a temporary 57-foot wooden deck built over the bow of the cruiser BIRMINGHAM the first aircraft launch from ship.
17 Sep 1910 The ROE (DD 24), the first destroyer of the PAULDING (DD 22) class to enter active service, was commissioned. The ten PAULDINGS, completed in 1910-1, were the first American warships to use oil rather than coal for fuel.
4 Jan 1910 The MICHIGAN (BB 27), the first American "all big-gun" or "dreadnought" battleship to enter service, was commissioned.
6 Apr 1909 Cdr. Robert E. Peary became the first man to reach the North Pole.
8 Jan 1907 By executive order, Pres. Theodore Roosevelt directed that all U.S. commissioned ships be called United States Ship (USS). No standard existed before this, and usage varied widely.
19 May 1902 The DECATUR (DD 5), the Navy's first active destroyer, was commissioned. She was 250 feet long and carried two 3-inch guns and two 18-inch torpedo tubes.
12 Oct 1900 The HOLLAND (SS 1), the Navy's first submarine was commissioned.
2 Mar 1899 George Deway was promoted to Admiral of the Navy, a rank held by him alone. The act of creating this rank also abolished the rank of commodore.
13 Aug 1898 Spain asked for peace.
1 May 1898 Commodore George Dewey's Asiatic Squadron defeated the Spanish in Manila Bay. The battle had been begun by Dewey's order to his flagship captain. "YOU MAY FIRE WHEN READY, GRIDLEY."
15 Feb 1898 The battleship MAINE was sunk in Havana Harbor. Belief that she had been attacked by Spaniards, encouraged by the press of the day, inflamed American public opinion and resulted in a declaration of war on 25 Apr 1898.
24 Sep 1894 The rate of chief petty officer was established by General Order No. 431.
8 Dec 1885 The gunboat DOLPHIN, first steel warship for the U.S> Navy, was commissioned.
3 Mar 1883 The Navy appropriation act for Fiscal Year 1884 authorized construction of the cruisers ATLANTA, BOSTON, CHICAGO, and the dispath vessel DOLPHIN. These were the first steel ships built for the U.S. Navy, and thus they mark the beginning of the transition from wood and sail to steel and steam. In these ships, the rank of master was changed to that of lieutenant (junior grade).
31 Jul 1874 The INTREPID, first experimental Navy torpedo boat to carry self-propelled torpedoes, was commissioned.
28 Jun 1874 The JEANETTE, a supply ship, received the first Navy shipboard electrical system. While proceeding on a mission to the Arctic, she was crushed in an ice pack on 13 Jun 1881.
9 Oct 1973 A meeting held by a group of naval officers resulted in the formation of the U.S. NAVAL INSTITUTE.
11 Sep 1872 James Henry Conyers became the first Surgeon General of the Navy.
10 Jun 1871 A navy-Marine Corps assault force made a landing in Korea in a punitive operation against a Korean force that fired on a peaceful American ship.
28 Jun 1869 William M. Wood was appointed first Surgeon General of the Navy.
1869 New Regulations prescribed an enlisted working uniform for the first time. Before, old dress uniforms were used.
16 Feb 1864 The Confederate submarine H.L. HUNLEY, commanded by Infantry Lt. G.E. DIXON, sank the Union steam sloop HOUSATONIC with a spar torpedo, the first sinking of a warship by a submarine.
31 Aug 1862 Tbe issuance of grog to ship's wardrooms continued to operate "wine messes" until 1914.
21 Aug 1862 The NEW IRONSIDES, the Navy's first seagoing armored ship, was completed.
16 Jul 1862 Congress established the ranks of rear admiral, commodore, lieutenant commander, master and ensign. David Glasgow Farragut was appointed as one of the Navy's first four rear admirals. When the ranks of vice admiral and admiral were created, Farragut became the first officer appointed to them.
10 Jun 1862 The RED ROVER, the Navy's first hospital ship, went into operation on the Mississippe River.
9 Mar 1862 The MONITOR, first warship with a revolving gun turret, met the Confederate VIRGINIA in the world's first battle of ironclads. The battle ended in a draw, but the VIRGINIA never fought again.
21 Dec 1861 The Medal of Honor was authorized by Congress.
9 Jan 1861 The streamer STAR OF THE WEST was fired on by South Carolinians while attempting to resupply Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. This was one of the events leading to the American Civil War.
2 Mar 1859 The first Navy ship to be built on the West Coast, the paddlewheel gunboat SAGINAW, was launched at Mare Island, California.
16 Jan 1857 An act of Congress established the rank of flag officer, the first actual rank higher than captain ever established in the U.S. Navy. Before this, commanders of forces and squadrons had held the operational title of commodore but the actual rank of captain.
31 Nar 1854 Commodore Matthew C. Perry signed a treaty with the Japanese at Yokohama, opening that country to western trade.
28 Sep 1850 The punishment of flogging-whipping with a ct-o'-nine tails was terminated in the Navy by an act of Congress
2 Feb 1848 The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican War with the United Starts gaining most of its present southwestern territory.
1847 "The Kedge-Anchor," by Sailing Master William Brady, USN, was first published. This book was a forerunner to the Blue Jackets Manual.
20 Jul 1846 The Columbus became the first U.S. man-of-war to visit Japan.
11 May 1846 War was declared on Mexico.
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Revolutionary War (C/CPO and C/LT Requirement)
18 Feb 1846 "Larboard" and "starboard" became "port" and "Starboard" by general order.
10 Oct 1845 The U.S. Naval Academy was established in Annapolis, Maryland.
29 Mar 1844 Uriah Levy, the Navy's first Jewish officer, was promoted to captain.
10 Dec 1843 The Princeton, the Navy's first screw-propelled steam frigate, was launched.
1 Sept 1842 The board of Naval Commissioners were superseded by five technical bureaus. With variations in number and title they continue in existence today as the Naval system commands.
Feb 1842 The first regulations providing details for enlisted uniforms, including the first specifics on raiting insignia, were issued.
17 Jun 1833 The ship of the line Delaware dry-docked in Gosport (now Portsmouth) Navy Yard. She was the first warship to be dry docked in the United States.
6 Dec 1830 The U.S. Naval Observatory, the first in the United States, was established.
2 Apr 1827 Construction of the first naval hospital began in Portsmouth, Virginia.
8 Jun 1830 The sloop Vincennes, under Capt. W.B. Finch. completed an around the world voyage, the first U.S. Navy warship to do so.
16 May 1821 The frigate Congress becamse the first U.S. warship to visit China.
30 Jun 1815 In the final naval action of the war of 1812, the sloop Peacock captured the brig HMS Nautilus off Java, while under the command of Leis Warrington.
7 Feb 1815 The board of Naval Commissioners was established to oversee the maintenance and operation of the Navy under the direction of the secretary.
8 Jan 1814 The Battle of New Orleans. Gen. Andrew Jackson and an army made up largely of militia defeated a British regular-army invasion force. Jackson's defenses had time to organize because a Navy gunboat force under Commodore Daniel T. Patterson and Lt. Thomas C. Jones had fought a successful delaying action at Lake Borgne.
24 Dec 1814 The Treaty of Ghent formally ended the War of 1812. Communications were poor in that day, and all the following engagements occured because one of the sides failed to receive information.
22 Jun 1814 The Independence, first ship of the line in the U.S. Navy was launched. She served in one capacity or another until 1912.
10 Sept 1813 The Battle of Lake Erie. Oliver Hazard Perry, commanding an American squadron of nine ships, defeated a British six-ship squadron to ensure U.S. control of the Great Lakes and the North West territory. Perry carried Lawrence's dying command, "Don't give up the ship," on his battle flag, and the opening phrase of his victory report is still remembered today: "We have met the enemy and they are ours..."
1 Jun 1813 Rashly responding to a British captain's challenge, newly promoted Captain Lawrence now commanding the frigate Chesapeake and a green crew, was defeated and killed off in Boston in a fight with HMS Shannon, a frigate. Lawrence's dying word, "Don't give up the ship!" have lived on as one of the slogans of the U.S. Navy.
14 Feb 1813 The Essex became the first U.S. man-of-war to round Cape Horn and enter the Pacific Ocean.
29 Dec 1812 The Constitution, now commanded by William Bainbridge, left HMS Java in shambles in a hard two and a half hour fight off Brazil. With this third loss in three frigate to frigate actions in five months, the Royal Navy received orders not to take on such American 44s as the Constitution and the United States with less than squadron strength.
19 Aug 1812 Isaac Hull and the Constitution defeated the frigate HMS Guerriere in a 35-minute slugfest that left the British vessel a hulk. This was the first time an American frigate had defeated a British frigate, and it greatly cheered the nation. As a result of the battle, the Constitution received her famous nickname, "Old Ironsides."
7 Feb 1800 The thirty-two gun frigate Essex becamse the first U.S. man-of-war to cross the equator.
18 June 1789 Benjamin Staddert, first secretary of the Navy took office. His salary was $3000 a year. The first actions in the undeclared quais-war with France occurred in June.
May 1789 The converted mechant man Ganges, first warship to fit out and go to sea under the new federal constitution to protect shipping off the U.S. East Coast.
30 Apr 1789 The Navy Department was established. Up to then, the secretary of war, a distant predecessor of today's secretary of defense, had directed both the Amry and Navy.
May-Oct 1797 The frigates United States, Constellation, and Constitution were launched.
27 Mar 1794 President Washington signed into law "an act to provide a naval armament," which provided for the building of frigates: the Constitution, United States, Constellation, Congress, Chesapeake, and President. The captains were to be paid 75 dollors a month, ordinary seaman 10 dollars. Rations were valued at 28 cents a day.
2 Aug 1785 The frigate Alliance, last survivor of the Continental Navy, was sold out of service.
19 Apr 1783 George Washington proclaimed the Revolution officially ended.
17 Oct 1781 General Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, thus ending the Revolutionary War.
23 Sept 1780 John Paul Jones, now commanding the converted merchantman Conhomme Richard, defeated the frigate HMS Serapis in a night fight off Flamborough Head, England. His ship badly battered (she would sink after the fight).
4 May 1780 An insignia, adopted by the Board of Admiralty (which had been set up by the Continental Congress to direct operations), became the Navy's first official seal.
24 Apr 1778 John Paul Jones command of the sloop Ranger defeated the sloop HMS Drake off Belfast, Ireland. The Drake became the first major British warship to be taken by the new Navy.
16 Nov 1776 The U.S. flag was saluted for the first time by the Dutch governor of St. Eustatius Island in the West Indes.
15 Nov 1776 Continental Congress set pay rates for officers and men. Petty officer rates were prescribed, though these were not divided into classes until 1885.
11 Oct 1776 A continental army squadron of gunboats under Col. Benedict Arnold fought a British force on Lake Champlain in the Battle of Valcour Island. This caused the British to delay the invasion of the Hudson River Vallery for a year, by which time the Continental Army was able to prepare and achieve a vital victory.
7 Sept 1776 Sgt. Ezra Lee of the Continental Army made the first "submarine" attack on a warship, an unsuccessful attempt to attach a powder charge to the hull of an anchored British ship from the submersible Turtle, designed by David Bushnell. [Submarine As 2 and As 15 were named for Bushnell. The deep-submergence craft DSV 3 is also named Turtle.]
3-4 Mar 1776 AS continental squadron under the command of Commodore Esek Hopkins, composed of the Alfred, Columbus, Andrea Doria, Cabot, Providence, Hornet, Wasp, and Fly, successfully attacked the British at Nassau in the Bahamas. Captured were seventy-one cannons and fifteen mortars. This was also the first amphibious assault by American Marines, under the command of Capt. Samuel Nicholas.
3 Dec 1775 The first man-of-war of the Continental Navy, the "Alfred", was commissioned at Philadelphia. Her "first lieutenant" (XO) was Lt. John Paul Jones.
13 Oct 1775 The continental congress authorized the outfitting of a ten-gun warship "for intercepting such transports as many laden with stores for the enemy." This marked the beginning of the Continental Navy (forerunner of the U.S. Navy).
12 Jun 1775 First engagement at sea during the Revolution. Citizens of Machias, Maine, under command of Jeremiah O'Brien, seized a cargo sloop and with her captured the cutter HMS Margaretta.