Naval History and Heritage Command

Overviews of Naval History

Dates in American Naval History

A list of notable dates in naval history, arranged by month and day.

History of the United States Navy by Michael A. Palmer.

Used by permission of Charles Scribner's Sons, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Macmillan from Encyclopedia of the American Military, John E. Jessup, Editor in Chief. Vol. I, pp. 365-380. Copyright c 1994, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1633Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

Casualties: U.S. Navy and Marine Corps personnel killed and wounded in wars, conflicts and incidents with hostile forces, 1775-present.

Instances of Use of United States Forces Abroad, 1798 - 2004

This Library of Congress report lists instances in which the United States has used its armed forces abroad in situations of conflict or potential conflict or for other than normal peacetime purposes. It replaces the 1993 list previously published on this website and is intended primarily to provide a rough sketch survey of past U.S. military ventures abroad.

Naval History By Period

Documents on this home page are arranged chronologically for ease of access. The Battle Streamers contain a brief history of the Navy's role in the war, conflict or operation.

Post 1991 Conflicts

Revolutionary War 1775-1783

Battle Streamer: Revolutionary War 1775-1783

"Birthday" of the U.S. Navy

Bibliography: American Revolution, 1775-1783

Congress and the Continental Navy, 1775-1783: Chronology and Documents

The Continental Navy: "I Have Not Yet Begun to Fight"

Jones, John Paul

Officers of the Continental Navy and Marine Corps

The Pivot Upon Which Everything Turned: French Naval Superiority That Ensured Victory At Yorktown

Rules for the Regulation of the Navy of the United Colonies of North America, 1775

The Submarine Turtle: Naval Documents of the Revolutionary War

Vessels of the Continental Navy

Quasi-War with France 1798-1801

Battle Streamer: Quasi-War with France 1798-1801

Bibliography: Quasi-War With France and Barbary Wars

Old Ironsides's Battle Record: Documents of USS Constitution's Illustrious Deeds

Officers, Famous in the U.S. Navy, 1794-1815: Select Reading List

Shipboard Life in the 19th Century

Uniform Regulations, 1797

Barbary Wars 1801-1805, 1815

Battle Streamer: Barbary Wars 1801-1805, 1815

Documents, Official and Unofficial, Relating to the Case of the Capture and Destruction of the Frigate Philadelphia, at Tripoli on the 16th February 1804

Officers, Famous in the U.S. Navy, 1794-1815: Select Reading List

Old Ironsides' Battle Record: Documents of USS Constitution's Illustrious Deeds

War of 1812

Battle Streamer: War of 1812

Bibliography: War of 1812-Biography

The Defense and Burning of Washington in 1814: Naval Documents of the War of 1812

Navy Regulations, 1814

Officers, Famous in the U.S. Navy, 1794-1815: Select Reading List

Officers of American Naval Victories in the War of 1812

Officers of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in the War of 1812

Old Ironsides' Battle Record: Documents of USS Constitution's Illustrious Deeds

Uniform Regulations, 1814

African Slave Trade Patrol 1820-1861

Battle Streamer: Africa Slave Trade Patrol

The African Squadron: Ashburton Treaty: Consular Sea Letters Reviewed in an Address by Commander A. H. Foote

Battle Streamer: African Slave Trade Patrol 1820-1861

USS Alligator, submerged wreck of

Amistad and the U.S. Navy

Anti-slavery Operations of the U.S. Navy, an illustrated exhibit

Seizing a Slaver: Old Ironsides' Battle Record: Documents of USS Constitution's Illustrious Deeds

Operations Against West Indian Pirates 1822-1830s

Battle Streamer: Operations Against West Indian Pirates 1822-1830s

The Indian Wars 1835-1842

Battle Streamer: The Indian Wars 1835-1842

Mexican War 1846-1848

Battle Streamer: Mexican War 1846-1848

Bibliography: Mexican War

Civil War 1861-1865

CSS Alabama, submerged wreck of

Are the Southern Privateersmen Pirates?

Battle Streamer: Civil War 1861-1865

Bibliography: Civil War, 1861-1865

Captain Raphael Semmes and the C.S.S. Alabama

Chronology of Events: Civil War

Documents of the Civil War, Selected

Emancipation Proclamation, General Order No. 4, 14 Jan. 1863

An Eye-Witness Account of the Battle Between the U.S.S. Monitor and the C.S.S. Virginia (formerly U.S.S. Merrimack) on March 9th, 1862

Going South: U.S. Navy Officer Resignations & Dismissals On the Eve of the Civil War

H.L. Hunley, submerged wreck of

Medal: Civil War

1865 Register of Officers on Navy Yards, Shore Stations and Vessels

Signals For the Use of the Navy of the Confederate States

The Story of the Confederate States' Ship Virginia (Once Merrimac) Her Victory Over the Monitor

USS Tecumseh, submerged wreck of

Uniform Regulations, 1864

Spanish-American War 1898

Battle of Manila Bay

Battle of Santiago, eyewitness account by W. J. Murphy on USS Iowa

Battle Streamer: Spanish-American War 1898

Bibliography: Spanish-American War; Historical Overview and Select Bibliography

USS Maine, destruction of

Medal: Battle of Manila Bay (Dewey Medal)

Medal: Spanish Campaign

Medal: West Indies Naval Campaign (Sampson Medal)

Medal: West Indies Campaign

Photographs: Spanish American War

Selected Naval Documents of the Spanish American War

"War Plans and Preparation and Their Impact on the U.S. Naval Operation in Spanish American War"

Philippine Insurrection Campaign 1899-1902

Battle Streamer: Philippine Insurrection Campaign 1899-1902

Medal: Philippine Campaign

China Relief Expedition 1900-1901 (Boxer Rebellion)

Battle Streamer: China Relief Expedition 1900-1901

Bibliography on the Boxer Rebellion

The Boxer Rebellion and the U.S. Navy (Frequently Asked Questions)

Documents of the Boxer Rebellion

Medal: China Relief Expedition

Latin American Campaigns 1906-1933

Battle Streamer: Latin American Campaigns 1906-1920

Battle Streamer: Second Nicaraguan Campaign 1926-1933

Bibliography: Between World Wars, 1919-1941

List of Expeditions Formed and Landings Effected by the U.S. Naval Force in Central America, Mexico and the West Indies, From 1901 to May 1, 1929

Medal: Cuban Pacification

Medal: Nicaraguan Campaign

Medal: Mexican Service

Medal: Haitian Campaign (1915)

Medal: Haitian Campaign (1919-1920)

Medal: Dominican Campaign

Medal: Second Nicaraguan Campaign

Occupation of Haiti, 1915-1934

World War I 1917-1918

Analysis of the Advantage of Speed and Changes of Course in Avoiding Attack by Submarine (1918)

Antisubmarine Information (1918)

Antisubmarine Tactics (1918)

Antisubmarine Warfare: Notes for the Use of Naval Armed Guard (1917)

Bayly's Navy, a World War I memoir by Vice Admiral Walter S. Delany

British and German naval messages concerning the 1918 Armistice

General Instructions for Sloops and Torpedo Craft Employed on Antisubmarine Duties (1918)

German Submarine Attacks (1918)

German Submarines in Question and Answer (1918)

I was a Yeoman (F) by Mrs. Henry F. Butler [Estelle Kemper]

Kite Balloons in Escort (1918)

Naval Aviation in World War I 

Battle Streamer: World War I 1917-1918

Bibliography: World War I, 1917-1918

American Naval Participation in the Great War (with special reference to the European Theater of Operations) by Capt. Dudley Knox

Homing Pigeons, Instruction on Reception, Care, and Training at U.S. Navy Air Bases

Influenza of 1918 (Spanish Flu) and its Effect on the U.S. Navy

Medal: (World War I) Victory

Notes on Anti-Submarine Defenses (1917)

Regulations for the Information of Officers On Neutrality Duty in Connection With the Visits of Belligerent Vessels of War

Remarks on Protection of a Convoy by Extended Patrols (1918)

Remarks on Submarine Tactics Again Convoys (1917)

Uniform Regulation: Navy Nurse Corps, 1917

Uniform Regulation: Women Reservist, Yeoman (F), 1918

Yangtze Service 1926-1927, 1930-1932

Battle Streamer: Yangtze Service 1926-1927, 1930-1932

Medal: Yangtze Service

China Service 1937-1939, 1945-1957

Battle Streamer: China Service 1937-1939, 1945-1957

Medal: China Service

Medal: Navy Expeditionary

World War II

Abbreviations: Glossary of U.S. Naval Abbreviations, 1949

Aces, U.S. Navy and Marine Corps

Advanced Intelligence centers in the U.S. Navy (SRH-268)

Appendectomy on board a Submarine: Oral History

Armed Guard, Naval

Aviation Personnel Fatalities in World War II

Battle Streamer: American Theater 1941-1946

Battle Streamer: Asiatic-Pacific Theater 1941-1946

Battle Streamer: European-African-Middle Eastern Theater 1941-1946

Bibliography: World War II General Works

Bibliography: World War II-Atlantic Theater

Bibliography: World War II-Pacific Theater

Bibliography: World War II-Biography

Bismarck, German Battleship, sinking of

Casualties, World War II

CIC Operation in an AGC

CIC Operations on a Night Carrier

CIC Yesterday and Today

Code Talkers Dictionary

Code Talkers, World War II

Code Words, Glossary of Naval (NAVEXOS P-474)

Combat Demolition Units, Naval

Combat Information center (CIC) Manual

Communication Intelligence Contributions to World War II Submarine Warfare

Cruise Books of the United States Navy in World War II

Current Doctrine Submarines (1944)

Cursor Scales for the VG

Destroyers for Bases Agreement, 1940

E Award, Army-Navy

Exercise Tiger, Training Exercise for Normandy

First Aid Treatment for Survivors of Disasters at Sea (1943)

Fleet Admirals

The German Defense of Berlin

German Espionage and Sabotage Against the U.S. during World War II

Indianapolis, USS, Loss of

Indians in the War

Iwo Jima , Battle for

Japanese Internment in U.S, Ringle Report on

Japanese Interrogation Of Prisoners Of War (Aviation Personnel)

Juneau, USS, Loss of

Lagarto, USS, Loss of

Lend Lease Act, 1941

Manual of Commands and Orders, 1945

Medal: American Campaign

Medal: Asiatic-Pacific Campaign

Medal: European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign

Medal: Navy Expeditionary for Wake

Medal: American Defense Service

Medal: World War II Victory

Medal: Navy Occupation

Midway, Battle of, 4-7 June 1942

Naval Aviation Combat Statistics, World War II (download as .pdf file)

Naval Aviation in the Pacific (download as .pdf file)

Naval Expansion Act, 14 June 1940

Naval Expansion Act, 19 July 1940

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory: Fulfilling the Roosevelts' Vision for American Naval Power (1923-2005) (.pdf version)

Naval Technical Mission to Japan, 1945-1946

Normandy Invasion, 6-25 June 1944

Oral Histories: Recollections of World War II Experiences

Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941

Port Chicago Naval Magazine Explosion, 17 July 1944

Post Mortem CIC Notes

Presidents who served in the U.S. Navy in World War II

Prisoners of War, World War II

PT-109: Information on the vessel and Patrol Torpedo Boats

Q-Ships (anti-submarine vessels disguised as merchant ships)

"Radio Intelligence Appreciations Concerning German U-Boat Activity in the Far East, January-April 1945" (SRH-232)

"Ringle Report on Japanese Internment" (1941)

Quonset and Nissen Huts

S-33, USS, submarine

Ships, U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, Sunk and Damaged in Action

Ship to Shore Movement (1943)

A Short Guide to Iraq (1943)

Skill in the Surf: A Landing Boat Manual (1945)

Submarines: Current Doctrine

Sullivan Brothers and Policy Towards Family Members Serving Together

Target Information from CIC

Tokyo - a Study in Jap Flak Defense

Tokyo Bay: Surrender of Japan, 2 September 1945

Typhoon, 18 December 1944

Typhoon, June 1945

Typhoon, October 1945

U-505, Capture of, 4 June 1944

U-571, a brief history

U-1105, The submerged wreckage of

"U.S. Navy Personnel in World War II: Service and Casualty Statistics"

United States Navy Fleet Post Office New York, N.Y.

United States Fleet Post Office San Francisco, California

US Navy Libraries, World War II

U.S. Prisoners of War and Civilian American Citizens Captured and Interned by Japan in World War II: The Issue of Compensation by Japan

United States Submarine Losses World War II

VT Fuze or Radio Proximity Fuze

"War Instructions: United States, 1944"

Cold War

Battle Streamer: Armed Forces Expeditionary Service, 1958-

Berlin Airlift: Naval Aviation's Involvement in

Bibliography: Postwar Years, 1946-1991

Cordon of Steel: The U.S. Navy and the Cuban Missile Crisis [.pdf file]

Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962

Dominican Republic Intervention, 1965

Grenada: Operation Urgent Fury, 1983

Medal for Humane Action-Berlin Airlift

Medal: Armed Forces Expeditionary

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory: Fulfilling the Roosevelts' Vision for American Naval Power (1923-2005) (.pdf version)

Nuclear Weapons: Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

Operation Crossroads: Bikini Atoll

Pueblo, USS- Some Experiences Reported by Crew

"The Role of the United States Navy in the Formation and Development of the Federal German Navy, 1945"

U-2 and Aircraft Carrier Deployment

U.S. Navy in the Cold War Era, 1945-1991

Korean Conflict 1950-1954

Assault from the Sea: The Amphibious Landing at Inchon (.pdf version)

Battle Streamer: Korean Service 1950-1954

Bibliography: Korean Conflict

Carrier- Korean Combat Action Reports

Carrier Air Groups- Korean Combat Action Reports

Chronology of U.S. Pacific Fleet Operations, 1950-1953

History of United Naval Operations: Korea by James A. Field, Jr.

Medal: National Defense Service

Medal: Korean Service

Naval Aviation's Involvement in the Korean War

Order of Battle for Carriers and Carrier-based Squadrons [.pdf]

Photographs: Korean War

Pirate, USS; Loss of 12 October 1950

"Remembering the Forgotten War: Korea, 1950-1953"

Ships, U.S. Navy, Sunk and Damages in Action During the Korean Conflict

Ships, Other Navy Commands and USMC Commands Eligible for Korean Service Medal

Special Operations in the Korean War, Navy

USN and USMC Tactical Aircraft operating in the Korean Theater

Vietnam Service 1962-1975

Battle Streamer: Vietnam Service, 1962-1973

Bibliography: Conflict in Southeast Asia

Bibliography: Conflict in Southeast Asia- Biography

Bombing As a Policy Tool in Vietnam: Effectiveness

By Sea, Air, and Land: An Illustrated History of the U.S. Navy and the War in Southeast Asia

CINCPAC Glossary of Commonly Used Abbreviations and Short Titles, 1968

Commander Naval Forces Vietnam Monthly Historical Summaries, 1966-1979

Enemy Aircraft shot down by Naval Aviators in Southeast Asia

Medal: Vietnam Service

Medal: Armed Forces Expeditionary

U.S. Medal of Honor Recipients with citations

Oral History: Vietnam Conflict, Post 1946

Order of Battle for Carriers and Carrier Based Squadrons in the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) and Vietnam (1964-1975) [.pdf file]

Presidential Unit Citations - signed by President Nixon

Prisoners of War - Some Experiences Report by

Religions of Vietnam

Riverine Warfare: The U.S. Navy's Operations on Inland Waters

"Surprised at Tet: U.S. Naval Forces in Vietnam, 1968"

Tonkin Gulf Crisis, August 1964

United States Naval Operations (Monthly), Highlights

Vietnam: The Struggle for Freedom

"The Vietnam Experience: an Online Art Exhibit

Desert Shield/Desert Storm 1991-1992

Battle Streamer: Southwest Asia Service, 1991-1995

Bibliography: "United States Naval Forces in Desert Shield and Desert Storm: A Select Bibliography"

History: "The United States Navy and The Persian Gulf"

History: "The U.S. Navy in Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm"

Medal: Southwest Asia Service

Naval Units participating in Desert Shield and Desert Storm

Role of Women in U.S. Military during Desert Shield/Desert Storm

Kosovo Conflict, 1999

Cruise Missile Inventories and NATO Attacks on Yugoslavia

A Soldier's Guide Bosnia-Herzegovina

U.S. Naval Lessons Learned During Operation Allied Force, March-June 1999

Global War On Terrorism 2001-

Al Qaeda: Statements and Evolving Ideology

Homeland Security: Navy Operations -- Background and Issues for Congress

Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in Iraq: Effects and Countermeasures

Islamic Terrorism and the Balkans

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory: Fulfilling the Roosevelts' Vision for American Naval Power (1923-2005) (.pdf version)

Oral Histories from September 11, 2001 Attack, Operations Nobel Eagle and Enduring Freedom

Terrorism in Southeast Asia

The United States' War with Tripoli (1801-05) and the War on Terrorism (2001-)