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Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

Today in Naval History
July 16
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1862 - Congress establishes the rank of Rear Admiral, with David G. Farragut named as the first Rear Admiral.
On This Day

1862

Congress establishes the rank of Rear Admiral, with David G. Farragut named as the first Rear Admiral.

1863

The screw sloop of war USS Wyoming, commanded by Capt. D. McDougal, is fired on by shore batteries and Japanese ships of the Prince of Nagoya. During this action, Wyoming became the first foreign warship to take the offensive to uphold treaty rights in Japan.

1915

The first Navy ships, the battleships USS Ohio (BB 12), USS Missouri (BB 11), and USS Wisconsin (BB 9) transit the Panama Canal, steaming from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

1945

The first atomic bomb test, Trinity, is detonated at Alamogordo, N.M.

1957

An F8U 1P Crusader (Bu#144608), piloted by Maj. John H. Glenn, Jr., USMC, breaks the transcontinental speed record by crossing the country from Los Alamitos, Calif., to Floyd Bennett Field, N.Y., in 3 hours and 22 min., 50.05 sec. for an average speed of 723.517 mph. This is the first upper atmosphere supersonic flight from the West Coast to the East Coast.

1987

Republic of Korea Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Choe Sang-Hwa gives a model of the Korean Turtle "Kobuksan" to Secretary of the Navy James Webb Jr. as a symbol of the partnership between the two nations.