Naval History and Heritage Command

The Naval War College is established at Newport, R.I. when Secretary of the Navy William E. Chandler signs General Order 325.

During the Battle of Vella Lavella, USS OBannon (DD 450), USS Chevalier (DD 451), and USS Selfridge (DD 357) intercept nine Japanese destroyers en route to Rabaul after evacuating their garrison on Vella Lavella Island. The Japanese escape northbound but the destroyer Yugumo is sunk. All of the U.S. destroyers suffer damage, with Chevalier being scuttled by USS LaVallette (DD 448) after being hit earlier by Yugumo.

USS Whale (SS 239) sinks the Japanese merchant tanker Akane Maru while under the escort of Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No. 21 west of Balintang Channel, Philippines. USS Seahorse (SS 304) then sinks Coast Defense Vessel No.21 as the ship is rescuing survivors from Akane Maru, 140 miles northwest of Cape Bojeador, Luzon.

USS Seawolf (SSN 575) completes a record submerged run of 60 days, logging more than 13,700 nautical miles.

USS Bainbridge (DLGN 25), the first nuclear-powered frigate, is commissioned. In 1964, she is part of Operation Sea Orbit, the first nuclear-powered task group to go on a world cruise without refueling.

NASA astronaut Cmdr. Wendy B. Lawrence returns from mission STS-86 Atlantis, the seventh mission to rendezvous and dock with the Russian Space Station Mir. The mission began Sept. 25, 1997.