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Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

Today in Naval History
October 7
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2001 - Operation Enduring Freedom begins with carrier air strikes and ship and submarine Tomahawk strikes in Afghanistan.
On This day

1864

USS Wachusett rams the Confederate raider CSS Florida in the harbor of Bahia, Brazil. The collision brings down Floridas mast, then Wachusett opens fire. After Floridas surrender, both vessels are fired upon by Brazilian coastal forts as Wachusett tows her prize out to sea.

1924

The rigid airship Shenandoah (ZR 1), commanded by Lt. Cmdr. Zachary Lansdowne, begins a roundtrip transcontinental cruise from NAS Lakehurst, NJ. The airship returns 25 Oct. having covered 9,317 miles in 258 hours of flight.

1944

USS Hawkbill (SS 366) and USS Baya (SS 318) attack a Japanese convoy and sink the Japanese cargo ship Kinugasa Maru about 400 miles west of Manila, while USS Cabrilla (SS 288) sinks Japanese transport No.8 Shinyo Maru off Vigan, Luzon.

1944

USS Greenling (SS 213) sinks the Japanese transport No 8 Kiri Maru and the merchant tanker Kotai Maru.

1955

USS X-1, the Navy's only midget submarine, is placed into service and conducts numerous scientific tests for the Naval Research Laboratory.

1975

President Gerald Ford signs Public Law 94-106, allowing admission of women into service academies.

1985

Palestinian terrorists hijack Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro. On 10 Oct. four of the terrorists attempted to escape aboard an Egypt Air Boeing 737 airliner, but F‑14As from VF-74 and VF -103          are launched from USS Saratoga (CV 60) and intercepted the aircraft over international waters irecting it to NAS Sigonella, Sicily.

2001

Operation Enduring Freedom begins with carrier air strikes and ship and submarine Tomahawk strikes in Afghanistan.

2017

The Virginia-class fast attack submarine USS Washington (SSN 787) is commissioned in a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk. Washington, named in honor of the 42nd state, is the 14th Virginia-class, fast-attack submarine to join the Navy's operational fleet.