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In the early phase of the Mexican–American War, United States Navy ships under Commodore John D. Sloat arrived off Monterey, the principal Mexican port in Alta California. On July 7th, 1846, sailors and Marines landed, raised the American flag over the customs house, and proclaimed United States control of the town.
A story of a silent campaign against merchant ships and how it helped choke an island empire’s war effort.
On that same June weekend, United States soldiers were fighting on the ground in Italy. On June 4th, 1944, elements of the United States Fifth Army entered Rome after months of hard campaigning up the Italian peninsula, past Salerno, Cassino, and the Anzio beachhead. The capture of Italy’s capital marked the first time an Axis capital city fell into Allied hands, a powerful symbol of progress in a campaign sometimes
In the closing months of the Second World War in Europe, the Rhine River stood as a natural barrier shielding the heart of Germany from advancing Allied armies. On March 7th, 1945, soldiers of the United States 9th Armored Division reached the town of Remagen and were astonished to find the Ludendorff railroad bridge still standing despite German attempts to demolish it.
Before the United States formally entered the Second World War, its leaders faced the challenge of preparing a still-divided public for the scale of the coming struggle. On May 27th, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt used a nationwide address to proclaim an “unlimited national emergency,” warning that Axis victories overseas threatened American security. The declaration did not yet mean war, but it unlocked broad
A boiler explosion aboard the gunboat Bennington on July 21, 1905 turned routine naval service into a mass-casualty emergency. Rescue, medical care, investigation and public mourning followed.
Just days after Fort George fell, another drama played out at sea off the American coast. On June 1st, 1813, the American frigate USS Chesapeake sailed from Boston to challenge the British blockading ship HMS Shannon. In a furious, close-range engagement that lasted only minutes, British gunnery and boarding tactics shattered the Chesapeake’s crew, leaving Captain James Lawrence mortally wounded.
Early in the War of 1812, the United States Navy frigate Constitution intercepted the British frigate Guerriere in the Atlantic and accepted battle. In a sharp engagement marked by heavy gunnery and aggressive maneuvering, Constitution’s solid hull shrugged off many British round shot, giving rise to the famous nickname “Old Ironsides.” American broadsides dismasted Guerriere and left her so badly damaged that she ha
A story of a wooden frigate under fire, a nickname earned in cannon smoke, and a young navy learning it could stand toe-to-toe with the world’s best.
Off the French port of Cherbourg, two warships met in a duel that captured worldwide attention and helped decide a quieter but crucial front in the Civil War. The Confederate commerce raider CSS Alabama had spent years attacking Union merchant shipping across the globe, forcing the United States to divert warships to hunt her and driving up insurance rates.
As revolt simmered in Spanish-ruled Cuba and American public opinion burned with sympathy for Cuban insurgents, the armored cruiser USS Maine steamed into Havana harbor. Officially, the ship’s mission was to make a friendly visit and protect American citizens and interests in case unrest spilled over. Unofficially, her presence sent a blunt message that the United States was watching events closely and was willing to
On the night of February 15th, 1898, the battleship USS Maine exploded and sank while riding at anchor in Havana Harbor, killing more than two hundred American sailors. The ship had been sent to Cuba during a period of unrest as a visible symbol of United States interest in the island’s struggle against Spanish rule. When the Maine erupted and settled into the harbor mud, the immediate cause was unclear, and controve
In the Cold War, geography and technology combined to redefine what counted as a front line. The nuclear-powered submarine USS Nautilus had already shown that a boat freed from the need to surface for air could stay submerged for long periods. In early August 1958, Nautilus undertook a bold transit under the polar ice cap, passing directly beneath the geographic North Pole on August 3rd.
A story of nuclear propulsion, undersea endurance, and how one boat reshaped the Cold War at sea.
On a winter day on the Potomac River in 1844, the brand-new steam warship USS Princeton hosted Washington dignitaries for a demonstration cruise. The pride of the ship was a massive naval gun nicknamed “Peacemaker,” intended to showcase the Navy’s technical skill and the promise of long-range, heavy artillery at sea.
In the chilly waters off the Korean coast, the lightly armed intelligence-gathering ship USS Pueblo operated under orders to monitor North Korean communications. On January 23rd, 1968, North Korean patrol craft closed in, opening fire and boarding the ship after a tense confrontation in which one American sailor was killed and others wounded. The crew attempted to destroy classified material, but much was seized alon
On the evening of May 17th, 1987, the guided missile frigate USS Stark patrols the Persian Gulf during the long Iran–Iraq War, monitoring traffic in tense and crowded waters. An Iraqi aircraft approaches and launches two anti-ship missiles that strike the ship, causing fires and damage that kill dozens of sailors. In the chaos that follows, the crew fights to control the blaze, tend to the wounded, and keep the ship
The late 1950s saw the opening moves of the space age, with the Soviet Union’s Sputnik launches and the United States racing to orbit its own satellites. On March 17th, 1958, the Navy-managed Vanguard program successfully placed a small, lightweight satellite into orbit, known as Vanguard 1. The satellite carried no weapons, but it featured innovative solar cells and transmitted tracking data that helped scientists r