From the Navy News Service

1800 – USS Constellation, commanded by Capt. Thomas Truxtun, captures French vessel la Vengeance.
1862 – USS Hartford, commanded by Capt. David G. Farragut, departs Hampton Roads for Mississippi River campaign.
1894 – Sloop Kearsarge, commanded by Cmdr. Oscar F. Heyerman, wrecks without loss of life on Roncador Reef off Central America.
1991 – Coalition naval operations continue in the Gulf War with an attack on the Al Kalia naval facility. One Iraqi Exocet-capable patrol craft is hit directly with two laser-guided bombs, while a second U.S. aircraft launches a string of twelve 500-pound bombs across another patrol boat. The bombs also strike several buildings on the pier, generating several secondary explosions.

For more information about naval history, visit the Naval Historical Center Web site at www.history.navy.mil.