This Day in Naval History - July 17

From the Navy News Service

1812 - USS Constitution escapes from British squadron after 3 day chase off
1858 - sloop Niagara departs , to assist in laying first trans-Atlantic telegraph cable.
1898 - surrenders to U.S. Naval forces.
1927 - First organized dive bombing attack in combat by Marine Corps pilots against Nicaraguan bandits who were surrounding U.S. Marine garrison at Ocotal, Nicaraguan.
1944 - Ammunition explosion at Naval Magazine, Port Chicago, Calif.
1975 - Docking in space of the U.S. Apollo (Apollo 18) and Soviet Soyuz (Soyuz 19) space craft. This was the first manned space flight conducted jointly by the 2 nations. Former naval aviator Vance D. Brand was the Apollo Command Module Pilot. The Apollo craft was in space for 9 days and 7.5 hours. Recovery was by USS New Orleans (LPH-11).