This Day In Naval History: August 9
1842 - The Webster-Ashburton Treaty is signed. In the treaty, the United States and Great Britain agree to cooperate in suppressing the slave trade. 1867 - One officer and 46 Marines and Seamen from the steamer, USS Wachusett, land at Shanghai, China, to assist in fighting a fire. 1942 - A Japanese force runs through the Allied forces guarding Savo Sound, sinking three American heavy cruisers, USS Quincy (CA 39), USS Vincennes (CA 44), and USS Astoria (CA 34), along with other damaged Allied vessels. As a result of the loss, the sound gains the nickname, Iron Bottom Sound.
This Day In Naval History: August 1
1801 - The schooner, USS Enterprise, commanded by Lt. Andrew Sterett, encounters the Barbary corsair, Tripoli, west of Malta. After a three-hour battle, USS Enterprise broadsides the vessel, forcing Tripolis surrender. 1849 - Pope Pius IX and King Ferdinand of the Two Sicilies, briefly visit USS Constitution and marks the first time that a Roman Catholic pope steps foot on American territory. 1921 - A high-altitude bombsight, mounted on a gyroscopically stabilized base was successfully tested at Torpedo Station, Yorktown, Va. This test was the first phase of Carl L.
USS Sterett Commissioned in Special Ceremony
The U.S. Navy's commissioned the latest guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104) at 's Locust Point Cruise terminals Aug. 9 - the fourth time in naval history that a ship bears this name. The ship can now directly support the Navy's effort to execute the maritime strategy. During the ceremony, Greg Sterett, a descendant of the ship's namesake Lt. Andrew Sterett, was dressed in a colonial naval uniform, and left the 19th century warship USS Constellation, normally anchored in 's , to board the modern warship. He brought with him not just his family name, but the spirit of his ancestor.
