The Navy Post News

Today in U.S. 1845 - U.S. Naval Academy established at Annapolis, Md. on former site of Fort Severn. 1895 - Commissioning of Texas, the first American steel-hulled battleship. Texas served off Cuba during the Spanish-American War and took part in the naval battle of Santiago. Under the name of San Marcos, she was sunk in weapon effects tests in Chesapeake Bay in 1911. Her hulk continued in use as a gunnery target through World War II. 1953 - First naval officer appointed Chairman, Joints Chiefs of Staff, Admiral William Radford. He served from August 15, 1953 until August 15, 1957.

1845 - U.S. Naval Academy established at Annapolis, MD on former site of Fort Severn. 1895 - Commissioning of Texas, the first American steel-hulled battleship. Texas served off Cuba during the Spanish-American War and took part in the naval battle of Santiago. Under the name of San Marcos, she was sunk in weapon effects tests in Chesapeake Bay in 1911. Her hulk continued in use as a gunnery target through World War II. 1953 - First naval officer appointed Chairman, Joints Chiefs of Staff, Admiral William Radford. He served from 15 August 1953 until 15 August 1957. For more information about naval history, visit the Naval Historical Center Web site at www.history.navy.mil.

From the Navy News Service 1845 - The U.S. Naval Academy is established at , , on former site of . 1895 - Commissioning of USS Texas, the first American steel-hulled battleship. served off during the Spanish-American War and took part in the naval battle of . Under the name of , she was sunk in weapon effects tests in in 1911. Her hulk continued in use as a gunnery target through World War II. 1908 - First Navy post offices established in Navy ships. 1944 - Operation Dragoon, Allied invasion of . 1953 - First naval officer appointed Chairman, Joints Chiefs of Staff, Adm. William Radford. 1958 - USS Lexington (CVA 16) arrives in vicinity of during Taiwan Straits crisis.

Acting Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England has relinquished his post as secretary of the Navy, Defense Department officials announced Dec. 29. He will continue to serve as acting deputy secretary of defense, officials said. England has served as Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's deputy since May, when former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz left the Pentagon to head up the World Bank. Over two terms as Navy secretary, England served a total of 48 months. His terms were separated by his service as the first deputy secretary of the Homeland Security Department. For the past eight months, he has served in both the Navy post and as acting deputy secretary of defense. Navy Undersecretary Dionel M. Aviles will serve as acting Navy secretary effective today.

According to a recent Chicago Sun story, the Senate confirmed the appointment of Donald Winter as Navy secretary, but he won't formally take over until the current secretary's stalled promotion is cleared in an expected recess appointment by President Bush. Two senators have blocked Navy Secretary Gordon England's confirmation as deputy defense secretary, the Pentagon's second-highest position, creating a logjam in the department's hierarchy. According to the story, Bush will bypass the Senate and install England as deputy secretary within the next four months. The recess appointment would clear the way for Winter, the former corporate vice president of Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, to be formally sworn in as the Navy's top civilian official.

December 7, 1941, "A day that will live in infamy," is undoubtedly a defining moment in U.S. history. The day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor is again in the public eye with the recent release of Touchstone Pictures' epic Pearl Harbor this past Memorial Day weekend. While the movie provides an interpreted portrayal of those events, no rendition could possibly compare it to a first-hand account. Having lived through the attack as an eight-year-old boy, Retired Admiral Dick Camacho, remembers the day as one that left many people living in fear. Camacho, who now serves as senior vice president for Government Business at United States Marine Repair (USMR)…