This Day in Navy History - December 20

1822 - Congress authorizes the 14-ship West Indies Squadron to suppress piracy in the Caribbean.

1941 - Adm. Ernest J. King is designated commander-in-chief in charge of all operating Naval fleets and coastal frontier forces, reporting directly to the president.

1964 - USS Richard E. Kraus (DD 849) completes a successful emergency mission, aiding the disabled American merchant ship SS Oceanic Spray in the Red Sea. 

1974 - Clearance of the Suez Canal for mines and unexploded ordnance completed by joint task force. 

1989 - Operation Just Cause begins in Panama.

1998 - Operation Desert Fox in Iraq ends.

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