American Desert News

From the Navy News Service:   1856 - USS Supply, commanded by Lt. David Dixon Porter, sails from Smyrna, Syria, bound for Indianola, Texas, with a load of 21 camels intended for experimental use in the American desert west of the Rockies. 1898 - The battleship USS Maine "mysteriously" blows up in Havana Harbor in Cuba, killing more than 260 Sailors and Marines while injuring scores more. The tragedy sparks the Spanish-American War.   For more information about naval history, visit the Naval Historical Center Web site at www.history.navy.mil.

1856 - USS Supply, commanded by Lt. David Dixon Porter, sails from Smyrna, Syria, bound for Indianola, Texas, with a load of 21 camels intended for experimental use in the American desert west of the Rockies. 1898 - The battleship USS Maine "mysteriously" blows up in Havana Harbor in Cuba, killing more than 260 Sailors and Marines while injuring scores more. The tragedy sparks the Spanish-American War. For more information about naval history, visit the Naval Historical Center Web site at www.history.navy.mil.