This Day in Naval History - April 15

1885 - Naval forces land at Panama to protect American interests during a revolution.
1912 - USS Chester (CL 1) and USS Salem (CL 3) sailed from Massachusetts to assist RMS Titanic survivors.
1918 - First Marine Aviation Force formed at Marine Flying Field, Miami.
1961 - Launching of first nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser, USS Bainbridge (CGN 25), at Quincy, Mass.
1962 - USS Princeton (CV 37) brings the first Marine helicopters to Vietnam. This was the first Marine advisory unit to arrive in South Vietnam.
1969 - A North Korean aircraft shoots down a Navy EC-121 reconnaissance aircraft over the Sea of Japan.
1986 - During Operation Eldorado Canyon, Navy aircraft from USS America (CV 66) and USS Coral Sea (CV 43) attack Libya in conjunction with Air Force aircraft, after Libya is linked to the terrorist bombing of a West Berlin discotheque that killed one American and injured 78 people.

For more information about naval history, visit the Naval historical Center Web site at http://www.history.navy.mil.