This Day in Naval History – June 8

1830 - Sloop-of-war Vincennes becomes first U.S. warship to circle the globe

1853 - Commodore Matthew Perry arrives at Uraga, Japan to begin negotiations for a treaty with Japan

1880 - Congress authorizes the Office of Judge Advocate General

1937 - Observation of total eclipse of the sun by U.S. Navy detachment commanded by CAPT J. F. Hellweg, USN, participating in the National Geographic Society - United States Navy Eclipse Expedition at Canton Island in the Phoenix Islands, Pacific Ocean. USS Avocet was assigned to this expediton.

1958 - Navy and Post Office deliver first official missile mail when USS Barbero (SS-317) fired Regulus II missile with 3000 letters 100 miles east of Jacksonville, FL to Mayport, FL.

1960 - Helicopters from USS Yorktown (CVS-10) rescue 54 crewmen of British SS Shunlee, grounded on Pratus Reef in South China Sea.

1962 - Medical team from Naval Hospital, Bethesda, MD; Naval Medical Research Institute, Bethesda, MD; and Naval Preventative Medicine Unit No. 2 Norfolk, VA sent to San Pedro Sula, Honduras to fight epidemic of infectious gastroenteritis.

1967 - USS Liberty (AGTR-5) attacked by Israeli forces in Mediterranean

1990 - CDR Rosemary Mariner becomes first Navy women to command fleet jet aircraft squadron.

(Source: Navy News Service)