Today in U.S. Naval History: October 4

Today in U.S. Naval History - October 4

1821 - Lt. Robert F. Stockton sails from Boston for Africa to carry out his orders to help stop the international slave trade.

1943 - Aircraft from USS Ranger sink five German ships and damage three in Operation Leader, the only U.S. Navy carrier operation in northern European waters during World War II.

1952 - Task Force 77 aircraft encounter MIG-15 aircraft for the first time.

1976 - USS Jonas Ingram (DD-938) rescues seven survivors of a Finnish motor craft that sank in the Baltic Sea.

1991 - USS Arkansas, USS Sioux, USS Aubrey Fitch and Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron SIX rescue personnel on merchant ships in three different rescue operations in the Arabian Sea.

1998 - U.S. and Algierian Navies conduct first bilateral exercise since Algerian independendence in 1962. It was a search and rescue operation involving USS Mitscher.

For more information about naval history, visit the Naval History and Heritage Command website at history.navy.mil.