This Day in Naval History - March 28

From the Navy News Service

1800 - Essex becomes the first U.S. Navy vessel to pass the Cape of Good Hope.

1814 - HMS Phoebe and Cherub capture USS Essex off Valparaiso, Chile. Before capture, Essex had captured 24 British prizes during the War of 1812.

1848 - USS Supply reaches the Bay of Acre, anchoring under Mount Carmel near the village of Haifa, during its expedition to explore the Dead Sea and the River Jordan.

This Day in Naval History - Feb. 15

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.