This Day In Naval History - May 11
1862 - CSS Virginia is destroyed by Confederates off Craney Island to prevent capture.
1898 - During the Spanish-American War, Marines and Sailors from USS Marblehead (C 11) and USS Nashville (PG 7) cut the trans-oceanic cable near Cienfuegos, Cuba, isolating Cuba from Spain. For heroism during this action, 54 Marines and Sailors received the Medal of Honor.
1943 - In the Attu Operation, Task Force 16, commanded by Rear Adm. Thomas C. Kinkaid, landed a force of 3,000 US Army troops of the 7th Division in the cold and the mist of the Aleutians.
1945 - During the Okinawa Campaign, kamikazes crash into Task Force 58s flagship, USS Bunker Hill (CV 17). As a result, Vice Adm. Marc A. Mitscher transfers his flag to USS English (DD 696), then to USS Enterprise (CV 6) on May 14.
1945 - German submarine U 541 surrenders to Allied Forces.
1950 - Viking Rocket #4 is launched from USS Norton Sound (AV-11), near the equator, for a successful 106.4 mile vertical flight called Project Reach.
(Source: Naval History and Heritage Command, Communication and Outreach Division)
