This Day In Naval History: July 12
1836 - Charles H. Haswell is commissioned as the first regularly appointed Engineer Officer. In Oct. 1844, he is promoted to Engineer in Chief of the Navy.
1916 - The AB-3 flying boat, piloted by Lt. Godfrey de Chevalier, is catapulted from USS North Carolina (ACR 12) while underway in Pensacola Bay, Fla. The launch completes calibration of the first catapult designed for shipboard use.
1943 - USS Taylor (DD 468) sinks Japanese submarine (RO 107), east of Kolombangara, Solomon Islands.
1988 - Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci III approves opening the Navys Underwater Construction Teams, fleet oilers, ammunition ships and combat stores ships to women.
1990 - Cmdr. Rosemary B. Mariner becomes the first woman to command an operational aviation squadron, Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 34 (VAQ 34). She is one of the first women to become qualified as a Naval Aviator in 1974 and one of the first women to fly light attack aircraft. Mariner attained the rank of Captain before retiring in 1997.
2003 - USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) is commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk. The ninth in the Nimitz-class of nuclear-powered supercarriers, the ships motto is Peace through Strength, a phrase coined by President Reagan. The ship is homeported at NAS North Island Coronado, Calif.
(Source: Naval History and Heritage Command, Communication and Outreach Division)
