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on the History Guy, the origin of the
website, along with commentaries
and a site
map. USS
Chesapeake
(1807)--June
22, 1807, the British frigate H.M.S.
Leopard attacked and boarded the US
Naval ship USS Chesapeake. USS
Maine (Feb. 15, 1898) U.S.
battleship, the USS Maine, blew up in
the harbor at Havana, Cuba. The island
was at that point a colony of Spain,
and was in the midst of a war of
independence. The Maine was sent to
Havana as a show of force, (U.S. public
opinion favored the Cuban rebels), and
the explosion of the Maine proved to be
the spark that ignited the
Spanish-American
War. USS
Maine--From
the U.S. Navy's website. USS
Panay (Dec.
12,1937)--During
the Sino-Japanese
War,
the U.S. Navy maintained several river
gunboats to protect American interests
on the Yangtze River in China. In late
1937, the Japanese advance on Nanking,
which served as China's wartime capital
city, caused the American embassy there
to evacuate. While conducting the U.S.
diplomatic evacuation and while also
escorting American Standard Oil barges,
one gunboat, the USS Panay, came under
attack from Japanese warplanes. After
several runs by the Japanese planes,
the Panay and two of the oil barges
were sunk. The surviving crew and
passengers escaped and found shelter
with friendly Chinese until they could
be picked up by other U.S. ships. Two
U.S. sailors and one civilian passenger
were killed, while eleven others were
wounded. The
Japanese government claimed the attack
was an accident, saying that their
forces mistook the American ships for a
Chinese river convoy, despite the
American flags painted on several parts
of the ship. Japan did apologize
profusely and paid an indemnity. Most
likely the attack was ordered by
members of a faction in the Japanese
military who sought either to provoke a
war and/or discredit the civilians in
the government. At this point in time,
the U.S. was busy with domestic matters
dealing with the Great Depression and
the American public had no stomach for
war at this time. PR-5
USS
Panay-outside
link. USS
Tutuila (July 30,
1941)--Japanese
aircraft bomb USS Tutuila (PR-4) at
Chungking, China; First U.S.Navy ship
damaged by Axis during World War
II. USS
Greer
(Sept.
4,
1941)--A
German submarine, U-652, attacks the
USS Greer, which was tracking the
submarine southeast of Iceland. The
Greer is not damaged, but damages U-652
by dropping depth charges. USS
Kearny (Oct. 17,
1941)
--The destroyer USS Kearny (DD-432) is
torpedoed anddamaged southwest of
Iceland. U.S. Navy orders all U.S.
merchantment in Asiatic waters to put
in to friendly ports. USS
Salinas (October 30,
1941)
-- The oiler USS Salinas (AO-19) is
torpedoed 700 miles east of
Newfoundland. There are no casualties
and the ship makes port. USS
Reuben James (Oct. 31, 1941)
-
-German submarine U-552 sinks USS
Reuben James (DD- 245), which was
escorting Convoy HX 156, with loss of
115 lives. First U.S. ship lost to
enemy action in World War
II. USS
Liberty
(1967)-
-During the Arab-Israeli War of 1967
(also known as the Six-Day War),
Israeli warplanes attacked the USS
Liberty, claiming that they believed it
was a ship belonging to their Arab
enemies. USS
Pueblo (Jan. 23,
1968)--
During a period of increased tension on
the Korean Peninsula, North Korean
forces fired upon and captured the U.S.
surveillance ship, the USS Pueblo. This
nearly set off a new Korean War. The
crew, who were tortured during their
confinement, were released after
several months. USS
Stark
(1987)-
-During the First Persian Gulf War
(also known as the Iran-Iraq War), an
Iraqi warplane shot a missile at the
USS Stark in the Persian Gulf. As
the U.S. was effectively on Iraq's side
in this conflict, the United States
accepted the claim from Saddam's
government that the pilot fired in
error. USS
Samuel B. Roberts (April 14,
1988)--
During the First Persian Gulf War (also
known as the Iran-Iraq War), the USS
Samuel B. Roberts, a frigate, struck an
Iranian mine and sustained heavy
damage. This incident caused the U.S.
to respond with "Operation Praying
Mantis," in which U.S. forces destroyed
two oil platforms being used by Iran as
bases for commando attacks on merchant
ships in the Persian Gulf. American
forces also destroyed three Iranian
naval ships and sank six Iranian
speedboats. USS
Cole (Oct. 12,
2000)--
During a port stop in Aden, Yemen,
al-Qaida terrorists rammed an
explosives-filled boat into the
USS Cole, causing serious damage.
See USS
Cole
for more information. USNS
Impeccable
(March,
2009)--
About 70 miles off the Chinese coast,
the USNS
Impeccable
was harassed by Chinese naval vessels.
See
Naval
Incidents Between the United States and
China (2009)
for
more information. "The
History Guy" is a Registered Trademark. Contact
the webmaster Please
cite this source when appropriate: Lee,
R. "The History Guy: Attacks on U.S. Naval Ships
Short of War" http://www.historyguy.com/attacks_on_us_naval_ships.htm Pages
on American Military
History Site
Map--revision
in progress
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Copyright
© 1998-2009 Roger A. Lee and History Guy
Media; Last Modified: 03.12.09
From
its inception as an independent nation,
the United States has been a sea-going
nation, building up a powerful naval
force to protect American shipping and
economic interests, as well as to
defend the coastline. In the nation's
history, several attacks against U.S.
Navy ships have occurred outside of an
actual war. Below is a list of those
attacks.