Maritime History

Trafalgar Day (21 Oct 1805)

In one of the most decisive naval battles in history, a British fleet under Admiral Lord Nelson defeats a combined French and Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar, fought off the coast of Spain.

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U.S. Navy stages daring mission during First Barbary War  (February 16, 1804)

U.S. Navy stages daring mission during First Barbary War  (February 16, 1804)

During the First Barbary War, U.S. Lieutenant Stephen Decatur leads a military mission that famed British Admiral Horatio Nelson calls the “most daring act of the age.”

In . . .  Read More »

U.S. Supreme Court rules on Amistad slave ship mutiny case

U.S. Supreme Court rules on Amistad slave ship mutiny case

At the end of a historic case, the U.S. Supreme Court rules, with only one dissent, that the enslaved Africans who seized control of the Amistad slave ship had been illegally . . .  Read More »

U.S.S. Monitor battles C.S.S. Virginia

On March 9, 1862, one of the most famous naval battles in American history occurs as two ironclads, the U.S.S. Monitor and the C.S.S. Virginia, fight to a draw off Hampton . . .  Read More »

United States Congress authorizes privateers to attack British vessels (1776)

Because it lacked sufficient funds to build a strong navy, the Continental Congress gives privateers permission to attack any and all British ships on April 3, 1776.

In a . . .  Read More »

USS Constitution defeats HMS Java (29 Dec 1812)

USS Constitution defeats HMS Java (29 Dec 1812)

On This Day – December 29, 1812 – USS Constitution (Old Ironsides) was sailing in the Atlantic just off the coast of Brazil. In the morning sails were sighted on . . .  Read More »

USS Monitor Sinks (1862)

USS Monitor Sinks (1862)

On December 30, 1862, the U.S.S. Monitor sinks in a storm off Cape Hatteras, North . . .  Read More »

USS Monitor Sinks (30 Dec 1862)

On December 30, 1862, the U.S.S. Monitor sinks in a storm off Cape Hatteras, North . . .  Read More »

Vasa departs Stockholm and Sinks (1628)

Vasa departs Stockholm and Sinks (1628)

Vasa is a Swedish  . . .  Read More »

War of 1812 Begins on 18 June

War of 1812 Begins on 18 June

The day after the Senate followed the House of Representatives in voting to declare war against Great Britain, President James Madison signs the declaration into law—and . . .  Read More »

War of 1812 Ends with the Treaty of Ghent

War of 1812 Ends with the Treaty of Ghent

On this date, December 24, 1814, the War of 1812 ends.

The Treaty of Peace and Amity between His Britannic Majesty and the United States of America is signed by British and . . .  Read More »

Whaleship Essex Sunk by Sperm Whale

Whaleship Essex Sunk by Sperm Whale

The American whaler Essex, which hailed from Nantucket, Massachusetts, is attacked by an 80-ton sperm whale 2,000 miles from the western coast of South America.

The 238-ton . . .  Read More »

Whaleship Essex Sunk by Sperm Whale (20 Nov 1820)

Whaleship Essex Sunk by Sperm Whale (20 Nov 1820)

The American whaler Essex, which hailed from Nantucket, Massachusetts, is attacked by an 80-ton sperm whale 2,000 miles from the western coast of South America.

The 238-ton . . .  Read More »

World’s First Submarine Attack (Sept. 7, 1776)

World’s First Submarine Attack (Sept. 7, 1776)

On September 7, 1776, during the  . . .  Read More »

Zong Slave Ship Trial

Zong slave ship trial June 22, 1783

London: Hearing arguments in the case of the Zong, a slave ship, the Chief Justice of the King’s Bench in London states that a massacre of enslaved African “was the same as if Horses had been thrown over board” on June 22, 1783. The crew of the Zong had thrown at least 142 captive Africans into the sea, but the question before the court was not who had committed this atrocity but rather whether the lost “cargo” was covered by insurance. The trial laid bare the horror and inhumanity of the Atlantic slave trade and galvanized the nascent movement to abolish it.

Link to full article on History.com