A series of significant US naval events took place on August 18, ranging from a 19th-century exploring voyage to a milestone in satellite communications aboard USS Annapolis.

In 1838, the Exploring Expedition led by Lt. Charles Wilkes departed on a cruise around the world. The voyage is the earliest event included in the August 18 chronology provided by the Naval History and Heritage Command’s Communication and Outreach Division.

Another development followed in 1908, when Esther Voorhees Hasson was appointed as the first superintendent of the Navy Nurse Corps. During that year, 19 additional nurses were recruited and trained for service in the Navy under her leadership.

During World War II, August 18 also marked naval action against targets on the Italian mainland. In 1943, the cruisers USS Philadelphia and USS Boise, accompanied by four destroyers, shelled Gioia, Taura and Palmi.

A communications milestone occurred on the same date in 1966. USS Annapolis, designated AGMR-1, transmitted the first ship-to-shore satellite radio message. The message was sent while the vessel was operating in the South China Sea and was received by Pacific Fleet Headquarters at Pearl Harbor.

The final entry concerns the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Tucson, designated SSN-770. The submarine was commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk in 1995, although Hurricane Felix disrupted the original arrangements. USS Tucson had to leave port on its scheduled commissioning date to avoid the hurricane, and the ceremony was subsequently rescheduled for September 19. Before the two-hour ceremony began, the submarine’s commanding officer declared that the date would be treated as August 18.

Together, the entries document naval exploration, medical-service development, combat operations, communications technology and submarine commissioning events associated with August 18.