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Military Historical Dates
May 1st - 31st
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Page 1
Military History:
Warships in the United States Navy were first designated and numbered in system originating in 1895. Under
this system, ships were designated as "Battleship X", "Cruiser X", "Destroyer X", "Torpedo Boat X" and so forth
where X was the series hull number as
authorized by the US Congress. These designations were usually abbreviated as "B-1", "C-1", "D-1", "TB-1,"
etc. This system became cumbersome by 1920, as many new ship types had been developed during World War
I that needed new categories assigned, especially in the Auxiliary ship area. On 17 July 1920, Acting Secretary
of the Navy Robert E. Coontz approved a standardized system of alpha-numeric symbols to identify ship types
such that all ships were now designated with a two letter code and a hull number, with the first letter being the ship
type and the second letter being the sub-type. For example, the destroyer tender USS Melville, first
commissioned as "Destroyer Tender No. 2" in 1915, was now re-designated as "AD-2" with the "A" standing for
Auxiliary, the "D" for Destroyer (Tender) and the "2" meaning the second ship in that series. Ship types that did
not have a subclassification simply repeated the first letter. So, Battleships became "BB-X" and Destroyers
became "DD-X" with X being the same number as previously assigned. Ships that changed classifications were
given new hull numbers within their new designation series.
The designation "USS" standing for "United States Ship" was adopted in 1907. Prior to that time, no designation
was used in official documents. New-construction ships not yet in commission are currently prefixed with "PCU"
which stands for "Pre-Commissioning Unit." In the United States Navy, unlike European Navies, the first ship in
a class to be authorized by the US Congress is the designated class leader (class name ship), regardless of the
order in which the ships of that class are laid down, launched or commissioned. For example, contrary to many
European texts, for the last class of "Standard" battleships, the battleship USS Colorado BB-45 (commissioned
30 August 1923) is the class leader under USN designation standards, not USS Maryland BB-46 (commissioned
21 July 1921). These battleships are thus properly designated as being "USS Colorado BB-45 Class" and not as
"USS Maryland BB-46 Class." The attachment to this Bulletin titled “USN Ship Designations” covers all
designations assigned to date, what they stand for, and notes germane to their function, disposition, and
conversion. The lists include many designations that are no longer in use by the current-day
US Navy and others that were proposed designations not actually used or were intended for ships that were
never built. Designations highlighted in Blue Font are for those ships actually in commission or currently under
construction as of 2009.
http://www.navweaps.com/index_tech/index_ships_list.htm
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
this system, ships were designated as "Battleship X", "Cruiser X", "Destroyer X", "Torpedo Boat X" and so forth
where X was the series hull number as
authorized by the US Congress. These designations were usually abbreviated as "B-1", "C-1", "D-1", "TB-1,"
etc. This system became cumbersome by 1920, as many new ship types had been developed during World War
I that needed new categories assigned, especially in the Auxiliary ship area. On 17 July 1920, Acting Secretary
of the Navy Robert E. Coontz approved a standardized system of alpha-numeric symbols to identify ship types
such that all ships were now designated with a two letter code and a hull number, with the first letter being the ship
type and the second letter being the sub-type. For example, the destroyer tender USS Melville, first
commissioned as "Destroyer Tender No. 2" in 1915, was now re-designated as "AD-2" with the "A" standing for
Auxiliary, the "D" for Destroyer (Tender) and the "2" meaning the second ship in that series. Ship types that did
not have a subclassification simply repeated the first letter. So, Battleships became "BB-X" and Destroyers
became "DD-X" with X being the same number as previously assigned. Ships that changed classifications were
given new hull numbers within their new designation series.
The designation "USS" standing for "United States Ship" was adopted in 1907. Prior to that time, no designation
was used in official documents. New-construction ships not yet in commission are currently prefixed with "PCU"
which stands for "Pre-Commissioning Unit." In the United States Navy, unlike European Navies, the first ship in
a class to be authorized by the US Congress is the designated class leader (class name ship), regardless of the
order in which the ships of that class are laid down, launched or commissioned. For example, contrary to many
European texts, for the last class of "Standard" battleships, the battleship USS Colorado BB-45 (commissioned
30 August 1923) is the class leader under USN designation standards, not USS Maryland BB-46 (commissioned
21 July 1921). These battleships are thus properly designated as being "USS Colorado BB-45 Class" and not as
"USS Maryland BB-46 Class." The attachment to this Bulletin titled “USN Ship Designations” covers all
designations assigned to date, what they stand for, and notes germane to their function, disposition, and
conversion. The lists include many designations that are no longer in use by the current-day
US Navy and others that were proposed designations not actually used or were intended for ships that were
never built. Designations highlighted in Blue Font are for those ships actually in commission or currently under
construction as of 2009.
http://www.navweaps.com/index_tech/index_ships_list.htm
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Military History Anniversaries: Significant May events in U.S. Military History are:
May 01 1863 - Civil War: Battle of Chancellorsville, VA (29,000 injured or died)
May 03 1926 - US marines land in Nicaragua (9-mo after leaving), stay until 1933
May 03 1945 - WWII: USS Lagarto (SS-371) sunk by Japanese minelayer Hatsutaka in Gulf of Siam. 86 killed
May 01 1863 - Civil War: Battle of Chancellorsville, VA (29,000 injured or died)
May 03 1926 - US marines land in Nicaragua (9-mo after leaving), stay until 1933
May 03 1945 - WWII: USS Lagarto (SS-371) sunk by Japanese minelayer Hatsutaka in Gulf of Siam. 86 killed
May 04 1942 - WWII: Battle of Coral Sea begun (1st sea battle fought solely in air)
May 05 1864 - Civil War: The Battle of the Wilderness begins in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. May 05
1916 - US Marines invade Dominican Republic, stay until 1924
May 05 1945 - WW II: Admiral Karl Dönitz, President of Germany after Hitler's death, orders all German U-
boats to cease offensive operations and return to their bases.
May 06 1863 - Civil War: The Battle of Chancellorsville ends with the defeat of the Army of the Potomac by
Confederate troops.
May 05 1864 - Civil War: The Battle of the Wilderness begins in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. May 05
1916 - US Marines invade Dominican Republic, stay until 1924
May 05 1945 - WW II: Admiral Karl Dönitz, President of Germany after Hitler's death, orders all German U-
boats to cease offensive operations and return to their bases.
May 06 1863 - Civil War: The Battle of Chancellorsville ends with the defeat of the Army of the Potomac by
Confederate troops.
May 06 1942 - WWII: On Corregidor, the last American forces in the Philippines surrender to the Japanese.
May 06 1945 - WWII: Axis Sally delivers her last propaganda broadcast to Allied troops (first was on
December 11, 1941).
May 07 1864 - Battle of Wilderness ends (total losses: USA-17,666; CSA-7,500) May 07 1915 - WWI:
German submarine U-20 sinks RMS Lusitania, killing 1,198 people including 128 Americans. Public reaction to
the sinking turns many formerly pro-Germans in the United States against the German Empire.
May 06 1945 - WWII: Axis Sally delivers her last propaganda broadcast to Allied troops (first was on
December 11, 1941).
May 07 1864 - Battle of Wilderness ends (total losses: USA-17,666; CSA-7,500) May 07 1915 - WWI:
German submarine U-20 sinks RMS Lusitania, killing 1,198 people including 128 Americans. Public reaction to
the sinking turns many formerly pro-Germans in the United States against the German Empire.
May 07 1942 - WWII: During the Battle of the Coral Sea, United States Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attack and
sink the Japanese Imperial Navy light aircraft carrier Shoho. The battle marks the first time in the naval history
that two enemy fleets fight without visual contact between warring ships.
sink the Japanese Imperial Navy light aircraft carrier Shoho. The battle marks the first time in the naval history
that two enemy fleets fight without visual contact between warring ships.
May 07 1945 - WWII: Germany signs unconditional surrender terms at Reims, France, ending Germany's
participation in the war. The document takes effect the next day.
May 07 1954 - Vietnam: 55-day Battle of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam ended with Vietnamese insurgents
overrunning French forces.
participation in the war. The document takes effect the next day.
May 07 1954 - Vietnam: 55-day Battle of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam ended with Vietnamese insurgents
overrunning French forces.