11 December 1941 A.D. Wake Island: CDR Cunningham Repels Japanese Invasion; U.S. Marine F4Fs Sink Japanese Destroyer Kisaragi

11 December 1941 A.D.  Wake Island:  CDR Cunningham Repels Japanese Invasion;  U.S. Marine F4Fs Sink Japanese Destroyer Kisaragi http://www.navy.mil/search/display_history.asp 1863 - During the Civil War, the iron-clad river gunboat Carondelet fires upon Confederate troops that are firing upon iron-clad river gunboat Indianola, which had been stuck on a bar in the Mississippi River since earlier that year and had not yet been freed. The effective counter-fire by USS Carondelet drives off the Confederates. 1865 - Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles writes to Secretary of State William H. Seward, complaining of the action of the British government in releasing the officers and crew of CSS Shenandoah. 1941 - The Wake Island Garrison under Cmdr. Winfield Cunningham repulses the Japanese invasion force with shore battery fire that sink Japanese destroyer Hayate while Marine F4Fs sink destroyer Kisaragi. 1942 - The United States declares war on Germany and Italy. 1943 - The U.S. Navy dispatches vessels to help the U.S. collier Suffolk, which is foundering and eventually sinks in a storm. 1944 - USS Gar (SS 206) lands 35 tons of supplies at Darigayos Inlet on the west coast of Luzon, then makes a pick-up of secret intelligence documents. Also on this date, USS Sea Owl (SS 405) sinks Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 76 in the East China Sea. 1954 - The first "supercarrier" USS Forrestal (CVA 59) is launched.