Today in U.S. Naval History - July 31
1815 - Commodore Stephen Decatur concludes agreement with Bey of Tunis to compensate U.S. for seizure of merchant ships during the War of 1812.
1865 - East India Squadron established to operate from Sunda Strait to Japan.
1874 - Commissioning of USS Intrepid, first U.S. warship equipped with torpedoes
1912 - First attempt to launch an airplane by catapult made at Annapolis.
1964 - All-nuclear task force with USS Long Beach, USS Enterprise, and USS Bainbridge leaves Norfolk, Va. to begin voyage, Operation Sea Orbit, to circle the globe without refueling. They returned on October 3.
For more information about naval history, visit the Naval History and Heritage Command website at history.navy.mil.