29 May in Naval History
A battle, some captures, a wooden icebreaker and comings & goings.
- In 1652, the Battle of Goodwin Sands (also known as the Battle of Dover), was fought. The first engagement of the First Anglo-Dutch War between England and the Netherlands, the battle was fought between two fleets in the Straits of Dover. The Dutch convoy was escorted by 40 ships under Admiral Maarten Tromp and the English fleet of 25 ships was under General-at-Sea Robert Blake. The English engaged when Tromp was tardy in dipping his flag to salute.
- In 1781, the Continental Navy frigate Alliance captures HMS Atalanta and Trepassy off Nova Scotia.
- In 1920, USS Kentucky (BB-6) is decommissioned following World War I. She had served as a training ship during the war.
- In 1950, St. Roch, first ship to circumnavigate North America, arrives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is a Royal Canadian Mounted Police schooner, with a wooden-hull constructed in 1928.
- In 1976, USS Tarawa (LHA-1) is commissioned. She served in support of operations in Beirut and as a flagship during Operation Desert Storm. Tarawa continues to serve in the United States Navy today, nearly 30 years later.