Naval Battles:1800s

Meeting 400 miles SE of Halifax, Nova Scotia, USS Constitution engaged and captured HMS Guerriere on August 19, 1812. The battle was the first in a series of single-ship victories for the US Navy over the Royal Navy during the early days of the War of 1812.

A decisive naval engagment of the War of 1812, the Battle of Lake Erie saw an American squadron capture its British counterpart. Fought on September 10, 1813, Master Commandant Oliver H. Perry engaged the British near Put-in-Bay, OH. Following a prolonged fight, six British ships were captured.

The Battle of Plattsburgh was fought Septebmer 6-11, 1814 during the War of 1812. The Battle of Plattsburgh saw British forces advancing down Lake Champlain clash with American forces on the lake and on land. Defeated at the Battle of Plattsburgh, the British were forced to retreat north.

Fought in 1827, the Battle of Navarino was a turning point in the Greek War of Independence. After several years of fighting, the Greeks finally received foreign assistance in the form of British, French, and Russian warships. Under the command of Admiral Sir Edward Codrington, the allied fleet entered Navarino Bay and destroyed the Ottoman fleet of Ibrahim Pasha.

Meeting at the Battle of Lissa on July 20, 1866, the Austrian fleet of Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff defeated the Italian squadron of Count Carlo di Persano. The first major naval battle to feature fleets consisting of ironclads and steamers, the Battle of Lissa saw the Austrians sink two Italian ships using a mix of gunfire and ramming.

Commissioned in 1895, USS Maine was an armored cruiser built for the US Navy. Sent to protect American interests in Havana, Cuba, USS Maine exploded on the night of February 15, 1898. The loss of USS Maine, coupled with tensions over Cuba, led the United States to declare war on Spain that April.

At the Battle of Manila Bay, Commodore George Dewey's US Asiatic Squadron encountered and destroyed the Spanish fleet of Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasarón. Fought on May 1, 1898, the battle was the opening encounter of the Spanish-American War. The victory at Manila Bay opened the way for the US conquest of the Philippines.

The Battle of Santiago de Cuba was one of the key naval battles of the Spanish-American War. Resulting from Spanish Admiral Pascual Cervera's attempt to escape from Santiago harbor, the Battle of Santiago de Cuba was a decisive American victory.

An online transcription of Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood's after action report for the Battle of Trafalgar.

A brief description of the battle between USS Kearsarge and the Confederate raider CSS Alabama on June 19, 1864. The site contains a number of images depicting the battle.

A photo essay showing the events and aftermath of the 1889 Apia, Samoa typhoon that destroyed several warships belonging to Germany, Great Britain, and the United States.

This site from the US Navy provides numerous images of naval operations during the Spanish-American War.