This Day in Naval History - Dec. 11

1941 - A contract establishes the Naval Salvage Service.

1941 - The Wake Island Garrison, under the command of Cmdr. Winfield Cunningham, turns away a Japanese invasion force.

1954 - The first supercarrier, USS Forrestal (CVA-59), launched at Newport News, Va., weighing more than 59,630 tons.

For more information about Naval history, visit the Naval Historical Center Web site at www.history.navy.mil.