 Welcome to All Hands Update, this is your week in Navy history. On April 24th, 1884, USS Bear left New York Naval Shipyard on its way to the Arctic as part of the Greeley Relief Expedition. On June 22nd, the relief effort rescued the remaining seven members of the 27-man Greeley Expedition at Cape Sabine with assistance from USS Thetis and USS Alert. On April 25th, 1862, during the Civil War, Union flag officer David G. Farragut's fleet sailed into the Confederate City New Orleans and demanded their surrender. The city council surrendered three days later and Congress promoted Farragut to rear Admiral. On April 30th, 1798, Congress established the Department of the Navy as a separate cabinet department. Previously, the War Department ran naval operations. Benjamin Starrtut became the first secretary of the Navy. If you would like to learn more about these facts and the Navy's history, visit the Navy Naval History and Heritage Command website.