Frigate

Catonsville High School graduate Marine Corps Pfc. Armon Lee recently finished the marine aviation operations specialist course in Meridian, Miss. Tanya Dyson is his mother. Marine Corps Pvt. Khalid Austin completed 12 weeks of basic training at the recruit center in Parris Island, S. C. He is the son of Peter Austin and Sandra Thomas, both of Catonsville. Seaman Apprentice Gregory Kneib completed basic training at the recruit training depot in Great Lakes, Ill. The 2010 alumnus of Catonsville High School is the son of Thomas and Muriel Kneib, who live in Catonsville.

From The Sun July 9-15, 1845July 12: A horse ran away with a buggy on Thursday evening on the Canton Road, and made a pretty effectual smash of the wagon.July 14: We mentioned on Saturday that the frigate Constellation, the gallant ship that won the first laurels for our infant navy in 1799 and 1800 under Commodore Truxton, is to be metamorphosed into a steamer under the direction of Commodore Stockton.From The Sun July 9-15, 1895July 10: The twelfth annual Convention of the Afro-American Press Association of the United States began yesterday morning in Sharon Colored Baptist Church on Presstman Street.

The commander of a guided missile frigate was relieved of command this week after allegedly fraternizing with a female Naval Academy midshipman who was on a summer training cruise.Vice Adm. Douglas J. Katz removed Cmdr. James H. McKinney Jr., 40, skipper of the Norfolk-based USS Nicholas for 10 months, Monday "after losing confidence in Commander McKinney's judgment and ability to continue in command," said Archie Galloway, a spokesman with the Atlantic fleet. He declined to release further details.

Several servicemen from the area have completed basis training. They include:* Navy Seaman Recruit James G. Debus, son of Army Master Sgt. John R.Debus of Aberdeen, at Recruit Training Command, Orlando, Fla.During his eight-week training cycle, he studied general military subjects designed to prepare him for further academic and on-the-job training in one of the Navy's 85 basic fields.He is a 1990 graduate of Aberdeen High School and joined the Navy in August 1990.* Coast Guard Fireman Apprentice Patrick C. Driver, son of Jerome M. and Elizabeth A. Driver, of Bel Air, at Coast Guard Training Center, Cape May, N.J.Among the subjects he studied were first aid, Coast Guard history and seamanship, communications, damage control, firefighting and physical conditioning.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class David W. Thornton, son of William J. Thornton of Hampstead, is halfway through a six-month deployment to the Persian Gulf aboard the guided missile frigate USS McClusky.He is one of 300 sailors aboard the ship who departed Yokosuka, Japan, in February for the assignment with the Middle East Force.Petty Officer Thornton and fellow shipmates have been questioning and searching ships in international waters suspected of smuggling prohibited materials to and from Iraq in violation of the embargo against that country.

Sixteen people with discriminating palates gathered at the Milton Inn last night for a $500-a-person wine-tasting to benefit Parents Anonymous of Maryland.World-renowned wine expert Robert Parker, publisher of the Wine Advocate who was recently knighted by the French government, joined Bob and Debbie Schindler (he owns Pinehurst Gourmet & Spirit Shop on Bellona Avenue), Libby and Tom Broadus, Donna and Don Barrick, Wickie and Mack Plant, Gary Schatz, Lisa and Dave Askin, and Jan and Bruce Arminger.

LATER FROM FORTRESS MONROE. THE NAVAL BATTLE IN HAMPTON ROADS. HIGHLY INTERESTING DETAILS. Desperate Fighting and Loss of Life. THE SINKING OF THE CUMBERLAND. HER GUNS FIRING AS SHE GOES DOWN. The Capture and Burning of the Frigate Congress. TERRIFIC EXPLOSION OF HER MAGAZINE. A Confederate Steamer Cut in Two. THE MINNESOTA IN THE FIGHT. ANOTHER DESPERATE FIGHT. DAMAGE TO THE MERRIMAC. The Loss of Life. The Georgeanna arrived yesterday morning at 7 o'clock. She brought up a large number of passengers, principally women and children, who came from Fortress Monroe.

`Tales & Trails' Venture out to the Gwynns Falls Trail for a hike Tuesday. Climb the boulders and discover the cobbles, pebbles and other rocks along the way. Learn about the sizes, colors and shapes of rocks in the area. Also, sit in on a story about rocks. This "Tales & Trails: Summer Storytime Adventures" event is open to children ages 3 to 7, accompanied by an adult. Hike and story 10 a.m.-11 a.m. Tuesday at Gwynns Falls Trail, 1901 Ridgetop Road. $1 per child. Call 410-396-0440 to register.

In a soggy, rain-shortened ceremony last night, the U.S. Postal Service unveiled a new commemorative postal card featuring the image of Baltimore's Fort McHenry -- birthplace of the national anthem.The U.S. Postal Service has printed 28 million of the 20-cent postal cards, adorned with an aerial photograph of the fort taken by Baltimore photographer Greg Pease in 1986, as part of a series of historic preservation cards.Hundreds of spectators gathered for the ceremony and fireworks at the fort yesterday evening.

WASHINGTON -- In a confrontation in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, five Iranian boats took aggressive actions near three U.S. naval vessels, a Pentagon spokesman said yesterday, calling the brief standoff "reckless and dangerous." The incident, which lasted about 20 minutes and ended uneventfully, took place in international waters, said the spokesman, Bryan Whitman. The American vessels were a destroyer, a frigate and a cruiser. The Iranian government said the episode ended immediately when the vessels recognized one another, Whitman and other officials, however, described a tense confrontation in the strait, a narrow, vital passage through which millions of barrels of oil are shipped every day. Oil prices on world markets spurted briefly on the news, which was first reported by CNN yesterday morning.