Feb. 10, 2023

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral John E. Gordon, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral (upper half) John Edward “Ted” Gordon on 22 January 2023 at age 81. Rear Admiral Gordon entered the U.S. Naval Academy in July 1960. After graduation, he served in the Navy Supply Corps and then in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG Corps) until his retirement in November 1992

Feb. 7, 2023

Remember the Men of the Maine

On 15 February 1898, the battleship Maine exploded while visiting Havana, Cuba. The loss of the ship would drive the United States and Spain to war within a few months. However, the global significance of the disaster should not overshadow the lives lost and the many wounded. 253 men died in the explosion, and another seven died of injuries over

Feb. 7, 2023

Why did the USS Maine explode?

Few U.S. ships are as well remembered as the battleship Maine. Unlike Constitution, Monitor, or Enterprise, though, the ship is not famous for its wartime record, long career, or remarkable innovation. Rather, Maine is remembered for exploding in Havana harbor on 15 February 1898. The death of 260 crewmen and officers would be tragedy enough, but

Jan. 26, 2023

"Reduced to Starvation”: The Japanese Evacuation of Guadalcanal, January-February 1943

Over the course of the Solomon Islands campaigns, which began in August 1942 with landings on Guadalcanal, Allied forces slowly established air and maritime superiority over the region. While both the Allies and the Japanese operated at the end of long, tenuous supply lines—the closest major Japanese base was at Rabaul and the closest Allied base

Jan. 18, 2023

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral John C. Weaver, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral (upper half) John Clark Weaver on 5 January 2023 at age 89. John entered the U.S. Naval Academy in July 1951 and served as a naval aviator and materiel professional until his retirement in 1990 as Commander, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command. His other command was of the

Jan. 6, 2023

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Lafayette F. Norton, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral (lower half) Lafayette Ferguson “Ferg” Norton on 11 September 2022 at age 83. Rear Admiral Norton entered the U.S. Navy as a midshipman in the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) in September 1957 and served as a naval aviator until his retirement in December 1993 as

Jan. 6, 2023

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Salvatore F. Gallo, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral (upper half) Salvatore Frank Gallo on 13 December 2022 at age 86. Rear Admiral Gallo enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve in March 1955 and served as a naval aviator until his retirement in September 1993 as the Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (N1B)/Deputy Chief of

Dec. 20, 2022

In Memoriam: Vice Admiral Edward S. Briggs, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Vice Admiral Edward Samuel Briggs, U.S. Navy, Retired, in November 2022 at age 96. Vice Admiral Briggs entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1945 and served as a naval aviator and surface line officer until his retirement in 1984 as Commander Naval Surface Forces Atlantic. His other commands

Dec. 16, 2022

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Richard C. Macke, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Richard Chester “Dick” Macke, U.S. Navy (Retired), on 7 December 2022 at age 84. Rear Admiral Macke entered the U.S. Naval Academy in June 1956 and served as a naval aviator until his retirement in 1996 following his last assignment as Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Command.

Dec. 12, 2022

Admiral Chester Nimitz Takes Command in the Aftermath of Pearl Harbor

On the morning of 16 December 1941, nine days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Rear Admiral Chester W. Nimitz was working at his desk in the U.S. Navy’s Bureau of Navigation when he was summoned to the office of Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox. Exhausted from working more than a week with little sleep, Nimitz trudged over to Knox’s