April 17, 2020

Passing of Rear Adm. William A. Walsh, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral William Albert "Bill" Walsh, U.S. Navy (Retired) on April 14, 2020 at age 86. Bill entered the Naval Reserve Officer Training program at the University of Notre Dame in September 1952 and served as a Surface Line Officer until his retirement in late 1985 as the Director of the

April 15, 2020

The Epidemic Fighters: The Origin of Navy Preventive Medicine Units

On March 20, 2020, the Navy embarked a Forward Deployable Preventive Medicine Unit (FDPMU) aboard ships of the 7th Fleet. Its mission: "to help combat the risk of and provide laboratory batch testing for COVID-19." The role of Preventive Medical Units (PMUs) in this pandemic is nothing new. PMUs have long been on the frontlines in the war against

April 12, 2020

Passing of Rear Adm. Byron B. Newell, Jr., USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Byron Bruce "Bruce" Newell, Jr., U.S. Navy (Retired) on April 9, 2020 at age 87. Rear Adm. Newell graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1955, serving as nuclear surface line officer for 32 years until his retirement in 1984, having served his last tours as the 14th Chief of Navy

April 8, 2020

Fair Winds Rear Adm. Edward Lewis 'Whitey' Feightner

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Edward Lewis 'Whitey' Feightner on April 1, 2020, at age 100. Feightner enlisted in the Navy's Aviation Cadet program in June 1941 and served until his retirement in 1974 as Assistant Commander for Logistics and Flight Support Group Naval Air Systems Command (Air-04). His callsign,

April 7, 2020

Navy History Matters - April 7, 2020

Welcome to Navy History Matters, our weekly compilation of articles, commentaries, and blogs related to history and heritage. Every week we'll gather the top-interest items from a variety of media and social media sources and then link you to related content at NHHC's website (history.navy.mil), your authoritative source for Navy history.H-Gram

March 31, 2020

Answering the Call: Stateside Deployments of U.S. Navy Hospital Ships

Editor's note: this blog was originally published in the Navy Live blog.On March 18, President Trump announced Navy hospital ships USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) and Comfort (T-AH-20) were to be activated and deployed stateside to serve as referral centers for non-COVID-19 patients. The longest-serving hospital ships in continuous operation in our history,

March 30, 2020

Passing of Rear Adm. Thomas D. Paulsen, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Thomas Dean Paulsen, U.S. Navy (Retired) on March 27, 2020 at age 83. Entering the U.S. Naval Academy in 1956, he served in submarines and surface ships until his retirement in 1994 as Deputy Director for Naval Training (N7B).  His commands included USS Whipple (FF 1062), USS Blue

March 30, 2020

Weathering the Storm Aboard USS Constitution

On behalf of the crew of USS Constitution, thank you to our partners, fans, and supporters who have celebrated and shared our many accomplishments and events over the years.We also share our trials, and there is no doubt that the global pandemic of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a time that demands strong leaders and unity.In the naval profession,

March 27, 2020

Honoring our Navy's Vietnam War Veterans

March 29th is National Vietnam War Veterans Day, a day we join the nation in honoring our Vietnam War-era veterans. Although we are unable to honor these veterans in person while maintaining proper social distancing, we are able to highlight some of our Navy Vietnam War-era veterans through our online platforms.During the Vietnam War, Sailors

March 25, 2020

Attack on Amphibious Assault Ship LSM(R)-188: A Lesson in Courage

On the night of March 28-29, 1945 (LOVE-Day minus three), amphibious assault ship LSM(R)-188 conducted an aggressive harassment patrol only eight miles off the town of Naha, Okinawa Jima. At 0557 on March 29, Japanese suicide dive-bombers appeared overhead, and the crew quickly went to battle stations, with the antiaircraft battery immediately

March 25, 2020

Passing of Rear Adm. Joseph Sansone, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Joseph Sarto Sansone, Jr., Supply Corps, U.S. Navy (Retired) on March 22, 2020 at age 89. Joe entered the Navy in 1953 and served for 32 years with his last tour as Deputy Chief of Naval Materiel for Contracts and Business Managements.Joseph Sansone attended Georgetown

March 17, 2020

Passing of Admiral Archie Clemins, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Admiral Archie Ray Clemins, U.S. Navy (Retired) on March 14, 2020 at age 76. Admiral Clemins entered the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps in September 1962 and served as a submarine officer, retiring in 1999 as the Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Feet. He served as the Executive

March 16, 2020

An Interview with Ima Black, a WWII-era WAVES Sailor

Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) hosted Mrs. Ima Black, widow of the Navy's first Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Delbert Black, for a tour of the National Museum of the United States Navy (NMUSN) Sept. 20, 2019. The tour gave Black a chance to see pieces from NHHC's expansive collection, including uniforms and memorabilia from her

March 3, 2020

Passing of a Great American, CDR William Vogt, USNR (Ret.)

It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of a great American, Commander William "Bill" Vogt, U.S. Naval Reserve (Retired) on February 29, 2020 at age 107. Bill enlisted as a Yeoman in the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1940, and served as an Intelligence Officer in World War II and the Cold War, retiring in 1969 as the Executive Officer of

Feb. 29, 2020

Passing of Rear Adm. Richard L. Thompson, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Richard Lee 'Dick' Thompson, U.S. Navy (Retired) on February 26, 2020 at age 88. Dick and his wife Natalie tragically died when their house burned down. Dick entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1950 and served as a submarine officer until his retirement in 1986 as the Assistant Deputy

Feb. 21, 2020

Fair Winds, Donald Stratton, USS Arizona Hero

A note from the editor: Donald Stratton, who served in the Navy aboard USS Arizona (BB 39) during the attacks at Pearl Harbor, and later in the Western Pacific, passed away February 15, 2020 at the age of 97.It is with deep regret that I write of the passing of another Navy hero, Donald Stratton, on February 15, 2020, at the age of 97.Severely

Feb. 18, 2020

The Search for Seaman Joachim Pease

The Civil War saw the introduction of the Medal of Honor, an award that would come to represent the highest military honor in the United States. By the end of the war, 328 U.S. Navy Medals of Honor had been awarded. Of those, eight were awarded to U.S. Navy people of color. Seaman Joachim Pease, one of these recipients, is often overshadowed by

Feb. 11, 2020

Amidst the Timbers of a Storied Past: Nautical Archaeologists Visit Constitution

In early January 2020, I and many of my fellow archaeologists gathered in Boston, Massachusetts for the 2020 Society for Historical Archaeology meetings. For myself, and some of my fellow graduate students from Texas A&M University's Nautical Archaeology Program, this presented a potential opportunity to visit USS Constitution, one of the original

Feb. 11, 2020

The Sailors of Iwo Jima

The Battle of Iwo Jima began on February 19, 1945 as Sailors and Marines faced Imperial Japanese forces over the control of the island. The island was a critical point for the United States as it planned their attacks on the Japanese main islands.The 36 days of battle are considered some of the bloodiest and fiercest fights of the Pacific theater

Jan. 31, 2020

Passing of Rear Adm. Thomas W. McNamara, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Thomas William McNamara, U.S. Navy (Retired) on January 28, 2020 at age 93. Thomas McNamara entered the U.S. Merchant Marine during World War II and served in the U.S. Navy as a Surface Line Officer in the Korean War, Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam War until his retirement in 1977