April 6, 2022

Captain Jordine Von Wantoch, First Mom to Have a Normal Navy Career

Over the past 18 months, the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) has highlighted female Navy trailblazers. We have shared their stories because these women are important members of the Navy family. They have served as valuable role models for the next generation of Navy civilians and sailors. NHHC is committed to ensuring their stories are

April 5, 2022

The Washington Naval Treaty

After world powers signed the 11 November 1918 Armistice, effectively ending World War I, the British Royal Navy interned the German High Seas Fleet, which had surrendered mostly intact. Allied powers held opposing views concerning the fate of the German warships then moored at the Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow. French and Italian leaders argued

March 30, 2022

In Memoriam: RADM Thomas James Hill, SC, USNR (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Thomas James “Tom” Hill, Supply Corps, U.S. Naval Reserve (Retired), on 17 February 2022 at age 79. Rear Admiral Hill entered the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1964 and served as a Supply Corps officer until his retirement in 2002 as transportation director for Naval Supply Systems Command.

March 24, 2022

“Act to provide a naval armament” – 225th Anniversary of the Creation of the United States Navy

Editor's Note: On May 10, 2022, Naval History and Heritage Command will commemorate the 225th anniversary of the launch of the first of the U.S. Navy's six frigates (United States), which began the new United States Navy. The launch of the frigates is a significant moment in both U.S. Navy and American history,  and the U.S. Navy's earliest heroes,

March 23, 2022

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Edward Bigelow Baker, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Edward Bigelow “Ted” Baker, Jr., U.S. Navy (Retired), on 26 January 2022 at age 84. Rear Admiral Baker entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1955 and served as a surface warfare officer until his retirement in 1993 as Assistant Deputy CNO for Plans, Policy and Operations (N3/N5B.) His

March 23, 2022

Essex-Class Aircraft Carriers

As aviation and naval technology advanced in the early-to-mid twentieth century, aircraft became faster and carried heavier weapons. The US Navy responded to these developments by designing the Essex, a new class of aircraft carriers that could accommodate more and bigger planes. From 1942 through 1945, large numbers of the Essex-class, the most

March 22, 2022

The Navy’s Aircraft Carrier Force Centenary: Women Carrier Aviator Trailblazers

The Navy’s centenary anniversary of the commissioning of USS Langley (CV 1), its first aircraft carrier on March 20, 1922, offers a special opportunity to recognize the outstanding achievements of the Navy’s pioneering women aircraft carrier aviators. This occasion also allows us to explore their progress towards promoting diversity, inclusion, and

March 21, 2022

First Carrier to the Fleet: USS Langley in the Interwar Navy

On 20 March 1922, less than two decades after Orville and Wilbur Wright achieved the first successful sustained flight in a heavier-than-air aircraft, the U.S. Navy commissioned its first aircraft carrier: the 11,500 ton Langley (CV-1).The U.S. Navy led the world in naval aviation prior to World War I after successfully launching the first aircraft

March 17, 2022

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Eric Alton McVadon, Jr., USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Eric Alton McVadon, Jr., U.S. Navy (Retired) on 15 February 2022 at age 85. Rear Admiral McVadon entered the U.S. Navy as an NROTC midshipman in 1955 and served as a naval aviator and politico-military policy expert until his retirement in 1992 as the U.S. defense and naval attaché

March 9, 2022

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Harry Kenneth Fiske, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Harry Kenneth Fiske, U.S. Navy (Retired) on 4 February 2022 at age 85. Rear Admiral Fiske entered the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) in 1954 and served as a surface line officer until his retirement in 1990 as Deputy Assistant Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) for