July 31, 2018

Naval Aviation Development in World War II - U.S. Navy Versus Royal Navy Experience

Naval History and Heritage Command writer Carsten Fries's recent narrative of the support lent by the British carrier HMS Victorious to the U.S. Pacific Fleet in the first half of 1943 brings to mind a comparison of naval aviation experiences of these two navies during World War II. Although the U.S. Navy through its early history felt much like a

July 20, 2018

USS Robin: When the CNO Needed a Royal Navy Carrier - Part II

Editor's note: This is Part Two of "USS Robin: When the CNO Needed a Royal Navy Carrier." Read Part One here.Victorious departed Norfolk on Feb. 3 en route to the Panama Canal and assigned the U.S. Navy two-syllable call sign "Robin." Intensive flight operations utilizing U.S. Navy procedures, both with Martlet IV (Wildcat F4F-4) fighters and the

July 20, 2018

USS Robin: When the CNO Needed a Royal Navy Carrier - Part I

In autumn 1942, Adm. Ernest J. King, the Chief of Naval Operations, faced a dilemma: The battles of the Coral Sea and Midway, and the still-ongoing Guadalcanal campaign had severely weakened the U.S. Navy's fleet carrier presence in the Pacific. USS Lexington (CV 2) had been lost at Coral Sea, USS Yorktown (CV 5) at Midway, and Hornet (CV 8) during

July 18, 2018

Wexford Ireland's Ties to U.S. Naval History

The question "Who is the father of the U.S. Navy?" will likely provoke a food fight between those who would say, "Captain John Paul Jones," and those who would say, "Commodore John Barry" (actual historians are likely to say, "President John Adams," or would reject the premise of the question altogether). Both naval officers fought with great valor

July 13, 2018

Together At Last: Twin Sailors Reunited 74 Years After D-Day

"Already the sea runs red. Even among some of the lightly wounded who jumped into shallow water the hits prove fatal. Knocked down by a bullet in the arm or weakened by fear and shock, they are unable to rise again and are drowned by the onrushing tide. Other wounded men drag themselves ashore and, on finding the sands, lie quiet from total

July 12, 2018

Remembering McClelland Barclay

 For me, one of the joys of working at the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) is the different kinds of historical experts on the staff - curators, archaeologists, artists, archivists, historians, and librarians all work here. The command came to be here as a result of a couple of centuries of consolidation (so far!), from the establishment

July 11, 2018

NAS Whiting Field: 75 Years of Military Excellence

Commander Kenneth Whiting was one of the pioneers of submarine warfare and naval aviation. During World War I, he was among the first Americans to reach Europe and helped established a naval air station at Dunkirk. He went on to a distinguished career.

July 11, 2018

From Collection to Museum Exhibition

July 9, 2018

The Impossible Takes a Little Longer

Imagine trying to justly tell the entire 75-year history of an organization in 500-600 words, or perhaps of just a few objects. Now imagine that organization is the Seabees, whose official establishment dates back to World War II, and whose operations have taken them to the far reaches of the globe for all major warfighting campaigns and exercises

June 28, 2018

Playing "Taps" Links Sailor to WWII Shipmate

I've often thought about thanking Ms. Fox. She had a startling lack of patience for an elementary art teacher, but it was her irritability that caused an 11-year-old me to want to join the band. I wanted to play the flute, but my dad, rightfully recognizing my motives didn't stem from a genuine interest in music, decided that having me play his old

June 11, 2018

Naval National Inventor Hall of Fame Inductees

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued U.S. Patent No. 10,000,000 today. Patent 10 million represents a momentous achievement of the human ingenuity and innovation in America. It is a distinct moment to celebrate the millions of inventors, entrepreneurs, and professionals that feed and support the American intellectual property (IP)

May 31, 2018

The Enterprise Stern Plate: From Scrapyard to Small Town America

On May 26, 2018, I had the opportunity to see and touch what many consider to be the "Holy Grail" of artifacts associated with U.S. naval history; the stern plate of the WWII aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV 6) which is in the care of the Township of River Vale, New Jersey. The occasion was a Memorial Day weekend commemoration in River Vale of

May 29, 2018

100 Year Anniversary of the Navy Historical Section

When the United States entered the World War I in April 1917 the realities of modern war forced the nation to adapt. The U.S. Navy expanded exponentially and adopted new organizations, tactics and technologies to address the emergency. The service conducted joint operations with the U.S. Army and combined operations with its allies on an

May 7, 2018

Army ROTC Cadet Shares Her Navy Experience

Cadet Sarah Duncan, USA, and Dr. John Sherwood in front of PCF-1, a Swift boat used for training Vietnam bound crews. PCF-1 now serves as a memorial display at the Washington Navy Yard. Credit: MC2 Destiny Cheek, USN...

April 23, 2018

USS Firebolt (PC10): Remembering Heroic Coastal Patrol Ship Sailors and Looking Forward to Our Future

April 24, 2004The sun is setting on an April night in Bahrain. U.S. 5th Fleet ships are conducting typical maritime security operations in the region. But tonight, April 24, 2004, is anything but typical. USS Firebolt (PC 10), a coastal patrol (PC) ship, is conducting routine patrol duties northwest of Khor Al Amaya Oil Terminal (KAAOT) in Iraq,

April 11, 2018

Conservators in Action: Uncovering Secrets of the Suspected Revenge Cannon - Part II

Many have been waiting for an update from our last blog post about the ongoing efforts to conserve a cannon recovered from the suspected wreck site of the 14-gun U.S. naval schooner Revenge. Well, the wait is over! Archaeological conservators at the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) Underwater Archaeology (UA) Branch have been carefully

April 6, 2018

USS Helena (CL 50): Ready, Willing and Valiant

Few ships can claim a history like that of USS Helena (CL 50). Her distinguished and storied World War II service began at Pearl Harbor and ended in a heroic and determined rescue seemingly too dramatic to be true. In between, she fought successfully in battles throughout the Pacific. Her crew's contributions in the Battles of Cape Esperance,

April 6, 2018

Remembering USS Relief (AH 1), the Navy's Floating Fortress of Health

USS Relief (AH 1). Nurses with their patients, on deck in March 1921.In 1936, "Our Navy" correspondent Mary McElliott was given special access to the hospital ship USS Relief (AH 1). She would marvel over its design and capabilities writing, "If you are accustomed to thinking of a hospital ship as a large institution, with a grim, forbidding

March 29, 2018

Highlight of Service - Navy's Vietnam War Veterans

Did you know March 29th is Vietnam War Veterans Day? Every facet of the Navy we know today took part in the Vietnam War effort. Sailors were on the sea, along the rivers, in the air, and on land in support of ongoing operations.Just as those who came before them and those who serve today, our Navy Vietnam War veterans served their country with

March 13, 2018

The Pacific Riptide -- History Offers a Cautionary Glimpse of the Future

These opening days of March presented a confluence of events and milestones dripping with coincidence, irony and serendipity. That's not lost on a superstitious lot like Sailors - especially when plotting our course. It's a mariner's habit to check your wake every now and again to get your bearings. The Pacific theater encompasses 100 million