May 26, 2017

100 Years of Underway Replenishments

Everyone likes "firsts."These moments represent transformation and progress and change our understanding about what we are capable of. The Navy also keeps track of its "firsts." One "first" of great pride deals with the underway refueling of a United States warship, an operation that the Navy would later perfect during World War II. Underway

May 25, 2017

Ensign George H. Gay's Fateful Day, June 4, 1942

For Ensign George H. Gay, Jr. of Waco, Texas, the morning of June 4, 1942 began with groggy trepidation. With knowledge of a large Japanese invasion fleet moving towards Midway Island outnumbering the assembled American naval force, Gay did not sleep well. He and his fellow aviators of Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT-8) aboard the carrier Hornet (CV-8)

May 25, 2017

"LOST BACK END CREW"

The letter landed on my desk after I'd been at Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron (VQ) TWO maybe three months, with the suggestion to "see what you can do with this." A new NFO, I had been given the collateral duty of Public Affairs Officer, which meant occasionally getting requests from retirees for a command ball cap or working with the base PAO

May 17, 2017

Visit a U.S. Navy Museum Near You

Sharing the history and heritage of our Navy honors the past and inspires the future. It builds esprit de corps within the ranks and it can offer valuable strategic and tactical lessons learned - keeping us well ahead of potential adversaries. Headquartered on the historic Washington Navy Yard, D.C., the Naval History and Heritage command includes

May 5, 2017

The Battle of The Coral Sea's 75th Anniversary: Intelligence Lessons for Today

May 4th marks the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea, an epic maritime engagement between the U.S. and Imperial Japanese Navies in early World War II.This was history's first sea battle where opposing ships never saw or fired upon each other and only carrier-based aircraft engaged the enemy. The outcome was a tactical draw (each side

May 5, 2017

Battle of the Coral Sea and the Bomb that Changed the Course of the War

Editor's Note: Last night, speaking aboard the museum ship Intrepid at an event honoring the Battle of the Coral Sea, President Donald Trump discussed how impressed he was by the bravery of one American Sailor. It's a sentiment shared by Naval History and Heritage Command Director Sam Cox who recounts the story of the pilot whose honor, courage,

May 4, 2017

Building the Naval Shore Establishment during WWI

How did a small Bureau of less than 100 people support the burgeoning fleet during WWI?In 1916, prior to joining World War I, the United States began a gigantic six-year program of naval expansion. In that year, Congress allowed the Navy to contract for 813,000 tons of new vessels, the biggest step toward naval power the U.S. had taken thus far in

May 3, 2017

The End of the Beginning of the War in the Pacific - The Battle of the Coral Sea

USS Lexington (CV 2) burning and sinking after her crew abandoned ship during the Battle of the Coral Sea, May 8, 1942. Note planes parked aft, where fires have not yet reached. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph.  The Battle of the Coral Sea has a claim for an eminent place in the history of Naval Aviation. The closing stages of

April 24, 2017

Toughness: Aviation Machinist Mate First Class (AMM1/C) Bruno Peter Gaido

Editor's note: The following is part of NHHC Director Sam Cox's larger "H--gram" series. Inspired by Admiral Zumwalt's series of Z-grams used to communicate with Sailors throughout the Navy, H-grams are an avenue by which NHHC provides significant historical context to aid today's decision-makers. For more information, visit the NHHC Director's

April 19, 2017

The NHHC Conservation Branch - Small but Mighty

Just 18 months old, the Conservation Branch of the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC), has made its mark nationally. Already, the small four-person staff, led by branch head David Krop, has helped restore and conserve a very large 12-by-8-by-4 foot World War II diorama at the U.S. Navy Seabee Museum in California, has been engaged by the

April 12, 2017

Lessons Learned on Bataan

The Battle of Bataan was the defense of the Philippines by General Douglas MacArthur's Philippine Army controlled by headquarters, United States Army Forces Far East (USAFFE) against the invading Imperial Japanese 14th Army commanded by General Masaharu Homma. The battle began on 6 January 1942 when the USAFFE, with ten understrength Philippine

April 11, 2017

National Library Workers Day: The Navy Department Library

[media:1:large]The goal of the Navy Department Library is to preserve its history and traditions, and to serve as a repository of its institutional knowledge. With our vast collection of books, monographs and primary source items, the library provides reference services to the Navy and the public at large, and can have real world applications.Q:

April 10, 2017

Navy Artifact Collection Begins Settling In at Collection Management Facility

What career fields in the U.S. Navy require licenses and expertise to operate fork lifts, patience - and lots of it - to vacuum spots no larger than an artist's brush head, the ability to very neatly wrap the oddest shaped objects, and reliance upon diverse, advanced degrees? Answer: museum specialists and technicians at the U.S. Navy's Collection

April 7, 2017

Doolittle Raiders Reflect on Their Moment in History

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was originally published in the July 1992 issue of All Hands Magazine"I was eating breakfast aboard USS Hornet (CV 8) when I first heard the guns," said retired Air Force Col. Henry "Hank" A. Potter. Task Force 16 was firing on Japanese picket boats that, having spotted the ships, were feared to have radioed Tokyo about

April 7, 2017

Where are the Shooters? A History of the Tomahawk in Combat

It is said that in a crisis one of the first questions asked by military leaders is "Where are the carriers?" However, since the Tomahawk land attack missile was first used in combat during Operation Desert Storm, most military operations have really begun with strikes using these precision weapons launched from cruisers, destroyers and submarines.

April 3, 2017

Junior Officers and the Halsey-Doolittle Raid

NH-64472. Lieutenant Colonel Doolittle (left front) and Captain Marc A. Mitscher, Hornet commanding officer, pose with a 500-pound bomb and USAAF aircrew members during ceremonies on Hornet's flight deck prior to the raid.  The Halsey-Doolittle Raid in April 1942 was the first strike by U.S. forces against Japan itself. Vice Admiral William F.

March 28, 2017

Leaders of the Deep: Top WWII Submariners and their Submarines

World War II saw great advancement in U.S. submarine technology and tactics as well as impressive leadership. Unfortunately, battle success stories were often kept from the public due to the necessarily stealthy nature of the service. However, the Joint Army-Navy Assessment Committee (JANAC) and surviving WWII submariners have recognized a few top

March 28, 2017

The War Begins: The United States Navy and the German Cruiser Cormoran

For the United States Navy, the first "engagement" of World War I was marked by kindness rather than violence, and humanitarianism as opposed to pugnacity. S.M.S. Cormoran, a Russian passenger liner captured by the Germans and converted into a commerce raider, had been cruising the Pacific when it ran short of coal. Unable to find a supply and

March 27, 2017

Hydrofoils: Ships That Fly

The U.S. Navy's fleet of big ships is balanced by a diverse collection of smaller vessels including speedy patrol boats. Of these, hydrofoil patrol boats were some of the most unusual vessels of the U.S. Navy fleet.And now, thanks to the U.S. Navy's first operational hydrofoil, was launched in 1962. Operating from the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard,

March 23, 2017

Navy Medal of Honor Recipients at Iwo Jima

The first Medals of Honor were presented on March 25, 1863. To commemorate this date, in 1990, Congress designated March 25 "National Medal of Honor Day" to recognize recipients of the Medal of Honor, the highest and most prestigious military decoration awarded to U.S. service members who have distinguished themselves through acts of valor. In