Sept. 23, 2015

Yogi Berra's U. S. Navy Service Came before Baseball Fame

Close your eyes and picture Yogi Berra. If you're a baseball fan, you see him in the iconic Yankee stripes, but before that uniform, did you know he wore the Navy's iconic Dixie cap? He started his legendary career as a Yankees catcher, and later team manager, but in 1944 Yogi Berra was referred to asIn 2010, Berra was presented with the 2010 Audie

Sept. 17, 2015

USS Olympia Standing the Test of Time

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to make my first visit to the historic ship USS Olympia (C 6). Berthed at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia, she is truly representative of the beginning of the modern era in U.S. Navy ship construction, design and capability. As a fan of warships, I wanted to see in person this important part

Sept. 11, 2015

NHHC Archaeologists Get Out On the Water

Did you know there are U.S. Navy craft in the Patuxent River and Chesapeake Bay? Recently, NHHC's Underwater Archaeology Branch (UAB) team got a well-deserved break from our desk work and went out into the field to investigate submerged aircraft in the Chesapeake Bay near NAS Patuxent River. To see the craft, we partnered with Phoenix International

Sept. 11, 2015

Navy Legend: John Barry Also Called "Father of U.S. Navy"

For the continuing series on Navy Legends, we've asked you - the Sailor, veteran and reader - to offer up one of your own favorite legends, with a reason or two as to what makes a naval legend. Is it action or attributes?Portrait by Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828), circa 1801. In 1972 this painting was on indefinite loan to the White House. It was then

Sept. 8, 2015

Infamous Words from Failed Battle Inspire Naval Victory

When it comes to memorable flags, they're not always the Stars and Stripes of the American flag. Sometimes it can be just a simple piece of cloth with a meaningful message that will be the driving force to victory. On this celebration of Flag Friday, let's look at a simple piece of fabric flying from the mast of the USS Lawrence 202 years ago on

Aug. 29, 2015

Find the Good and Do it: Navy's Response to Hurricane Katrina

RDML Harris was the Amphibious Squadron 4/Iwo Jima Strike Group during humanitarian assistance and disaster relief - Hurricanes Katrina/Rita in 2005. On the ten year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's devastation to the gulf coast, we asked him to share his reactions and what he remembered during the response of his strike group.As I look back on

Aug. 7, 2015

Old Glory Continues to Inspire Drama and Intrigue

While many have called the American flag "Old Glory," few know how that nickname began. Fewer still know about the fight that continues today - 184 years later - over a the original flag that was first called "Old Glory." The drama of the flag began back in August 1831 when a young sea captain named William Driver was enjoying his birthday and a

Aug. 4, 2015

Coast Guard Defending Nation Home and Abroad for 226 Years

As the oldest continuously serving sea service in the nation, it was established to enforce our new nation's maritime laws and soon after to defend its coasts. If you guessed the U.S. Navy, then sorry, you won't be competing in the final Jeopardy round, I'm afraid. The answer is the United States Coast Guard. So why wasn't the Continental Navy

July 29, 2015

USS Forrestal - Trial by Fire

On Saturday July 29, 1967, in the Gulf of Tonkin, the USS Forrestal (CVA 59) is preparing for a strike against targets in North Vietnam when a missile is accidentally fired across the flight deck, hitting an A-4 Skyhawk that is fully loaded with fuel and ordinance. Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate Gerald Farrier grabs a fire extinguisher and rushes

July 24, 2015

Half-Mast or Half-Staff?

Blame the British. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, so wrote Shakespeare for his epic teenage romance Romeo and Juliet. That might have flown by people back in the 1600s, but in a day when we chat in cryptic alphabets and abbreviations, don't let anyone confuse ?half-mast? and ?half-staff.? The Brits and most of Europe, not unlike the

July 24, 2015

A Rare Recovery: CSS Georgia

My work is unique. I am an underwater archeologist, part of a team actually, responsible for the management, research, preservation, and interpretation of the U.S. Navy's sunken military craft. While there is no typical day for me at NHHC, a point that humbles me when I think of the responsibility with which I and my colleagues are entrusted, this

July 20, 2015

To the Moon and Back: An Astronaut Sailor Leads the Nation on a Voyage of Discovery

I wish I had either been born earlier or been a better student of history when I was younger. It wasn't until later in life that I fully grasped the masterful accomplishment of and the national pride in the early space program that, in less than a decade, went from an idea to a man standing on the surface of the moon. Looking back, I remember

July 17, 2015

Old Ship, New Tale: The Story of Conserving Royal Savage

Recently, the remains of an old, and somewhat forgotten, revolutionary war ship, the Royal Savage made their way from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C. It is a unique experience for an underwater archeologist to partake in the research and preservation of a Revolutionary War - era ship, especially one that directly contributed to our

July 15, 2015

Panama Canal Still Vital to Navy's Mission Today

About a month before the grand opening, and christening, of the Panama Canal, the first American battleships transited the canal. It took nine hours between July 15-16, 1915, for the three dreadnoughts -- Missouri (BB 11), Ohio (BB 12) and Wisconsin (BB 9) -- to complete the passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific.Although they were first

July 15, 2015

Navy Legend - John Paul Jones

The Right Stuff: What Makes A Navy Legend - Actions or Attributes?If you ask any Sailor to name a favorite Navy legend, you'll likely get as many names to field an entire squadron of naval heroes - including a few ships. So we're asking you - the Sailor, veteran and reader - to offer up one of your own favorite legends, with a reason or two as to

July 15, 2015

U.S. Flag Once Featured Stripes of a Different Color

What??We know, it's a lot to take in, but it' true. Our flag has gone through many iterations throughout the years. Changes in stripes, changes in stars and at one point, it even sported a different color stripe beyond the iconic 13 red and white stripes of today.As our country marched ever closer to independence, our flag evolved from the British

July 10, 2015

Sub-to-Sub Rescue Still Remembered After 70 Years

Before we had "sound bites" or pithy mission themes, and well before hash-tagging anything, the crew on USS Cod (SS 224) understood the meaning of #PartnershipsMatter. It was July 8-10, 1945, when the Gato-class submarine came to the assistance of a partner nation, Dutch sub 0-19, after it became grounded on a coral outcropping in the South China

July 4, 2015

America, Independence and Freedom: Three Great Names That Go Great With Navy Ships

When many Americans think of the 4th of July, a few words come to mind: Freedom, Independence, America. These words carry a certain weight; they represent power, strength and fortitude. So it's no wonder why some of the greatest U.S. Navy ships have born these names. Since the establishment of America's Navy there have been very few years in which

June 12, 2015

A Nod to the American Flag's Naval DNA

First Recognition of the American Flag by a Foreign Government, February 14, 1778  Painting in oils by Edward Moran, 1898. This image depicts the Continental Navy Ship Ranger, commanded by Captain John Paul Jones, receiving the salute of the French fleet. June 14th is Flag Day, so as we shake out our flags to display our patriotism, let's take a

June 8, 2015

French, American Alliance Hastened End of Revolutionary War

First Recognition of the American Flag by a Foreign Government, 14 February 1778 Painting in oils by Edward Moran, 1898. It depicts the Continental Navy Ship Ranger, commanded by Capt. John Paul Jones, receiving the salute of the French fleet at Quiberon Bay, France, 14 February 1778. Earlier in the month, after receipt of news of the victory at