Sept. 23, 2024

In Memoriam: Robert L. Hanley, USN – Last Living Survivor of USS Houston (CA-30)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Robert L. “Bob” Hanley on 12 September 2024 at age 102. Enlisting in the Navy before the war in January 1941, Hanley was a seaman second class aboard heavy cruiser USS Houston (CA-30), lost along with light cruiser HMAS Perth in a valiant battle against overwhelming odds in Sunda Strait, Dutch

Sept. 18, 2024

Remembering Resistance: U.S. Navy POWs at the Hanoi Hilton

On Aug. 5, 1964, Lt. j.g. Everett Alvarez, Jr., a young U.S. Navy aviator, had just finished bombing a North Vietnamese patrol boat base in retaliation for the Tonkin Gulf Incident when his Douglas A-4 Skyhawk was struck by enemy fire. After ejecting, he was captured by Vietnamese militia, then interrogated by North Vietnamese officers before being

Sept. 11, 2024

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Virgil L. Hill Jr., USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Virgil Lusk “Hap” Hill Jr., on 6 September 2024 at age 86. Rear Admiral Hill entered the U.S. Naval Academy in July 1957 and served as a submarine officer until his retirement in September 1993 as Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force (OPTEVFOR). His commands

Aug. 28, 2024

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Danelle M. Barrett, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral (lower half) Danelle Marie Barrett on 26 August 2024 at age 57. Rear Admiral Barrett entered the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) at Boston University and was commissioned an ensign in August 1989, serving as an information professional until her retirement in October

Aug. 22, 2024

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Richard L. Becker, USNR (Ret.)

It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Richard Lee Becker on 23 July 2024 at age 81. Rear Admiral Becker was commissioned an ensign in 1965 and served as a special duty officer (public affairs) until his retirement in July 1996. He served in the Vietnam War aboard USS Harold J. Ellison (DD-864). Dick Becker

Aug. 21, 2024

The Tragic Last Flight of Airship R-38 (ZR-2)

On 24 August 1921, one of the most tragic air disasters in U.S. naval history, as well as one of the most forgotten, occurred in Hull, England. The day started out celebratory as thousands of onlookers came out to witness the British R-38 airship (U.S. Navy airship ZR-2) leave its hangar on Royal Air Force Base Howden for its fourth and final

Aug. 20, 2024

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral James R. Fowler, MC, USNR (Ret.)

It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral James Raymond Fowler, Medical Corps, U.S. Naval Reserve, on 26 June 2024 at age 87. Rear Admiral Fowler was appointed an ensign in March 1959 and served in the Medical Corps until his retirement in October 1997 as Surgeon General of the Medical Corps for U.S. Naval Reserve in

Aug. 14, 2024

“We pronounce her to be the Non Pareil”: The launching of USS Congress

Editor’s note: On May 10, 2022, Naval History and Heritage Command announced its commemoration of the 225th anniversary of the launch of the first of the U.S. Navy’s six frigates, which began the new United States Navy, including: United States (launched May 10, 1797), Constellation (September 7, 1797), Constitution (October 21, 1797), Congress

Aug. 9, 2024

100 Years Ago: The U.S. Navy at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris

Any servicemember who wished to train was considered for temporary duty in connection with the Olympic tryouts, which started with regional tryouts in April 1924.Tryouts were held across the country for all sporting events. The servicemembers and civilians competing for the Olympic rifle team gathered at Quantico, Virginia, for the national

Aug. 6, 2024

The U.S. Navy at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium

“We swear that we will take part in the Olympic Games in a spirit of chivalry, for the honour of our country and for the glory of sport.”–Olympic oath, written by Baron Pierre de Courbetin, the founder of International Olympic Committee (IOC), first introduced at VII Olympiad, April 20–September 12, 1920, in Antwerp, Belgium The Navy at the 1920