Jan. 31, 2015

Tet Offensive Battle of Hue City Gives Cruiser its Name

]The guided-missile cruiser USS Hue City (CG 66) returns to Naval Station Mayport in 2013 after two back-to-back deployments to the Arabian Gulf. The ship and crew returned with the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist Second Class Adam Henderson/Released)It was 47 years ago today when the

Jan. 28, 2015

Capt. Michael Smith's Journey to the Final Frontier and Beyond

Children wonder at the marvel of airplanes in flight, many dream of becoming pilots and soaring the wide expanses of sky.One young North Carolina farm boy, though, saw beyond the wild, blue yonder and sought the stars themselves. Michael Smith was among those who dared to cut ties with Planet Earth. He grew up in bucolic Beaufort, N.C., during the

Jan. 6, 2015

Honoring the Legacy of Navy Nurses Worldwide

Navy Nurse Corps POWs posing with Vice Adm. Thomas C. Kincaid, Commander of the 7th Fleet and Southwest Pacific Force, after their rescue from Los Banos, Feb. 23, 1945. They were imprisoned Jan. 6, 1942 where they were stationed in the Philippines.Rear Adm. Rebecca J. McCormick-Boyle Commander, Navy Medicine Education and Training CommandOn January

Jan. 3, 2015

Great White Fleet Assists Following Messina Earthquake

A street in Messina, Sicily, showing damage caused by the earthquake that hit Dec. 28, 1908. Photographed in January 1909. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph from the Collection of Lt. Cmdr. Richard Wainwright (who was assigned to USS Connecticut during the relief mission to Messina).When President Theodore Roosevelt's Great White

Dec. 24, 2014

Stalemate: Treaty of Ghent Ends War of 1812 in a Draw

When warring countries Great Britain and the United States finally sat down to hammer out a peace treaty, it took nearly as long as the War of 1812. After less than a year's fighting, where Great Britain was fighting on two fronts: France and the United States, the first suggestion of a peace agreement came from, of all places, Russia, a country

Dec. 18, 2014

Swift Boats Were Workhorses of Brown Water Navy in Vietnam

Not since the end of the Civil War did the U.S. Navy have a need for a riverine force, or Brown Water Navy. But that all changed as the United States got deeper and deeper into conflict between North and South Vietnam.Due to the nature of the fighting and supply lines in Vietnam, the Navy needed fast, strong, reliable boats that could patrol the

Dec. 14, 2014

Fleet Admirals are Elite Band of Naval Brothers

But back to Dec. 1944 when four-star admirals William Leahy, Ernest King and Chester Nimitz were promoted. A year later, Adm. William F. Halsey Jr. joined their ranks.It was quite the departure from when America's forefathers chose to eschew the title of admiral. Back in 1775, still under the rule of imperialistic Great Britain, those in charge of

Dec. 13, 2014

Frigates, Brigs, Sloops, Schooners, and the Early Continental Navy's Struggle for Success

In 1775, Americans were no strangers to the ways of the sea, either in peace or in war. In the years immediately before the outbreak of the rebellion, Americans demonstrated their growing disenchantment with British rule by taking action against ships collecting revenue or delivering tea in Boston Harbor. Once the revolution began, Americans

Dec. 5, 2014

On the Edge of Infamy: Misinformation Worked in U.S. Favor

USS Lexington (CV-2) leaving San Diego, Calif., Oct. 14, 1941, on her way to Pearl Harbor. Planes parked on her flight deck include F2A-1 fighters (parked forward), SBD scout-bombers (amidships) and TBD-1 torpedo planes (aft). Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.  As the Japanese Imperial Navy Strike Group

Dec. 4, 2014

Navy Action Reports Tell the Story of Pearl Harbor Attack

As more than three-quarters of a century have passed since the attack on Pearl Harbor, a dwindling number of people are alive who remember the shock, horror and heroism that turned a Sunday morning into "a day of infamy." However, thanks to the diligence and action reports of Sailors there that day, all transcribed in their own words, the details

Dec. 4, 2014

Giving His All: Naval Pilot Crash Lands to Save Fellow Aviator

 The city of Fall River, Mass. was just like every other major city in the United States during the beginning of World War II. Young men were eager to join the military and do their part for their country, including a young man named Thomas J. Hudner, Jr. whose family owned and operated a chain of grocery stores. Hudner was an average student at

Nov. 26, 2014

Prelude to War: Japanese Strike Force Takes Aim at Pearl Harbor

The road to war between Japan and the United States began in the 1930s when differences over China drove the two nations apart. In 1931 Japan conquered Manchuria, which until then had been part of China. In 1937 Japan began a long and ultimately unsuccessful campaign to conquer the rest of China. Then in 1940, the Japanese government allied itself

Nov. 18, 2014

Tending the Side: A Navy Tradition

Welcoming dignitaries and visitors of special attention aboard ships carries with it the ancient nautical custom of tending the side. In modern age, the physical process of coming aboard a ship is as simple as walking up a ladder gangway, but in the age of sail the process proved to be a complex and tedious occasion.In the age of sail ships were

Nov. 18, 2014

History and Display of Military Awards and Ribbons

The practice of using military decorations to honor individuals or fighting organizations dates back to antiquity.Early awards were usually used to recognize leaders in the nobility and military class of society. According to the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, the Egyptians had the Order of the Golden Fly, a golden necklace that they decorated with

Nov. 13, 2014

USS Juneau and Four Brothers You May Not Know About

In 1942, at the Battle of Guadalcanal, the light cruiser USS Juneau met her fate, taking with her the five Sullivan brothers.You've heard their story and their memory lives on in a ship named for them and a crew that serves in their honor. However, had it not been for a serendipitous Navy memo, the sinking of Juneau might have resulted in a

Nov. 5, 2014

Sink or Sail: The Options for a Continental Navy Hurting for Professional Military Sailors

Commodore Esek Hopkins (1718-1802), Commander in Chief of the Continental Navy, 1775-1777. Painting by Orlando S. Lagman, after a 19th Century engraving by J.C. Buttre. Naval History and Heritage Command PhotoAs the American colonies came closer to waging outright war against Great Britain, the Continental Congress was faced with determining how

Oct. 7, 2014

Tomahawk Missiles Brought Power to the Punch During Operation Enduring Freedom

It was 13 years ago today, in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Operation Enduring Freedom began against the Taliban and Al Qaeda holed up in the mountain ranges of Afghanistan. The U.S.-led coalition launched tomahawk missiles against terrorist training camps and military installations. First among them came from destroyer John Paul Jones

Oct. 6, 2014

The POW/MIA Table: A Place Setting for One, A Table for All

If you've ever been to a military ball, stepped inside a chow hall, or attended an event at a military veterans association in your local community, you've likely noticed the small, round table that is always set but never occupied - the prisoners of war/missing in action (POW/MIA) table. The tradition of setting a separate table in honor of our

Oct. 2, 2014

Washington Navy Yard: A Celebrated Legacy of Service to the Fleet

The Washington Navy Yard was established Oct. 2, 1799, the Navy's first and oldest shore base. At first it was built as a shipyard, under the careful guidance of its first commandant, Capt. Thomas Tingey. And then during the War of 1812 we famously burned it down (not the British) and then our neighbors looted it (again, not the British).The base

Sept. 30, 2014

USS Nautilus Plankowner Shares Experience Working on Boat, with Rickover

Henry Nardone Sr. was a "fresh-caught" lieutenant junior grade when he became a project manager on USS Nautilus. Today, at 92 "and counting," Nardone attended the 60th anniversary of the commissioning of the first nuclear-powered submarine at the Submarine Forces Museum and Library in Groton, Ct. Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class