April 11, 2019

Citizen Sailors: A History of the U.S. Navy Reserve

On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, the destroyer USS Ward (DD 139) was conducting a patrol off the entrance to Pearl Harbor when at 3:57 a.m., she was informed of a periscope sighting by the coastal minesweeper USS Condor (AMc 14). The submarine was Japanese and Ward sprang into action as her No. 1 gun crew fired a shot that passed over the

April 9, 2019

Konetzni Hall: A Cornerstone of 21st Century Pacific War Fighting Readiness

The U.S. Navy is honoring the forward-thinking Pacific submarine leader who ushered in a parade of changes to the undersea force twenty years ago. The impact of those changes today are proving prescient in what's become a great power competition with China.The Commander, Submarine Squadron 15 (CSS-15) headquarters building in Guam will be named in

March 27, 2019

The Fates of the Six Frigates Created by the Naval Act of 1794

George Washington gives us perhaps one of the greatest quotes to describe our Navy's important role. In a letter he writes: "It follows then as certain that night succeeds the day, that without a decisive naval force, we can do nothing definitive, and with it, everything honorable and glorious."It should come as no surprise then that on March 27th,

March 18, 2019

The Oerlikon 20 mm: The Right Tool for the Job

Before it entered World War II, the United States Navy realized aviation would play a significant role in the upcoming conflict. In order to deal with this emerging threat, its ships would need to be outfitted with capable anti-aircraft systems. Throughout the interwar period, the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance worked on the development of anti-aircraft

March 13, 2019

Eyewitness to a Sinking

Citizen SailorLike many who manned the Navy's ships and flew its aircraft during World War II, William C. Chambliss was a member of the Naval Reserve, a citizen-sailor called to active service. He entered naval service during the year of the stock market crash, receiving his wings as Naval Aviator Number 4528 in April 1930, and flying scouting

March 13, 2019

A Future CNO's Trial by Fire

In 1930, Lt. Forrest P. Sherman authored an article for U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, one of many the prolific writer submitted to the journal during the interwar years. The title was "Some Aspects of Carrier and Cruiser Design," and in it Sherman outlined the various classes of aircraft carrier required in the fleet of the future, and provided

Feb. 25, 2019

A Century of Service with the U.S. Navy Photo Archive

January 2019 marked the 100-year anniversary of the creation of the U.S. Navy's Photo Archive, currently held at the Naval History and Heritage Command at the Washington Navy Yard. The Navy's collection of historical records predates the National Archives (established in 1934) and originally began in the Office of Naval Records and Library

Feb. 25, 2019

Lt. "Rose Bowl" Miller Graduates from Gridiron Glory to WWII Legend

The USS Strong  (DD 467), a WWII destroyer sunk by a Japanese torpedo in July 1943 in the Battle for Kula Gulf, has been located on the Pacific seafloor by the Research Vessel Petrel.The wreck serves as a watery grave for at least 46 U.S. Navy Sailors. Its discovery has rekindled a uniquely American story of remarkable resiliency, grit,

Feb. 22, 2019

Strong Crew, and Rescue, Set Sailor Standards for Initiative and Toughness

On February 21st, 2019, NAVADMIN 039/19 directed the Navy to return to the union jack beginning Tuesday June 4, 2019. That is, of course, the anniversary of the Battle of Midway. Some 77 years later, the Navy and the nation are again in a Great Power Competition, specifically with China and Russia. The return to the union jack is a nod to the very

Feb. 22, 2019

Remembering the U.S. Navy's Iranian Evacuation of 1979

Forty years ago this week, as American citizens and other foreign nationals were scrambling to flee Iran following the Islamic Revolution of 1979, four U.S. Navy ships were off the coast in international waters preparing for an evacuation operation. I was on one of those ships, the San Diego-based guided missile destroyer USS Decatur (DDG 31). We