July 10, 2014

#PlatformsMatter: Adding a ZERO to Navy Know-How Equals Victory

Some called it the finest fighter in the world, quick, agile with fluid maneuverability. The biggest problem was it wasn't an American fighter. The Mitsubishi A6M2 carrier fighter ZERO had long dominated the skies at the beginning of World War II, earning a 12-1 kill ratio against slower, heavier Allied planes. But American ingenuity and a chance

July 7, 2014

Thomas Edison's Role in Birth of Navy's Department of Invention and Development

It was 99 years ago today when Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels sat down to type a four page letter to Thomas A. Edison, asking him to chair a consulting board for Navy inventions. Daniels had just read an interview in the New York Times where Edison had proposed "The government should maintain a great research laboratory.... In this could be

June 20, 2014

NHHC Announces Spanish-American War Documentary Project

Members of the Navy Court of Inquiry examining Ensign Wilfrid V. Powelson, on board the U.S. Light House Tender Mangrove, in Havana Harbor, Cuba, circa March 1898. Those seated around the table include (from left to right): Capt. French E. Chadwick, Capt. William T. Sampson, Lt. Cmdr. William P. Potter, Ensign W.V. Powelson, Lt. Cmdr. Adolph Marix.

June 19, 2014

Beautiful and Dangerous, CSS Alabama Ruled the Sea

Capt. Raphael Semmes, CSS Alabama's commanding officer, stands by his ship's 110-pounder rifled gun during her visit to Capetown in August 1863. His executive officer, 1st Lt. John M. Kell, is in the background, standing by the ship's wheel. Collection of Rear Admiral Ammen C. Farenholt, USN(MC), 1931. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.Few

June 12, 2014

Dive on Houston Day 4: The Survey's Final Day

(Thursday, June 11, 2014) Today was our last day of operations on the presumed site of USS Houston. Operations began once more with a morning brief involving the master diver, Senior Chief William Phillips, Chief Warrant Officer Jason Shafer and myself at 6:30 a.m. Following breakfast, the team engaged in gear and camera preparations and by 8:45

June 11, 2014

Dive on Houston Day 3: A Pause to Honor Our Fallen, Then Work Continues

(Wednesday, June 11, 2014) Today has been an exceptionally long and productive day. Between 7 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. we began preparations for the day's dives readying dive gear, prepping cameras and tagging valves, knobs and pumps aboard Safeguard to set the stage for diving operations. Following the first surface-supplied dive, it appeared clear that

June 10, 2014

Dive on Houston Day 2: The Survey Begins

(Tuesday, June 10, 2014) Operations began this morning at 6 a.m. when I held a brief with Master Diver Phillips and Chief Warrant Officer Jason Shafer. By 6:30 a.m. Safeguard was located near the vicinity of the first set of coordinates that we had for USS Houston and shortly thereafter three side-scan sonar technicians and I engaged in a

June 9, 2014

Dive on Houston Day 1: NHHC Underwater Archaeologist Arrives in Jakarta, Begins Mission Planning

After a three day and more than 10,000 mile journey from Washington, D.C., Naval History and Heritage Command Underwater Archaeologist Dr. Alexis Catsambis arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia June 9 to begin collaboration on a survey of the World War II wreck of the cruiser USS Houston (CA 30). The survey is a training evolution as part of the

June 6, 2014

D-Day: General Eisenhower's message to Allied troops

At dawn on June 6, 1944, nearly 7,000 U.S. and British ships and craft carrying close to 160,000 troops lay off the Normandy beaches, surprising German commanders, who had overestimated the adverse weather's impact and were also expecting landings to the northeast, in the Pas-de-Calais area. Known as Operation Overlord, the Allied forces hit the

June 3, 2014

Battle of Midway Q & A's

Capt. Henry Hendrix (Ph.D), Naval History and Heritage Command director and Robert Cressman, NHHC historian answer questions about the Battle of Midway in this five part series.

June 3, 2014

Battle of Midway: Naval War College Lecture

On June 3 at 1:30 p.m. ET, the Naval War College commemorates the Battle of Midway with a lecture by historian and author Jonathan Parshall, co-author of the book Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway. Making extensive use of untapped Japanese primary sources, including Imperial Japanese operation records, Parshall reconstructed

May 9, 2014

Alleta Sullivan: A "Navy Mom" Like No Other

On the second Sunday in May in the U.S. and in other parts of the world, there is cause for celebration. Flowers, greeting cards and a trip to a nice restaurant for lunch or dinner are in order for that special woman that has taken care of her children through thick and thin. The day is Mother's Day and it is a day on which we honor with gifts

May 7, 2014

On Course to Midway: The Battle of Coral Sea

Japanese Aircraft Carrier Shokaku 1941 Courtesy Government of Japan...

April 23, 2014

#PeopleMatter: Admiral of the Navy George Dewey

Today marks 116 years since Spain's declaration of war against the United States. Congress in turn declaredhad been prepping his fleet since February, so when war was declared, he made a beeline for the Spanish Navy at Manila Bay in the Philippines. Who was this man who would lead the U.S. Navy to its first major, strategic victories overseas?

April 22, 2014

#Presence, #Platforms, #Power: Spanish-American War Shaped U.S.'s Strategy into 20th Century

The Battle of Manila Bay is shown in this colored print of a painting by J.G. Tyler, copyright 1898 by P.F. Collier. Ships depicted in left side of print are (l-r): Spanish Warships Don Juan de Ulloa, Castilla, and Reina Cristina. Those in right side are (l-r): USS Boston, USS Baltimore and USS Olympia.Collections of the Navy Department, purchased

April 21, 2014

#PresenceMatters: The Path to Conflict and Victory in the Spanish-American War

It lasted less than four months. Yet the Spanish-American War is among the top three key naval conflicts that defined the modern U.S. Navy, along with the War of 1812 and World War II. "The Navy's performance in those wars resonated with the public, and established the reputation the U.S. Navy enjoys today," said Dennis Conrad, an historian for the

March 28, 2014

#PeopleMatter - The Rebirth of the U.S. Navy and the Legendary Exploits of the Original Frigate Sailors

USS Constitution fires a 21-gun salute toward Fort Independence on Castle IslandThe Naval Act of 1794 brought the U.S. Navy back to life after it was disbanded following the revolutionary war. The Act provided for the building of six frigates, Constellation, Constitution, United States, Congress, Chesapeake and President. They were among the most

March 27, 2014

#PlatformsMatter -- The Rebirth of the U.S. Navy: A Fleet of Frigates to Equal None

Yesterday, we outlined how piracy was the catalyst in getting the leadership of the young United States on board with creating a national naval force. As the Barbary Coast pirates continued to either break or try to renegotiate their treaties with the U.S., Congress finally authorized the construction of six frigates at the cost of $688,888.82,

March 20, 2014

America's First Aircraft Carrier - USS Langley (CV 1)

The aircraft carrier. Without a doubt, one of the most impressive ships to sail the sea, a floating city loaded with aircraft that can be launched to attack ships or shore, from nearly anywhere in the world. As with many great things, the origins of the aircraft carrier came from a more humble beginning. When the keel was laid for the

March 19, 2014

Salutations with a Bang! The Military Gun Salute

If you've ever attended a significant military ceremony, you may not have seen it, but you certainly heard it: the booming report of a military gun salute. Gun salutes have been around for centuries and, as they've evolved, shared a common purpose with the hand salute. Although those origins are not entirely clear, it is believed that both honors