March 11, 2014

Operation Market Time Challenges North Vietnamese Resupply Efforts

]The U.S. Navy fast patrol craft PCF-38 of Coastal Division 11 patrols the Cai Ngay Canal in South Vietnam.Most of the blogs that appear on this space are tributes to the Blue Water Navy, those Sailors and Marines who fought their enemies in magnificent warships, impenetrable ironclads, stealthy submarines and a whole fleet of aircraft carriers,

March 5, 2014

After much deliberation, Seabees settle on March 5 as birthday

Since March 5, 1942, the U.S. Navy has employed an elite cadre of construction battalions better known as Seabees. Guided by the motto, "We Build, We Fight," over the past 72 years the Seabees have served in all major American conflicts, supported humanitarian efforts, and helped to build communities and nations around the globe. Today, Seabees

Feb. 28, 2014

Launching of USS Indiana (BB 1), the Navy's first battleship

NOTE: This blog posits that USS Indiana (BB 1) was the U.S. Navy's first battleship. Why? The hull number, for one thing - BB 1. There's also the fact that the ships after Indiana were called Indiana-class battleships. Also, based on the Naming of Ships Act of 1819, Indiana was a "first class" battleship based on her 42 guns. Texas was a

Jan. 3, 2014

Return of USS HOUSTON Artifacts to NHHC

Last week, the Naval History & Heritage Command (NHHC) Underwater Archaeology Branch (UAB) received a trumpet and ceramic cup and saucer from World War II cruiser USS HOUSTON. The artifacts were returned to the US Naval Attache in Canberra, Australia after their unsanctioned removal from the wreck site and made a journey of more than 10,000 miles

Dec. 24, 2013

Holiday season celebrated by service members at home and abroad

For military personnel deployed in wartime, the arrival of the holiday season brings a mixture of emotions. The sense of normalcy that comes with being home with family is absent, the void filled by brethren in uniform, bonds forged between them in combat in some ways closer than any shared with loved ones. They celebrate a season in which mankind

Dec. 9, 2013

Honoring Shipmates Past and Present: Laying a Wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns on Pearl Harbor Day

Dec. 7, 2013 was a bitingly cold day in Northern Virginia, made all the more so by having unseasonable warm days the few days before it. But as two Seaman made their way along the pathways of Arlington National Cemetery to the Tomb of the Unknowns, their attention was less on their cold hands and feet and more on the ceremony less than an hour

Nov. 26, 2013

Battle of Midway lecture offers fascinating detail into US Navy victory

SBD "Dauntless" dive bombers from USS Hornet (CV-8) approaching the burning Japanese heavy cruiser Mikuma to make the third set of attacks on her, during the early afternoon of 6 June 1942. Mikuma had been hit earlier by strikes from Hornet and USS E...

Nov. 25, 2013

Battle of Cape St. George proved US's strength on the sea

Capt. Arleigh A. Burke, commander of Destroyer Squadron 23, reading on the starboard bridge wing of his flagship, USS Charles Ausburne (DD 570), during operations in the Solomons in 1943-44. Note the squadron's "Little Beaver" insignia on the side of the bridge. Also note impressive scoreboard painted on the side of the directly over the bridge. US

Nov. 24, 2013

Periscope photography by submarines was vital for Battle of Tarawa

This photo shows USS Nautilus (SS-168) off the Mare Island Navy Yard, Calif., April 15,1942, following modernization. Note her very heavy deck armament of two 6"/53 guns; also embrasure in her upper hull side, just in front of the forward gun, for newly-installed topside torpedo tubes. At least two torpedoes are on deck above this location,

Nov. 18, 2013

Remember the Maine, A First-of-its-Kind Warship

The Navy has a long, proud history of leading in energy innovation and change, according to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. "From sail to coal to oil to nuclear and now to alternative fuels, the Navy has led the way," he said during a speech Sept. 11, 2013, to the National Defense University. Such was the case 123 years ago today, Nov. 18, 2013,

June 17, 2013

U.S. Navy recipients of the Medal of Honor: Korean War

Tomorrow, the Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, dedicates a Korean War display in the Pentagon. In honor of those who served and gave their life protecting freedom, today we remember the Navy Medal of Honor recipients for actions during the Korean conflict: Hospital Corpsman Third Class Edward C. Benfold; Hospital Corpsman Third Class William R.

June 14, 2013

A New Weapon in the Industrial Age: Howell Torpedo

In 1883 the United States Navy held a public contest to find new design concepts for torpedoes. After reviewing several proposals, the Navy Torpedo Board selected a design submitted by the head of the Department of Astronomy and Navigation for the U.S. Naval Academy, Lieutenant Commander John A. Howell. The Howell torpedo was initially conceived in

June 7, 2013

Midway Operational Lesson

MIDWAY'S OPERATIONAL LESSON: THE NEED FOR MORE CARRIERSThe Japanese employing six aircraft carriers at one time, as they did in the attack on Oahu on December 7, 1941, proved a radical undertaking. The U.S. Navy's carriers, by contrast, had never numbered more than two or three during infrequent maneuvers, and the war's coming in 1941 found only

June 7, 2013

Midway Tactical Lessons

Tactical Lesson of Midway: The Thach WeaveWhen the U.S. Navy entered the war in the Pacific, fighting squadron aircraft strength stood at 18 planes. Operational experience, showed that more fighters were needed, to (1) protect the carrier herself and (2) to protect the attack groups composed of dive/scout bombers and torpedo bombers. Even when

June 7, 2013

Midway Strategic Lessons

Midway's Strategic Lessons"We are actively preparing to greet our expected visitors with the kind of reception they deserve," Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet, wrote to Admiral Ernest J. King, the Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations, on May 29, 1942, "and we will do the best we can with what

June 5, 2013

Remembering Midway

REMEMBERING MIDWAYby Captain Roy P. Gee, USN (Ret.)(The following post was written for the Battle of Midway Roundtable, in 2003. Note: CAPT Roy P. Gee passed away on December 28, 2009)Here I am, sitting at my computer, trying to recall the details of my involvement in a great naval battle that was fought 61 years ago. I'm 83 years old and as my

June 5, 2013

A Vivid Memory of Midway

A Vivid Memory of MidwayCommander Clayton E. Fisher, USN-Retby Ronald Russell(The following post is from the Battle of Midway Roundtable and originally appeared in Veterans Biographies, distributed during the annual Battle of Midway commemoration in San Francisco, June 2006)  In September 1941, upon completion of pilot training advanced carrier

June 4, 2013

Navy Cryptology and the Battle of Midway: Our Finest Hour

Navy Cryptology and the Battle of Midway: Our Finest HourA special feature of the BATTLE OF MIDWAY ROUNDTABLEby LCDR Philip H. Jacobsen, USN-Ret(Editor's note: the following is the text of an address given by LCDR Jacobsen to a gathering of Naval Security Group personnel at San Diego in 2000. It has been edited slightly for clarity and to better

June 3, 2013

Synopsis of the Battle of Midway (June 3-7, 1942)

Those who have only a casual knowledge of the Second World War might know little more about the Battle of Midway than the fact that it was an important American victory in the Pacific Theater. After all, the war had countless major battles, and a great many of them involved far more men and arms than fought at Midway. A tally of the forces engaged

May 15, 2013

The Legend of the USS ENTERPRISE

 The month of May historically has been an important time for?the USS Enterprise. On May 12, 1938 the USS Enterprise CV-6 was commissioned and on May 18, 1775 the Enterprise I was captured from the British Fleet. These historic May events have led us to take a look at the history of the USS Enterprise, which represents a name that has been a