Feb. 13, 2019

The End of Hornet - Part 1

As a 19-year-old seaman who had been in the Navy for about a year and a half, Richard Nowatzki's ship USS Hornet (CV 8) was mortally wounded in the intense World War II Battle of Santa Cruz Islands.In this first-hand account, from his book Memoirs of a Navy Major, Nowatzki shares his experiences in the extraordinarily brutal and dangerous

Feb. 8, 2019

Famed Blue Angel's First Mission was from USS Hornet

In famous director John Ford's color film titled The Battle of Midway, an eighteen-minute documentary capturing events of the landmark battle that took place in June 1942, one of the scenes shows naval aviators walking from a PBY Catalina to a waiting ambulance. Among them is a dark-haired pilot in a khaki flight suit, his broad smile reflecting

Feb. 8, 2019

An Artist's View of USS Hornet

During World War II war correspondents spanned the globe to cover its pivotal events. Their proximity to the action brought them up close and personal with the hazards faced by those in uniform. Some like Walter Cronkite flew on bombing missions, while Ernie Pyle's dispatches from the front-illuminated the experience of the American G.I. for those

Feb. 8, 2019

Two Flights Defined Hornet's Service

The aircraft carrier Hornet (CV 8) served for just 372 days, her short lifespan reflective of the fact that she put to sea in dangerous waters. During that brief time, it can be said two distinct flights defined the service of the Navy's eighth aircraft carrier before she slipped beneath the waves at the Battle of Santa Cruz on Oct. 27, 1942. Both

Feb. 6, 2019

The Naval History of Montana

What the state of Montana lacks in active naval bases, it more than makes up for in U.S. Navy ships. At least 30 ships have been named after the state of Montana, its cities, places and people. The name "Montana" was even used for a class of battleships succeeding the Iowa-class. One of the many notable ships named after the state of Montana is USS

Feb. 5, 2019

The Naval History of South Carolina

The contributions of the Palmetto State to the U.S. Navy stretch back to the nation's origins and are uniquely reflected in the ships that have been named for the state, its cities, places, and people. There have been at least 40 ships named for the state, including at least nine of them being named for the state capital, Columbia. Did you know -

Jan. 28, 2019

The First Test of an Independent Carrier Task Force

Editor's note: "Why We Do What We Do" is an initiative CNO Richardson asked the Naval History and Heritage Command to help share with the fleet. Each month, our historians will dissect a seminal moment in our Navy's past and then highlight the lessons we learned. The purpose, is to ground today's Sailors in their history and heritage by explaining

Jan. 23, 2019

5 Things to Know: The Shared Pacific Umbilical of USS Monsoor & USS Missouri

On Saturday, January 26th the Navy will commission its newest Zumwalt-class destroyer, the USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001), at 10:00 a.m. at Naval Air Station North Island. A little further West in the Pacific, organizers are commemorating the 75th anniversary of the January 1944 launch of USS Missouri (BB 63) in the waters of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Jan. 22, 2019

A Portrait of HM2 Bobby Ray, Heroic "Doc" of Liberty Bridge

In the early morning of March 19, 1969, a Marine combat base at Phu Loc 6 near An Hoa, Vietnam, became the scene of a surprise enemy attack. As the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) infiltrated the camp's barbed wire perimeter, a 24-year old corpsman named Bobby Ray charged into the melee to render emergency aid to the mounting casualties. He would even

Jan. 14, 2019

The Naval History of Hawaii

The prime location of the Aloha State has made Hawaii one of the U.S. Navy's most coveted assets. Although the Aloha State was one of the last to join the Union, Hawaii became one of the most important states in U.S. Navy history. Its prime location made Hawaii a coveted asset during World War II. We owe much of our Navy's current strength to the