July 31, 2018

Naval Aviation Development in World War II - U.S. Navy Versus Royal Navy Experience

Naval History and Heritage Command writer Carsten Fries's recent narrative of the support lent by the British carrier HMS Victorious to the U.S. Pacific Fleet in the first half of 1943 brings to mind a comparison of naval aviation experiences of these two navies during World War II. Although the U.S. Navy through its early history felt much like a

July 20, 2018

USS Robin: When the CNO Needed a Royal Navy Carrier - Part II

Editor's note: This is Part Two of "USS Robin: When the CNO Needed a Royal Navy Carrier." Read Part One here.Victorious departed Norfolk on Feb. 3 en route to the Panama Canal and assigned the U.S. Navy two-syllable call sign "Robin." Intensive flight operations utilizing U.S. Navy procedures, both with Martlet IV (Wildcat F4F-4) fighters and the

July 20, 2018

USS Robin: When the CNO Needed a Royal Navy Carrier - Part I

In autumn 1942, Adm. Ernest J. King, the Chief of Naval Operations, faced a dilemma: The battles of the Coral Sea and Midway, and the still-ongoing Guadalcanal campaign had severely weakened the U.S. Navy's fleet carrier presence in the Pacific. USS Lexington (CV 2) had been lost at Coral Sea, USS Yorktown (CV 5) at Midway, and Hornet (CV 8) during

July 18, 2018

Wexford Ireland's Ties to U.S. Naval History

The question "Who is the father of the U.S. Navy?" will likely provoke a food fight between those who would say, "Captain John Paul Jones," and those who would say, "Commodore John Barry" (actual historians are likely to say, "President John Adams," or would reject the premise of the question altogether). Both naval officers fought with great valor

July 13, 2018

Together At Last: Twin Sailors Reunited 74 Years After D-Day

"Already the sea runs red. Even among some of the lightly wounded who jumped into shallow water the hits prove fatal. Knocked down by a bullet in the arm or weakened by fear and shock, they are unable to rise again and are drowned by the onrushing tide. Other wounded men drag themselves ashore and, on finding the sands, lie quiet from total

July 12, 2018

Remembering McClelland Barclay

 For me, one of the joys of working at the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) is the different kinds of historical experts on the staff - curators, archaeologists, artists, archivists, historians, and librarians all work here. The command came to be here as a result of a couple of centuries of consolidation (so far!), from the establishment

July 11, 2018

NAS Whiting Field: 75 Years of Military Excellence

Commander Kenneth Whiting was one of the pioneers of submarine warfare and naval aviation. During World War I, he was among the first Americans to reach Europe and helped established a naval air station at Dunkirk. He went on to a distinguished career.

July 11, 2018

From Collection to Museum Exhibition

July 9, 2018

The Impossible Takes a Little Longer

Imagine trying to justly tell the entire 75-year history of an organization in 500-600 words, or perhaps of just a few objects. Now imagine that organization is the Seabees, whose official establishment dates back to World War II, and whose operations have taken them to the far reaches of the globe for all major warfighting campaigns and exercises

June 28, 2018

Playing "Taps" Links Sailor to WWII Shipmate

I've often thought about thanking Ms. Fox. She had a startling lack of patience for an elementary art teacher, but it was her irritability that caused an 11-year-old me to want to join the band. I wanted to play the flute, but my dad, rightfully recognizing my motives didn't stem from a genuine interest in music, decided that having me play his old