Aug. 1, 2018

The Naval History of North Carolina

The "Tar Heel State" of North Carolina shares an important part in the history of the U.S. Navy. At least 40 ships have been named after cities, places, and people in North Carolina. Four ships have been named after the state itself, the most recent being USS North Carolina (SSN 777), a Virginia-class submarine that was commissioned in Wilmington,

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 31, 2018

The Naval History of Maine

With 230 miles of coastline and famous for its seafood, Maine's identity has always shared a strong bond with the sea. It should come as little surprise then that "The Pine Tree" state has an illustrious naval history. More than 30 ships have been named for Maine, its cities, places, and people. Three ships alone have been named after the state

July 31, 2018

The Naval History of Pennsylvania

Citizens of Pennsylvania have long contributed to America's naval history, going all the way back to the founding of our nation. During the Revolution, Pennsylvania native Benjamin Franklin served as America's naval representative in Europe. Franklin's support of Lambert Wickes's raids on English shipping and John Paul Jones's daring feats helped

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 16, 2018

The Naval History of Illinois

The great state of Illinois enjoys a wealth of naval history! At least 40 ships have been named after the state, its cities, places, and people. Two ships have been named after the state itself. The first was a battleship commissioned in 1901 that was part of Theodore Roosevelt's Great White Fleet, which circumnavigated the world in 1907. It wasn't

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