April 12, 2017

Lessons Learned on Bataan

The Battle of Bataan was the defense of the Philippines by General Douglas MacArthur's Philippine Army controlled by headquarters, United States Army Forces Far East (USAFFE) against the invading Imperial Japanese 14th Army commanded by General Masaharu Homma. The battle began on 6 January 1942 when the USAFFE, with ten understrength Philippine

April 11, 2017

National Library Workers Day: The Navy Department Library

[media:1:large]The goal of the Navy Department Library is to preserve its history and traditions, and to serve as a repository of its institutional knowledge. With our vast collection of books, monographs and primary source items, the library provides reference services to the Navy and the public at large, and can have real world applications.Q:

April 10, 2017

Navy Artifact Collection Begins Settling In at Collection Management Facility

What career fields in the U.S. Navy require licenses and expertise to operate fork lifts, patience - and lots of it - to vacuum spots no larger than an artist's brush head, the ability to very neatly wrap the oddest shaped objects, and reliance upon diverse, advanced degrees? Answer: museum specialists and technicians at the U.S. Navy's Collection

April 7, 2017

Doolittle Raiders Reflect on Their Moment in History

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was originally published in the July 1992 issue of All Hands Magazine"I was eating breakfast aboard USS Hornet (CV 8) when I first heard the guns," said retired Air Force Col. Henry "Hank" A. Potter. Task Force 16 was firing on Japanese picket boats that, having spotted the ships, were feared to have radioed Tokyo about

April 7, 2017

Where are the Shooters? A History of the Tomahawk in Combat

It is said that in a crisis one of the first questions asked by military leaders is "Where are the carriers?" However, since the Tomahawk land attack missile was first used in combat during Operation Desert Storm, most military operations have really begun with strikes using these precision weapons launched from cruisers, destroyers and submarines.

April 3, 2017

Junior Officers and the Halsey-Doolittle Raid

NH-64472. Lieutenant Colonel Doolittle (left front) and Captain Marc A. Mitscher, Hornet commanding officer, pose with a 500-pound bomb and USAAF aircrew members during ceremonies on Hornet's flight deck prior to the raid.  The Halsey-Doolittle Raid in April 1942 was the first strike by U.S. forces against Japan itself. Vice Admiral William F.

March 28, 2017

Leaders of the Deep: Top WWII Submariners and their Submarines

World War II saw great advancement in U.S. submarine technology and tactics as well as impressive leadership. Unfortunately, battle success stories were often kept from the public due to the necessarily stealthy nature of the service. However, the Joint Army-Navy Assessment Committee (JANAC) and surviving WWII submariners have recognized a few top

March 28, 2017

The War Begins: The United States Navy and the German Cruiser Cormoran

For the United States Navy, the first "engagement" of World War I was marked by kindness rather than violence, and humanitarianism as opposed to pugnacity. S.M.S. Cormoran, a Russian passenger liner captured by the Germans and converted into a commerce raider, had been cruising the Pacific when it ran short of coal. Unable to find a supply and

March 27, 2017

Hydrofoils: Ships That Fly

The U.S. Navy's fleet of big ships is balanced by a diverse collection of smaller vessels including speedy patrol boats. Of these, hydrofoil patrol boats were some of the most unusual vessels of the U.S. Navy fleet.And now, thanks to the U.S. Navy's first operational hydrofoil, was launched in 1962. Operating from the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard,

March 23, 2017

Navy Medal of Honor Recipients at Iwo Jima

The first Medals of Honor were presented on March 25, 1863. To commemorate this date, in 1990, Congress designated March 25 "National Medal of Honor Day" to recognize recipients of the Medal of Honor, the highest and most prestigious military decoration awarded to U.S. service members who have distinguished themselves through acts of valor. In