June 6, 2023

The “Unhappy Controversy”: Admiral Sampson, Commodore Schley, and the Santiago Campaign of 1898

During World War II, Admiral Chester Nimitz famously kept his opinions of his fellow officers to himself. On one occasion in 1944, he revealed why. When a staff officer showed Nimitz a CINCPAC draft report critical of Admiral William “Bull” Halsey’s performance at the Battle of Leyte Gulf,[1] Nimitz sent it back with the following note: “What are

May 17, 2023

A Sailor on Foot: Lieutenant Victor Blue and the Search for the Spanish Fleet, July 1898

In war, sailors find themselves doing jobs they never would have expected to perform in normal circumstances. This was especially true in the Spanish-American War of 1898, as the Navy’s officers and men dealt with new technologies in America’s first conflict overseas since the Mexican-American War. The war gave plenty of opportunities for

April 24, 2023

In Memoriam: Boatswain’s Mate First Class Howard K. Potts The Oldest Living Survivor of USS Arizona (BB-39)

And then there was one. It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Boatswain’s Mate First Class Howard Kenton “Ken” Potts on 21 April 2023 at age 102. Ken was the oldest living survivor of the battleship Arizona (BB-39), which was destroyed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941. This leaves Lieutenant Commander Lou

April 20, 2023

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral William D. Masters, USNR (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral (lower half) William David “Bill” Masters Jr. on 4 April 2023 at age 79. Rear Admiral Masters enlisted in the U.S. Navy in March 1964, was commissioned in March 1973, and served as a cryptologic officer until his retirement in June 2006 as Vice Commander, Naval Network Warfare

April 13, 2023

In Memoriam: Vice Admiral Albert M. Calland, USN (Ret)

It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Vice Admiral Albert Melrose “Bert” Calland III, U.S. Navy, Retired, on 31 March 2023 at age 70. Vice Admiral Calland entered the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) in June 1970 and served as a SEAL until his retirement in July 2007 as deputy director for Strategic Operational Planning for the

April 5, 2023

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Steven R. Briggs, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral (upper half) Steven Russell “Steve” Briggs on 4 February 2023 at age 81. Rear Admiral Briggs entered the U.S. Navy via the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) in September 1959 and served as a naval aviator until his retirement in January 1997 as the Director of Aviation

April 5, 2023

“A Tall Ship and A Star to Steer Her By:” Star Trek and Naval History

In the fictional history of Star Trek[1] there are few days more important than 5 April. On that day in 2063, Vulcans landed in Bozeman, Montana following Zefram Cochrane’s successful test of a faster-than-light engine built from a modified ICBM. In Star Trek’s utopian future, this event led to the creation of the peaceful and prosperous United

March 1, 2023

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Robert M. Clark, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral (upper half) Robert M. “Bob” Clark on 15 February 2023 at age 72. Rear Admiral Clark entered the U.S. Navy in August 1972 via Officer Candidate School and served as a surface warfare officer. His last assignment was Director, Maritime Partnership Program, U.S. Naval Forces Europe,

March 1, 2023

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral John F. Shipway, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral John Francis “Dugan” Shipway, U.S. Navy (Retired), on 18 February 2023 at age 80. RADM Shipway entered the U.S. Navy in September 1960 via the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps and served as a submarine officer and acquisition professional until his retirement in June 2000 as

Feb. 27, 2023

To Make “The Navy Ready to Strike”: The Fantastic Voyage of USS Oregon

In preparation for war with Spain in the spring of 1898, battleship Oregon embarked on a 14,000-mile, sixty-six-day cruise from California, through the Straits of Magellan in South America, to Florida. There was no guarantee Oregon would make the voyage expeditiously, or even at all. The journey, the longest yet undertaken by one of the new

Feb. 24, 2023

A “Terrible Catastrophe”: The February 1844 Naval Gun Explosion that Almost Killed a President

By 1843, when he approached the Navy for permission to build Princeton, its first steam-powered man-of-war, Robert Field Stockton had already distinguished himself as a U.S. Navy officer in the War of 1812, as a key negotiator in the establishment of Liberia, and as an aggressive pirate hunter.After 16 years at sea, Stockton used an extended shore

Feb. 23, 2023

Seaborne Evacuation of Iran

Almost one year after Jimmy Carter became president of the United States a revolution erupted in Iran that would bring about major social, political, and economic change. It would also compel Western nationals living there to leave the country in a rather urgent manner.In the wake of the Iranian Revolution (January 1978 - February 1979), many

Feb. 10, 2023

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral John E. Gordon, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral (upper half) John Edward “Ted” Gordon on 22 January 2023 at age 81. Rear Admiral Gordon entered the U.S. Naval Academy in July 1960. After graduation, he served in the Navy Supply Corps and then in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG Corps) until his retirement in November 1992

Feb. 7, 2023

Remember the Men of the Maine

On 15 February 1898, the battleship Maine exploded while visiting Havana, Cuba. The loss of the ship would drive the United States and Spain to war within a few months. However, the global significance of the disaster should not overshadow the lives lost and the many wounded. 253 men died in the explosion, and another seven died of injuries over

Feb. 7, 2023

Why did the USS Maine explode?

Few U.S. ships are as well remembered as the battleship Maine. Unlike Constitution, Monitor, or Enterprise, though, the ship is not famous for its wartime record, long career, or remarkable innovation. Rather, Maine is remembered for exploding in Havana harbor on 15 February 1898. The death of 260 crewmen and officers would be tragedy enough, but

Jan. 26, 2023

"Reduced to Starvation”: The Japanese Evacuation of Guadalcanal, January-February 1943

Over the course of the Solomon Islands campaigns, which began in August 1942 with landings on Guadalcanal, Allied forces slowly established air and maritime superiority over the region. While both the Allies and the Japanese operated at the end of long, tenuous supply lines—the closest major Japanese base was at Rabaul and the closest Allied base

Jan. 18, 2023

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral John C. Weaver, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral (upper half) John Clark Weaver on 5 January 2023 at age 89. John entered the U.S. Naval Academy in July 1951 and served as a naval aviator and materiel professional until his retirement in 1990 as Commander, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command. His other command was of the

Jan. 6, 2023

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Lafayette F. Norton, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral (lower half) Lafayette Ferguson “Ferg” Norton on 11 September 2022 at age 83. Rear Admiral Norton entered the U.S. Navy as a midshipman in the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) in September 1957 and served as a naval aviator until his retirement in December 1993 as

Jan. 6, 2023

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Salvatore F. Gallo, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral (upper half) Salvatore Frank Gallo on 13 December 2022 at age 86. Rear Admiral Gallo enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve in March 1955 and served as a naval aviator until his retirement in September 1993 as the Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (N1B)/Deputy Chief of

Dec. 20, 2022

In Memoriam: Vice Admiral Edward S. Briggs, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Vice Admiral Edward Samuel Briggs, U.S. Navy, Retired, in November 2022 at age 96. Vice Admiral Briggs entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1945 and served as a naval aviator and surface line officer until his retirement in 1984 as Commander Naval Surface Forces Atlantic. His other commands