April 20, 2016

How Fear, Deception and Indecision Nearly Destroyed Norfolk Naval Shipyard

The United States Navy's oldest, largest and most multifaceted industrial facility is just a buck and change shy of its 250th anniversary in November 2017. But as flames consumed the structures and ships of Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) the evening of April 20, 1861, its future was very much in doubt.Photo #: NH 59179 Destruction of the United

April 18, 2016

The Doolittle Raiders - The Mission

On April 18, 1942, it was a "nice sun-shiny day overcast with anti-aircraft fire," according to Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Eldred V. Scott. Over Tokyo, anyway. Scott's weather quip signaled the near completion of the Doolittle Raiders mission on that day 72 years ago today. But it was just the beginning of the unknown for the 80 men and their 16

April 6, 2016

The Dixie Cup: An Everyday Icon and Historic Symbol

Of all uniform items issued to Sailors in the United States Navy, no other item may be as iconic as the white hat, affectionately known as the "Dixie Cup." This week, the Dixie Cup was further rooted in our heritage when the first female recruits at Recruit Training Command were issued their new enlisted white hats as part of the Navy's efforts

April 1, 2016

Skin Deep: The Nautical Roots of Tattoo Culture

Editor's Note: In response to feedback from the fleet and senior enlisted leadership, the Navy announced two changes to its uniform policy, March 31, in NAVADMIN 082/16. Learn more about the changes here.Modern tattoo culture is rooted in the nautical world. The connection between tattoos and Sailors was cemented by the Tahitian voyages of Royal

April 1, 2016

Batter Up, Sailor!

When Baseball Went to War is an exhibit at the Puget Sound Navy Museum, which explores the history of Navy baseball from its earliest years through World War II. Baseball was among the earliest team sports played at the U.S. Naval Academy, getting its start around the 1860s. By the late 1800s, many ships had their own teams and leagues. Quickly,

March 18, 2016

Navy's Underwater Archaeologists Conduct Survey of the USS Tulip

Earlier this week, Naval History and Heritage Command's (NHHC) Underwater Archaeology (UAB) Branch partnered with Navy's Supervisor of Diving and Salvage (SUPSALV), Phoenix International Holdings, Inc., and the Institute of Maritime History (IMH) to conduct a two day survey of the wreck site of USS Tulip off Ragged Point, VA utilizing a remotely

March 16, 2016

Astronauts Rise to Meet the Gemini 8 Challenge

While Gemini 8 wasn't the mission that coined the phrase, "Houston, we have a problem" (that would be Apollo 13) it was the first emergency in space. Gemini 8 actually marked two firsts in human spaceflight?the first time one spacecraft docked to another, and the first time astronauts were forced to make an emergency landing from orbit. What

March 10, 2016

Operation Tomodachi: Partnerships, Presence, Readiness and Heritage

On Friday, March 11, 2011 at 2:46 p.m. Japan was rocked by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, centered 80 miles east of the coastal city of Sendai. The initial earthquake, the fourth most powerful earthquake recorded since 1900, was followed by a tsunami and a partial meltdown at a nuclear power plant, as well as multiple aftershocks in the ensuing weeks.

March 4, 2016

The U.S. Navy Seabees: Rates to Remember

 "We build, we fight." These four simple words could not describe the role of the U.S. Navy's Construction Battalion, or "Seabees," any better. Once the United States entered World War II, the Chief of the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Yards and Docks and Civil Engineer Corps Adm. Ben Moreell recognized the need for a militarized construction force of

March 1, 2016

Storm Front: The Threat of Mina al-Ahmadi - Part Four

Editor's Note: At the time Desert Storm began, NHHC Director Sam Cox was an active duty Lieutenant Commander, serving as an assistant intelligence officer on the staff of Vice Adm. Stan Arthur who commanded the U.S. Seventh Fleet and U.S. Naval Forces Central Command embarked on the command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) operating in the Arabian