Dec. 2, 2016

The Story of USS Ward and Navy Readiness as the Sun Rose on the Day of Infamy

"At Dawn We Slept" was the title of one of the most influential books about the disastrous Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, "a date which will live in infamy" as President Franklin Roosevelt called it in his declaration of war speech. However, I respectfully disagree with the premise of the title, as it gives

Nov. 29, 2016

Surface Warrior - Remembering Ernest Evans

"In no engagement of its entire history has the United States Navy shown more gallantry, guts and gumption than in those two morning hours between 0730 and 0930 off Samar," - Rear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison in his seminal "History of United States Naval Operations in World War II" regarding the Battle of Samar.I first read those words long before

Nov. 18, 2016

NHHC Reviews U.S. Navy Wrecks in South Pacific Waters and Prepares to Bring New Life to Disturbed Artifacts

The following post is about the conservation of artifacts that were removed, without authorization from the U.S. Navy, from the wreck of USS Salute. In partnership with the government of Brunei, U.S. Navy and Royal Brunei Navy divers this week completed a dive on the ship's wreck in which they honored the service of those lost when the ship sank,

Nov. 15, 2016

Zumwalt's Lasting Legacy as Told through 121 Z-Grams

With the commissioning of USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), you've likely heard a lot about the ship's technological capabilities. But just how well do you the history of the man behind the namesake? Naval History and Heritage Command recently completed transcribing each of Adm. Elmo R. Zumwalt's Z-grams in order for people to learn more about just how

Nov. 10, 2016

Happy Birthday Devil Dogs

On November 10, 1775, the Continental Congress approved a resolution to establish two battalions of Marines "able to fight for independence at sea and on shore." Since that day,the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have teamed together and become one of the strongest and most effective expeditionary forces the world has ever known. Today, on the 241st

Nov. 7, 2016

Honoring Our Veterans: Navy Sailors That Earned our Country's Highest Honor

The Navy and Marine Corps' Medal of Honor is our country's oldest continuously awarded decoration, originally created for enlisted men by Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles on Dec. 16, 1861. Although originally awarded for both combat and non-combat heroism, the Medal of Honor today is presented for 'conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the

Nov. 2, 2016

A Token of Appreciation for Our Vietnam Vets

Anyone who has been to a Navy Week in the last two decades knows how great it is to be a Sailor in the United States Navy. People buy you lunch. Businesses give you discounts. Pedestrians thank you, and the drivers show their appreciation with a friendly honk. All for doing something we volunteered to do, and (on most days at least) something we

Oct. 31, 2016

Have You Heard of a Ship Called the Good Reuben James?

Popularized for many Americans by the Woody Guthrie song, "The Sinking of the Reuben James," USS Reuben James (DD-245) was the first U.S. Navy ship to be sunk by enemy action during World War II. Months before America officially entered the war after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Reuben James Sailors paid the ultimate price. The story of these

Oct. 28, 2016

Louisiana's Naval History

Louisiana has played an important role since the early days of the U.S. Navy. New Orleans, the largest city of Louisiana, was the scene of Andrew Jackson's great victory at the close of the War of 1812, in which small naval forces under Commodore David Patterson played a large role. Years later during the Civil War, Admiral David Farragut opened

Oct. 21, 2016

Torpedoman 2nd Class Henry Breault

Editor's note: The following blog first appeared on the Submarine Force Library & Museum website. Long before seven submariners received the Medal of Honor in World War II for their the legendary bravery, an enlisted man, Torpedoman 2nd Class Henry Breault, distinguished himself as a hero of the Submarine Force. He is the only enlisted submariner