July 29, 2016

Where was the USS Indianapolis When Sunk? Deck Logs of Tank Landing Ship Provide Key Details

Thomas Helm, a scholar and onetime crewman of USS Indianapolis (CA-35), described the loss of the ship in his 1963 Ordeal by Sea as follows: "Midnight [on 30 July 1945] a moderately heaving sea and clouds covering a half moon now nearly three hours old. The Indianapolis, with her 9,950 ton displacement spread over 610 feet, sliced her way westward

July 25, 2016

National Museum of the American Sailor

On July 3, 1911, the very first recruit arrived at Naval Training Station Great Lakes to report to the newly opened boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois. Joseph Wallace Gregg was a slender seventeen-year old from Terre Haute, Indiana. He later recalled, "I was a little shy, homesick and didn't cut too much of a figure in my new Navy uniform,"

July 18, 2016

The Naval War College Museum

Tradition has it that on a late October's day in 1884, U.S. Navy Commodore Stephen B. Luce came ashore at Coasters Harbor Island - a site designated earlier that month by the Secretary of the Navy to be a place for a new kind of college in Newport, Rhode Island. Once ashore, Luce proceeded to a large stone building, the former Newport Asylum for

July 15, 2016

South Dakota's Naval History

When you think of South Dakota, you may not immediately think of the U.S. Navy. But, did you know at least 9 ships have been named after the state, its cities, places, and people? Here are a couple:USS South Dakota (BB 57) USS South Dakota, lead ship of a class of 35,000-ton battleships, was built at Camden, New Jersey. She was commissioned in

July 15, 2016

Sailor Reflects on Houston and Perth

Editor's note: EMN1 Shaun Milender, a crewmember on the USS Houston (SSN 713), recently represented the U.S. Navy on board the HMAS Perth III, during at-sea ceremonies honoring the WWII crews of the USS Houston (CA 30) and HMAS Perth (D 29). The ships were lost in action during the Battle of Sunda Strait in Feb 28-March 1, 1942.I recently got

July 11, 2016

The Puget Sound Navy Museum

The Puget Sound Navy Museum in Bremerton, Wash. collects, preserves, and interprets the naval heritage of the Pacific Northwest from 1840 to the present. The museum was founded in 1954 as the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Museum, showcasing the history of the Shipyard. Over six decades, the artifact collection has been moved four times. The Puget

July 5, 2016

Our People, Our History - Introducing the National Museum of the American Sailor

At the Great Lakes Naval Station Fourth of July Fireworks show this year, I was able to make a very exciting announcement. On a day celebrating over 240 years of American independence, I, along with Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Mike Stevens, announced the renaming of Navy's Great Lakes Naval Museum to the National Museum of the American

July 1, 2016

Distinguished Flying Cross Recognizes Heroism and Extraordinary Achievement

On July 2, 1926, the Distinguished Flying Cross was authorized by Congress. In the past eight years only five DFCs have been awarded four of them were to astronauts (and one of those astronauts, Navy Capt. Mark Kelly, received it twice). Sadly, one of those Distinguished Flying Crosses was presented posthumously to the family of Lt. Miroslav Steven

July 1, 2016

Wisconsin's Naval History

Wisconsin, known as "America's Dairyland," is located in the north-central region of our country. On May 29, 1848, Wisconsin became the 30th state to be admitted to the Union.There have been more than 65 U.S. Navy ships named after the cities, people, and places of Wisconsin. Of note are the two battleships that take their namesake from this great

June 27, 2016

The National Naval Aviation Museum

Opened more than a half century ago, the National Naval Aviation Museum offers a unique blend of past and present in telling the story of aviation in the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. Located on board historic Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, the Navy's first air station, the museum sits in close proximity to the white sand