June 23, 2016

Nautical Terms and Naval Expressions - Part Two

Have you ever wondered why a "peacoat" is called a peacoat? Why in the world is the bathroom called the "head?" How did the term  "ensign" come to be used to refer to both a flag and an officer? The language of the Navy can leave you wondering where Sailors came up with these terms and expressions. The second installment in our series explores five

June 17, 2016

Norfolk Naval Shipyard Drydocked First Ship in the Western Hemisphere June 17, 1833

For a ship that sat dormant for nearly seven years after it was completed, it's remarkable that USS Delaware would ultimately become one of the most noteworthy ships of the United States Navy. This 74-gun ship-of-the-line became the first ship in the Western Hemisphere to be dry docked, on June 17, 1833, at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) in

June 17, 2016

Savage Buttons Reveal Secrets of Revolutionary War Shipwreck

When the Naval History and Heritage Command's Underwater Archaeology and Conservation Laboratory received over 1,000 artifacts from the Revolutionary War shipwreck assemblage of Royal Savage last summer, conservators recognized that a number of these artifacts were personal effects of the sailors and officers who sailed aboard the

June 10, 2016

Naval History of Ohio

Ohio, known as "The Buckeye State," was the 17th state admitted to the Union on March 1, 1803, retroactively after an oversight in 1953 that found Congress never passed a resolution formally admitting it to the Union. The customary practice of Congress declaring an official date of statehood did not begin until 1812, with Louisiana's admission as

June 4, 2016

Reflections on the Battle of Midway from the PACFLT Basement

Editor's note: The following blog was written by Capt. Dale Rielage and first appeared on Station HYPO. Captain Rielage serves as Director for Intelligence and Information Operations for U.S. Pacific Fleet. He has served as 3rd Fleet N2, 7th Fleet Deputy N2, Senior Intelligence Officer for China at the Office of Naval Intelligence and Director of

June 3, 2016

A Cruise through The Battle Of Midway

The Battle of Midway, one of the most important battles of the Pacific campaign in World War II, occurred between June 4 and 7, 1942. The battle took place only six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea. The U.S. Navy defeated an attacking fleet of the Japanese navy near Midway Atoll, inflicting

June 3, 2016

Living the Legacy of Admiral Raymond Spruance

Editor's note: Cmdr. Manny Hernandez, Commanding Office of the USS Spruance (DDG 111), delivered the following address to his crew in the spirit of commemorating the Battle of Midway, which occurred 74 years ago this week. The USS Spruance is deployed in the Pacific as part of the Pacific Surface Action Group (PACSAG), during which the THIRD Fleet

May 29, 2016

Lest We Forget

Memorial Day is a time to honor those who have served our nation and made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Since the beginning of our great nation, U.S. Navy Sailors, and their ships, have gone in harm's way to protect our great nation. Each May, we take time to remember and honor these heroes. Below we've highlighted several Navy ships that

May 19, 2016

Balancing Act: History and Technology in a Modern Navy

At the Navy League's Sea Air Space Exposition this year, I was fortunate to sit on a panel with peers from the Coast Guard, Navy and Marine Corps. The question was how today's service men and women seize history's lessons to tackle today's leadership and technology challenges. With a little more than a year as the Director of the Naval History and

May 16, 2016

A Look Back at Top Gun

More than thirty years ago, stunning footage of F-14 Tomcats flashed across the silver screen and moviegoers were introduced to the high-speed operations and culture of naval aviation through the characters "Maverick," "Goose," "Iceman," and "Charlie." The release of the movie Top Gun on May 16, 1986, came at a time when naval aviation was very