March 23, 2015

Driving Navy Innovation: Turboelectric to Hybrid Propulsion

Rear Admiral Kevin R. SlatesNinety-eight years ago today, the Navy deployed a new technology on USS New Mexico (BB 40) that was then hailed as one of the most important achievements of the scientific age: the turboelectric drive. Before this major event, ships used a direct-drive steam turbine, which started with the HMS Dreadnought. Direct drive

March 12, 2015

The Iwo Jima Legacy Lives

As executive officer and now commanding officer of USS Iwo Jima, I have always been very proud and honored to serve aboard a ship with such a powerful namesake. February 19th until March 26th marks the 70th anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima.U.S. troops near Coast Guard and Navy landing craft unload supplies to the blackened sands of Iwo Jima, a

March 6, 2015

The Legacy of Ships Named Enterprise

On March 6, 1822, a 12-gun schooner named Enterprise captured four pirate vessels in the Gulf of Mexico. The event is little known, not well documented, and it was one of her last operations before sinking in the West Indies a year later. But her actions on this day stand alongside a proud history in the legacy of the Enterprise. There have been

Feb. 26, 2015

'Enemy Forces Engaged,' USS Houston Fought Insurmountable Odds

 I ask you to spend a minute this weekend in remembrance of the 1,082 brave men of the heavy cruiser USS Houston (CA 30). It was in the early hours of March 1st, 73 years ago, that she sailed for the final time into the teeth of enemy fire. While heading for the Sunda Strait, and in concert with the Australian light cruiser HMAS Perth, she ran into

Feb. 22, 2015

Victory During Peacetime: Partnerships Mattered in 1909 as the Great White Fleet Returns Home

Homecoming of the "Great White Fleet", Hampton Roads, Va., Feb. 22, 1909. Ships and craft welcome the fleet upon its arrival in Hampton Roads.It was a rainy day on Feb. 22, 1909 when 16 battleships of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet returned home to Hampton Roads, Va. completing an exhausting 26-month, 43,000 mile circumnavigation of the globe. For the

Feb. 18, 2015

Navy Hospital Corpsmen: Ready to respond, anytime, anywhere

The history of the Hospital Corps is well documented by heroes like the corpsmen who fought at Iwo Jima, as well as the many Navy ships and buildings that bear their name. Four hospital corpsmen received the Medal of Honor for their service and bravery during the Battle of Iwo Jima, where according to Fleet Admiral Nimitz, "uncommon valor was a

Feb. 16, 2015

The Naval Careers of America's Six Sailor Presidents

From 1961 to 1993 the Navy could boasted veterans in the nation's highest office, with the exception of Army veteran Ronald Reagan's 8-year term of 1981-89. John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, James E. "Jimmy" Carter and George H.W. Bush all previously served their nation wearing Navy blue. Interestingly of the

Feb. 15, 2015

Navy and America Remember the Maine through Artifacts

It was a call to arms not unlike "Remember the Alamo" 62 years earlier. While that Texas bravado has endured the decades, memory may falter on a similar outcry: "Remember the Maine!" Or at least why it should be remembered at all. Unlike the Alamo, in Texas during its fight for independence in 1836, the Maine in this instance was not the state, but

Feb. 14, 2015

USS Constitution's Affair to Remember with Lovely Ann

There were no boxes of chocolates or roses for the crew of USS Constitution as Valentine's Day rolled around in 1814. But when the day was over, they were awash with lumber, fish, and flour - spoils from an engagement with a British merchantman named Lovely Ann. On that Feb. 14, USS Constitution's wooden hull was a figuratively green

Feb. 4, 2015

Navy Archaeologists Dive into the History of Bonhomme Richard

A painting by William Gilkerson of the battle between the Continental Navy frigate Bonhomme Richard and HMS Serapis, Beverley R. Robinson Collection, US Naval Academy Museum.When Capt. John Paul Jones accepted command of the frigate that would become Bonhomme Richard on Feb. 4, 1779, he had no idea a future battle aboard would both illustrate his