Sept. 23, 2014

American Shipbuilding, Navy Maintenance Past and Present: Keeping the Fleet Fit to Fight

Part One of a 3-part seriesA ship rejoining the fleet after a major overhaul is nothing new in the Navy. But 70 years ago today, when USS West Virginia (BB 48) returned to Pearl Harbor, it was a momentous event. West Virginia was the last, and most heavily damaged, of the 18 ships salvaged after the Dec. 7, 1941 attack. Her return to the fleet

Sept. 19, 2014

Dirt, Taps & Nursery Rhymes: Vietnam POW Book Offers Insight into Captivity

It's National POW/MIA Recognition Day today, observed on the third Friday in September. There may not be any big sales in the stores this weekend, but please take a moment to remember those who served as prisoners of war and the thousands who remain missing in action since World War II. The POW/MIA flag, made official by Congress in 1990, may be

Sept. 13, 2014

Through "Rocket's Red Glare" Flotilla Sailors Stand Strong

It was arguably one of the most famous battles on American soil and is still sung of today. It was a failed attempt by the British to invade one of America's largest cities during the War of 1812, a battle that inspired the anthem of the American people. When Francis Scott Key witnessed a battered American flag still waving "at dawn's early light,"

Sept. 12, 2014

The Colors of a Navy and Nation

Flags, standards, and banners have been used for thousands of years as visual symbols of those who bear them. "The broad stripes and bright stars" of the American flag represent an indivisible nation "with liberty and justice for all" and symbolize sacrifices made by many for the sake of the nation and the freedom they hold dear. For many years,

Sept. 12, 2014

Blue Angels History Milestones

  Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, while serving as Chief of Naval Operations, formed the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Team as a means to expose the American public to naval aviation, which had come of age during World War II. This was deemed very important in an era in which the roles and missions of the armed forces were the subject of vigorous

Sept. 11, 2014

9/11: The First Act of Defiance against the Enemies of Freedom: A Sailor's Experience at the Pentagon

A combined graphic images of USS New York (LPD 21), USS Somerset (LPD 25) and USS Arlington (LPD 24) all named in honor of the events of September 11, 2001. (Graphic Image by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Clifford L. H. Davis, Naval Histor...

Sept. 10, 2014

Three Tenets, Three Ships: USS New York, USS Somerset and USS Arlington Put CNO's Vision into Motion

Capt. Kenneth M. Coleman's official photo as USS New York's Executive Officer. ...

Sept. 9, 2014

Nuclear Navy and Energy Independence Pick Up Steam in 1961

Long Beach, the world's first nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser, was commissioned Sept. 9, 1961, the same year as the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise (CVAN 65). "With their nuclear-powered submarine counterparts already operating in the fleet and the nuclear-powered guided missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DLGN

Sept. 7, 2014

Long Before Nuclear Power, There Was Turtle Power

On 17 July 1785, Thomas Jefferson wrote to his friend and colleague George Washington, requesting "you to be so kind as to communicate to me what you can recollect of Bushnel's experiments in submarine navigation during the late war."  Washington replied two months later, declaring that although he did not "expect much success from the enterprise

Aug. 29, 2014

Paying Respects to USS Houston (CA 30) Crew and the Navy Family

Officers of the USS Houston CA 30 Survivors Association and Next Generations, and descendants of the crew from the World War II cruiser USS HOUSTON (CA 30) spent the day with naval leadership at the Pentagon and the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC). The Houston went down fighting during the Battle of Sunda Strait on March 1, 1942, with