March 30, 2022

In Memoriam: RADM Thomas James Hill, SC, USNR (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Thomas James “Tom” Hill, Supply Corps, U.S. Naval Reserve (Retired), on 17 February 2022 at age 79. Rear Admiral Hill entered the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1964 and served as a Supply Corps officer until his retirement in 2002 as transportation director for Naval Supply Systems Command.

March 24, 2022

“Act to provide a naval armament” – 225th Anniversary of the Creation of the United States Navy

Editor's Note: On May 10, 2022, Naval History and Heritage Command will commemorate the 225th anniversary of the launch of the first of the U.S. Navy's six frigates (United States), which began the new United States Navy. The launch of the frigates is a significant moment in both U.S. Navy and American history,  and the U.S. Navy's earliest heroes,

March 23, 2022

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Edward Bigelow Baker, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Edward Bigelow “Ted” Baker, Jr., U.S. Navy (Retired), on 26 January 2022 at age 84. Rear Admiral Baker entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1955 and served as a surface warfare officer until his retirement in 1993 as Assistant Deputy CNO for Plans, Policy and Operations (N3/N5B.) His

March 23, 2022

Essex-Class Aircraft Carriers

As aviation and naval technology advanced in the early-to-mid twentieth century, aircraft became faster and carried heavier weapons. The US Navy responded to these developments by designing the Essex, a new class of aircraft carriers that could accommodate more and bigger planes. From 1942 through 1945, large numbers of the Essex-class, the most

March 21, 2022

First Carrier to the Fleet: USS Langley in the Interwar Navy

On 20 March 1922, less than two decades after Orville and Wilbur Wright achieved the first successful sustained flight in a heavier-than-air aircraft, the U.S. Navy commissioned its first aircraft carrier: the 11,500 ton Langley (CV-1).The U.S. Navy led the world in naval aviation prior to World War I after successfully launching the first aircraft

March 17, 2022

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Eric Alton McVadon, Jr., USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Eric Alton McVadon, Jr., U.S. Navy (Retired) on 15 February 2022 at age 85. Rear Admiral McVadon entered the U.S. Navy as an NROTC midshipman in 1955 and served as a naval aviator and politico-military policy expert until his retirement in 1992 as the U.S. defense and naval attaché

March 9, 2022

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Harry Kenneth Fiske, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Harry Kenneth Fiske, U.S. Navy (Retired) on 4 February 2022 at age 85. Rear Admiral Fiske entered the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) in 1954 and served as a surface line officer until his retirement in 1990 as Deputy Assistant Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) for

March 7, 2022

In Memoriam: Admiral Thomas B. Hayward, USN (Ret.), 21st CNO 1924–2022

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Admiral Thomas Bibb Hayward, U.S. Navy (Retired), on 3 March at age 97. Admiral Hayward enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve as an aviation cadet in May 1943, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1947, and served as a naval aviator until his retirement in July 1982 as the 21st Chief of Naval

March 1, 2022

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Ronald Charles Wilgenbusch, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Ronald Charles Wilgenbusch, U.S. Navy (Retired), on 25 February 2022 at age 83. Rear Admiral Wilgenbusch enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1956 and served as a surface line officer and materiel professional, with specialty in communications, until his retirement in 1991 as

Feb. 25, 2022

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Albert Eugene “Al” Rieder, U.S. Naval Reserve (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Albert Eugene “Al” Rieder, U.S. Naval Reserve (Retired) on 17 January 2022 at age 87. Rear Admiral Rieder enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1952 and served as a surface line officer until his retirement in 1989 as Commander, Naval Base Philadelphia. His commands included Naval

Feb. 25, 2022

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Richard Anthony “Dick” Martini, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Richard Anthony “Dick” Martini, U.S. Navy (Retired) on 31 January 2022 at age 90. Rear Admiral Martini was commissioned an ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1954 and served as a patrol squadron aviator until his retirement in 1984 as director of the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW)

Feb. 16, 2022

The passing of Rear Admiral (lower half) Horace MacVaugh III, Medical Corps, U.S. Naval Reserve (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral (lower half) Horace MacVaugh III, Medical Corps, U.S. Naval Reserve (Retired) on 24 January 2022 at age 91. Rear Admiral MacVaugh entered the U.S. Navy in 1956 at the rank of lieutenant and served as a medical doctor for over 30 years. Horace MacVaugh graduated from Yale University

Jan. 27, 2022

Once Above, Now Below: Archaeological Investigations of Two Early 1950s Naval Aircraft Wrecks off Pensacola

For northwestern Florida, naval flight training began in 1914 with the arrival of the newly formed aviation unit consisting of nine officers, twenty-three enlisted men, and seven aircraft. Under the direction of Lt. John Towers and Lt. Commander Henry C. Mustin, the unit arrived at the Pensacola Navy Yard in January aboard the battleship

Jan. 27, 2022

In Memoriam: Vice Admiral James B. Perkins III, USN (Ret.)

In Memoriam: Vice Admiral James B. Perkins III, USN (Ret.)It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Vice Admiral James Blenn Perkins III, U.S. Navy (Retired) on November 27, 2021 at age 79. James Perkins entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1960 and served as a surface line officer until his retirement in 1999 as Commander, Military

Jan. 27, 2022

Once Above, Now Below: Archaeological Investigations of Two Early 1950s Naval Aircraft Wrecks off Pensacola

For northwestern Florida, naval flight training began in 1914 with the arrival of the newly formed aviation unit consisting of nine officers, twenty-three enlisted men, and seven aircraft. Under the direction of Lt. John Towers and Lt. Commander Henry C. Mustin, the unit arrived at the Pensacola Navy Yard in January aboard the battleship

Jan. 20, 2022

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Charles Frederick (“Chick”) Rauch, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral Charles Frederick “Chick” Rauch, Jr., U.S. Navy (Retired), on 19 December 2021, at age 96. Charles Rauch entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1944, and served as a submarine officer until his retirement in 1976 as Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel for human resource management.

Jan. 20, 2022

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral George Rhodes Worthington, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral (lower half) George Rhodes Worthington, U.S. Navy (Retired), on 18 December 2021 at age 84. George Worthington enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1955, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1961, and served as a surface line officer, underwater demolition team (UDT)

Jan. 3, 2022

The Legalman Rating Turns 50

“In the early 1970s, I was a yeoman, working in Pensacola, Fla., in the legal office at the U.S. Naval Communication Training Center. I told my boss: ‘They ought to come out with a rating that’s strictly focused on legal work,’” said Bill VanDeren, a retired Navy legalman. “Lo and behold, a message was released, and I converted to the legalman

Dec. 23, 2021

H-066-1: The Naval Historical Center

I usually post information about the history of the Navy as a whole, but today I’d like to recognize a milestone in the history of the command I lead. On 1 December 1971, the Navy combined the Naval Historical Display Center—now the National Museum of the U.S. Navy—with OPNAV’s Naval History Division to create the Naval Historical Center. The first

Dec. 23, 2021

H-Gram 066: “At Dawn We Slept”

This H-gram covers the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and is a significantly updated and revised version of my H-Gram 001 from 2016, and with one additional portion drawn from H-Gram 025 from 2019. It also includes some history of the Naval History and Heritage Command.