April 27, 2020

Curator Day 2020

USS Comfort (AH 6) Pennant (NHHC 2019.075.005): This pennant is from the former USS Comfort (AH 6), the second of three hospital ships to bear that name. The Curator Branch collects a wide variety of material to include rare textiles such as this. T...

April 24, 2020

Honoring Museum Volunteers during National Volunteer Week

On April 20, 1974, President Richard Nixon established National Volunteer week to offer appreciation for the great work of volunteers and call for more citizens to give back to their communities. In presidential proclamation 4288 Nixon stated, "I urge all Americans to observe that week by seeking out an area in their community in which they can

March 27, 2020

Honoring our Navy's Vietnam War Veterans

March 29th is National Vietnam War Veterans Day, a day we join the nation in honoring our Vietnam War-era veterans. Although we are unable to honor these veterans in person while maintaining proper social distancing, we are able to highlight some of our Navy Vietnam War-era veterans through our online platforms.During the Vietnam War, Sailors

March 16, 2020

An Interview with Ima Black, a WWII-era WAVES Sailor

Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) hosted Mrs. Ima Black, widow of the Navy's first Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Delbert Black, for a tour of the National Museum of the United States Navy (NMUSN) Sept. 20, 2019. The tour gave Black a chance to see pieces from NHHC's expansive collection, including uniforms and memorabilia from her

Feb. 18, 2020

The Search for Seaman Joachim Pease

The Civil War saw the introduction of the Medal of Honor, an award that would come to represent the highest military honor in the United States. By the end of the war, 328 U.S. Navy Medals of Honor had been awarded. Of those, eight were awarded to U.S. Navy people of color. Seaman Joachim Pease, one of these recipients, is often overshadowed by

Feb. 11, 2020

The Sailors of Iwo Jima

The Battle of Iwo Jima began on February 19, 1945 as Sailors and Marines faced Imperial Japanese forces over the control of the island. The island was a critical point for the United States as it planned their attacks on the Japanese main islands.The 36 days of battle are considered some of the bloodiest and fiercest fights of the Pacific theater

Dec. 12, 2019

When Caroline Kennedy Last Christened a Ship in the Name of Her Father

191207-N-PG550-1463 NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Dec. 7, 2019) Caroline Kennedy, President John F. Kennedy's daughter, former ambassador to Japan, and sponsor of the Ford-class aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), christens the ship, Dec. 7, 2019. US...

Nov. 27, 2019

"This is Dad's letter!"

Photo of Y3c Richard Calvin McVay submitted by his family to the United States Navy Memorial Log. McVay served from February 1944-April 1946....

Nov. 6, 2019

A Family Tradition

Hugh Wyman Howard's Naval Academy sweater....

Nov. 1, 2019

The History of Navy Rank: The Officer Corps

To outsiders, especially members of the non-maritime services, the U.S. Navy's unique rank structure can be confusing. The history of Navy ranks is equally complicated, and includes an assortment of ranks that no longer exist and some that have disappeared, reappeared, and disappeared again! In this part of a three-part series, we look at the