Dec. 12, 2022

Admiral Chester Nimitz Takes Command in the Aftermath of Pearl Harbor

On the morning of 16 December 1941, nine days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Rear Admiral Chester W. Nimitz was working at his desk in the U.S. Navy’s Bureau of Navigation when he was summoned to the office of Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox. Exhausted from working more than a week with little sleep, Nimitz trudged over to Knox’s

Nov. 28, 2022

Daisy Chains and Torpedoes at Tassafaronga, 30 November 1942

Fatigue, dehydration, and starvation plagued thousands of Imperial Japanese ground troops scattered across Guadalcanal in November 1942. Recent attempts to resupply these forces via “the Tokyo Express”—the employment of Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) destroyers to deliver supplies and equipment from Rabaul to Guadalcanal—were unsuccessful as American

Nov. 2, 2022

Radio over Radar: Night Fighting Chaos at Guadalcanal (12-13 November 1942)

The tropical evening sun fell beyond the horizon in the southern Solomon Islands, showering the area in brilliant hues of salmon and auburn. In this distance, cracks of lightning peeled across the sky as charcoal clouds billowed into the area. Early that evening, 12 November 1942, Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan received a report indicating that

Sept. 3, 2021

Seaman First Class Freddie Falgout: First Military Casualty of World War II

On the evening of August 20, 1937, on the eve of his 21st birthday, Seaman First Class Freddie Falgout was searching for a seat for movie night on the well deck of USS Augusta (CL-31). Augusta had arrived off Shanghai a week earlier, on August 14, 1937, and was moored on the Huangpu River. A humanitarian crisis was underway as hostilities between Chinese and Japanese military forces had resulted in the death of hundreds of civilians, including four Americans, and the ship and her crew were evacuating American citizens and refugees from Shanghai. 

Dec. 24, 2020

Passing of Vice Adm. Douglas C. Plate, U.S. Navy (Retired)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Vice Admiral Douglas C. Plate, U.S. Navy (Retired) on December 21, 2020 at age 100. Below is what I wrote on the occasion of his 100th Birthday last July.It is with great pleasure I inform you that Vice Adm. Douglas Caulfied Plate, U.S. Navy (Retired) is about to celebrate his 100th Birthday on

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

June 4, 2019

Operation Neptune: Innovating on the Spot Made D-Day a Success

Editor's note: Planning is critical to success, but innovation and initiative during battle is a necessary part of combat. As part of CNO's effort to apply lessons from our history to better prepare today's Sailors for battle, we explore Operation Neptune and how Destroyer captains' quick thinking and decisive actions helped secure victory at

May 21, 2019

The Workhorse of Normandy: Remembering the Role of LSTs in Medical Evacuation

June 6, 1944, Normandy Coast, France. Pharmacist's Mate 1st Class Stephen Cromwell stood on the bow of the LST-280 watching the Higgins Boats transporting troops to the beachhead. "The fire was quite intense," Cromwell later recalled. "In fact, before we went in there, you really couldn't see beyond the bluffs because there was so much smoke and

May 6, 2019

Even When All Seems Lost, Sailor Toughness and Resilience Make All the Difference

The Battle of the Coral Sea (May 4-8, 1942) was the first carrier vs. carrier battle in history - the opposing Australian-American and Japanese fleets never sighted each other. Though tactically inconclusive, the battle blunted a Japanese offensive aimed at capturing Port Moresby on the island of New Guinea, a position that would have threated

April 17, 2019

Bud Elliott and USS Wasp

My dad was descending a ladder on the starboard stern of USS Wasp (CV 7) when he was rocked by the concussion from three torpedoes hitting the aircraft carrier in rapid succession. Just 35 minutes later the captain ordered abandon ship and my dad slid down a fire hose into the warm water of the Coral Sea.Arles Edward "Bud" Elliott, was a