Dec. 7, 2018

World War I Sailors Recognized 100 Years Later

World War I saw technological advances that changed the face of warfare. Prominent among these was the use of submarines, or U-boats. Although they had been 'in use since the mid-1800's, submarines only became effective weapons during WWI and were Germany's answer to the powerful British Navy. Eventually, the U-boat "wolfpacks" became so effective

Sept. 5, 2018

Weapons of World War I: Commemorating the Navy Railway Gun

Editor's note: September 6, 2018 marks 100 years since the first firing of the Navy railway gun used in World War I. For the 100th anniversary, Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) will highlight the weapon system through blogs, videos and photographs. To provide additional details, NHHC Historian Dr. Gregory Bereiter discusses the railway gun

Aug. 16, 2018

The Navy on the Ground: The Naval Railway Batteries of WWI

The first detachment arrived in France June 10, 1918, but waiting for their equipment and preparing the trains meant that they did not leave for the front until Aug. 18. They served continuously from then until war's end on Nov. 11, 1918. They scored some notable successes, especially considering that "the great majority of shots were fired without

March 28, 2017

The War Begins: The United States Navy and the German Cruiser Cormoran

For the United States Navy, the first "engagement" of World War I was marked by kindness rather than violence, and humanitarianism as opposed to pugnacity. S.M.S. Cormoran, a Russian passenger liner captured by the Germans and converted into a commerce raider, had been cruising the Pacific when it ran short of coal. Unable to find a supply and