Nov. 16, 2021

A Unique Artifact Goes Virtual: Digitizing NR-1’s Control Room

It’s a challenge museums will always face: fulfilling our missions means collecting more artifacts than we have room to display. The advent of online platforms like social media, websites, and photo-sharing sites has substantially increased virtual access to artifact collections, to the delight of curators and educators. But there’s a catch —

Aug. 26, 2021

Unique bedsheet in Navy’s collection tells a story of hope

In August of 2020, Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) was offered a rather unique and spectacular artifact -- a bedsheet. A common sheet is not very astounding, but the story behind this one explains why this bedsheet is different.

June 11, 2021

Perry's Revenge — A Continued Look at the Wreck of an Early 19th-Century Naval Schooner off the Coast of Rhode Island

Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) archaeologists collaborated with Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) engineers during the second half of May 2021 to continue documenting the remains of Oliver Hazard Perry's schooner Revenge, which wrecked off of Watch Hill, Rhode Island in 1811. The team, along with local site discoverers, Charles Buffum

Sept. 8, 2020

From Cafeteria to Conservation Lab: NHHC's Conservation Branch at Five Years

190814-N-HP188-0049 RICHMOND, Va. (August 14, 2019) Karl Knauer, a conservator at the Collection Management Facility, Naval History and Heritage Command, applies a customized sealant as part of the conservation process for a Vietnamese watercraft cal...

June 4, 2020

The Importance of Getting Navy Artifacts To the Public

You may have noticed that USS Reno (CL 96), named in honor of the city in Nevada, has garnered national attention this week regarding a World War II ensign and pennant that is on display at City Hall in Reno, Nev. The 48-star ensign, along with a commissioning pennant and the ship's bell have been on loan to the City of Reno from the Naval History

Oct. 25, 2018

Before you Donate to our Archives, Here's What You Need to Know

"I've got something you'll really be interested in!" "I've got photographs you've never seen before."As the Accessioning Archivist and Lead Photo Archivist, we are the point people for accepting textual and photographic donations into the Navy Archives. We hear the above statements quite frequently either through email messages, phone calls, or

Oct. 16, 2018

Journey's End - Finding Taylor's Flag

Throughout my long career at the Naval History and Heritage Command (and its predecessor organization, Naval Historical Center) I have had many memorable experiences, both good and bad. None resonates more with me than the saga of the historic flag from USS Taylor (DD 468). Outwardly, the flag is little different from the many other United States

Oct. 15, 2018

Finding Treasure in the Archives

Editor's note: The Navy Archives collects, preserves, protects, and makes available official records and donated personal collections that best embody the U.S. Navy's rich history and heritage for present and future generations. Collections often include a variety of materials, including letters, diaries, notebooks, speeches, scrapbooks,

May 31, 2018

The Enterprise Stern Plate: From Scrapyard to Small Town America

On May 26, 2018, I had the opportunity to see and touch what many consider to be the "Holy Grail" of artifacts associated with U.S. naval history; the stern plate of the WWII aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV 6) which is in the care of the Township of River Vale, New Jersey. The occasion was a Memorial Day weekend commemoration in River Vale of

April 11, 2018

Conservators in Action: Uncovering Secrets of the Suspected Revenge Cannon - Part II

Many have been waiting for an update from our last blog post about the ongoing efforts to conserve a cannon recovered from the suspected wreck site of the 14-gun U.S. naval schooner Revenge. Well, the wait is over! Archaeological conservators at the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) Underwater Archaeology (UA) Branch have been carefully