Artifacts

By Jeffrey Bowdoin, Curator Branch Head, Naval History and Heritage Command 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 …

  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, photographs and more. By: …

By Sam Cox (Rear Adm. USN, Ret.), Director, Naval History and Heritage Command 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 …

  By Hill Goodspeed, Historian, National Naval Aviation Museum With the discovery of the wreck of Lexington (CV 2) in the depths of the Coral Sea, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and his team on board the research vessel Petrel,  added another chapter to their recent record of discoveries of U.S. …

Story by Jim Caiella, Naval History and Heritage Command Communication and Outreach Division Just 18 months old, the Conservation Branch of the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC), has made its mark nationally. Already, the small four-person staff, led by branch head David Krop, has helped restore and conserve a very …

Story by Jim Caiella, Naval History and Heritage Command Communication and Outreach Division What career fields in the U.S. Navy require licenses and expertise to operate fork lifts, patience—and lots of it—to vacuum spots no larger than an artist’s brush head, the ability to very neatly wrap the oddest shaped objects, and …

  From Naval History and Heritage Command Communication and Outreach Division Fifty-five years after she first entered naval service, USS Enterprise (CVN 65) will be officially decommissioned tomorrow. The Navy’s first nuclear powered aircraft carrier has played a pivotal role in defending freedom around the world for more than a …

  By Petty Officer 1st Class Eric Lockwood, Naval History and Heritage Command, Communication and Outreach Division The following post is about the conservation of artifacts that were removed, without authorization from the U.S. Navy, from the wreck of USS Salute. In partnership with the government of Brunei, U.S. Navy …

By Annalisa Underwood, Naval History and Heritage Command Communication and Outreach Division For centuries, bells have had a long tradition of use in the navies and merchant fleets around the world. From time-keeping, signaling, and sounding alarms to a wide variety of ceremonial uses, ships’ bells have long occupied a …

The Naval History and Heritage Command’s (NHHC) Underwater Archaeology Branch (UAB) manages the Archaeology & Conservation Laboratory which is primarily tasked with  the documentation, treatment, preservation, and curation of artifacts from US Navy sunken military craft.  Artifact conservation is an integral part of any archaeological investigation and allows for the …