Editors Picks

REAR ADMIRAL H. WYMAN HOWARD, IIICommander, Special Operations Command Central My grandfather Hugh Wyman Howard and his brother Curtis William Howard both attended the United States Naval Academy in the late 1930s, separated by a year in the classes of 1937 and 1938, respectively.  Our family’s long history with the …

Nicholas Roland, Historian Naval History and Heritage Command Showing from left: Private, Drummer (Marine Corps), Warrant Officer, Musician, Chief Petty Officer (Master-at- Arms), Private (Marine Corps), Corporal (Marine Corps). Lithograph by Werner, copyright in 1899 by The Werner Company. To outsiders, especially members of the non-maritime services, the U.S. Navy’s …

Editor’s Note: On Friday, October 25, 2019, Commander Mark Lawrence, Commanding Officer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG-60), provided remarks at the Taffy III memorial event. The event commemorates the sacrifice of the Sailors who served aboard the ships of Taffy III during the Battle off Samar. Watercolor by Commander Dwight C. …

Compiled by Brent Hunt, Naval History and Heritage Command’s Communication and Outreach Division Welcome to Navy History Matters—our weekly compilation of articles, commentaries, and blogs related to history and heritage. Every week we’ll gather the top-interest items from a variety of media and social media sources and then link you …

SAN DIEGO (Oct. 23, 2014) Lauren F. Bruner, USS Arizona survivor, talks to Sailors and Marines assigned to amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) about his experiences during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Bruner joined the U.S. Navy in 1938 just after his 18th birthday and is one of …

A note from the editor: Capt. C.A. “Pete” Tzomes—the first African American to command a nuclear-powered submarine—died at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Iowa City, IA, June 13. He was 74. He was the first of the “Centennial Seven,” who were the only seven African American men to command …

By André B. Sobocinski, Historian, BUMED 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 …

By Daniel N. Garas, Naval History and Heritage Command, Communication and Outreach Division On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, the destroyer USS Ward (DD 139) was conducting a patrol off the entrance to Pearl Harbor when at 3:57 a.m., she was informed of a periscope sighting by the coastal minesweeper …

By Margherita M. Desy, Historian, Naval History & Heritage Command Detachment Boston “Whereas the depredations committed by the Algerine corsairs on the commerce of the United States render it necessary that a naval force should be provided for its protection…” The fledgling United States was in a difficult position in 1794.  …

As a 19-year-old seaman who had been in the Navy for about a year and a half, Richard Nowatzki’s ship USS Hornet (CV 8) was mortally wounded in the intense World War II Battle of Santa Cruz Islands.  In this first-handaccount, from his book Memoirs of a Navy Major, Nowatzkishares …