People

By André B. Sobocinski, Historian, BUMED On the night of April 17, 1918, the ammunition ship SS Florence “H” caught fire while moored in Quiberon Bay in the south coast of Brittany, France. As the ship’s crew hurriedly pushed crates of smokeless powder off their decks the combustible cargo soon …

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 …

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 …

Editor’s note: on May 8, 2019, Rear Adm. John B. Mustin, Deputy Commander of U.S. Second Fleet and Naval Surface Force Atlantic, spoke at an event hosted by New York City Council Member Eric Ulrich. The event commemorated the 100th anniversary of the first transatlantic flight and renamed a street …

By Ryan Peeks, Ph.D. Naval History and Heritage Command 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 …

By Laura Waayers, Reference Archivsist, and Lisa Crunk, Lead Photo Archivist, Naval History and Heritage Command In celebration of the recent royal birth, and in honor of the cherished Anglo-American relationship (as exemplified in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex), we would like to highlight some of the “royal babies” …

By D. Kevin Elliott   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 …

By Sam Cox, Director, Naval History and Heritage Command On the late afternoon of 14 April 1988, the frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) was fighting for her life after striking a deliberately-laid Iranian moored contact mine in the central Arabian Gulf.  As the fire raged seemingly out of control and …

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 MC3 Casey Scoular, USS Constitution Public Affairs George Washington gives us perhaps one of the greatest quotes to describe our Navy’s important role. In a letter he writes: “It follows then as certain that night succeeds the day, that without a decisive naval force, we can do nothing definitive, …