June 8, 2023

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Burnham C. McCaffree Jr., USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral (lower half) Burnham Clough “Mike” McCaffree Jr. on 13 May 2023 at age 91. Rear Admiral McCaffree enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1948, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1954, and served as a surface warfare officer until his retirement in 1988 as Assistant Deputy Chief

June 6, 2023

The “Unhappy Controversy”: Admiral Sampson, Commodore Schley, and the Santiago Campaign of 1898

During World War II, Admiral Chester Nimitz famously kept his opinions of his fellow officers to himself. On one occasion in 1944, he revealed why. When a staff officer showed Nimitz a CINCPAC draft report critical of Admiral William “Bull” Halsey’s performance at the Battle of Leyte Gulf,[1] Nimitz sent it back with the following note: “What are

May 17, 2023

A Sailor on Foot: Lieutenant Victor Blue and the Search for the Spanish Fleet, July 1898

In war, sailors find themselves doing jobs they never would have expected to perform in normal circumstances. This was especially true in the Spanish-American War of 1898, as the Navy’s officers and men dealt with new technologies in America’s first conflict overseas since the Mexican-American War. The war gave plenty of opportunities for

May 16, 2023

Finding a Permanent Place: Demobilization, Suburbia, Motherhood, and Women in the Navy

Single-family suburban homeownership was the American ideal for the growing middle-class in the postwar years. This was “the most visible symbol of having arrived at a fixed place in society,” historian Kenneth Jackson suggests, “the goal to which every decent family aspired.”[i] A still image taken in August 1949 demonstrates the “assembly line

April 24, 2023

In Memoriam: Boatswain’s Mate First Class Howard K. Potts The Oldest Living Survivor of USS Arizona (BB-39)

And then there was one. It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Boatswain’s Mate First Class Howard Kenton “Ken” Potts on 21 April 2023 at age 102. Ken was the oldest living survivor of the battleship Arizona (BB-39), which was destroyed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941. This leaves Lieutenant Commander Lou

April 21, 2023

Flygirls, Women Mechs, and Lady Pilots: The Multi-Generational, Multi-Service Effort to End Combat Exclusion in Aviation

Within three years of the Japanese surrender ending the war in the Pacific, Congress acknowledged the contributions women had made to the war effort as active duty and reserve personnel by authorizing the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act (WASIA). This 1948 legislation permitted women to seek out permanent careers in the Army, the Navy, the

April 20, 2023

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral William D. Masters, USNR (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral (lower half) William David “Bill” Masters Jr. on 4 April 2023 at age 79. Rear Admiral Masters enlisted in the U.S. Navy in March 1964, was commissioned in March 1973, and served as a cryptologic officer until his retirement in June 2006 as Vice Commander, Naval Network Warfare

April 13, 2023

In Memoriam: Vice Admiral Albert M. Calland, USN (Ret)

It is with deep regret that I inform you of the passing of Vice Admiral Albert Melrose “Bert” Calland III, U.S. Navy, Retired, on 31 March 2023 at age 70. Vice Admiral Calland entered the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) in June 1970 and served as a SEAL until his retirement in July 2007 as deputy director for Strategic Operational Planning for the

April 5, 2023

In Memoriam: Rear Admiral Steven R. Briggs, USN (Ret.)

It is with deep regret I inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral (upper half) Steven Russell “Steve” Briggs on 4 February 2023 at age 81. Rear Admiral Briggs entered the U.S. Navy via the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) in September 1959 and served as a naval aviator until his retirement in January 1997 as the Director of Aviation

April 5, 2023

“A Tall Ship and A Star to Steer Her By:” Star Trek and Naval History

In the fictional history of Star Trek[1] there are few days more important than 5 April. On that day in 2063, Vulcans landed in Bozeman, Montana following Zefram Cochrane’s successful test of a faster-than-light engine built from a modified ICBM. In Star Trek’s utopian future, this event led to the creation of the peaceful and prosperous United