Naval Historical Foundation

On 20 May 1844 United States Frigate Constitution sailed from...

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:01:18 -0400

On 20 May 1844 United States Frigate Constitution sailed from New York to begin a 32,279 mile round the world cruise. This painting of Constitution under sail is by Marshall Johnson, circa 1843-46. NHHC image KN 10996.

BOOK REVIEW – American Women Artists in Wartime, 1776-2010 By...

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:01:08 -0400

BOOK REVIEW – American Women Artists in Wartime, 1776-2010

By Paula E. Calvin and Deborah A. Deacon, McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, NC & London (2011)

Reviewed by Diana L. Ahmad, Ph.D.

Art historians Paula Calvin and Deborah Deacon take readers on a journey through two and a half centuries of American military art as depicted by female artists. They demonstrated that war impacted not only men, but women and their families as well.

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On 18 May 1798 Benjamin Stoddert was appointed as the first...

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:01:12 -0400

On 18 May 1798 Benjamin Stoddert was appointed as the first Secretary of the Navy. Portrait by E.F. Andrews, courtesy of the Navy Art Collection, NH 54797-KN.

On 17 May 1987, U.S. Navy guided missile frigate USS Stark (FFG...

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:00:56 -0400

On 17 May 1987, U.S. Navy guided missile frigate USS Stark (FFG 31) was struck by an Iraqi Exocet missile in the Persian Gulf, killing 37 sailors and wounding many others. U.S. Navy photo DN-SC-87-06412.

BOOK REVIEW – Warships of the Ancient World, 3000 – 500 BC...

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:01:13 -0400

BOOK REVIEW – Warships of the Ancient World, 3000 – 500 BC

Written by Adrian K. Wood and Illustrated by Giuseppe Rava. Osprey Publishing, Ltd., Long Island City, NY. (2012)

Reviewed by John R. Satterfield, DBA.

Writing about human activities in the Bronze and early Iron Ages is a daunting task. Evidence from these eras is fragmentary at best, like a jigsaw puzzle with far more pieces missing than available. Focused examinations on specific topics must rely on even sketchier resources. Earliest examples of writing or illustrations that survive are typically clay tablets or inscriptions on monuments or buildings, and nearly all of these artifacts are remnants.

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BOOK REVIEW – Uncommon Warriors: 200 Years of the Most Unusual...

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:01:07 -0400

BOOK REVIEW – Uncommon Warriors: 200 Years of the Most Unusual American Naval Vessels

By Ken W. Sayers, Naval Institute Press: Annapolis, MD, (2012).

Reviewed by Jennifer Daley

The United States Navy has a strong history of developing unique vessels to combat specific roles beyond the realm of traditional battleships and submarines. In the 2012 publication, Uncommon Warriors: 200 Years of the Most Unusual American Naval Vessels, author Ken W. Sayers describes in detail the range and military contribution of these unique vessels. Sayers’ background as former Navy officer, as well as former staff member of the assistant secretary of defense (public affairs), affords him the strategic position to examine and analyze unconventional naval vessels. Uncommon Warriors is indispensable as a reference guide to some of the most interesting naval vessels in American history. Both professionals and hobbyists will find this book captivating and useful. Sayers does an excellent job at uncovering the history behind these often overlooked, yet important, naval structures.

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Donor Gets First Look at Battleship USS Arizona (BB 39)...

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:01:22 -0400

Donor Gets First Look at Battleship USS Arizona (BB 39) Model

The battleship USS Arizona (BB 39) resting at the bottom of Pearl Harbor, is a powerful symbol of the devastation wrought on 7 December 1941 as Japanese aircraft swooped down on the unsuspecting American Pacific Fleet. Surprisingly, until the year 2000, the U.S Navy did not have a scale model of the battleship in the collection of the Curator of Ship Models. In the summer of that year, the Naval Historical Foundation purchased a 3 foot model of Arizona, and donated it to the Navy.

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RSVP for Naval Historical Foundation 2013 Annual Meeting 15 June...

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:01:01 -0400

RSVP for Naval Historical Foundation 2013 Annual Meeting

15 June 2013

Featuring the debut of a new exhibit about U.S. Prisoners of War during the Vietnam War

(click here to RSVP)

USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE 413) Battle Ensign Donated to...

Tue, 14 May 2013 11:01:19 -0400

USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE 413) battle ensign.

USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE 413) photographed in October 1944, a week or two before she was lost in the Battle off Samar on 25 October 1944. NHHC image NH 96011.

Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Copeland, USNR Who commanded USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE 413) in the Battle off Samar. NHHC image NH 90680.

USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE 413) Battle Ensign Donated to Navy

Last month, a truly unique piece of history found a new home in the collection of the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC). The 48 star battle ensign of the destroyer escort USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE 413) was transferred from a private collection to the Material Section at NHHC.

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On 13 May 1908, the Navy Nurse Corps was established. This group...

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:01:00 -0400

On 13 May 1908, the Navy Nurse Corps was established. This group photograph of the first twenty Navy Nurses - “The Sacred Twenty” - was taken at the Naval Hospital, Washington, D.C., circa October 1908. NHHC image NH 52960

CNA Donates Huge Collection of Books to Naval Historical...

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:00:52 -0400

CNA Donates Huge Collection of Books to Naval Historical Foundation

Last month, the Naval Historical Foundation was the recipient of a generous donation of approximately 400 books from CNA. The donation was arranged by Captain Peter Swartz, USN (Ret), analyst at CNA, and a loyal member and supporter of the Foundation.

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On 12 May 1986 U.S. Navy destroyer USS David R. Ray (DD 971)...

Sun, 12 May 2013 11:01:14 -0400

On 12 May 1986 U.S. Navy destroyer USS David R. Ray (DD 971) deterred an Iranian Navy attempt to board American merchant ship President McKinley in the Gulf of Oman. David R. Ray is shown here underway circa 1985. US Navy photo DN-SC-86-00173.

BOOK REVIEW – Seabee Teams in Vietnam, 1963 – 1968 Edited by...

Sat, 11 May 2013 11:01:11 -0400

BOOK REVIEW – Seabee Teams in Vietnam, 1963 – 1968

Edited by Kenneth E. Bingham. NMCB-8 Association, Ventura, CA (2013).

Reviewed by Charles Bogart

The subtitle of this book is “The 13-Man Teams That Helped Rural Vietnamese and who Fought Alongside the Special Forces.” The introduction of the book under review proclaims that it consists of excerpts taken from the book “COMCPAC REPORTS, Special Edition, Seabee Teams Oct. 1959 – July 1969”, by Lt. Joseph L. Henley and Chief Journalist Thomas A. Johnson. This COMCPAC report as written covered not only Seabee Teams that served in Vietnam but also in the Americas, Africa and Thailand. The editor of the book under review has chosen to use within his book only information concerning those teams that saw service in Vietnam.

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On 10 May 1775 a force commanded by Ethan Allan and Benedict...

Fri, 10 May 2013 11:01:28 -0400

On 10 May 1775 a force commanded by Ethan Allan and Benedict Arnold crossed Lake Champlain and captured the British fort at Ticonderoga, New York. Five U.S. Navy warships have since been named in honor of this victory, including the most recent, the Aegis guided missile cruiser USS Ticonderoga (CG 47). This low angle starboard bow view of Ticonderoga was taken while she was underway during sea trials. US Navy photo DN-SC-84-00165.

BOOK REVIEW – The Zimmermann Telegram By Thomas Boghardt, Naval...

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:01:19 -0400

BOOK REVIEW – The Zimmermann Telegram

By Thomas Boghardt, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2012)

Reviewed by Capt. Winn Price USNR (Ret.)

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale from the black world of cryptology. Espionage novels replete with the ‘shaken-not-stirred’ womanizers and drivers of fast cars, abound in fiction and non-fiction. Codebreakers have not received glorification in a similar genre of novels. Probably the foremost impediment to ‘cipher thrillers’ is the tedious, attention-to-detail process of breaking codes that does not require fast women and faster cars as accessories.

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Angels of the Airfields: Navy Air Evacuation Nurses of World War...

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:01:03 -0400

Angels of the Airfields: Navy Air Evacuation Nurses of World War II

By Andre Sobocinski, Historian, U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery

When the Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) R4D broke through the clouds of volcanic dust and smoke to land on Iwo Jima on March 6, 1945, it carried more than whole blood and medical supplies for the wounded. On board this flight was a 22-year old Navy nurse named Jane Kendeigh, marking the first time in history that a Navy flight nurse appeared on an active Pacific battlefield. Kendeigh may have become a symbol for casualty evacuation and high altitude nursing on that day, but she was far from alone in this daring mission.

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On 8 May 1911, the Birthday of Naval Aviation, the U.S. Navy...

Wed, 08 May 2013 13:01:01 -0400

On 8 May 1911, the Birthday of Naval Aviation, the U.S. Navy ordered its first airplane, a Curtiss Triad (A-1). In this image taken at Hammondsport, New York, June 1911, individuals pose with the A-1, (left to right): Curtiss Mechanic; Dr. A.F. Zahm; Lieutenant J.W. McClaskey, USMC, (Retired); Mr. Jim Lamont; Mr. Glenn Curtiss; Captain Washington I Chambers, USN, Lieutenant John H. Towers, USN; Lieutenant Theodore G. Ellyson, USN; and Mr. Bill Pickens. NHHC image NH 44381.

On 8 May 1942, at the culmination of the Battle of the Coral...

Wed, 08 May 2013 11:01:12 -0400

On 8 May 1942, at the culmination of the Battle of the Coral Sea, the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV 2) was lost. Heavily damaged and ablaze after attacks by Japanese carrier planes, the carrier was abandoned and scuttled, becoming the first U.S. aircraft carrier lost in the war. NHHC image NH 51382.

Norman Polmar’s Corner: The Envelope Aircraft Carrier By Norman...

Wed, 08 May 2013 10:01:06 -0400

Norman Polmar’s Corner: The Envelope Aircraft Carrier

By Norman Polmar

A telephone call in early March 1974 from one of my consulting customers in the Navy Department alerted me to a problem: The Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, was upset with me. I had written a brief article in the March issue of the Naval Institute Proceedings—“Sea Control Ship and Navy Missions”—raising questions about the proposed sea control ship, one of several Zumwalt ship initiatives.

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On 7 May 1942 U.S. Navy carrier aircraft sank the Japanese...

Tue, 07 May 2013 11:01:05 -0400

On 7 May 1942 U.S. Navy carrier aircraft sank the Japanese aircraft carrier Shoho during the Battle of the Coral Sea. In this photo, shot from a USS Lexington (CV 2) plane, Shoho is torpedoed. National Archives image 80-G-17026.