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.
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.
Museum Store Stocks Bric Tek Navy Warship Building Block Kits
The Navy Museum store, located in the National Museum of the United States Navy at the Washington Navy Yard, recently began stocking Bric Tek building block kits of simulated naval warships. We currently stock seven different construction kits, ranging from a small frigate, all the way to a huge helicopter carrier (seen above) consisting of nearly 2,000 pieces. These Bric Tek sets are fully compatible with LEGO building blocks. Many of the ship sets come with smaller aircraft including helicopters and jets, and the carrier set even includes a hovercraft that can be safely stowed in a well deck! The sets also include poseable figures with guns, radios, and other attachments.
On 15 April 1961 the first nuclear-powered frigate, USS Bainbridge (DLGN 25, later CGN 25) ,was launched at Quincy, MA. She was the only ship of her class. She is shown here underway during her sea trials, 2-3 September 1962. NHHC image NH 98103.
On 14 April 1988 the guided missile frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) struck an Iranian mine off Qatar, and was saved by the courageous damage control efforts of her crew. While there were numerous injuries, the crew suffered no fatalities.
BOOK REVIEW – The Sailing Frigate: A History in Ship
By Robert Gardiner, Seaforth Publishing (distributed by Naval Institute Press in the United States), (2013).
Reviewed by Mark Lardas
Robert Gardiner’s latest book, The Sailing Frigate: A History in Ship Models, illustrates why he is so highly-regarded. He has previously written three other books about that cover frigate development from the 1740s through the end of the Napoleonic Era frigates (all worth having for those interested in frigate development). This latest work covers the whole of frigate history, presenting the history of frigate development from 1600 through 1850.
On 27 March, 1794 Congress authorized the construction of 6 frigates for the U.S. Navy. The frigates were: United States, Constellation, Constitution, Chesapeake, Congress, and President. This spar and rigging plan for Constitution was created during her early 20th century restoration. More plan views are available here.
Norman’s Corner: Analyzing Exercise Okean
By Norman Polmar
(Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of blogs by Norman Polmar, author, analyst, and consultant specializing in the naval, aviation, and intelligence fields. Follow the full series here.)
In the spring of 1970 I was working at my desk when the phone rang. I was an employee of the Northrop Corporation, but working full time for the Navy’s Deep Submergence Systems Project—submarine escape and rescue; deep ocean search and recovery; salvage; the NR-1 nuclear submersible; and the SEALAB seafloor living program. The phone call was from a Bob Elder, a veteran naval aviator and test pilot, now an executive with the Northrop Corporation. Gulp! Which of my transgressions had caused a Northrop “big kahuna” himself to call this small minnow?
Photo: Soviet Petya light frigate during Operation Okean with two pennant numbers –852 and 857. US Navy photo 1143730 April 1970.
On 20 February 1815, United States Frigate Constitution, under command of Captain Charles Stewart, single-handedly captured British ships HMS Cyane and sloop-of-war Levant. This lithograph is by James Queen, after a painting by Thomas Birch, published circa the mid-19th Century by P.S. Duval. It shows Constitution (center) engaging Levant (left) and Cyane (right). U.S. Navy Art collection.
The Naval Historical Foundation’s Dr. Dave Winkler will be interviewed by Russian TV about a 1988 incident in the Black Sea, when two Soviet frigates rammed US Navy cruiser USS Yorktown (CG 48) and destroyer USS Caron (DD 970). More on the incident appears in an article by Winkler in February’s Navy League Sea Power magazine.
Read more here: http://www.navyhistory.org/2013/02/nhf-historian-25th-anniversary-black-sea-incidents/
Photo: USS Yorktown (CG 48) underway in 2002. US Navy photo 020224-N-OB537-502.
