“Men have the luxury of being average. When you walk in as a woman, that assumption does not come with you.” – Michelle Howard, Commander, USS Rushmore, Time Magazine, 2000. This blog discusses American naval history. History, by definition, is a study of the past. It is a very rare and special treat
By Norman Polmar (Editor’s note: This is the 20th 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 mid-1970s my neighbors in Northern Virginia included Stu and Martha Landersman. Stu was a Navy captain and a surface warfare
Tomorrow marks the 114th Army-Navy football game. Due to a recent string of success (11 straight victories), Navy holds the current record at 57-49-7. Navy football did not always dominate the storied rivalry. During World War II, the rivalry between the Midshipmen and Black Knights was better than ever. Despite any misgivings the other service
Today, we commemorate the 151st anniversary of the sinking of the ironclad USS Cairo. The Cairo sank in the river during the 1862 Yazoo Pass Expedition. This article is the beginning of a series of articles in partnership with the Civil War Navy Sesquicentennial, an official U.S. Navy commemoration. Americans today revel in stories of people
By T.J. Cooper, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, Charleston, S.C., (2013) Reviewed by LCdr. Jason P. Grower, USN December 7th marks a somber occasion – the 72nd anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It was a seminal moment which changed the world and defined a generation. Thus the date is a remembrance of those
British artist John Hamilton was one of the world’s leading painters of World War II naval operations. In an era before digital photography and photo manipulation, Hamilton’s paintings expertly capture the realism of combat at sea. Part historian and part artist, John Hamilton was a major contributor to the history and memory of World War
NHF Executive Director CAPT Todd Creekman, USN (Ret.) recalls an interesting vignette about the upcoming Pearl Harbor anniversary from one of our members. The story begins back in 2000. Ms. June Ferren got in touch with Captain Creekman to ask for help in tracking down the story of her close friend who died during World
The Naval Historical Foundation is pleased to announce the re-release of THE NAVY, the white hard-covered coffee table book published by Rizzoli International Inc. The original 2000 edition of THE NAVY, with over 300,000 copies in print, was one of the most successful books of the military coffee table book genre. Yet the content quickly
If you follow any organization that studies naval history, chances are you have recently seen several ship and shore holiday menus posted or shared on their respective social media sites. Institutions like the Naval History and Heritage Command, Puget Sound Naval Museum, Hampton Roads Naval Museum, and Battleship Cove are showcasing their unique collections of
The obsession began over seven years ago. In 2006, I began at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum as a wide-eyed intern, ready to take on the new and fascinating world of naval history. I thought the coffee mess at work was reserved for staff and volunteers only. I did not feel comfortable partaking in the
By Norman Polmar (Editor’s note: This is the nineteenth 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.) I knew an astronaut. We were friends for a few years. We were not close, but we were on a first-name basis.
Some people might say you can’t put a price tag on the value of naval history. Well, for the next two days, you can. The Naval Historical Foundation is hosting its much-anticipated book sale at the Navy Museum Store (inside National Museum of the US Navy) today and tomorrow from 9 am to 2:30 pm
By Steve O’Brien, Self Published, (2002). Reviewed by Commander Paul W. Murphey, CHC, USN (Ret), Ph.D. It was only four years in the long life of Father John P. Foley, S.J. For many of “the greatest generation,” it was the most momentous time of his life. After the arduous years of becoming a Jesuit and serving
By Ray Woods, RoseDogBooks, Pittsburgh, PA (2013). Reviewed by Charles Bogart This book might be best classified as an autobiography of Ray Woods’s service on USS O’Brien (DD 725) from 1943 to 1945. During this period, O’Brien saw action in both Pacific and Atlantic theaters of warfare. O’Brien was off the Normandy beachhead during the
Edited by Vincent P. O’Hara, W. David Dickson, and Richard Worth, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, (2013). Reviewed by Alan M. Anderson The approaching centenary of the First World War continues to generate many new works of scholarship. Most volumes will be devoted to land campaigns, whose images of trench warfare and the slaughter of
