Dr. Edward J. Marolda, a life member of the Naval Historical Foundation, participated in the annual Congress of the International Commission of Military History (ICMH) held in Beijing, China, during the first week of September. The theme of the conference, hosted by the Chinese Commission of Military History, was World War II and the Development
In Just Two Simple Paragraphs
By Stewart Milstein Universal Ship Cancellation Society It is a simple penny postcard without a return address. It was mailed on Nov 8, 1939 and bears a USS Guam (PR-3) cancel with the location Wanhsein between the killer bars. The card is addressed to Helen Bloomer of Eagle Rock, CA (A neighborhood of Northeast Los Angeles).
BOOK REVIEW – Nelson’s Victory: 250 Years of War and Peace
By Brian Lavery, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD (2015) Reviewed by Mark Lardas Dozens of books have been written about HMS Victory. Why another one? Nelson’s Victory: 250 Years of War and Peace, by Brian Lavery, offers two very good reasons. The first is the author. If any historian could be described as the dean
BOOK REVIEW – Warships of the Great War Era: A History in Ship Models
David Hobbs, Seaforth Publishing, Barnsly, England (2014) Reviewed by Michael Wynd Esteemed naval historian David Hobbs has authored a very valuable publication on the warships of the First World War using ship models from the collection of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. This is part of a series of publications using ship models to
BOOK REVIEW – United States Coast Guard Leaders and Missions 1790 to Present
By Thomas P. Ostrom and John J. Galluzo, McFarland, Jefferson, NC (2015) Reviewed by Charles H Bogart This is the third in an excellent series of books written by Thomas Ostrom on the United States Coast Guard. The first two books of the series, The United States Coast Guard and National Defense and The United
BOOK REVIEW – With Sails Whitening Every Sea
By Brian Rouleau Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY (2014) Reviewed by Andrew C. A. Jampoler In early June 1867 Samuel Clemens, together with some sixty-five other passengers, sailed in SS Quaker City (late USS Quaker City, during 1861-65 the paddle wheel steamer had participated in the Union’s blockade of the Confederacy) from New York City.
BOOK REVIEW – Dreadnought: The Ship That Changed the World
By Roger Parkinson. I. B. Tauris and Co, England (2015) Reviewed by John V. Scholes, MD HMS Dreadnought and the history of the all big gun battleships and battlecruisers that became known collectively as dreadnoughts is a subject that has been addressed from several aspects. In works on the design and characteristics of battleships (and
BOOK REVIEW – True Yankees: The South Seas and the Discovery of American Identity
By Dane Anthony Morrison, John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD (2014) Reviewed by Michael A. Verney In True Yankees, Morrison chronicles how voyages in the old China trade and across the Indian and Pacific Oceans between 1783 and 1844 helped define what it meant to be an American, and clarified the nation’s hierarchical relationship with
BOOK REVIEW – 21st Century Ellis
Edited By B.A. Friedman, Naval Institute Press. Annapolis, MD (2015) Reviewed by Nathan Albright As part of the Naval Institute Press’ 21st Century series on notable naval thinkers, this book provides much of the body of work written by Marine Lieutenant Colonel “Pete” Ellis. Shortly after the Spanish-American War, Ellis enlisted with the Marines, and
BOOK REVIEW – Surprised at Being Alive: An Accidental Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam and Beyond
By Robert E. Curtis, Casemate Publishers, (2014) Reviewed by Thomas Ostrom In his 24 years in the service, Major Robert F. Curtis flew helicopters for the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and Kentucky National Guard. Curtis flew in the United States, Britain (with the Royal Navy), Norway, and Vietnam from shore bases and the rolling decks
BOOK REVIEW – The Ship of the Line: A History in Ship Models
By Brian Lavery. Seaforth Publishing, Barnsley, Yorkshire, U.K. (2014) Reviewed by John R. Satterfield, DBA This slim, nicely illustrated volume by Brian Lavery, Curator Emeritus of the U.K.’s National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, and one of the world’s most respected naval historians, describes the evolution of the ship of the line in the age of
NHF Building 57 Office Move
Beginning this week, the Naval Historical Foundation is temporarily moving its office from Building 57 to a new swing space located on the first floor of Building 218. The office space will also be shared with some members of the Naval History and Heritage Command (2nd Floor) and currently houses Navy Federal Credit Union (First
2015 Beach Award Winners Chronicle Battle off Samar
Executive Director Captain Todd Creekman joined Ingrid Beach, wife of the late Captain Edward L. Beach, Jr., a naval historian, author, and long-time NHF board member, to present Midshipman Dana Petersen and Midshipman Philip Youngberg with the Captain Edward L. Beach, Jr. Naval History Award at the United States Naval Academy’s annual History Department Awards
Ditty Bag: Uncle Sam’s Latest, Greatest, Shortest War
Ditty Bag: Collections of the Naval Historical Foundation An Artifact and Collections Blog Series Ditty Bag: Uncle Sam’s Latest, Greatest, Shortest War This 1898 magazine depicts some of the United States new steal navy’s successes during the Spanish-American War. Uncle Sam’s Latest, Greatest, Shortest War: Superbly Illustrated by Photographs and Drawings from Leslie’s Weekly includes images
BOOK REVIEW – The Supercarriers: The Forrestal and Kitty Hawk Classes
By Andrew Faltum, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2014) Reviewed by Mark Lardas They were the first aircraft carriers designed from the keel up to operate jet aircraft. When they appeared, they were so big a jump over their World War II predecessors; they were considered not just aircraft carriers, but rather supercarriers. And now
