Next Monday, 18 June, at the National Museum of the United States Navy, there will be a commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the start of the War of 1812. The declaration of war will be read aloud, and a performance by the Chanteymen of Ship’s Company will follow. For information on visiting the Museum
A few weeks ago, we shared the story of our trip to Philadelphia to scavenge parts off a Cold War destroyer, ex-USS Forrest Sherman. Moored alongside Forrest Sherman is another decommissioned destroyer, ex-USS Charles F. Adams (DDG 2). Coincidentally, just days prior to our trip to Philadelphia, we had the opportunity to meet with John
US Submarines 1900-35 by Jim Christley, Osprey Publishing, 2011. Defeating the U-Boat: Inventing Antisubmarine Warfare by Jan S. Breemer, Dept. of the Navy, 2010. Reviewed by James-Joseph Ahern Introduced into naval service at the start of the Twentieth-Century, the submarine presented the first threat to the century old concept
“In Full Glory Reflected: Maryland During the War of 1812” During this anniversary year, two centuries removed from the War of 1812, America’s “Second War of Independence,” the Maryland Historical Society (MdHS) is retelling a dramatic story. With five thousand square feet of displays and more than a hundred historic artifacts, the largest bicentennial exhibit
On 1 June 2012, after 42 years of federal service, and 33 years as Historian for the Navy Medical Department, Jan K. Herman retired. Since coming to the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) in 1979, Mr. Herman has worked as Historian of the Navy Medical Department, curator of the old U.S. Naval Observatory, and,
The following speech was presented on 3 June 2012 by Dr. Craig Symonds at the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Midway Commemoration Dinner at the Army-Navy Country Club, Arlington, Virginia. You can watch a video of the presentation here. Admiral Greenert, distinguished guests, and especially veterans of the Battle of Midway … don’t we all
This past weekend at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia, some 200 guests gathered to salute seven veterans in attendance, and the memories of thousands more, who fought in one of the greatest battles in naval history – the Battle of Midway. In the late 1990s, retired World War II veteran Vice Admiral
By CDR William G. Roy, USN(Ret). CDR Roy describes his experience as a member of the salvage party on board the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5) during the Battle of Midway. CDR Roy is a long time Naval Historical Foundation member. I was a member of the Yorktown salvage party. I volunteered 5 June 1942.
A new book has been published by the Naval History and Heritage Command, authored by historian Dr. Edward J. Marolda. It is titled Ready Seapower: A History of the U.S. Seventh Fleet. This historical study covers the service in the Asia-Pacific region of the U.S. Seventh Fleet during the 20th and 21st centuries. The Fleet
The International Journal of Naval History recently put out a call for papers, with a particular interest in naval and maritime scholarship related to World War I. The 100th anniversary of that conflict is approaching, and historians and scholars are asked to submit papers to the IJNH editorial board for consideration. IJNH is an online,
Our good friend Bob Fish from the Aircraft Carrier USS Hornet Museum was on hand for the departure of the battleship ex-USS Iowa from Richmond, CA. You may recall that he shared some great photos in November of the battleship arriving in Richmond for much-needed repair work, see our earlier story. On Saturday, 26 May
The following interview is an interview with Captain Henry J. “Jerry” Hendrix, USN, who took over as Director of the Naval History and Heritage Command on 14 May 2012. He is the author of Theodore Roosevelt’s Naval Diplomacy – The U.S. Navy and the Birth of the American Century. Can you give us some biography
Continuing a 10-year tradition, the Naval Historical Foundation on 24 May 2012 presented the Captain Edward L. Beach, Jr. Naval History Award to Midshipman First Class Zachary D. Schwartz, for his contributions to the study of naval and military history during his four years at the U.S. Naval Academy. Assisting NHF Executive Director with the
All of the hard work and generous donations that have gone into development of the new “Into the Lion’s Den” exhibit at the Cold War Gallery are finally coming together. This week, Design and Production, Inc. has begun preliminary installation of the exhibit in Building 70 at the Washington Navy Yard. The work is being
The Naval History and Heritage Command at the Washington Navy Yard has an extensive collection of historic arms. It includes weapons from the early 18th century all the way through today. But it was recently determined that the collection had a significant gap from one of our Navy’s earliest conflicts: the War of 1812. With
