The Historic Naval Ships Association is looking for topics for sessions and presentations for their 2012 Conference to be held in Key West, FL on 19-22 September 2012. Please contact HNSA Conference Chair Toby Oothoudt at tobyo@bex.net, or call at 419-340-2721. For more information visit the Historic Naval Ships Association website.
By Frank Arre, Navy Museum Store Manager Happy New Year! I am pleased to report that in its first month of operation (December 2011), the newly reopened Navy Museum Store (under NHF control) had gross sales in excess of $12,000. These figures are in large part due to the overwhelming response and visitation of tenants
We hope you had a safe and happy New Year’s celebration. We here at the Naval Historical Foundation are excited about 2012, as it promises to be a year full of commemorations of naval history. There will be an opportunity for the public to not only read and learn about the history of the U.S.
By Jerome S. Welna, Heritage Books, Westminster, MD, (2009). Reviewed by J. Wandres Jerome S. Welna makes a heroic effort to tell The True Story of a Destroyer Sailor’s Life at Sea During World War II. The first 90 pages give a pocket peek at events causing and leading to World War II. Welna relies
We recently learned about a new film project being developed about the Battle off Samar. An independent group of filmmakers is working on a virtual recreation of this pivotal American victory in the Pacific during World War II – one of the great “upsets” in naval history. This ambitious project is currently in the research
The Cold War Gallery at the Washington Navy Yard played host to a surprise visitor on Friday – Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon. He stopped by for a private visit, arranged by his friend Captain Ted Bronson, USN (Ret). Armstrong has a personal connection to the Gallery. A model
The John A. Adams ‘71 Center for Military History and Strategic Analysis Department of History Virginia Military Institute Lexington, Virginia 24450 For the academic year 2012-13, the John A. Adams ’71 Center for Military History and Strategic Analysis at the Virginia Military Institute will offer a grant to support dissertation research in the history of
The Naval Historical Foundation is pleased to again offer two-week teacher fellowships for summer 2012 to science, technology, engineering, math and U.S. History (STEM-H) teachers in support of the Washington, DC National Museum of the United States Navy and the Cold War Gallery exhibit, highlighting the Navy’s efforts from 1946 – 1991. DOWNLOAD THE 2012
In early November, we shared photos of the departure of the battleship ex-USS Iowa from the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, CA. Restoration work on Iowa is now underway at Richmond, CA, to repair the ravages of time since her 1990 decommissioning. Staff and volunteers of the Pacific Battleship Center are now supervising
U.S. Fast Battleships 1936-47: The North Carolina and South Dakota Classes U.S. Fast Battleships 1938-1991: The Iowa Class By Lawrence Burr, Osprey Publishing, Leeds (UK) (2010). Reviewed by Norman Polmar With hundreds of books having been written about battleships, the question must be asked: Can these two slim monographs make a contribution to the
We recently finished mailing our year end appeal letters, which Naval Historical Foundation members should have received by now. Our Chairman, Admiral Bruce DeMars, USN (Retired), and our President, Vice Admiral Robert F. Dunn, USN (Retired), authored the letters. The letters explain our exciting new focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Education, and Math) educational programs. If
Iconic images of U.S. Navy warships under attack and on fire at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 are seared into the collective American memory. Yet the total amount of moving picture footage of the surprise Japanese attack in Hawaii is limited, with the same shots often repeated over and over again. Rare footage shot
Every year, thousands of visitors flock to museum ships around the country. Most of these visitors have no idea of the endless care and upkeep required to maintain and preserve these decommissioned warships. Steel warships do not respond well to the moisture and humidity of marine environments. Compounding these issues inherent in any marine environment,
Admiral Arleigh Burke, who served an unprecedented three terms as Chief of Naval Operations, is renowned for his exploits during World War II in the Pacific. Yet his career during the war got off to an inauspicious debut. Then-Lieutenant Commander Burke was stationed at the Naval Gun Factory in Washington, DC in 1941. In an
