Highlights from Naval History
9 March 1847: Carried shoreward in surfboats custom-made for the occasion, U.S. forces land at Vera Cruz, Mexico, under the protection of naval gunfire support. The epic assault on Vera Cruz is the largest American amphibious operation ever attempted up to that time.

The Antebellum Navy

By Lieutenant Commander Thomas J. Cutler, U.S. Navy (Retired)
October 2024
The decades between the War of 1812 and the Civil War would prove to be an era of diverse missions and significant changes for the U.S. Navy.
Pearl Harbor, 1 February 1941: Admiral Husband Kimmel relieves Admiral James Richardson as Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet. War Plan Orange, written early in the 20th century, was the Navy’s strategy for defeating Japan in a naval war..

A Maritime Strategy for the United States: When Next?

By Captain Bernard D. Cole, U.S. Navy (Retired)
October 2024
Few words are more frequently heard in the Pentagon than “strategy.” In the Navy corridors, this becomes “maritime strategy.” However, it is arguable that the United States has had only...
Japanese prisoners from the Battle of Leyte Gulf are brought aboard the USS New Jersey (BB-62) for questioning by Third Fleet intelligence officers, 24 October 1944. (For more on the New Jersey, see "Naval History News," p. 6.)

On Our Scope

October 2024
Cool courage. Unselfish heroism. Self-sacrifice. The greatest naval battle in the history of the seas witnessed abundant examples of these inspiring qualities.
The second USS Panay (PR-5) on a standardization trial on 30 August 1928, off Woosung, China.

The Gunboats Panay

By BJ Armstrong
October 2024
At the outset of an occupation of the Philippines that would last for decades, U.S. personnel took control of the Spanish gunboat Panay.
The legendary Fletcher-class destroyer USS Johnston (DD-557) heads into the teeth of the superior Japanese force at the Battle off Samar, 25 October 1944.

Leyte’s Enduring Relevance

By Midshipman Pierre S. C. Briand, U.S. Navy Reserve
October 2024
CNO Naval History Essay Contest—Third Prize. Lessons from 1944 for 2024: “Forces must work in tandem, not against each other, with clear overarching mission objectives to achieve combat success.”


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