U.S. NAVAL INSTITUTE
Proceedings/Naval Review: For generations, schoolchildren around the nation and throughout the world have been taught that Admiral Robert E. Peary “discovered” the North Pole in 1909. But was Peary really the first to explore it? For that matter, did he even get there at all?
After Peary announced his feat. Dr. Frederick Cook emerged with the claim that he had reached the Pole nearly a year earlier. That issue is still unresolved, but today, yet another dispute hinges upon a review of the evidence and the analysis of Peary’s papers and photographs, maintained until recently in the National Archives. Five distinct theories have been proposed by experts in celestial navigation and polar exploration.
· For Admiral Thomas D. Davies, U.S. Navy (Ret.), and the Foundation for the Promotion of Navigation, the photogram- metric analysis of shadows cast in Peary’s photographs shows that he came within 20 miles of the North Pole, if not closer. The findings of the Davies study, commissioned by the National Geographic Society, were released late in 1989. In a January 1990 National Geographic article, Admiral Davies declared the case closed.
· But Loyola University professor of astronomy Dennis Rawlins, an outspoken critic whose claims of fraud appeared in Proceedings as early as 1970, contends that Peary faked his data.
· On the other hand, British polar explorer Wally Herbert says that Peary had to fraudulent intent, but failed to account for drifting ice floes and made navigational errors that threw him far off course.
· In still another view. Colonel William Molett, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), believes that Peary did in fact come within a mile of the Pole—but that Admiral Davies Blew an opportunity “to settle the Peary dispute forever ... by choosing to ignore my [Molett’s] analysis of Peary’s navigation.”
· Ralph Plaisted organized his own expedition and traveled to the North Pole by snowmobile in 1968. With doubts cast on both Cook and Peary, Plaisted now claims to be the first to reach the Pole.
The Peary dispute is highlighted in the February 1991 issue of Proceedings. An article by Admiral Davies is followed by summaries of the four contrasting theories. The principals will have their first face-to-face confrontation at the U.S. Naval Academy on 19 April 1991, during the Naval Institute’s 117th Annual Meeting. Their panel discussion is aptly titled “All Angles.” Don’t miss our February issue, and make your plans to be in Annapolis for the April shoot-out.
Naval Institute Press: Biographies have long been a popular form of historical investigation, and through the years the Naval Institute Press has published many outstanding studies of famous naval officers. One such book, published in 1972, is Christopher McKee’s biography of Edward Preble. While researching that work, McKee came to appreciate the necessity of measuring an individual’s true significance by placing him or her within a complete social context. McKee, now Rosenthal Professor and Librarian at Grinnell College in Iowa, has continued to examine the early history of the U.S. Navy with a focus on determining how the new nation developed such an effective fighting force in just 18 years. In February, we will publish the results of his inquiry under the title A Gentlemanly and Honorable Profession: The Creation of the U.S. Naval Officer Corps, 1794- 1815.
This time, rather than dealing with a single figure—a method that McKee believes can raise as many questions as it answers—the author takes on the entire officer corps to present a monumental social history of America’s naval officers, from the time they were first appointed to the end of the War of 1812. Fortunately, rich documentary records of the period survive, and McKee draws on those of some 3,000 men to discover general patterns that, in turn, enable him to analyze the reasons for the corps’s competency and the Navy’s initial series of victories at sea.
In his systematic analysis of each man’s records, McKee asked such questions as: Who were his parents? Where did he live? Where was he educated? What career did he pursue before the Navy? What were his political affiliations? Why did he decide on a naval career? Did he have relatives in the officer corps or in powerful government jobs? How was he trained? What rank did he attain? What did his commanding officers think of him? What deeds did he perform that marked him for advancement? Why did he leave the Navy?
A Gentlemanly and Honorable Profession illuminates the lives of hundreds of officers, most of whom will never be the subjects of full-scale biographies. Within the pages of this book, however, they come alive as sharply delineated figures who deserve to be known and remembered. Unstinting in its scholarship, yet wry and witty, this history sheds new light on early American society and culture. It is a book any serious student of the period will enjoy reading.
Oral History: Baltimore’s native son, George William Bauemschmidt, was engaged in numerous posts en route to becoming a rear admiral. An academy graduate who was commissioned an ensign on 2 June 1922, he served on board battleships before being assigned to command an R-type submarine in the late 1920s. As an officer in the 1930s, he received letters of commendation for his service on board the USS Nevada (BB- 36) and the submarine tender Beaver (AS-5).
Because of color blindness, Bauemschmidt’s naval career switched tracks prior to World War II, shifting him into the Navy’s Supply Corps, where he applied the management style of a line officer. Awarded the Legion of Merit for organizing the Naval Supply Depot of the U.S. Naval Operating Base in Oran, Algeria, in 1943, he later became supply officer in command of the Guam, Marianas Island, depot, fittingly referred to as the largest “filling station” in the Central Pacific.
Bauemschmidt’s latter years in the Navy saw him as a member of the Navy Regulations Board and the Advisory Council of the Military Traffic Service An update of his memoirs, originally published in 1970 under the direction of Dr. John Mason, is now available to Naval History's readers in a revised form that includes footnotes and a comprehensive index.
The highest-ranking woman in the Marine Corps during World War II died on 30 September 1990 at the age of 95. Colonel Ruth Cheney Streeter was a well-educated, spunky woman who met with resistance at several points in her military career. For example, as adjutant of the Civil Air Patrol squadron off Atlantic City in March 1941, she was not allowed to fly—despite having both her commercial pilot’s license and her own plane! Not being able to fly with the Navy’s WAVES or with the Army, she joined the Marine Corps’ Women’s Reserve, which she headed in the mid-1940s. For her service she was awarded the Legion of Merit. Colonel Streeters oral history was done under the auspices of Columbia University, having been recorded by Dr. Mason in 1979. A copy is in the Naval Institute’s collection.
Certificate Service: Five attractive new certificate designs are now available for sale. Based on original work by naval artist Tom Freeman, the designs commemorate participation in specific operations and conflicts. The new Action Series wall appeal to veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Operation Desert Shield. We also have a separate design that can be customized and adapted to other military actions. The Naval Institute offers 11 additional certificate designs, available either blank, for self-printing, or personalized by our staff calligrapher. Quantity discounts can be arranged. For more details, call 301-268-6110 (ext. 265) or write the U.S. Naval Institute Certificate Service, Annapolis, MD 21402.
NAVY HISTORY
By Carolyn M. Stallings, Naval Historical Center
Historians and naval reservists attached to the Naval Historical Center (NHC) have been working to support and document current naval activities in Operation Desert Shield. At the outset of the Middle East crisis in August 1990, the Central Command, which has overall responsibility for Desert Shield, and the Strategic Plans Division of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations asked staff historians to help prepare a plan for collecting historical documentation and writing historical accounts and studies. In response. Dr. Edward J. Marolda, head of the Contemporary History Branch, worked at the Central Command (CentCom) headquarters near Tampa, Florida, for three weeks. Dr. Michael A. Palmer, a historian with the Contemporary History Branch, was detailed to the Strategic Concepts Branch of the Navy’s Strategic Plans Division for two months.
In addition, NHC activated three reservists associated with the Naval Reserve combat history program. Commander John Roach, a well-known naval artist, traveled to the Middle East in August to observe, sketch, and photograph events there. Commander Roach was deployed on board the USS John F. Kennedy (CVA-67) and visited numerous other ships and units in the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean. He returned to Washington in October to work up a series of paintings and watercolors that will become part of the navy’s art collection.
Captain William R. McClintock, a historian with the U.S. Air Force, was based on board the naval flagship in Bahrain, and visited a number of other ships and naval facilities. Captain Lawrence Douglas, a professor of history at Plymouth State College in New Hampshire, was assigned to CentCom to continue Dr. Marolda’s work. Captains McClintock and Douglas taped interviews with key naval figures in Desert Shield, collected historical data, and wrote official historical studies for use within the Department of Defense.
A new reserve combat history unit is forming that will consist of a number of combat history teams and a combat art team. These will include professional historians and artists who are ready for immediate recall to active duty whenever the Navy is involved. The reserve unit will assure professional collection and documentation of naval history during national emergencies or war. Some reservists have already been assigned on an interim basis to assist in establishing the new unit. Other interested naval reservists who are trained historians or artists are invited to send their resumes or Officer Qualification Questionnaires to the Director of Naval History, Naval Historical Center, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. 20374-0571, to the attention of Lieutenant Martha New. A few billets, as well as positions in the associated volunteer training unit at NHC, are still open.
The staff of NHC has prepared a list of hooks that covers 200 years of American naval history. This list is brief (about 60 titles) in order to keep it as manageable as Possible. It includes representative works for every period from the American Revolution to the Vietnam conflict. Copies of the reading list are available on request from the Navy Department Library in Building 44 of the Washington Navy Yard.
NHC recently published the proceedings of the third colloquium on contemporary history, a conference titled “A New Equation: Chinese Intervention into the Korean War.” Included in the booklet are: ‘‘MacArthur and Chinese Intervention in the Korean War,” by Dr. D. Clayton James; “Invasion Patrol: The Seventh Fleet in Chinese Waters,” by Dr. Edward J. Marolda; “George E. Stratemeyer and the Air War in Korea,” by Thomas Y’Blood; and “The Epic of Chosin Reservoir,” by Benis M. Frank. Copies are available on request from the Contemporary History Branch, located in Building 57 of the Washington Navy Yard.
An exhibit on “The Navy Art of Stan- dish Backus: World War II and Polar Explorations” will open at the Navy Art Gallery at the Washington Navy Yard in February. Backus joined the Naval Reserve in 1941 and was assigned four years later to the combat art section. He was sent to the Pacific theater, where he recorded the occupation of Japan and the surrender ceremonies. He also visited Hiroshima, where he documented the destruction of that city by an atomic bomb blast. Later, Backus joined the Byrd Antarctic Expedition in 1955-56. As a civilian artist. Backus is best known for his paintings of the southwest. Call (202) 433-3815 for information on gallery events.
The Navy Museum completed the final section of “In Harm’s Way: The U.S. Navy in World War II” in December. The permanent exhibit uses photographs, paintings, ship models, weapons, uniforms, and personal artifacts to tell the story of the Navy’s contribution in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters, and the role of individual sailors, aviators, and submariners in the war effort. Museum visitors can try out computer games, video presentations, and hands-on displays of a destroyer bridge, a five-inch gun turret, and a submarine periscope. Call (202) 433-4882 for information on museum events.
The center has had several recent staff changes. In August, 15-year NHC veteran John E. Vajda was named director of the Navy Department Library. Stanley Kalkus, who has been library director for the past 13 years, was appointed Librarian of the Navy, overseeing the Navy’s extensive system of special, technical, and academic libraries. In September, the Early History Branch welcomed Dr. Michael J. Crawford as its new head. Dr. Crawford joined the center in 1982, after teaching at Texas Tech University and serving a year’s fellowship with the Adams Papers historical editing project at the Massachusetts Historical Society.
The Naval Historical Foundation, a private, nonprofit organization with offices at NHC, recently received the personal papers of the late Vice Admiral John L. McCrea, USN (Ret.). McCrea’s distinguished career included serving as President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s naval aide during World War II. The collection will be cataloged and placed on deposit with the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress for researcher use.
MARINE CORPS HISTORY
By Ann A. Ferrante, Marine Corps Historical Center
Two key professionals of the History and Museums Division retired in October: Mr. Henry I. Shaw, Jr., the Marine Corps’ Chief Historian for the past 18 years, and Mrs. Joyce Bonnett, Archivist for the Marine Corps historical program since 1974.
Mr. Shaw came to the Historical branch, as it was called then, in 1951. Noted writings that he coauthored include the five-volume History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II and Okinawa: Victory in the Pacific. Mr. Shaw has also written extensively in military history publications and for journals °f professional military history societies of which he has been a member. Serving the Marine Corps historical program for over 39 years, Mr. Shaw has been a pillar of the military history community.
Mrs. Bonnett served the History and Museums Division for almost 27 years. She has been a member of several professional archives organizations and was the division’s equal employment opportunity representative for many years. Her expertise in the field of Marine Corps records management will be sorely missed.
The Marine Corps Air-Ground Museum at Quantico, Virginia, opened its Korean War exhibit on 15 September, the 40th anniversary of the Inchon landing. “Jets, Helicopters, and the Korean War— 1946-1956” was dedicated by Lieutenant General Ernest T. Cook, Jr., Commanding General of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Quantico, before an audience of 150 Marines, families, and friends. The new permanent exhibit, which includes helicopters, tanks, aircraft, and artillery, is displayed in the refurbished Hangar 3 of the former Brown Field.
Two Marine officers of the Division’s Mobilization Training Unit departed for Southwest Asia on 8 November to coordinate the historical collection effort there. Colonel Charles J. Quilter, USMCR, Deputy Director for Field Activities, and Lieutenant Colonel Charles H. Cureton, USMCR, Historical Writer and Interim Combat Art Program Director, make up the historical team. They have been directed to: 1) contact and advise commanders and command historians on preparing command chronologies; 2) assist in the preparation of operational summaries of Operation Desert Shield; 3) interview noted individuals to record their oral histories; and 4) collect artifacts of historical significance.
During the past year, the center’s reference section responded to more than 2,500 written requests and almost 4,000 telephone inquiries. Approximately 600 visitors made use of the section’s research facilities. The section provides a historical research and reference service for Headquarters Marine Corps and other Marine units, various military and government agencies, and the general public.
Two professional development seminars were held during the month of October. “The Battle for Okinawa” featured Dr. Gordon Warner, whose slide presentation included detailed accounts of the World War II battle. Mr. Eric H. Archer spoke on the procurement and usage of commercial repeating shotguns by the military services in his presentation, “Military Use of the Shotgun.”
The oral history section has focused on recent Marine Corps operations in Panama and Liberia. Numerous interviews on operations Just Cause and Sharp Edge (which are currently being transcribed) were added to the oral history collection.
The Museums Branch recently received several notable gifts. Adding to the growing number of photographs in the Personal Papers Collection of Marines on duty in China was a set of prints made from snapshots taken by then- Private First Class James M. Weidner in Tientsin in 1939, during the city’s great flood. Currently a retired colonel living in Olympia, West Virginia, Weidner served with a detachment of 250 Marines in Tientsin from 1939 to 1941. Also donated was a collection of letters from then-Corporal Clifford Wilkening to his wife and family while he was a prisoner of the Japanese during World War II. The donation includes his service record book and a set of chopsticks he used in prison camp.
The Marine Corps Historical Center welcomes serious researchers and scholars to use its reference and research facilities. For a pamphlet describing available facilities and resources, write to the History and Museums Division, Marine Corps Historical Center, Building 58. Washington Navy Yard, Washington D.C. 20374-0580.
COAST GUARD HISTORY
By Dr. Robert Browning
The Historian’s Office has recently published a valuable register of revenue cutter officers, 1790-1914, which lists the officers and their dates of advancement. The register was compiled by Dr. Dennis Noble, a former Coast Guard enlisted man who is currently working on That Others Might Live: U.S. Life Saving Service 1878-1915, to be published by the Naval Institute Press. The register is available to nonprofit organizations upon request.
Dr. Noble has also authored a brochure titled “The Coast Guard in Alaska and Hawaii.” This is the last publication in the regional history series and is now available to the public. Our brochure titled “Uniforms of the United States Coast Guard,” written by U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation staff member Donald Canney, is also currently available.
The third and fourth sets of line drawing by Professor John Tilley are ready for distribution. The third set is devoted to the World War II cutters Taney, Cobb, Eastwind, and Sea Cloud. The fourth set depicts the historic buoy tenders Columbine, Amaranth, Goldenrod, and Fire.
For copies of any of the materials mentioned above, please write the Historian’s Office (G-CP/H), U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, D.C. 20593.
HISTORIC NAVAL SHIPS ASSOCIATION
By James W. Cheevers
For the first time since its founding in 1966, the Historic Naval Ships Association (HINAS) held its annual meeting on the West Coast. Hosted by the National Maritime Museum Association, which operates the Pampanito (SS-383) as a museum, and with help from the National Liberty Ship Memorial SS Jeremiah O’Brien and the National Park Service, the four-day event in San Francisco attracted 49 delegates who represent historic naval vessels in Canada and the United States.
Strafford Morss served as program chairman. In recent years Morss has supervised both the overhaul of Gearing-class destroyer Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. (DD-850) and the battleship Texas (BB-35), plus the preparation of the Massachusetts (BB-59) for drydocking. Twenty-four papers and illustrated topics were presented, and each session was followed by round table discussions. Many solid recommendations were made to help future project managers and to continue the networking among HINAS members.
Meanwhile, news from around the historic fleet.
The Navy is getting rid of Essex-class carriers from the reserve fleet. Citizens in Biloxi, Mississippi, have expressed an interest in the Bonhomme Richard (CVA-31). A group in Seattle has been working toward acquiring the Hornet (CVS-12), hut the Navy has already issued three extensions in the application process and needs the pier space in Bremerton. The Navy received a barrage of protest letters from World War II veterans when a Japanese firm was considering purchase of the Coral Sea (CV-43) for use as an international trade center.
The USS Lexington (CVT-16) is scheduled to be decommissioned on 1 April 1991. The city of Pensacola, Florida, has written a letter requesting retention of the “Lex” in the area as a museum. A site has been designated and favorable publicity has built support for the project. To date, no one has expressed an interest in either the Bennington (CV-20) or the Oriskany (CV-34), which are also ready for disposal from the mothball fleet. Although carriers have large foldings because of the number of veterans who served on board them, the prospects of their becoming floating museums are very low due to the enormous expenses involved.
The inactivation of the battleship New Jersey (BB-62) raised expectations in the state that their namesake may soon be available as a historic site. Unfortunately for the Battleship New Jersey Historical Museum Society, however, she was decommissioned at Long Beach and will be stored at Bremerton. This will mean an expensive tow to the East Coast at a future date if she is secured.
Another failed project concerns the cruiser Newport News (CA-148), which was being sought to grace the waterfront of either Duluth, Minnesota, Superior, Wisconsin, or Newport News, Virginia. She will go to scrap. The correct funding package could not be produced in time to meet the Navy’s schedule. There is, though, a glimmer of hope that either the Des Moines (CA-134) or the Salem (CA-139) may be available within a few years to satisfy the north central states’ interest and give them time to raise funds.
A ship now considered dispensable is the Forest Sherman-class destroyer Blandy (DD-943), in reserve at Philadelphia. Notices of her imminent disposal have been sent to a number of groups on the waiting list for historic ships.
The application for the Turner Joy (DD-951) is in excellent shape, the requisite funds being provided by the Bremerton Historic Ships Association and an appropriate mooring awaiting her. Parts removal was expedited, and the Secretary of the Navy signed a letter to Congress in September that recommended the transfer. Congressional approval usually takes at least 60 days, so the Navy will be ready when the transfer is okayed.
The Requin (SS-481) arrived in Pittsburgh on 4 September to become part of the new $37 million Carnegie Science Center near Three Rivers Stadium. The submarine, formerly shown at Tampa, Florida, was towed to New Orleans, where she was cradled between four barges to negotiate the locks and dams on her voyage up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.
HINAS will hold its next meeting in Annapolis, Maryland, 4-5 March, and its next annual conference at Patriots Point, South Carolina, from 21-24 September. Please mark your calendar.