U.S. NAVAL INSTITUTE
Proceedings/Naval Review: Two decades ago, military leaders were uncomfortably aware of the fact that military theory—especially strategic military thought—had passed largely into the realm of civilian thinkers. They had been told by the civilians that the impact of nuclear weapons had invalidated their extensive traditional experience, and they generally believed that the age-old struggle between offensive and defensive primacy had finally been decided in favor of the offense.
Early in the 1980s, however, the situation began to change. New thinking appeared in the lectures and journal articles of the war colleges. By 1983 the Joint Chiefs of Staff actually took the lead in proposing to President Ronald Reagan revolutionary defensive options against intercontinental ballistic missiles. Although critics immediately applied the derisive title “Star Wars” to the Strategic Defense Initiative undertaking, their glibness just demonstrated how little they really understood about what was afoot and what a significant turning point had been reached, in both research and strategic military thinking.
Professor Emeritus Frederick H. Hartmann of the Naval War College, feeling that the full story of this decisive turnabout that hastened the end of the Cold War has yet to be told, has brought his insider’s account to the January issue of Proceedings. He focuses on the top-level military role in this process, based on his access to the Joint Chiefs and other senior government officials. His recap clarifies both why the Chiefs pushed for the unheard-of defensive option in the strategic sense, and why their moral sense reinforced their views.
Students who recall fondly the Hartmann Theory of the Conservation of Enemies, advanced during his 22-year tenure at Newport, will enjoy this latest visit with the Mahan Professor of Maritime Strategy and author of Naval Renaissance: The U.S. Navy in the 1980s (Naval Institute Press, 1990).
Naval Institute Press: Debuting in September is the only completely restored and annotated English-language version of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Jules Verne’s classic tale of undersea adventure. For more than a century, standard English translations of the novel have omitted major parts of the original French version and have contained serious errors of translation. Owing to the omissions—which amount to some 25% of the original work—Verne has had the reputation in the United States of being a “boys’ author,” while in Europe and Russia he is considered an “authors’ author” and scientific visionary.
New York University professor and Verne scholar Walter Miller has restored the lost material, corrected the mistakes, and generously annotated Verne’s many scientific observations and predictions. Beautifully illustrated with reproductions of the original-edition engravings, this landmark edition of Twenty Thousand Leagues should help establish Jules Verne’s true literary and scientific reputation in the English-speaking world.
Oral History: Admiral Frederick H. Michaelis, the only four-star admiral of the Class of 1940, died on 13 August 1992. Highlights of his 38 years of active duty include: flying with VF-12 on board the carrier USS Randolph (CV-15) in World War II; taking command of the Naval Air Special Weapons Facility in Albuquerque, N.M., to develop operational and tactical fusion of the nuclear weapons arsenal with naval aircraft; being the second commanding officer of the Enterprise (CVAN-65); serving as Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Air) in the late 1960s; and his final tour as Chief of Naval Material until his retirement in October 1978.
The nation’s oldest surviving naval aviator died on 27 October 1992 at the age of 98. Forrest Wysong was one of seven survivors of the Early Birds of Aviation, Inc., a group of 596 men and women who flew by plane, balloon, glider, or airship before 17 December 1916—the 13th anniversary of the Wrights’ first powered flight. Wysong was commissioned an ensign in the New York Naval Militia in 1916. During World War 1 he flew N-9 seaplanes, as well as single-seat Sopwith Scouts from the primitive flight deck of the battleship Texas (BB-35). He worked as a test and research engineer in World War II, and had a successful career as a designer on the Lockheed Electra, the plane Amelia Earhart was flying when she disappeared.
Both of these gentlemen participated in the Naval Institute’s oral history program. Transcripts of their interviews, however, have not yet been released.
NAVY HISTORY
By Carolyn M. Stallings, Naval Historical Center
The Navy Art Gallery will open “Navy Medical Art of the Abbott Collection” this winter, an exhibition featuring works of Joseph Hirsch, Kerr Eby, Julian Levi, and Carlos Anderson. Abbott Laboratories sponsored civilian artist-correspondents during World War II and published and exhibited their finished works before donating them to the various military branches. The Navy Art Gallery is located at the Washington Navy Yard, Building 67. Call (202) 433- 3815 for information on exhibition dates and gallery hours.
In October 1992 Dr. Dean C. Allard and Dr. William S. Dudley represented the United States during the third meeting of the CSS Alabama Scientific Committee, held in the Naval Museum in Paris. Through the courtesy of the French Navy, the committee also visited Cherbourg to see the site where the ship went down and to examine a number of artifacts raised from the wreck that await conservation.
The committee recommended that the CSS Alabama Association be allowed to make exploratory excavations below the ocean floor in order to learn more about the site, and to raise about 50 additional artifacts. Since most of the ship has disappeared, there is no prospect of raising her, but thousands of artifacts are available. In the committee’s estimation, these promise to reveal a great deal of history, especially with regard to life at sea and the status of naval technology during the mid-19th century.
Three Naval Historical Center publications now at press are scheduled for release early in 1993. They are: United States Naval History: A Bibliography (seventh edition); World War II Cruise Books of the United States Navy: A Bibliography, and Operation End Sweep: A History of Minesweeping Operations in Vietnam. The Department of the Navy’s museums are listed in Guide to U.S. Naval Museums, now available by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Editor, Naval Historical Center/Building 57/Washington Navy Yard/Washing- ton, DC 20374-0571.
The Naval Historical Center and the Naval Historical Foundation are seeking nominations for the annual Ernest M. Eller—formerly the U.S. Navy—Prize in Naval History. The purpose of this prize is to encourage excellence in research and writing on the history of the U.S. Navy. A prize of $1,000 will be awarded on or about 10 June 1993 to the author of the best article on U.S. naval history published in 1992. Articles will be judged on their originality and their scholarship. Authors and journal editors are encouraged to submit copies of nominated articles for consideration by 1 March 1993 to: Senior Historian, Naval Historical Center/Building 57/Washington Navy Yard/Washington, DC 20374-0571.
MARINE CORPS HISTORY
By Ann A. Ferrante, Marine Corps Historical Center
The History and Museums Division recently completed a significant reorganization to improve efficiency and to comply with current and projected budgets. The major changes are: the Deputy Director of the History and Museums Division (a colonel) replaced both the former Deputy Director for History (a colonel) and the Deputy Director for Museums (a civilian); lieutenant colonels became the heads of the Historical Branch and the Museums Branch, respectively; the former Oral History Section became a unit within the Histories Section; and the Archives Section added the Personal Papers Collection, formerly with the Museums Branch.
The majority of Museums Branch personnel were reassigned to the Marine Corps Air-Ground Museum in Quantico, Virginia. The chief curator, now head of the new Museums section, and the registrar were both relocated. The Marine Corps Museum at the Marine Corps Historical Center retained a three-person exhibits unit and the Marine Corps art collection under the art curator.
Outpost in the North Atlantic: Marines in the Defense of Iceland, 1941-1942— the fourth in the series of World War II 50th-anniversary commemorative pamphlets—was recently published by the History and Museums Division. It was written by retired Marine Colonel James A. Donovan, Jr., who, as a second lieutenant, was a member of the 1st Provisional Brigade sent to Iceland in mid- 1941 to join British forces in protecting that country from a Nazi takeover. The illustrated history includes artwork by the author, an accomplished sketch artist. It is available from the Superintendent of Documents/U.S. Government Printing Office/Washington, DC 20402.
The History and Museums Division also published U.S. Marine Corps Operations in the Dominican Republic, April-June 1965. This “occasional paper” was originally completed in 1970 and distributed as a classified document. The continuing interest in the operation and the declassification of the paper prompted a decision to publish this piece, coauthored by Marine Major Jack K. Ringler and former Chief Historian, Henry I. Shaw, Jr.
During fiscal year 1992, the Reference Section responded to a record number of requests for information and research assistance: 7,708. This is a 10% increase over the previous year and 100% over the past decade. The section provides historical research and reference services for Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, Marine units, military and government agencies, veterans, scholars, and the general public. The section also researches the lineage and honors of Marine Corps units and is making a major effort to issue updated certificates of lineage and honors to units that participated in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
The Marine Corps Historical Foundation hosted its first annual historical symposium at Quantico, Virginia. The themes of the day-long symposium were Marines in Nicaragua and the evolution of amphibious warfare. The eight speakers included current and former foundation grant and award recipients.
The foundation’s Distinguished Service Award was recently presented to retired Marine Colonel Brooke Nihart by the Honorable J. Daniel Howard, Under Secretary of the Navy. Colonel Nihart was recognized for his achievements as a historian and Deputy Director for Marine Corps Museums during more than 54 years of military and civilian service. The Marine Corps Museum at the Marine Corps Historical Center has created the first seven in a series of commemorative exhibits on Marines in World War II. The exhibits feature the Corps’ preparation for war as well as Marines in Iceland, Pearl Harbor, Wake Island, the Philippines, Midway, and Guadalcanal. The Museum is open from 10 to 4, Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5, Sunday. (Closed Christmas Day.)
For a pamphlet listing facilities and resources, write: History and Museums Division/Marine Corps Historical Center/Building 58/Washington Navy Yard/Washington, DC 20374-0580.
COAST GUARD HISTORY
By Dr. Bob Browning
Dr. Robert L. Scheina, who served as Chief Historian for the Coast Guard for 14 years, has recently accepted a position as Professor of History at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. For the past two years he held the Department of Transportation Chair at the National Defense University while on sabbatical from the Coast Guard. Dr. Scheina will teach military history to both U.S. and foreign officers. He will certainly be missed by everyone in the Coast Guard, all of whom wish him well. Dr. Robert M. Browning has been promoted to the Chief Historian position.
The Historian’s Office has published a third booklet in the World War II series that commemorates the service’s various roles during the war. Entitled The Coast Guard & The Women's Reserve in World War II, it was written by Public Affairs Specialist, Second Class, Robin J. Thomson. This booklet has appropriately become available during the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Women’s Reserve, whose name SPARs—from Semper Paratus (Always Ready)—was a fitting acronym for the diverse and important roles these women played in the Coast Guard during the war. SPARs held 43 different rates, from boatswain’s mates to yeoman, and even commanded a loran-monitoring station in Chatham, Massachusetts. More than 10,000 women answered this patriotic call to colors, thus freeing thousands of men from support duties and allowing them to go to sea.
For a copy of this booklet, write: Commandant (G-CP/H)/2100 2nd Street SW/Washington, DC 20593.
HISTORIC NAVAL SHIPS ASSOCIATION
By James W. Cheevers
The association held its annual meeting in Galveston, Texas, in October, hosted by the staff of the beautifully restored 1914 battleship Texas (BB-35) at her new berth in the San Jacinto Battlefield State Park. The in-depth research and detailed work currently progressing in the compartments on board the Texas under the auspices of the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife are truly amazing. Because the Texas is the only pre-World War 1 battleship in existence, her numerous interior layers of paint are being removed and carefully analyzed and recorded.
The application to historic naval ships of the “Americans with Disabilities Act” was discussed at length. Considering the difficulties involved in making ships and submarines available to people in wheelchairs and the vision and hearing impaired, it was heartwarming to learn the measures already taken by members to make their vessels as accessible to the disabled as possible.
In another excellent session. Navy Commander Richard Amirault, commanding officer of the USS Constitution, presented a program on the preparation and the dry-docking of “Old Ironsides.” Visitors to Boston over the next year will have the opportunity to visit the old Boston Navy Yard to see firsthand this magnificent old, wooden warrior in dry dock. Special arrangements have been made for visitors to observe the examination and work in progress on the frigate, nearly 200 years old.
Some delegates visited the other naval sites in the Lone Star State, including the destroyer escort Stewart (DE-238) and submarine Cavalla (SS-244) exhibited on Galveston’s nearby Pelican Island; the carrier Lexington (CVT-16) at Corpus Christi (see box); and the Japanese midget submarine HA-19, temporarily on display at the Admiral Nimitz Museum in Fredericksburg, Texas.
Coming on line among the historic fleet will be the USS Salem (CA-139), a Des Moines-c\ass cruiser and veteran of the Cold War. She will be transferred from the Atlantic Reserve Fleet in Philadelphia to the new U.S. Naval Shipbuilding Museum at Quincy, Massachusetts, where she was built beginning in 1945. The USS Salmon (SSR-573), a Sailfish-class radar picket submarine dating from 1956, will join the Salem in its new museum venue.
At Battleship Cove, Fall River, Massachusetts, the Massachusetts (BB-59) has received a fresh coat of paint and consolidated and reorganized its technical library. Battleship Cove’s library is now the best resource for technical data and history of the gray-hull navy outside Washington, D.C. Through an $18,500 grant, the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. (DD- 850) now has a new visitor-activated sound system that will eventually extend to the Massachusetts, Lionfish (SS-298), and the PT Boat Museum.
An authentic, life-size Vietnam Naval Support Base is among the new exhibits at Patriots Point Naval Museum, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. It boasts a river patrol boat, ammunition bunker, command information center, a 24-foot gun and observation tower, and a Huey medivac helicopter. On the hanger deck of a nearby carrier Yorktown (CV-10) is another new exhibit, featuring the supercarriers from the USS Forrestal (CV-59) through the USS George Washington (CVN-73). Also displayed is a completely restored SBD Dauntless dive-bomber, one of the best-preserved specimens of the aircraft that secured the Navy’s great victory at Midway.
Early Modern Maritime History
The John Carter Brown Library announces a four-week National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute for college and university humanities faculty and curators of cultural/historical organizations with significant maritime collections.
Enrollment is limited 20 participants, each of whom will receive funds for round-trip travel to the institute, a stipend of $1,000, plus room and board for the four weeks (26 July through 20 August). For more information and application forms, write: Maritime Institute/ John Carter Brown Library/Box 1894/Providence, RI 02912.
Deadline is 1 March 1993.