Since our last issue of Naval History, a new era for the magazine and its publisher, the U.S. Naval Institute, began as an old one ended. Newly retired Navy Vice Admiral Peter H. Daly took the organization’s helm as CEO, and Major General Thomas Wilkerson, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired), stepped down as the Institute’s chief executive. General Wilkerson proved a stalwart supporter of Naval History, and I look forward to working under Admiral Daly to guide the magazine to new heights.
Admiral Daly, whose accomplishments during more than 30 years of service include commanding Destroyer Squadron 31 and Carrier Strike Group 11, stressed USNI’s commitment to the sea services’ future, present, and past in his opening message to friends and members of the Naval Institute: “We will focus on the course ahead. At the same time, we must understand our rich traditions and history. We will support those who currently serve and never forget those who have served, were wounded, or those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we all enjoy.” The admiral’s full introductory message can be found in Naval History News.
You’ll have a chance to meet Admiral Daly on 17 September at the 2011 Naval History Conference, whose theme is “Connecting Naval Aviation’s Past with the Challenges and Opportunities of Tomorrow.” Cohosted by the Naval Institute and the U.S. Naval Academy, and sponsored by the William M. Wood Foundation, the conference will he held at the Academy. For a schedule of events and registration information, select the Conferences link at www.usni.org.
Hill Goodspeed, who’s scheduled to moderate a panel at the conference, is the author of “Beauty High Above, Horror Below” in this issue. The National Naval Aviation Museum’s historian, Mr. Goodspeed has been a regular contributor to Naval History during this centennial year of U.S. naval flight. His article is based on a holding in the museum’s Emil Buehler Library: the Vietnam War diary of A-1 Skyraider pilot Lieutenant (junior grade) Malcolm H. Tinker. The story is complemented by Tinker’s color photographs of his wartime deployment on board the USS Kitty Hawk (CVA-63).
A second feature also has a personal connection to the Naval History Conference. Paul Stillwell’s interview with the late Vice Admiral William P. Lawrence, U.S. Navy (Retired), is taken from the admiral’s recently published U.S. Naval Institute oral history. In “‘Exploring the Unknowns’ at Mach 2.1,” Lawrence recalls his exciting years as a test pilot in the late 1950s, during which he became the first naval aviator to fly a Navy plane at twice the speed of sound.
One of the admiral’s daughters, retired Navy Captain Wendy Lawrence, is an aviation pioneer in her own right. She flew on multiple space-shuttle missions and will be a panelist at the conference.
Two other articles in this issue offer historical perspectives on U.S. naval involvement in a country that’s an ever-increasing present-day rival—China. Bernard Cole’s story, “America’s Asiatic Fleet,” takes a strategic look at the Navy’s daunting dual responsibilities in the Far East in the early 20th century: protecting American lives and property in China while preparing for a possible war with Japan. An expert on modern China as well as the country’s past, Dr. Cole is the author of The Great Wall at Sea: China’s Navy in the Twenty-First Century (Naval Institute Press, 2nd ed., 2010).
In June 2010, Naval History published an article about the U.S. Navy in the Korean War by former Naval Historical Center senior historian Edward Marolda. In “Asian Warm-up to the Cold War,” Dr. Marolda backtracks and examines America’s naval presence in civil war–torn China during the immediate post–World War II years. Although the Navy withdrew from mainland Chinese waters in 1949 following the triumph of Mao Tse-tung’s forces, its experience there left it better able to contend with future communist threats in Asia.
U.S. Naval Institute 2011 General Prize Photo Contest
Entries are now being accepted.
1st Prize—$2,500
2nd Prize—$1,500
3rd Prize—$1,000
The winning and runner-up photographs will be recognized in Proceedings and Naval History and on www.usni.org.
Deadline for photo entries is 1 October 2011.
Go to www.usni.org/magazines/photo-contest for contest details.