National Archives

A Promise Kept

By Mike Stankovich
April 2018
The loss of the cruiser Helena was a demoralizing blow to the U.S. Navy. But the daring rescue of her surviving sailors gave the ship’s story an uplifting ending.

On Our Scope

April 2018
The admiral “had some maddening habits,” one of his staff officers recalled. “He would play golf all the afternoon then return, dine, play a rubber or two of bridge, and ...

In Contact

April 2018
Fiasco in the Barents Sea George Walker In regard to Peter Hooker’s article “Unprepared But Undaunted” (December 2017, pp. 14–17), it should be pointed out that Grand Admiral Erich Raeder’s ...

Bluejacket's Manual - From Kamikazes to Tridents

By Lieutenant Commander Thomas J. Cutler, U.S. Navy (Retired)
April 2018
The airframe is the body of the rocket or missile, which determines its flight characteristics. It typically is made of aluminum alloys, magnesium, or other strong but lightweight materials that ...
Naval History and Heritage Command

Armaments & Innovation - The Davis Gun

By J. M. Caiella
April 2018
To add firepower to the list, the Navy sought a lightweight aircraft weapon that could respond immediately to a target sighting—a gun, in other words. Even in the earliest days ...
Royal Australian Navy

Naval History News

April 2018
Enduring Sea Mystery Solved: WWI Sub Located Australia’s first submarine, HMAS AE1, has been found, ending a 103-year-old maritime mystery. The fate of the 800-ton E-class sub and her 35 ...
National Archives

Doctrine and Technology in Action

April 2018
In May 1943, Allied forces used a newly adopted offensive doctrine and technological innovations to reverse the course of the Battle of the Atlantic. The British, followed by the Canadians ...
College of the Holy Cross Archives

ROTC under Siege

By Captain Brendan J. O'Donnell, U.S. Navy (Retired)
April 2018
One of the most challenging periods in the 90-year history of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) program came during the later years of the Vietnam War and its ...
World History Archive (Almay)

How Japan Developed Carrier Aviation

By Lieutenant Commander Christopher M. Giacomaro, U.S. Navy (Retired)
April 2018
Japan focused on assets such as the Kaga to counter perceived oppression by the United States—which adapted. Between World Wars I and II, carrier aviation emerged as the key component ...
National Archives

The Military in Politics

By David C. Logan
April 2018
Political activity by service members can be risky if it is partisan or divisive. In recent years, a growing chorus of commentators has raised concerns about the military’s engagement in ...
Photo Courtesy the Mary Rose Museum

Museum Report - Tudor Navy Treasures

By Andrew C. A. Jampoler
April 2018
On 19 July 1545, King Henry VIII watched in horror while his 36-year-old flagship the HMS Mary Rose suddenly capsized during the Battle of the Solent. The warship at that ...

Book Reviews

April 2018
Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam Mark Bowden. New York: Grove Atlantic, 2017. 608 pp. Glossary. notes. $30. Reviewed by Colonel Richard Camp, U.S. Marine ...
Naval History and Heritage Command

Pieces of the Past

April 2018
Asked how he’d rank his naval service within the overall context of his life, legendary movie star Douglas Fairbanks Jr. told the Naval Institute in 1993, “I’d put it very ...