On Our Scope

By Richard G. Latture, Editor-in-Chief

April 2006

When I take an out-of-town trip, I always try to squeeze in at least a brief visit to a historical site—be it a museum, ship, or battlefield. Naval History readers ...

Boston's Naval Treasures

By Tom Huntington

April 2006

The USS Constitution and the Charlestown Navy Yard offer visitors a chance to see and experience more than 200 years of American nautical history.

An American Hero's Relevance

By James C. Bradford

April 2006

In a speech at the U.S. Naval Academy 100 years ago, President Theodore Roosevelt emphasized John Paul Jones' personal courage. Would a present-day Roosevelt do the same?

Perfecting Close Air Support in Korea

By Major Fred H. Allison, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired)

April 2006

In the late summer of 1950, the U.S. Army twice called on Marine Corsairs and Leatherneck infantrymen to reverse North Korean offensives and save the Pusan Perimeter.

The Sharp Edge of Containment

By Edward J. Marolda

April 2006

Powerful, mobile expeditionary forces deployed far from American shores played a crucial role in the U.S. campaign to win the Cold War.

Sinking of the Shoho

By John B. Lundstrom

April 2006

The U.S. Navy landed the first heavy blow at the Battle of the Coral Sea when Lexington (CV-2) and Yorktown (CV-5) planes sank a carrier.

Modern Service in the Constitution

By Commander Tyrone G. Martin, U.S. Navy (Retired)

April 2006

Commanding the Constitution was nowhere in my consciousness on that spring day in 1974 when I answered my phone. It was my detailer. “How would you like to command ‘Old ...

John Paul Jones Makes Admiral

By Rear Admiral Joseph F. Callo, U.S. Navy Reserve (Retired)

April 2006

But not in the United States. Jones became a rear admiral in the Russian Navy in 1788, flying his flag in the Vladimir as he defeated the Turks in an ...

Rusty a Warm Spot in Any Heart

By Harold Wayne Baker

April 2006

A military escort greeted Rusty when she came aboard the USS Sturtevant (DE-239). Nothing fancy. Just a handful of seamen making certain that no one would disturb her peace as ...

George Elsey’s Unplanned Life

By Paul Stillwell

April 2006

Lieutenant George Elsey served in the White House during World War II.

In Contact

April 2006

“Indispensable in Every Operation” (See D. W. McComb, pp. 18-29, February 2006 Naval History) Captain Lefteris Lavrakas, U.S. Navy ( Retired) As an old destroyerman, I read this ...

Naval History News

April 2006

Typhoons in the Pacific, Hurricanes in the Atlantic The USS Alabama (BB-60) celebrated a grand reopening in January after being closed as a result of August’s Hurricane Katrina. Janee Bonner ...

Historic Fleets

By A. D. Baker III

April 2006

The U.S. Navy has a long history of purchasing foreign designs after it has fallen behind in various areas of warship technology. During the rapid renaissance of the then thoroughly ...

The American Zero

By Norman Polmar Author, The Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet

April 2006

Probably the best-known Axis aircraft of World War II was the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter. The Zero, which first engaged in combat in 1940 over China, flew from Japanese aircraft ...

Book Reviews

Reviewed by Craig L. Symonds, CW03 Ronald W. Russell, U.S. Naval Reserve (Retired), Ron Benigo, Commander Tyrone G. Martin, U. S. Navy (Retired), Rear Admiral T. A. Brooks, U.S. Navy (Retired) & Robert Enrione

April 2006

Commodore Perry and the Opening of Japan: Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan, 1852- 1854 Francis L. Hawks. Stroud, England: Nonsuch Publishing ...

The National PT Boat Museum: Two Mosquitos in the Shadow of a Giant

By Tom Huntington 

April 2006

The main attraction at Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts, is the 684-foot USS Massachusetts (BB-59), a gray leviathan that dominates the Taunton River waterfront beneath towering Braga Bridge. Sitting ...