National Archives

On Our Scope

April 2015
So far, the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War seems to have slipped under the American public’s radar. That’s sure to change in 2016, when Ken Burns’ television documentary about ...

Contributors

April 2015
Murray Dear, a retired New Zealand banker, regularly contributes articles to New Zealand and Australian naval and nautical magazines. His essay titled “The Japanese Submarine Offensive May/June 1942” was ...
Eric Conroy

Looking Back - Canadian Time Capsule

By Paul Stillwell
April 2015
A few years ago, my Canadian-born wife, Karen, and I got acquainted with a television program called Murdoch Mysteries. Then we got hooked. Since we both like history, an ...
Naval Historical Foundation

In Contact

April 2015
‘The Best Watertender’Commander Louis D. Chirillo, U.S. Navy (Retired)Naval History’s February focus on African-Americans’ wartime experiences made me remember something that occurred soon after World War II ...
Naval History & Heritage Command

Naval History News

April 2015
New NHHC Director Steps UpRear Admiral Samuel Cox, U.S. Navy (Retired), recently assumed the role of director of the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC), following in the footsteps of ...
U.S. Naval Institute Photo Archive

Ships of Honor

By Mercy Mei Tangredi
April 2015
There is no greater symbol of a country’s determination to defend its freedom than a warship. Despite their name, naval warships are rarely used for wars; they are mostly used ...
RNZN Museum

'A Weekend's Leave in Auckland'

By Murray Dear
April 2015
For good reason, the Japanese referred to Guadalcanal as “Starvation Island.”1 By late 1942 the situation of the Japanese troops had become indescribably wretched. Efforts to transport supplies by “Tokyo ...
National Collection of War Art, Archives New Zealand

The Gallipoli Gamble

By Williamson Murray
April 2015
Of all the campaigns of World War I, none has had more ink spilled over it by historians and pundits than the 1915 effort by Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand ...
Geoffrey Hunt, Trouble Heading for Wiscasset: H.M.S. Rainbow in the Sheepscot River, Maine, 10th September 1777 (Private Collection)

'To Take or Destroy'

By Gregory Martin
April 2015
The frigate’s captain ordered the best bower away immediately. The crash of the heavy starboard bow anchor hitting the water was lost in the hoarse growling of the wind in ...
U.S. Naval Institute Photo Archive

Historic Aircraft - The Flying Commando

By Norman Polmar, Author, Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet
April 2015
The Douglas C-47/R4D Skytrain, or Dakota, as the British labeled it, was the outstanding U.S. cargo-troop aircraft of World War II—and beyond. The “runner-up” was unquestionably the Curtiss C-46 Commando ...

Book Reviews

April 2015
America’s U-Boats: Terror Trophies of World War IChris Dubbs. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2014. 206 pp. Appen. Biblio. Illus. $24.95.Reviewed by Colonel John J. Abbatiello, U.S ...

Pieces of the Past

April 2015
As everyone knows, sailors and soldiers of old dispelled the myth that tough guys can’t sew. Quick and clean needle-repair acumen was a valuable skill at sea or on the ...