USS West Virginia

The Waterbury Pump

In the early 1900s, the U.S. Navy was on a quest for improved gunnery, led by William S. Sims and like-minded officers. American crews had demonstrated at the Battle of ...

October 2023
Royal Navy

Inventing Officer Training

Samuel Pepys, the son of a tailor, rose to become the most senior naval administrator in the British Admiralty during the last decades of the 17th century.

August 2023
The Albacore under way

The Super Submarine: USS Albacore

The USS Albacore (AGSS-569) is remembered as the prototype for the hull form of fast, maneuverable submarines. But her story is much more complex than that.

Norman Friedman
January 2023
binnacle

A History of the Ship’s Compass

Mechanical gyroscopes are beginning to be replaced by ring-laser or hemispherical-resonator ones, but most ships retain a traditional magnetic compass as a backup—just in case.

By Philip K. Allan
November 2022
Kearsarge

The Double Turret

When the United States began building battleships in about 1890, it adopted—uniquely among the world’s battleship navies—two-story turrets for some them.

Norman Friedman
September 2022
Ordnancemen on board the USS San Jacinto (CVL-30)

Evolution of a Ship-Sinker

The Mk 13 torpedo emerged as a devastating weapon responsible for sinking a Japanese superbattleship at the Battle of Leyte Gulf and another one off Okinawa.

Norman Friedman
August 2022
Ships

How the Propeller Displaced the Paddle Wheel

The development of steam power in the 18th century was arguably one of the most important changes of its age. Shipbuilding, too, was part of this revolution.

By Philip K. Allan
May 2022
Mk 3 Whitehead torpedo

Pioneering Torpedoman

The development of the torpedo was long and tortuous, but a tangential musical connection would bring enjoyment around the globe.

March 2022