naval history

A Near-Catastrophic Ferry Trip Recalls Past Naval Disasters

by Gary B. Ostrower

The Navy lost nearly 800 sailors to a Pacific typhoon in 1944. An admittedly less-serious incident on a study abroad trip makes the author mindful of the potential hazards of naval service. 

Could the US Win a Modern-Day Battle of Midway?

by Brendan Simms and Steven McGregor

With growing Chinese naval power in the Pacific, two historians consider how well the Navy could respond to a confrontation on the high seas. 

The Russo-Ukrainian War At Sea: Retrospect and Prospect

by B.J. Armstrong

"The fact that our Twitter feeds and Instagram scrolls are not filled with naval or maritime news does not mean that nothing is happening."

The Accident that Almost Decapitated the US Government

by Stan Haynes

John Tyler intended to show off the firepower of the USS Princeton to boost his abysmal popularity and scare foreign goverments into letting him annex Texas. He nearly got more than he bargained for in one of the biggest close calls of presidential history. 

How a WWII Japanese Sub Commander Helped Exonerate a U.S. Navy Captain

Captain Charles McVay took the fall for the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in the last days of the second world war, finally taking his own life. An appeal by the Mochitsura Hashimoto, commander of the sub to US Senator John Warner cleared the way for a legislative exoneration. 

History Found Dixie Kiefer, one of the Greatest Heroes of World War II in the Pacific

by Don Keith with David Rocco

Dixie Kiefer, dubbed "The Indestructible Man" by Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal, was at the center of crucial events in the Pacific in World War II. 

The World’s Most Important Body of Water

by Daniel Yergin

The author of a book on the dispute over control of the South China sea examines four critical decisionmakers whose actions shaped the present conflict. 

Fishermen Catch WWII Mine, Extremely Satisfying Explosion Ensues

The Royal Navy identified the mine as a German device dating to the World War II era and detonated it underwater.

Yakima Sailor's Remains Identified 78 Years After Pearl Harbor Attack

Advances in DNA testing made it possible to identify the remains of Patrick Chess, unnacounted for and presumed dead in the attack on the USS Oklahoma. 

The Battle of The Atlantic has Lessons for Fighting COVID-19

by Marc Wortman

Pleasure-seekers and shoreline business owners on the east coast of the United States rejected voluntary calls to dim their lights in 1942. German U-Boat crews devastated shipping and commerce until compulsory blackouts were enforced. 

A black mess attendant was a Pearl Harbor hero. Now an aircraft carrier will have his name.

Even without gun training, Doris Miller jumped behind one of the unmanned Brownings, swung it skyward and fired until his belt was empty and crew members were ordered to abandon ship.

Barbarous Hun: The Sinking of the Lusitania and the Rise of Propaganda

by Albinko Hasic

British and U.S. war advocates quickly turned the tragedy into pro-war propaganda and created everything from postcards, to medals, to posters.

The Battle of Midway Movie is Mostly Terrific

by Bruce Chadwick

Despite its drawbacks, Midway is a rip-roaring military saga and a testament to the men who won it.

Navy Submarine, Missing for 75 Years, Is Found Off Okinawa

Private explorers found the U.S.S. Grayback beneath 1,400 feet of water after realizing that a mistranslated Japanese war record had pointed searchers in the wrong direction.    

New ‘Midway’ movie aims for reality, but the discovery of wreckage brings the battle home

by Michael E. Ruane

Two sunken Japanese aircraft carriers were found weeks before the movie about the World War II battle opens

What We Can All Learn About Character From Great Admirals in History

by James Stavridis

Sailors often have a unique opportunity to chart a course toward a good character.

The H.M.S. Terror Sank in the 1840s. See What It Looks Like Now.

An underwater exploration this month revealed the wreckage, much of it well preserved by cold water, lack of light and layers of silt, that likely contains documents with information about an ill-fated expedition that set sail in 1845.

U.S. Ship Sunk in World War II by German Sub Is Found Off Maine Coast

The U.S.S. Eagle PE-56, which lost 49 of 62 crew members, was located by a civilian dive team.

How Southern Mississippi Professor Leila Hamdan Led Her Team to Explore 2 Historic Shipwrecks

The University of Southern Mississippi and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) worked together to discover and characterize two unexplored shipwrecks in the Gulf and study marine life on and around the wrecks.

When War Was a Family Affair

by Walter R. Borneman

The stories of family members who served on the same Naval ships in World War II.