Naval History Blog

The first Missouri, a wooden-hulled sidewheel steam-frigate, was commissioned in early 1842. In the summer of 1843 she departed the United States, under the command of Captain John Taylor Newton, to convey a diplomat to Alexandria, Egypt. On the evening of 26 August, as Missouri lay in the harbor of Gibraltar, the accidental breakage of a demijohn of turpentine started a fire when the liquid fell upon a lighted lamp. Capt. Newton, paying the customary call on the governor of the crown colony, returned to Missouri when he learned of the fire. Some of Missouri’s crew had rigged the pumps and employed hoses, while others formed bucket brigades. British sailors from the 74-gun ship HMS Malabar also assisted in the vain attempt to quell the raging flames. Although a court of inquiry investigating Missouri’s loss found the captain guilty of negligence and he was temporarily suspended from duty, Newton praised the zealous efforts of his officers and men save the ship.

The second Missouri (Battleship No. 11) rendered aid to the earthquake-stricken city of Kingston, Jamaica, in January 1907, voyaged around the world with the Great White Fleet, and trained midshipmen once newer dreadnoughts joined the fleet. The third Missouri (BB 63) served with distinction in World War II, hosted the signing of the Japanese surrender in September 1945 in Tokyo Bay, and showed the Stars and Stripes in the eastern Mediterranean in the spring of 1946 to show American support of Greece and Turkey. She went on to serve in the Korean War and Operation Desert Storm, and lies moored today at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as a memorial.

Today’s commissioning of the fourth Missouri (SSN 780) continues the legacy of valor and heroism which have been the hallmark of the name since the mid-19th century.

On 30 July 1945, while sailing from Guam to Leyte, Indianapolis was torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-58. The ship capsized and sank in twelve minutes. Survivors were spotted by a patrol aircraft on 2 August. All air and surface units capable of rescue operations were dispatched to the scene at once, and the surrounding waters were thoroughly searched for survivors. Upon completion of the day and night search on 8 August, 316 men were rescued out of the crew of 1,199.

RIP Shipmates.  You Stand Relieved.  We have the watch.

The USS Indianapolis National Memorial is located at the North end of the Canal Walk. The Memorial is an outdoor site and is available to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Engraved on the South face of the monument are the names of the ship's company and one passenger who made up her final crew.

The USS Indianapolis National Memorial is a must see for all students of naval history.

Please also view our  FAQ about about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis for additional information and photos.

Historians depict the War of 1812 as a forgotten conflict because the Treaty of Ghent affirmed the status quo for the two combatants,. American naval victories during that war, however, had greatly improved the U.S. Navy’s stature. On 23 February 1815, only six days after that war had ended, President James Madison confidently proposed a declaration of war against Algiers for its depredations against American merchant commerce in the Mediterranean perpetrated during the late war with England.

Eleven years after his daring 1804 raid to destroy the captured frigate USS Philadelphia held by Tripoli during the first Barbary War, Stephen Decatur, now a commodore overseeing a 10-ship squadron, returned to the Mediterranean in June 1815 for a second Barbary War—this time to confront Algeria’s attacks on American shipping. After successfully concluding a Treaty of Peace and Amity with Algiers on 30 June, Decatur’s squadron anchored on 25 July off Tunis, a country supposedly at peace with the United States. The bey of Tunis, despite treaty obligations to protect American-controlled ships within his territorial waters, had permitted British violations of his country’s neutral waters during the War of 1812 by allowing Royal Navy vessels to free British merchantmen captured by an American privateer and taken to Tunis as lawful prizes.

Decatur, adopting gunboat diplomacy because communication with Washington was a two-months’ sail away, confronted the Tunisian authorities with firm demands for restitution. Despite possessing military forces comparable to the American squadron, the Tunisians capitulated on 30 July. Without his ships firing a shot, Decatur negotiated a payment of 46,000 Spanish dollars to compensate the American privateer for its losses. Decatur’s gunboat diplomacy in the Mediterranean in 1815–threatening force without executive authority–became a hallmark of nineteenth-century U. S. policy.

(DD–886: dp. 2,425; l. 390’6”; b. 41’1”; dr. 18’6”; s. 34 k.; cpl. 367; 6 5”, 16 40mm., 5 21” tt., 6 dcp., 2 dct., 1 dcp (hh); cl. Gearing)

Brandon Richards of KPLC 7 in Lake Charles, Louisiana reports:

It’s been sixty-five years since J.T. Platt last boarded the USS Orleck.  “I was one of the grunts. I did what I was told,” said Platt, who worked at Consolidated Steel Corporation, the group that built the Orleck starting in 1944.  Platt worked at the company in Orange, Texas from 1944 to 1945.

He left Consolidated Steel two months after the Orleck was commissioned. Platt was part of the original group from Consolidated Steel, responsible for making sure all of the equipment on board the Orleck was in working order. Platt was also in charge of making sure all of the ship’s wires were working properly…

Click here to read the rest of the story.  For a brief history of the USS Orleck as well as background information on her namesake, please click here.

To plan a visit to the USS Orleck Naval Memorial in Lake Charles, Louisiana, click here.

Edson (DD-946) was launched 4 January 1958 by Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine; sponsored by Mrs. M. A. Edson; and commissioned 7 November 1958.

 Our nation’s fleet of historic ships grows by one!

Tim Younkman of the Bay City Times writes, “The battle continues to bring the Vietnam-era destroyer USS Edson to the Bay City riverfront.  Volunteers and maritime enthusiasts have worked for 13 years to secure a 20th century combat ship as a Bay City attraction.  Their efforts paid off when the U.S. Navy granted ownership of the 56-year-old Edson, now in mothballs, to the Saginaw Valley Navel Ship Museum.”

Full article here.

For more about the namesake of the USS Edson, click here.

Researching particular events in Naval History can be difficult if you don’t know where to look. The Navy Department Library has a multitude of resources available to help in your research, and if we don’t have something we are always available to consult on other possible resources. A great place to start as always is the Frequently Asked Questions on the Naval History and Heritage Command website. Our Online Reading Room under the Navy Department Library webpage is also a valuable resource. Here in the library we have many books, journals, and primary source material available to aide in your research. On our website we also offer bibliographies and research guides, a list of our special collections, and even a portion dedicated to wars and conflicts of the US Navy. Visit our website, give us a call, or better yet come into the library and let us help you find the information you seek.

The USS Gravely (DDG-107) undergoing sea trials on June 23, 2010.

According to Navy News Service, “The Navy officially accepted delivery of the future USS Gravely from Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding during a ceremony July 26 in Pascagoula, Miss. Designated DDG 107, Gravely is the 57th ship of the Arleigh Burke class.” 

Moreover, according to Navy News Service, “The new destroyer honors the late Vice Adm. Samuel L. Gravely Jr., the first African American commissioned as an officer from the Navy Reserve Officer Training Course. He was the first African American to command a warship (USS Theodore E. Chandler); to command a major warship (USS Jouett); to achieve flag rank and eventually vice admiral; and to command a numbered fleet (Third).”

For more about the life of VADM Samuel L. Gravely, Jr., USN, please view our on-line exhibit by clicking here.

From The Marine Corps History Division…

The 24 July – 1 August 1944 campaign for the assault and capture of the Mariana Islands played a vital role in the final defeat of Japan. Planners deemed the islands of Guam, Saipan, and Tinian of critical importance because the Army Air Corps needed bases from which its long-range bombers could make non-stop strikes on Japan. Additionally, the Navy wanted the islands developed as advance bases, and hoped that a Marianas operation would draw out the Japanese Combined Fleet so that it could be engaged in a decisive battle.

After the capture of Saipan in early July 1944, the next step in this campaign was Tinian, whose relatively flat terrain was ideally suited for the construction of airfields for the new American B-29 bombers. Vice Admiral Richmond Kelley Turner, USN, commanded the approximately 800 ships and 162,000 men of the Marianas Joint Expeditionary Force. Turner also led the Northern Attack Force, designated specifically for Saipan and Tinian. The task of taking Tinian fell to the 2d and 4th Marine Divisions, under the overall command of Major General Harry Schmidt, USMC, Commander, V Amphibious Corps.

Tinian underwent over 40 days of preliminary naval gunfire and bombing from the air. Shore fire control was improved from previous campaigns as fire-control parties worked out procedures on board the gunfire ships designated to support the landings. Photo reconnaissance flights and captured enemy documents on Saipan gave a clear picture of the topography of Tinian, and for the first time napalm was used extensively and proved successful in burning off ground cover.

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