Naval History Blog

Psychological and economic warfare, with the intention of deflecting American forces from the northern theater, rather than a desire to occupy territory, dominated British strategy in the Chesapeake Bay during the War of 1812.

The Madison administration’s decision not to harness a force strong enough to repel British raids of coastal settlements left the bay vulnerable to repeated attacks. The inability of Secretary of War John Armstrong to plan for the defense of Washington prompted the British to risk an inland march to torch the American seat of power.

A British invasion force landed at Benedict, Maryland, a port on the Patuxent River, on 19 August 1814, resulting in a chaotic scene. Secretary of the Navy William Jones directed the men in the Chesapeake Bay flotilla squadron under Commodore Joshua Barney’s command to join forces with a contingent of Marines to assist the regular army and militia forces. While the naval forces fought bravely at the Battle of Bladensburg on 24 August, the battle-tested British troops easily overran the American position, leaving the American capital vulnerable to attack, as most of the defenders scattered.

Commodore Thomas Tingey, commandant of the Washington Navy Yard since its founding in 1799, had anticipated that the enemy’s forces would target the shipping there. Fearful that valuable naval stores would fall into British hands, Secretary Jones ordered Tingey to torch the Yard. After setting fire to most of the public buildings in the capital, the British entered the Yard on the 25th and burned much of what remained there. After a scant twenty-four-hour occupation, the British left the humbled city. The Navy Yard alone had suffered half a million dollars in losses.

No significant benefit accrued to the enemy beyond humiliating the Americans, as three weeks later British forces failed in their assault on Baltimore.

SCORPION Project barge transported back down the Patuxent after the completion of the field work.

 On August 12, the NHHC Underwater Archaeology Branch (UAB), and its partners MD SHA and MHT, successfully completed the first phase of their three-year archaeological investigation of the Patuxent shipwreck believed to be the War of 1812 U.S. block sloop SCORPION.  Firstly, a big thank you to our on-site visitors who made the trip out to Upper Marlboro, MD.  It was great to see you and we really appreciate your support!  We were also glad to welcome members of the press on site to inform them about the SCORPION project, our partnerships and the NHHC and were pleased to see the story covered in the Washington Post, Baltimore Sun and The Capital (Annapolis). 

Underwater archaeologists preparing to dive on the wreck.

 During the first part of the two-week project, UAB’s team of underwater archaeologists, in cooperation with MD SHA and MHT, measured the site and extent of the wreck beneath the sediment via a process called “hydroprobing.”  Based on the data from the hydroprobe, the team was then able to determine which parts of the wreck most warranted investigation.  Archaeologists then removed the overburden (overlying sediment) from specific parts of the wreck using dredge systems; the sediment pulled from the wreck was suctioned up the dredge onto the barges where it was screened by capable staff.  Some artifacts were also recovered and brought back to the UAB Conservation and Archaeology Lab for stabilization, treatment and documentation.  

Again, the UA team is very grateful to MD SHA and MHT as well as URS and SUPSALV. With their help and cooperation, significant progress was made during Phase 1 and we look forward to working with them again on the next phase of the SCORPION project in summer 2011. We’re always glad to talk about the SCORPION project and answer any questions, so feel free to stop by our offices or send us an email ([email protected]) and stay tuned for more posts!

On 24 August 1942, the aircraft carrier Enterprise (CV-6) burned after being hit by three Japanese bombs. One struck near the number three elevator, plunging several decks before exploding, killing 35 men and starting fires in storerooms and quarters. Another penetrated the edge of the flight deck and detonated amongst the ready ammunition, destroying the number three 5-inch gun gallery and killing another 38 men instantly. The third struck abaft the island and started more fires.

The seven sailors stationed in the steering engine room suffered as the fires forward of them and above them burned. They had shut down the only ventilation into the space when the fans began pulling in smoke from the fires in the demolished gun gallery. The heat rose and men passed out as the temperature passed 160 degrees. After the aerial assault ended, a remote control system reopened the ventilation system, and water and foam poured into the compartment and into the cooling jacket for the starboard steering engine. The engine swung the rudder to port, then starboard, as the engine shorted out. The bridge ordered helm control returned, and as the alarm sounded, the last conscious crewman attempted to engage the working port steering engine, but collapsed. The rudder locked at 20 degrees right and the captain ordered the breakdown signal. The carrier’s escorts closed to protect her as she circled helplessly. A rescue party entered the space from above and pulled out the seven men (one of whom later died), but none of the rescuers knew how to engage the port steering engine.

Chief Machinist (CWO) William A Smith knew the steering gear well. He volunteered to reach the essentially abandoned space. An Enterprise plank owner and a 13 year Navy veteran, he loaded his pockets with tools, strapped on a rescue breathing apparatus, and attached a line to his waist. He stormed toward the engine room, only to be overcome by smoke and heat. Pulled to safety, he again went ahead and made it to the hatch before again collapsing and being hauled out. On his third attempt, Smith made it into the compartment and quickly assessed the situation and engaged the port steering engine. The helm answered on the bridge after 38 minutes of circling. For his extraordinary heroism and “remarkable presence of mind” in extreme conditions, Smith received the Navy Cross. The After Action Report noted that the steering casualty was the “most serious” and “might easily have led to the loss of the ship.” Changes to steering engine room ventilation and cooling systems ensued in the wake of the near-disaster.

In June 1944, Allied forces launched an offensive to capture the Marianas Islands from the Japanese. Invasion forces stormed the islands of Saipan, Guam and Tinian in succession, supported by ships and aircraft of the United States Navy.

Offshore, the Battle of the Philippine Sea proved a decisive victory for the Allies. This United States Marine Corps “Official Operations Report,” produced during the war, provides a detailed examination of each phase of the campaign. Using maps and animations, the three films outline landing assignments, naval gunfire support, and air support for each phase of the campaign.

 The story of the battle on each island is brought to life with extensive combat footage of land, sea, and air operations.

These films, with a running time of nearly two and a half hours, stand as an excellent history of a crucial phase in the Pacific island-hopping campaign.

Read the rest of this entry »

On 23 September 1779, off the east coast of England, a four-ship Continental Navy squadron, comprising a 40-gun ship, a 36- and a 32-gun frigate, and a 12-gun brig, encountered forty-one British merchant ships arriving from the Baltic laden with precious commodities, convoyed by two British warships, of 44 and 20 guns. At the conclusion of the ensuing battle, the two British warships had struck their colors. Although the American flagship to which the British 44 was closely grappled was in a sinking condition, the heavily damaged British ship struck because it still faced the undamaged American 36-gun frigate.

The American squadron lost the 40-gun ship, which sank owing to battle damage, and failed to capture a single one of the merchant ships. Richard Pearson, the commander of the British convoy, was knighted for his gallant and successful defense of the convoy. Because of his stubborn refusal to accept defeat, and despite his shortcomings as a squadron commander and the appalling loss of life on board his flagship, the American commander, John Paul Jones, is honored for having given “our Navy its earliest traditions of heroism and victory.”

On 22 August 2010, the Navy’s Dental Corps will celebrate its 98th anniversary. While many Marines are aware of the extraordinary heroism of Hospital Corpsmen in tending to wounded Marines, it is perhaps little recognized that two members of the Navy Dental Corps were awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during World War I in saving the lives of wounded Marines.

Lieutenant (JG) Weedon E. Osborne, DC, USN, graduated from Northwestern University Dental School in 1915. After practicing and teaching dentistry, he took the examination for dental surgeon in the Navy. On 8 May 1917, he was appointed a dental surgeon in the Navy, and was soon assigned to duty on the USS ALABAMA. On 30 March 1918, he reported to the Commanding Officer of the 6th Marines, and was serving with the regiment on the opening day of the bloody struggle for Belleau Wood. On 6 June, as the 6th Marines advanced on Bouresches at the southern edge of the Wood, Lieutenant Osborne was acting as assistant surgeon in the first line trenches, and in the words of his posthumously awarded Medal of Honor citation, “threw himself zealously into the work of rescuing the wounded. Extremely courageous in the performance of this perilous task, he was killed while carrying a wounded officer to safety.”

Today, the Headquarters of the 2d Dental Company at Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, which serves the 6th Marines, is named in honor of Lieutenant  Osborne. Dedicated on 6 June 1988, the 70th anniversary of his death at Belleau Wood, the Dental Clinic stands as a visible symbol of the enduring relationship between the Navy and Marine Corps.

Ironically, Lieutenant Osborne was not the sole member of the U.S. Navy Dental Corps to be awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism while serving with a Marine unit in World War I. Lieutenant Commander Alexander G. Lyle was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism in an earlier action while serving with the 5th Marines. On 23 April 1918, while his unit was under heavy shellfire on the French front, Lieutenant Commander Lyle rushed to the assistance of Corporal Thomas Regan, who was seriously wounded, and in the citation which accompanied his Medal of Honor, “administered such effective surgical assistance while the bombardment was still continuing,” as to save the life of the young Marine. Commander Lyle went on to command the Naval Dental Corps, and was the first dental officer in any service to be appointed to flag rank.

He retired on 1 August 1948, and was promoted to vice admiral on the basis of his combat awards. Today, the 33 Area Dental Clinic at Camp Margarita, serving the 5th Marines, is named in honor of the heroic dental surgeon.

Today marks the 127th anniversary of the installation of electric lighting in the steam frigate USS Trenton – the first such installation in a US warship. Of seven electric power companies asked by the Bureau of Navigation to bid on the project, only the Edison Company for Isolated Lighting did so, asking $5500 for a dynamo, engine, over two hundred lights, wiring and associated equipment. This experiment was a success, and the next year the Navy contracted for the lighting of three more ships.

In 1886, the Bureau of Navigation reported that “[t]his method of lighting ships of war, owing to the small amount of heat given off, the absence of disagreeable odors, and the more perfect illumination, adds much to the health and comfort of the officers and men, tends to make them contented and happy during their long absences from home and friends, promotes discipline and prevents crime.”