Naval History Blog

It may come as no surprise to you all (seeing as I am a digital archivist who spends all day with technology) but I am a self-admitted nerd, complete with a love of video games. One of my favorite games – and one I suggest to anyone new to solo-gaming – is Bioshock, which takes place in a man-made underwater utopia turned dystopian nightmare. While the technologies featured in this game are worlds away, humanity’s exploration of underwater living was a bit more developed than I expected, as I learned during yet another sojourn into USNI’s Photo Archive. Today we… Read the rest of this entry »

Throughout the centuries many ships have had mascots – cats, dogs, monkeys, parrots – and during World War II there was a profusion of them. Many were adopted as part of the ship’s crew, but none ever achieved Sinbad’s stature or lasting fame. His fame extended to sailors of all countries whose ships plied the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea and spread ashore to U.S. cities far inland. It all started on a winter’s evening in late 1937, when Blackie and his friend Ed Maillard returned from liberty to the USCGC Campbell (WPG-32) in Staten Island, New York. Blackie was carrying a… Read the rest of this entry »

The 34th annual reunion of the USS Bon Homme Richard Shipmates Association will be held 11-14 Sept 2019 at the Red Lion Hotel in Harrisburg, PA. For additional information please go to www.ussbhrshipmates.org or contact Jim Kosinski. Email: [email protected] or phone: 805-650-9134

During the course of a day in the U.S. Naval Institute Photo Archive, a digital archivist can make their way through a lot of photographs. After a while, they can all seem to blend together, becoming some strange amalgamation of a battle scene, an aircraft, and a naval vessel in the mind’s eye. That’s why it’s always a treat when a photograph comes along that breaks the cycle and brings you something different, fun, or exciting. For example, this photograph: I did some extra digging about this bear and his human companion. In the summer of 1929, the minesweeper USS… Read the rest of this entry »

Marines earned the title “Teufel Hunden” (German for “Devil Dog”) at the Battle of Belleau Wood in 1918, so it was only natural that on June 27, 1927, the U.S. Marine Corps adopted the English Bulldog as the official mascot. Here are six Bulldogs of the Marine Corps:   1. Sergeant Major Jiggs I (1922-1927)   The first English Bulldog to join the ranks was Jiggs, who was enlisted in 1922 by BGen. Smedley Butler. “Sgt. Jiggs” starred in the 1926 movie “Tell It To The Marines.” Jiggs ultimately rose to the rank of Sergeant Major before he died in 1927. His memorial was… Read the rest of this entry »

Dogs have long been popular mascots in the U.S. sea services for their seemingly innate ability to build morale. In the early days, dogs often served a more practical function by leading patrols onto foreign shores to search for food and to warn of danger lurking out of eyesight. But mostly, dogs provided welcome relief from the monotony of being at sea for months on end.                           — — — — — —                              … Read the rest of this entry »

Sailors and cats have a special relationship that dates back thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians likely were the first seafarers to realize the true value of having cats as shipmates. In addition to offering sailors much-needed companionship on long voyages, cats provided protection by ridding ships of vermin. Without the presence of cats, a crew might find their ship overrun with rats and mice that would eat into the provisions, chew through ropes, and spread disease. Superstitious sailors believed that cats protected them by bringing good luck. Others thought that the keen eyesight of cats would help guide them… Read the rest of this entry »

It was in 218 B.C. that the Carthaginian commander Hannibal famously marched some 30 elephants across the Alps and over the Rhône River by boat to attack Rome during the Second Punic War. In the millennia that have followed, the use of elephants in naval warfare has not accounted to much — certain films, of course, excepted. But that has not stopped pachydermous photographs from appearing in the Naval Institute’s Photo Archive for one reason or another. The selection that follows shows some of the interactions naval personnel have had over the years with the elephants they’ve encountered in their… Read the rest of this entry »