Naval History Blog

Did you know that today, on the 28th of November, 1863, the USS Chippewa convoyed the Army transports Monohansett and Mayflower up Skull Creek, South Carolina, on a reconnaissance mission? I don’t imagine the majority of folks do, unless they are American Civil War buffs, but I learned that particular fact perusing through today’s events in history, looking for a subject for my blog post. While the specifics of this mission (which was successful, by the by) aren’t the subject of my blog post today, looking into this event was the catalyst for what I will be covering: Unadilla-class gunboats…. Read the rest of this entry »

By Capt. R. Mark Stacpoole, U.S. Navy, American Legation, U.S. Naval Attaché, Jakarta, Indonesia I ask you to spend a minute this weekend in remembrance of the 1,082 brave men of the heavy cruiser USS Houston (CA 30). It was in the early hours of March 1st, 73 years ago, that she sailed for the final time into the teeth of enemy fire. While heading for the Sunda Strait, and in concert with the Australian light cruiser HMAS Perth, she ran into the main Japanese invasion force then landing on the island of Java. This force consisted, in its entirety,… Read the rest of this entry »

From Naval History and Heritage Command, Communication Outreach Division The Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) announced the winners of its logo design contest, whose work will serve to inspire the new NHHC logo. The winning design (pictured right) came from Nathan E. Quinn, a graphics specialist at the Defense Media Activity. “The main point I was trying to convey with the design is that ‘our past guides our future.’ I have an image of the USS Constitution, which is a long-standing symbol of the Navy. It has persevered through many hardships but still stands today and I think that… Read the rest of this entry »

At the conclusion of the Logo Design Contest, NHHC recieved over 40 solid design submissions (with variations) from contestants around the country.

Establishment of Naval Construction Battalions March 5, 1942 VADM Ben Moreell, CEC, USN circa 1945 December, 1941, with the expected U.S. involvement in the coming World War, Rear Admiral Ben Moreell, Chief of the Navy’s Bureau of Yards and Docks, recommended establishing Naval Construction Battalions. With the attack on Pearl Harbor, his recommendation was approved. March, 5th, 1942  the name SeaBees and the now iconic insignia were officially authorized.   “The SeaBees in World War II,” by Admiral Ben Moreell It is no simple matter to relate the World War II exploits of the SeaBees.

Now Hear This – the GI Film Festival is coming to the Navy Memorial next week! The GI Film Festival, the nation’s first and only military film festival, is coming to the Navy Memorial May 9-15, 2011. We have a week full of celebrity red carpet events, dazzling parties and inspirational films by and about our servicemembers and veterans. Watch a preview here on NAVY TV – there’s also a highlight film of the 2010 Festival. Buy your tickets for the GI Film Festival here and enter code “MIL11” for a discount. See you THERE!

 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… Read the rest of this entry »