The USS Albacore SS 218 and her Sponsor – February 1942

The story of World War 2 is always a combination of the stories of the ships that served and the men who were involved in their lives. This story is about the USS Albacore, but it is also a story about some of the men who were around when she was launched. The ship’s sponsor […]

The cost of peace is often the next war.

On February 12, 1922, the American fleet began their annual exercises. These exercises had been conducted for a very long time and were designed to test the readiness of the sips and the men who sailed on them. But in 1922, a very different atmosphere hung heavy over the entire fleet. Coming off of […]

Holiday Routine – U.S.S. Vestal Daily Employment Schedule for Sunday, 7 December 1941

Holiday Routine – U.S.S. Vestal Daily Employment Schedule for Sunday, 7 December 1941 The document I discovered during my research on Cassin Young was yellowed and tattered with age. Some sailor had the presence of mind to keep a copy of it in his personal possession as a reminder of the day that would live […]

USS Pollack SS 180 – Bringing the War to the Enemy January 1942

A great piece of history concerning the first submarine to draw blood in the waters off of Japan. America was still reeling from the attacks at Pearl and across the Pacific. The large battleships were crippled or sunk and the aircraft carriers that would ultimately tip the scales were still few and far between. One […]

We Regret to Inform You… January 1942 and the aftermath of Pearl Harbor

We regret to inform you. The attack on Pearl Harbor was so swift and deadly that the military was not prepared to deal with the consequences of not being prepared for war: Identifying the souls lost and notifying the families about their loss. Considering the number of dead and wounded, it should not be a […]

The Pearl Harbor Attack at Eighty Years

On December 7, 2021, it will be eighty years since the “surprise” attack on Pearl Harbor. In all of those years, many books have been written about the attack and its significance. In the aftermath of the attack, there were also a lot of congressional hearings to discover why such a devastating attack could have […]

“The average citizen is not aware of the dangers that confront America” Launching the Colorado

Happy Spring The weather is getting warmer so writing will be more challenging for a while. As I look at the world situation, I can’t help but think that not much has changed in a hundred years. Today’s story from the archives is about Sea Power, Great ships, Great men and the thread that connects […]

March 2, 1941… Japan will be a pushover

March of 1941 was a month of great significance in the march to global war. I don’t know anything about the writer of this article in the Washington Evening Star. But I do know that his column was probably being used as a way to telegraph the activities to the world at a time when […]

In Plain Sight (Part 2)

This is a much more detailed account about the man who provided the information to the Japanese Navy about Oahu: UNDER COVER On March 27, 1941, a 27-year-old junior diplomat named Tadashi Morimura arrived in Honolulu to take his post as vice-consul at the Japanese consulate. But that was just a cover- “Morimura” was really […]

In Plain Sight…

Eighty years ago, the United States was still at relative peace. In Europe, Britain was hanging on for life while France and most of the other occupied nations were adjusting to life under the heel of the Nazi warlords. In the Far East, Japan was beginning to feel the pressure of the sanctions imposed by […]