“Navies are soon to disappear, according to a critic in the New York Herald” July 1901

In 1901, predictions about the coming changes to the navies of the world were abundant. The industrial revolution had produced new technologies and science was rapidly advancing in many fields. The recent Spanish American war had shown how important a flexible navy was to a countries defense and the introduction of submarine warfare brought an […]

“The men who go down into the waters in these boats must take their lives in their hands.” Holland’s Invention in 1898

Sunday, April 24, 1898, the San Francisco papers and papers across the country were filled with the latest news about the Spanish American War that was already underway. America woke up that morning to the realization that it had seacoasts that stretched from north to south in both the east and the west. There was […]

One Veteran’s Story – Suicide knows no rank (March 28, 1942)

Veteran’s suicide is not a new phenomenon. It has been reported that upwards of twenty-two men and women veterans commit suicide every day. That number is not pure since there are a number of filters and interpretations that are often included in statistics. But even one suicide leaves an impact on the family and those […]

March 1946 – The Navy Gains a Foothold in the Atomic Field

In March of 1946, the country was still struggling to come to terms with the realization that the atom had been partially mastered. When the atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were used to help end the war in the Pacific, the eyes of the world suddenly were opened to the fact that nothing was […]

The Mighty “B” – Don’t give up the ship… the story of the USS Birmingham CL-62

On March 20, 1942, the cruiser Birmingham was launched at Newport News Virginia. Like so many ships of her generation, she was planned and designed around a model that had been determined during the various naval arms limitation treaties that predated the war she would fight in. In 1942, ships were desperately needed to fight […]

Letters from Home – Lifelines in a Sea of Loneliness

Mail Call Anyone from my generation and before who has ever served in the military is aware of how important letters are when you are away from home. They are truly the connection you have to a place where “normal” lives despite the chaos of your current situation. With the internet, my nephews told me […]

What’s in a name? The Saga of the Jinxed Sea Otter – 1942

What’s in a name? The Saga of the Jinxed Sea Otter Even before the United States entered World War II, an old nemesis from the last World War was making its presence known: the submarines of the German Navy. Sea commerce was the life blood of the British Empire and in 1940, America was already […]

The Three Plane Navy – The Story of Rear Admiral Fullam’s Vision

A little bit longer of a post than normal, but I found this to be an interesting story about a visionary man who played a key role in the Navy in the early 1900’s. Twenty years before the attack on Pearl Harbor, many voices were actively trying to warn about the narrow-minded vision of naval […]

A Mother’s Love… where have the last two years gone?

A Mother’s Love I feel sorry for anyone who had a bad or broken relationship with their Mom. Looking back over the years, I have known many people who went through that. There seemed to be a lot in the Navy who came from broken or less than perfect homes. They always seemed to be […]

May you live long enough that you long for your past despite the hardships and difficulties.

The definition for nostalgia that comes from Webster’s Dictionary include these: a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period of irrecoverable condition the state of being homesick With apologies to Webster and company, this is my definition: May you live long enough that you long for your past despite […]