“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 […]

1922 – Radio, Seaplanes and A Seagoing Covered Wagon

1922 was a year that saw both progress and limitations for the US Military and especially the Navy. Both would play a key role in the war that could come less than two decades after. The implementation of the terms of the Washington Naval Arms Limitation Treaty were already being felt. The new class at […]

Carrie Lewis DelRosso for Lieutenant Governor – For Information Only

Carrie Lewis DelRosso, the freshman state lawmaker from Oakmont, decided to tack from her House position and set her sights on the office of Lieutenant Governor. DelRosso (R-Allegheny/Westmoreland), who stunned the western part of the Commonwealth when she defeated Frank Dermody in 2020, represents the 33rd House District. However, the Legislative Reapportionment Commission’s new maps have drawn […]

Doug Mastriano for Governor – For Information Only

Doug Mastriano is a combat veteran and the son of a career US Navy man. He is an Eagle Scout and worked as a paperboy, janitor, security guard, short-order cook, pizza delivery person and dishwasher. Doug was commissioned in the U.S. Army in 1986 and served on the Iron Curtain with the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment […]

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 […]