Death of the Old Gambler – Yamamoto’s End
I was browsing through the movie selections on my TV a few weeks ago looking for something to occupy my time while I was on the treadmill. One of the movies that came up was about Admiral Halsey called...
View ArticleWomen went to war; I wonder what they wore ? – February 3 1942
My Mom celebrated her tenth birthday on February 3, 1942. She and I talked a few times about the war that was going on around her at that time and she did not have many memories. She was born into a...
View ArticleSinking of the S-26 Boat January 1942
Subsafe Anyone who has ever sailed on a US Navy submarine probably had at least some idea about the reasons for all the training and emphasis on safety that was given to them. From the beginning of...
View ArticleAll Hope was abandoned – the S-26 (Part 2)
Submarine rescues were still pretty rare in 1942. The rescue of the sailors from the sunken USS Squalus in 1939 was made possible because of the emerging technology that allowed a rescue bell to be...
View ArticleThe 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...
View ArticleThe Short Life of the USS Juneau – February 14 to November 13 1942
A fast ship for a new kind of war As the Japanese were crushing their opponents all across the western Pacific Ocean, the USS Juneau was commissioned on February 14, 1942, with great fanfare. Captain...
View ArticleThe Surrender of Singapore and the Great Bluff – February 15, 1942
The Surrender of Singapore and the Great Bluff In the early chaotic days of World War 2, the Japanese took advantage of the fact that the allies had bartered away so many opportunities to prepare for a...
View ArticleThe Ship That Wouldn’t Die – USS Shaw DD-373
The Ship That Wouldn’t Die – USS Shaw DD-373 One of the most remarkable pictures captured at Pearl Harbor on December 7th was the spectacular explosion of the USS Shaw which was in a floating dry dock...
View ArticleGallant Leadership and Courageous Conduct Under Fire – The Story of the USS...
In February 1942, the Navy was desperate for fighting ships. From the attack at Pearl Harbor to the battles that stretched across the Pacific, years of neglect in building an adequate amount of combat...
View ArticleThe 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...
View ArticleBook progress – Tell the Whole Story
One of my goals for the past few years was to tell the story of Cassin Young, Captain, US Navy. Cassin was a thirty-year man in the Navy that saw some of his most significant moments during two of the...
View ArticleWhen are those P-40’s going to arrive to “raise hell on the other side of the...
Where are the planes? March 7th In the Philippines, the ever-encroaching forces of the Imperial Japanese Army must have seemed relentless. The under gunned and under-protected American and Philippine...
View ArticleEverything Old is New Again – Life in the Nuclear Shadow
Everything Old is New Again I’ve spent a great deal of time over the past few years studying about the development of nuclear power for use by the US Navy. One of the most informative documents was...
View ArticleThe 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...
View ArticleWhat’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...
View ArticleThe 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...
View Article1922 – 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...
View Article1926 – There when you needed them (until now)
I was blessed to serve on five submarines during my time in the Navy. The boomers and fast attacks that sailed the open seas in defense of freedom played a key role in winning the Cold War. But from...
View ArticleDiesel men are like connoisseurs of old hams or juleps
This story from the Washington Star Newspaper from May 18, 1942, brought back a lot of memories for me. The first part certainly takes me back to all of the training I received as a young man in the...
View ArticleNavy Day in 1922 – The Thrill of a Lifetime
The weather on October 26, 1922 off the coast of New England was cold with fresh to strong northwest winds The Celebration of Navy Day was in full swing but two incidents were noted in the local paper....
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