Naval History & Heritage Command

05/04/2021

Wreckage of USS Lexington Located in Coral Sea

#OTD in 1942, the Battle of the Coral Sea began. This was the first at-sea battle in world history where opposing ships were not in visual range of one another and all damage to the ships was inflicted by aircraft. The battle also represented the first time since Pearl Harbor that the enemy advance in the Pacific was halted.

During the battle, on May 8, the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2) was sunk by the Japanese. Her wreckage was lost until an expedition crew of Research Vessel RV Petrel discovered her in March 2018, seen below.

Read more about the Battle of Coral Sea here: https://go.usa.gov/xHQCs

05/03/2021

As we kick off Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month, we're highlighting Susan Ahn Cuddy, the first female Asian-American to serve in the Navy and also its first female gunnery officer.

She also served as an instructor in both combat air tactics and the use of the .50 caliber machine gun, worked at U.S. Naval Intelligence as a code breaker, and served as Navy liaison to the Library of Congress. After leaving active duty, Cuddy served as Section Chief at the National Security Agency (NSA).

Click the link to read more about her life and achievements as a trailblazer for others #AAPI #navyheritage: https://go.usa.gov/xHESG

As we kick off Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month, we're highlighting Susan Ahn Cuddy, the first female Asian-American to serve in the Navy and also its first female gunnery officer.

She also served as an instructor in both combat air tactics and the use of the .50 caliber machine gun, worked at U.S. Naval Intelligence as a code breaker, and served as Navy liaison to the Library of Congress. After leaving active duty, Cuddy served as Section Chief at the National Security Agency (NSA).

Click the link to read more about her life and achievements as a trailblazer for others #AAPI #navyheritage: https://go.usa.gov/xHESG

05/03/2021

In honor of Gold Star Family Awareness Month in May, nearly 300 Seabees gathered at the Gulfport base in Biloxi, MS, to form a human gold star paying special tribute to those in the U.S. Navy who lost their lives over the past year and the families they left behind. “We want to honor our families. We want people to know that this program is available not only to support Gold Star families but that our community can rally around these service members and their families to show support,” said Emily Kolenda, coordinator of the program on base. You can find out more about the event by clicking below!

For more info about Gold Star Families click here: https://go.usa.gov/xQ8kK

In honor of Gold Star Family Awareness Month in May, nearly 300 Seabees gathered at the Gulfport base in Biloxi, MS, to form a human gold star paying special tribute to those in the U.S. Navy who lost their lives over the past year and the families they left behind. “We want to honor our families. We want people to know that this program is available not only to support Gold Star families but that our community can rally around these service members and their families to show support,” said Emily Kolenda, coordinator of the program on base. You can find out more about the event by clicking below!

For more info about Gold Star Families click here: https://go.usa.gov/xQ8kK

05/02/2021

Operation Enduring Freedom

#OTD in 2011, President Barack Obama announced that Navy SEALs had raided Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and killed America's most-wanted terrorist during the mission dubbed Operation Neptune Spear.

In response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, the U.S. launched Operation Enduring Freedom, which officially began on October 7, 2001, with American and British airstrikes against al-Qaeda and Taliban forces in Afghanistan. Enduring Freedom officially ended on Dec. 28, 2014, but coalition forces remain on the ground to assist with training Afghan security forces.

To read more about Operation Enduring Freedom click here: https://go.usa.gov/xHECn

In response to the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, Operation Enduring Freedom officially began 7 October 2001 with American and British bombing strikes against al-Qaeda and Taliban forces in Afghanistan. Initially, the Taliban was removed from power and al-Qaeda....

05/01/2021

The History Galley: Soft Sugar Cookies

Naval History & Heritage Command takes us into the History Galley with another recipe from the 1945 edition of the Cookbook of the U.S. Navy. With almost every supper and dinner menu in the cookbook was a dessert option. And a very easy recipe that they could whip up to fill this place was Soft Sugar Cookies. Follow along and learn how to make this recipe at home!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2Obkt2jw0Q&list=PL14njPbzneObTp-RpfcWIGDzCCPl_yv45&index=41

Naval History & Heritage Command takes us into the History Galley with another recipe from the 1945 edition of the Cookbook of the U.S. Navy. With almost eve...

05/01/2021

In this week's edition of #NavalHistoryMatters Director Cox summarizes content on the first curator of the Navy - Dudley Knox, the first African American Flag Officer - Adm. Samuel Gravely, and his H-Gram on the disappearance of the fleet tug, USS Conestoga.

Click the link below to read all that and more! https://go.usa.gov/xHUVn

Pictured below: Ship's Company beside and on Conestoga, at San Diego, California, circa early 1921

In this week's edition of #NavalHistoryMatters Director Cox summarizes content on the first curator of the Navy - Dudley Knox, the first African American Flag Officer - Adm. Samuel Gravely, and his H-Gram on the disappearance of the fleet tug, USS Conestoga.

Click the link below to read all that and more! https://go.usa.gov/xHUVn

Pictured below: Ship's Company beside and on Conestoga, at San Diego, California, circa early 1921

05/01/2021

H-018-5 Manila Bay

#OTD in 1898, The Battle of Manila Bay took place.

Up against a superior American naval gunnery and seamanship, the Spanish Pacific Squadron was in deep trouble before the war even started. Contra-Almirante (Rear Admiral) Patricio Montojo’s ships were outdated, poorly-maintained, under-manned, and short on ammunition.

Manila Bay was more like a massacre With only one non-combat related fatality on the U.S. side, all seven Spanish ships were abandoned—either sunk, aground, scuttled or on fire, with between 77 and 381 dead.

Read more about what led up to the battle and the subsequent outcome at the link below 👇
https://go.usa.gov/xHESe

H-Gram 018, Attachment 5 Samuel J. Cox, Director NHHC April 2018 In the mid-1890s, as tensions between the United States and Spain increased due to the rebellion in the Spanish colony of Cuba, the U.S. Navy began planning for the possibility of conflict with Spain. For about four years, the U.S. Nav...

05/01/2021

Asian-American and Pacific Islander month

On May 14, 1991, Congress extends a joint Congressional Resolution to permanently designate the month of May each year as Asian/Pacific Heritage Month. This comes from the history of Asian/Pacific Heritage week which began on May 7, 1869 - with the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States, and concluded on May 10, 1869, with “Golden Spike Day,” the day that the transcontinental railroad was completed.

Watch the very short video below produced by the U.S. Navy as an introduction to #AsianAmericanAndPacificIslanderMonth

The U.S. Navy Celebrates Asian-American and Pacific Islander month.

04/30/2021

The Naval History and Heritage Command has a long history of preserving, analyzing, and disseminating the history and heritage of the U.S. Navy. Our organization traces its roots back to the 1800s when President John Adams instructed the first Secretary of the Navy, Benjamin Stoddert, to prepare a catalog of professional books for use in the Secretary's office.

Over the next two centuries, the Navy's history was collected through various offices and departments. Finally, in the early 1970s, the organization, ultimately entitled the Naval History and Heritage Command, became a single entity responsible for all aspects of Navy historical preservation and dissemination. #PreservationWeek

To view photos of more than 500 historic artifacts in the NHHC collection, check out the command's Flickr page at https://bit.ly/3sX4pVT

Pictured below: Brass Ship's Bell from USS Dewey.

The Naval History and Heritage Command has a long history of preserving, analyzing, and disseminating the history and heritage of the U.S. Navy. Our organization traces its roots back to the 1800s when President John Adams instructed the first Secretary of the Navy, Benjamin Stoddert, to prepare a catalog of professional books for use in the Secretary's office.

Over the next two centuries, the Navy's history was collected through various offices and departments. Finally, in the early 1970s, the organization, ultimately entitled the Naval History and Heritage Command, became a single entity responsible for all aspects of Navy historical preservation and dissemination. #PreservationWeek

To view photos of more than 500 historic artifacts in the NHHC collection, check out the command's Flickr page at https://bit.ly/3sX4pVT

Pictured below: Brass Ship's Bell from USS Dewey.

04/30/2021

Ship2Shore with Dr. Rebecca Staben, D.O. (OB-GYN) / Girl Scout Leader

We're capping off Month of the Military Child with an interview with Dr. Rebecca Staben, a Girl Scout Leader and former Navy Lt. Cmdr., as she talks about joining the Navy and the impact Girl Scouts had on her and how her Navy service was both helped by it and how she is now able to pay it forward.

04/30/2021

#OTD in Seabee History 2008 - Builder Constructionman Philip Riley, a Seabee assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3, instructed an Iraqi soldier on how to use a pneumatic nail gun during the construction of a Southwest Asia hut at a combat outpost in Taqaddum, Iraq.

Seabees from NMCB-3 were building the Huts for a U.S. military transition team and the Iraqi Army.

Follow along the rest of this week for more Seabee content! U.S. Navy Seabee Museum Navy Expeditionary Combat Command

Pictured Below: Builder Constructionman Philip Riley, instructs an Iraqi soldier on how to use a pneumatic nail gun during the construction of a Southwest Asia hut.

#OTD in Seabee History 2008 - Builder Constructionman Philip Riley, a Seabee assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3, instructed an Iraqi soldier on how to use a pneumatic nail gun during the construction of a Southwest Asia hut at a combat outpost in Taqaddum, Iraq.

Seabees from NMCB-3 were building the Huts for a U.S. military transition team and the Iraqi Army.

Follow along the rest of this week for more Seabee content! U.S. Navy Seabee Museum Navy Expeditionary Combat Command

Pictured Below: Builder Constructionman Philip Riley, instructs an Iraqi soldier on how to use a pneumatic nail gun during the construction of a Southwest Asia hut.

04/30/2021

Today's Silent Hero® goes out to Seaman 2nd Class, Ernest Keaouli Sur.

Sur joined the Home Guard following the December 7, 1941 attack at Pearl Harbor. After training, he was assigned to the 299th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion, Company E. His first assignment was to guard Hawaiʻi's Kaneohe Bay Hospital for seven months.

All Japanese American soldiers were reassigned to the 100th Battalion, a segregated unit, breaking up the 299th Infantry Regiment. Sur was faced with the choice of transferring to another unit on the mainland or enlisting in another branch of the U.S. military.

He chose to join the U.S. Navy on August 8, 1942. After training, he joined the USS YP-345.

On October 31, 1942, while en-route to Midway Island from Pearl Harbor, USS YP-345 vanished without a trace 80 miles northeast of Laysan Island. The cause of its disappearance is unknown.
Sur and 16 other sailors were declared dead on November 1, 1943.

Read Seaman Second Class Ernest Keaouli Sur's complete story here: https://buff.ly/2P5MtdV or click on the post below 👇
#HighlightingHeroes #NHDSilentHeroes #NHD2021 #NationalHistoryDay
#WorldWarII

04/29/2021

Need a little afternoon pick me up? There's nothing like that first sip of a fresh brew, and with long hours and grueling schedules, #coffeebreaks have been key for Sailors of all generations.

How do you take your coffee?
#caffeine #coffee #sugarorcream
(Sailor on USS R-13 (SS-90) drinking coffee, 1940)

Need a little afternoon pick me up? There's nothing like that first sip of a fresh brew, and with long hours and grueling schedules, #coffeebreaks have been key for Sailors of all generations.

How do you take your coffee?
#caffeine #coffee #sugarorcream
(Sailor on USS R-13 (SS-90) drinking coffee, 1940)

04/29/2021

#OTD in Seabee History in 2009 - Engineering Aid 3rd Class Raynante B. Taa recorded the information being relayed to him from Steelworker Constructionman Lisa W. Majzoub who was taking measurements during their surveying project at Camp Bastion.

Both Seabees were assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5. NMCB-5 was deployed to Afghanistan in support of NATO International Security Assistance Force.

Follow along the rest of this week for more Seabee content! U.S. Navy Seabee Museum Navy Expeditionary Combat Command

Pictured Below: Petty Officer 3rd Class Raynante B. Taa records the information being relayed to him from Constructionman Lisa W. Majzoub, who is taking measurements during their surveying project at Camp Bastion. Both Seabees are assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5. (Courtesy Photo U.S. Navy)

#OTD in Seabee History in 2009 - Engineering Aid 3rd Class Raynante B. Taa recorded the information being relayed to him from Steelworker Constructionman Lisa W. Majzoub who was taking measurements during their surveying project at Camp Bastion.

Both Seabees were assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5. NMCB-5 was deployed to Afghanistan in support of NATO International Security Assistance Force.

Follow along the rest of this week for more Seabee content! U.S. Navy Seabee Museum Navy Expeditionary Combat Command

Pictured Below: Petty Officer 3rd Class Raynante B. Taa records the information being relayed to him from Constructionman Lisa W. Majzoub, who is taking measurements during their surveying project at Camp Bastion. Both Seabees are assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5. (Courtesy Photo U.S. Navy)

04/28/2021

Remembering Admiral Sam Gravely | Preble Hall

#OTD in 1971 Samuel L. Gravely, Jr., was promoted to rear admiral while serving as commander of USS Jouett, becoming the U.S. Navy’s first African American flag officer.

Below we've included a link to the U.S. Naval Academy Museum's #PrebleHallPodcast which features CMC Richard Curtis, USN (Ret) where he recalls what it was like to serve on the USS Falgout under Gravely's first command.

Samuel Lee Gravely Jr. was a United States Navy officer. He was the first African American in the U.S. Navy to serve aboard a fighting ship as an officer, the first to command a Navy ship, the first fleet commander, and the first to become a flag officer, retiring as a vice admiral.

Click below to listen more:

This episode is for the Naval History and Heritage Command's anchor dates. Samuel Lee Gravely Jr. was a United States Navy officer. He was the first African American in the U.S. Navy to serve aboard a fighting ship as an officer, the first to command a Navy ship, the first fleet commander, and the f...

04/28/2021

#OTD in Seabee History in 2015 - Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11, Construction Civic Action Detail (CCAD) Marshall Islands, prepared to lift a prefabricated truss for the Hamilton Beach Pavilion.

NMCB-11, CCAD Marshall Islands was deployed to Kwajalein Atoll to complete humanitarian construction alongside local workers and conduct community engagement programs.

Follow along the rest of this week for more Seabee content! U.S. Navy Seabee Museum Navy Expeditionary Combat Command

Pictured Below: Builder 3rd Class Kyle Svenson of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11, Construction Civic Action Detail (CCAD) Marshall Islands, looks over the two-week schedule tracking progress of the Emon Beach Lifeguard Shack project. (U.S. Navy photo by Construction Electrician Constructionman Jamette Coleman/Released)

#OTD in Seabee History in 2015 - Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11, Construction Civic Action Detail (CCAD) Marshall Islands, prepared to lift a prefabricated truss for the Hamilton Beach Pavilion.

NMCB-11, CCAD Marshall Islands was deployed to Kwajalein Atoll to complete humanitarian construction alongside local workers and conduct community engagement programs.

Follow along the rest of this week for more Seabee content! U.S. Navy Seabee Museum Navy Expeditionary Combat Command

Pictured Below: Builder 3rd Class Kyle Svenson of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11, Construction Civic Action Detail (CCAD) Marshall Islands, looks over the two-week schedule tracking progress of the Emon Beach Lifeguard Shack project. (U.S. Navy photo by Construction Electrician Constructionman Jamette Coleman/Released)