Dear Naval Historical Foundation Family,

Welcome back to Thursday Tidings. 

On 17 June 1898, President William McKinley signed into law a Congressional bill authorizing the establishment of the U.S. Navy Hospital Corps. The law stated that “all necessary hospital and ambulance service at naval hospitals, naval stations, navy-yards, and marine barracks, and on vessels of the Navy, Coast Survey, and Fish Commission, shall be performed by the members of said corps, and the corps shall be permanently attached to the Medical Department of the Navy, and shall be included in the effective strength of the Navy and be counted as a part of the enlisted force provided by law, and shall be subject to the laws and regulations for the government of the Navy.” The crux of the Hospital Corps has always been Hospital Corpsman, a vital component of the success of the Fleet and Marine force since World War I. 

A total of 684 personal awards were awarded to hospital corpsmen, including 23 Medals of Honor, 55 Navy Crosses, and 237 Silver Stars. During World War I, hospital corpsmen served throughout the fleet, earning particular distinction on the Western Front with the Marine Corps. 

Today, the Navy Hospital Corps is comprised of more than 30,000 active duty and reserve Hospital Corpsmen that are practicing or training in 40 technical specialties. In honor of their anniversary on 17 June, this week’s focus for the Thursday Tidings will be the Hospital Corps, and specifically, Corpsman. 

Jeff Schultz reviews Landing Craft & Amphibians: Seaborne Vessels in the 20th Century this week. We have once again included some helpful links on the U.S. Navy's role in the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Check out our next Second Saturday on the Balisle Report and its impact on the U.S. Navy today. Registration is open!

As always, fair winds and following seas shipmates. This email is best viewed as a webpage for your reading convenience and best quality.

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Our Next Second Saturday:

The Balisle Report

Surface Ship Readiness--Why It Was Chartered, What It Said, What Was Done, Is It Still Relevant?

16 July 2022 | 11 am

During the Cold War, the Navy began the practice of building very complicated ships, which were expected to last a very long time. Because most of our wars have been on land, draining modernization and procurement funds, the Navy has pretty much had the appearance of extreme power but was often lacking the basic essentials to operate the fleet.

In February 2010, the Navy tasked retired three-star Adm. Phillip Balisle to assess surface force readiness. His report found that the Navy’s attempts to create efficiencies had instead harmed the fleet, resulting in cuts to staffing, training and maintenance.

The report warned that unless the Navy mended its ways, it would continue to see surface ships condemned in inspections and sail unready to fight. Our next Second Saturday (taking place on the third Saturday in July) will answer the question of the report's lasting impression and relevancy today. 

This event will feature VADM Peter Daly, VADM Phil Balisle, and RADM Brad Hicks.

The event will occur LIVE on our YouTube page on the morning of 16 July 2022. 

WATCH THE RECAP

2022 NHF Annual Meeting and the Cdr. David T. Leighton Lecture

The Indispensibles: The Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware

Our latest Second Saturday coincided with our annual meeting and the Cdr. David T. Leighton Lecture, which featured Patrick K. O’Donnell and his book The Indispensibles: The Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware. The entire presentation is complete to view at your leisure. 

NHF Executive Director Sonny Masso Participates in D-Day Lecture at Yogi Berra Museum (Images)

(LEFT) NHF Executive Director Sonny Masso and Lou Bernardi, Assistant Baseball Coach; (TOP) Sonny Masso and members of the USMMA Baseball Team. Watch the recap HERE. (USMMA Photos)

Establishment of the Navy Hospital Corps 

(Naval History and Heritage Command)

USS Solace (AH 2) off Mare Island Navy Yard, 1899. Solace was the first U.S. Navy ship to fly the Geneva Red Cross flag. 

CHAP. 463.—An Act To organize a hospital corps of the Navy of the United States; to define it duties and regulate its pay.

     Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of American in Congress assembled, That a hospital corps of the United States Navy is hereby established, and shall consist of pharmacists hospital stewards, hospital apprentices (first class), and hospital apprentices; and for this purpose the Secretary of the Navy is empowered to appoint twenty-five pharmacists with the rank, pay, and privileges of warrant officers, removable in the discretion of the Secretary, and to enlist, or cause to be enlisted, as many hospital stewards, hospital apprentices (first class), and hospital apprentices as in his judgment may be necessary, and to limit or fix the number, and to make such regulations as may be required for their enlistment and government. Enlisted men in the Navy or the Marine Corps shall be eligible for transfer to the hospital corps, and vacancies occurring in the grade of pharmacist shall be filled by the Secretary of the Navy by selection from those holding the rate of hospital steward.

     SEC. 2. That all necessary hospital and ambulance service at naval hospitals, naval stations, navy-yards, and marine barracks, and on vessels of the Navy, Coast Survey, and Fish Commission, shall be performed by the members of said corps, and the corps shall be permanently attached to the Medical Department of the Navy, and shall be included in the effective strength of the Navy and be counted as a part of the enlisted force provided by law, and shall be subject to the laws and regulations for the government of the Navy.

     SEC. 3. That the pay of hospital stewards shall be sixty dollars a month, and the pay of hospital apprentices (first class) thirty dollars a month, and the pay of hospital apprentices twenty dollars a month, with the increase on account of length of service as is now or may hereafter be allowed by law to other enlisted men in the Navy.

     SEC. 4. That all benefits derived from existing laws, or that may hereafter be allowed by law, to other warrant officers or enlisted men in the Navy shall be allowed in the same manner to the warrant officers or enlisted men in the hospital corps of the Navy.

     SEC. 5. That all acts and parts of acts, so far as they conflict with the provisions of this Act, are hereby repealed.

     Approved, June 17, 1898.

What the Navy is Doing: Join the Hospital Corps

Poster, c. 1925

(Naval History and Heritage Command Photo)

The lingering Great Depression ultimately brought reductions to Navy personnel strength. Its nurses were reduced to fewer than 350 by the mid-1930s and did not rise above 500 until the 1940-41 defense increases were well underway. However, from then on the Nurse Corps' growth was swift, with over 800 regular and reserve nurses on active duty on the eve of United States' entry into World War II.

Caption: "In the Navy Hospital Corps you learn to be a sea-going nurse and surgeons’ assistant. You are made familiar with laboratory work, hygiene, sanitation, first aid and are given elementary knowledge of medicine and surgical technique- a splendid training for those who later may wish to become medical or pharmaceutical students. Sixty per cent of the Navy hospital apprentices serving in France were cited for bravery and distinguished conduct. Truly a corps with a fine record."

(NHHC Photo #NH 76727-KN)

Corpsman at Normandy Invasion, 1944(National Archives Photo)

Normandy Invasion, Utah Beach, June 1944. A U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman writes a letter, in a Normandy beachhead bunker, 11 June 1944. Possibly at Utah Beach. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collection of the National Archives. 

(NARA Photo #80-G-252751)

Pharmacist's Mate Second Class George E. Whalen and Iwo Jima

A Profile of Courage

(National WWII Museum)

In 1943, 17-year-old George Whalen was working as an aircraft mechanic in his home state of Utah when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in June. With his past experience, he hoped to work on aircraft. But the Navy and Marine Corps needed corpsmen, so Whalen was sent to the Naval Hospital Training School in San Diego. After spending some time working in a naval hospital, Whalen went through field training and was assigned to the newly formed 5th Marine Division.

Whalen landed on Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945, with Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 26th Marines. As a corpsman, he had to take extra precautions. The Japanese knew the importance of medical personnel and were known to make them priority targets. Seven days into the campaign, Whalen was wounded by an enemy grenade. Wounded seriously enough to be evacuated, Whalen refused and rejoined his company. On March 2, Whalen was wounded again and refused to be evacuated. The next day, Whalen was wounded a third time—multiple shots from small arms fire at close range. This time, Whalen was seriously wounded and unable to walk. He collapsed and was presumed dead until someone checked on him a half-hour later. Corpsman Whalen was, inexplicably, still alive. This time he had no say in the matter. He was evacuated, and his war was over.

"The Docs" Graphic Novel

U.S. Naval Health Research Center

(Internet Archive)

The Docs is the story of four Navy Corpsmen deployed to Iraq. While some events in the novel are specific to Operation Iraqi Freedom, this graphic novel is not intended to depict any specific time period or conflict. Rather, it represents a more general view of military life within a combat zone. The intent is to highlight challenges faced by Corpsmen in all wars. The commitment of Corpsmen to meeting these challenges is, like the story itself, timeless.

READ THE FULL GRAPHIC NOVEL FREE

Landing Craft & Amphibians: Seaborne Vessels in the 20th Century

By Ben Skipper

Reviewed by Jeff Schultz

Ben Skipper’s Landing Craft & Amphibians: Seaborne Vessels in the 20th Century provides a nice mix of supporting text and images which overview the landing craft mostly used by the Allied nations in World War II and beyond, with a brief mention of non-Allied designs. It is meant as an introductory, visual heavy work to spawn interest and in that way, it succeeds, as well as providing photographs and other information relevant to modelers who might want to build a diorama or vessel for display.

Continue Reading the Full Review Here

If you are interested in World War II history, please consider reviewing Running the Gauntlet: Cargo Liners Under Fire, by Bernard Edwards.

Guidelines for getting involved in the NHF Book Review program can be found here,

and a list of titles available for review can be found here.

History in the Making: The U.S. Navy and the Ukrainian Crisis -- Select Links and Topics of Interest

We are currently witnessing history in the making with the situation involving the Russian invasion of Ukraine beginning last week. How does the U.S. Navy fit in? How are strategists, theorists, and journalists gauging the role of the U.S. Navy in any impending conflict? Here are several articles of note that seek to answer these questions as the situation progresses. Article opinions reflect those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any stance by the Naval Historical Foundation. 

• Russia, Ukraine and Grain | The Blockade of Odessa (Maritime Nation Podcast)
• Ukrainian Grain: How to Lift Russia’s Black Sea Blockade? (Naval News)
• Ukraine Deploys Anti-Ship Harpoon Missiles to the Edge of Black Sea, MoD Says (USNI)
• With New Tactics, Ukraine Can Break Russia’s Black Sea Grain Blockade (Forbes)
• Ukrainian Navy Ship in Dramatic Escape, Survives Russian Artillery Attack (Naval News)

Appeal For Assistance

Captain John Hebert Dent Memorial Fund

By Fred M. Apgar

Gravesite at Bethel Cemetery in Jacksonboro, SC

We recently received an email from an individual asking for assistance in sprucing up the neglected gravesite of Captain John Hebert Dent, a naval officer that served during the Quasi-War, First Barbary War, and the War of 1812. He was the acting captain of USS Constitution during the attacks on Tripoli in 1804. Captain Dent is buried in a neglected plot in Jacksonboro, South Carolina, in Bethel Cemetery. His goal is to raise funds to better serve the memory of Captain Dent and his service to the United States. 

He writes: "Since your organization’s mission is to promote the rich history and heritage of the United States Navy, I thought you would like to join us in honoring Captain Dent. He was one of the Navy’s outstanding and respected officers, one who contributed so much to the legacy of the fledgling United States Navy and our emerging nation. I invite the Naval Historical Foundation to join us in honoring the memory of Captain John Hebert Dent."

You can read the full text of the appeal HERE. 

Capstan from USS Carbonero (SS 337)

By John L. Morris

In 1975, the decommissioned fleet submarine USS Carbonero (SS 337) was designated as the target submarine for a live-warhead test of the then-new Mark 48 submarine torpedo. USS Moctobi (ATF 105), a seagoing, “fleet tug” was assigned to tow Carbonero to the test operation area off Hawaii. Moctobi's officers inspected the sub inside and out as required to ensure she was ready for towing. The executive officer was concerned that the large, bronze forward capstan, used for taking in mooring lines, might interfere with rigging the towing bridle, so he removed it and had it turned in to the submarine base supply office. After the test, he visited that office and asked what they did with such material. The reply was that certain items “screened” as not re-usable were sold at a monthly property disposal auction. Out of curiosity he attended the next auction and saw the same capstan in a “lot” with some other brass/bronze objects. Thinking it might make a nice souvenir he bid and won, then sold the unwanted items to the local scrapyard. The capstan is marked on top near the center, in three lines: “Carbonero, 337, FWD.” There are still small barnacles attached to the underside of the capstan, and it retains small patches of a special dull black paint used on submarines. 

Dimensions: Diameter: 24.5 in., Height, total: 25.5 in., Height of above-deck drum: 16 in. (Private collection, Philadelphia, PA)

More photos are HERE. 

U.S. Navy Corpsman During Vietnam War Shares His Experiences

(HRNM/YouTube)

This Day in Naval History - 16 June

(Produced by NHHC)