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15 October 2024
Welcome back to our National Maritime Historical Society members and friends who share a love for naval history!
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Hopefully our readers had an opportunity this past weekend to raise a glass to toast the 249th birthday of the US Navy. There is just one year to go before the big 250 for both the Navy and Marine Corps and Philadelphia has embraced these milestones with a series of events that you can check out at Homecoming 250 - Navy & Marine Corps Anniversary
As Major League Baseball begins its two-league championship series, we share an article from the Naval War College about a “historic” clash of Army and Navy squads. We also share news of a new educational outreach initiative incorporating naval history in Alexandria, VA, and offer news from NHHC on the most recent undersea warship discovery. In this busy edition we also have some news from the UK and an announcement of Navy art calendars going on sale. Regarding Calls for Papers, the deadline for submissions to next March’s Society for Military History Conference is this Friday.
For this week’s Naval History Book Review we feature Barrett Tillman’s review of Casemate’s republication of First Hellcat Ace. Thanks to all who requested books for review this past week. Unfortunately, because of your support of the program, the number of books available for review is at a low point. Still, you should check out the list! (By the way, if anybody has a copy of Admiral Stavridis’s The Restless Wave and wants to offer a review, let us know!)
Tuesday Tidings is compiled by Dr. David F. Winkler and Jessie Henderson as a benefit for members of the National Maritime Historical Society and friends of naval history.
As always, comments and naval history news items are welcome at nmhs@seahistory.org.
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US Naval War College Celebrates History, Heritage, Teamwork During Annual Army-Navy Baseball Game | |
NEWPORT, R.I. - The US Naval War College (NWC) hosted its seventh annual “Cardines Classic” Army-Navy baseball game at Cardines Field in downtown Newport, on 4 Oct. Photos courtesy Naval War College Public Affairs. | |
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Designed as an experiential learning opportunity to explore the unique role of baseball in shaping American diplomatic policy and global maritime strategy in war and peace, the annual game features NWC students competing against each other in World War 1 period uniforms.
“Among the oldest baseball fields in the Americas, the rich historical connections between the Naval War College and Cardines Field remain vivid when Army faces Navy in First World War- era baseball uniforms for our annual Cardines Classic,” said Dr. David Kohnen, professor with NWC’s John B. Hattendorf Center for Maritime Historical Research and organizer of the event. “However, NWC also has strong institutional connections to the game, as it was used to foster global collaboration among maritime powers during the formative periods of the twentieth-century world wars and beyond to the twenty-first century.”
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Photo courtesy Naval War College Public Affairs. | |
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Organized with support from the Naval War College Foundation, the Naval History and Heritage Command, and the Newport Gulls, and sponsored by the Pritzker Military Museum and Library, this year’s Cardines Classic drew more than 300 members of the local community, offering them an opportunity to experience and celebrate a piece of US military and sports history.
The event was also attended by former Boston Red Sox player Sam Horn, who took part in the opening ceremonies and thanked those involved for putting the game together.
This year’s game was also dedicated to Joel Sevy, the son of an NWC student playing for team Army who passed away earlier this year. Joel was an avid baseball fan who played on domestic and international Little League teams, including one in Taiwan where his father was stationed with the US State Department.
Kohnen and other NWC faculty members founded Cardines Classic based on a 4 July 1918 Army-Navy baseball game, organized by Rear Adm. William S. Sims, former president of NWC and then commander of US Naval Forces in Europe. Sims saw baseball as a conduit for developing trust and camaraderie between Entente forces at a time when US military personnel arriving on the Western Front were met with skepticism.
An effective, unifying strategy, the game caught the attention of King George V, a regular attendant at baseball games. King George signed the baseball used during the original game, honoring the winners and celebrating the camaraderie between Entente forces that would be needed to ultimately win the war.
Today, a Royal Navy student from NWC’s international programs department stands in for King George and ceremonially signs the game ball.
An exhibit titled To Win or Lose All: William S. Sims and the US Navy in the first World War is also on permanent display at the NWC Museum. The exhibit explores the Navy’s role in securing victory for the Allies during the First World War and includes information and objects from the original baseball game in London. The museum is open Mondays through Fridays from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM or by special appointment, made by calling 401-856-5270.
Located in historic Founders Hall, the Naval War College Museum serves to educate the US Naval War College (NWC) community, as the corporate memory of the US Navy in the region, and as a clearinghouse for naval history information in New England.
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Learning the Ropes! Tall Ship Providence launches Field Trip Program | |
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Photo courtesy Tall Ship Providence
Students shown above are learning seamanship skills, thanks in part to a generous grant from Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) provided to the tall ship Providence. The foundation supporting the Alexandria, VA-based replica of John Paul Jones’s Continental Navy flagship has initiated a Field Trip Program (FTP) targeting fourth-grade classes attending the 273 Title One designated schools in the region surrounding and including the nation’s capital. (Title One schools host students living below the poverty line with limited access to the social and educational opportunities). With its new Senator John Warner Education Center opening in the past year, Providence is now providing opportunities to teach early US naval history and an assortment of STEM subjects aims to fulfill Standards of Learning (SOL) objectives for the participating school districts. As such, Providence has joined the ranks of a number of historic naval ships providing such opportunities to their local communities. For more on the Field Trip Program and support opportunities click HERE.
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USS Stewart (DD 224)
Ship fought for both navies in World War II
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Image courtesy of Donald M. McPherson/US. Naval History and Heritage Command. | |
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The wreck of USS Stewart (DD 224), a World War II-era destroyer with the unusual history of serving as both a US Navy ship and a Japanese ship, was recently located off the coast of northern California. After being decommissioned by the US Navy following World War II, Stewart was used as a practice target by US military aircraft and sunk in 1946. On 1 August 2024, the wreck of Stewart was found by the robotic marine survey company Ocean Infinity. The wreck was located in the area consistent with the last known location of Stewart at the time the ship had been sunk, which is within the boundaries of NOAA’s Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary. NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation, SEARCH, and the Naval History and Heritage Command collaborated with Ocean Infinity in the mission to locate the wreck of Stewart.
Rear Admiral Samuel J. Cox, USN (Ret.), Naval History and Heritage Command director and curator for the US Navy, remarked, “The US Navy greatly appreciates the professionalism of the team that located the wreck of USS Stewart. Whether lost in battle or sunk as a target, a warship remains sovereign property in perpetuity. It is important to know the location and condition of such wrecks so that they may be protected from unauthorized disturbance under the US Sunken Military Craft Act.”
Stewart was commissioned on 15 September 1920, and utilized for coastal operations for a year before joining Destroyer Squadron, Atlantic, on 12 October 1921, with which the ship participated in fleet exercises in the Caribbean from 12 January to 22 April 1921. Stewart joined the Asiatic Fleet that 26 August at Chefoo, China. In 1923, from 6─21 September, Stewart made a voyage to Yokosuka, Japan, in a humanitarian mission after an earthquake had devastated the Kanto Plain area (including Tokyo) that August. From 25 May to 16 June, Stewart supported the world circumnavigation flight of four Army Air Corps aircraft.
In January 1925, Stewart transported US Marines to Shanghai in response to unrest in the region, and in the following years participated in patrolling exercises on the Yangtze River. Stewart remained in Chinese waters when the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out in 1937. After World War II broke out in Europe, the destroyer was ordered south to the Philippines and underwent an overhaul at the Cavite Navy Yard on 4 April 1940. After the overhaul, Stewart acted as a plane guard vessel for seaplanes traversing between Guam and the Philippines before returning to China in 1940. As the war in Europe worsened, the ship was ordered, along with other major surface combatants of the Asiatic Fleet, to the Dutch East Indies.
When news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor reached Stewart, the destroyer was off Borneo. During the following months, Stewart operated as an escort for convoys and naval auxiliaries and on 4 February 1942 Stewart joined the cruiser Marblehead (CL-12) to intercept Japanese forces at the south entrance to the Macassar Strait. Marblehead was badly damaged in the action, and Stewart escorted Marblehead to the Dutch base at Tjilatjap, Java.
On 14 February Stewart joined Dutch Rear Admiral Karel Doorman’s combined American, British, Dutch, and Australian striking force for an attack on Japanese forces off the coast of Sumatra. After surviving numerous air attacks in the Bangka Strait, Doorman was forced to withdraw and Stewart was detached from the striking force on 16 February. The Japanese landed on Bali on 19 February, and Stewart was the lead ship in the second of three groups to engage the Japanese during night engagements on 19 and 20 February. Stewart was severely damaged when it came under fierce attack from Japanese destroyers, but it was able to return to Surabaya the next morning under its own power and entered a floating drydock for repairs. Stewart had not been properly supported in the dock, however, and fell off the keel blocks sustaining even further damage to the hull and propellers. Because the port was under enemy air attack, the decision was made to destroy Stewart rather than attempt further repairs. Demolition charges were set off within the ship, and a Japanese bomb also hit the destroyer amidships. The port was evacuated on 2 March and the drydock containing Stewart was scuttled. The ship was struck from the US Navy List on 25 March 1942.
After it had been under water for almost a year, the Japanese raised the former Stewart in February 1943 and the ship was commissioned as Patrol Boat No. 102 on 20 September 1943. On 28 April 1945, while still under Japanese control, Patrol Boat No. 102 was bombed and damaged by US Army Air Forces aircraft at Mokpo, Korea. In August 1945, the ship was found by American occupation forces, and was recommissioned on 29 October 1945 as DD 224. DD 224 was struck from the Navy list on 17 April 1946, decommissioned on 23 May 1946, and sunk a day later off San Francisco as a practice target for military aircraft.
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Get your 2025 Navy Art Calendars! | |
Photo courtesy of the Naval Order of the US. | |
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Commander General: RADM Peter L. Andrus, SHCE/MC, USN (Ret.), presents Dr. B. J. Armstrong of the USNA History Department a Special Edition 2025 Navy Art Calendar in appreciation for his presentation on the application of history in the education of naval officers during the 19th century at the recent Naval Order Congress in Buffalo.
2025 Navy Art Calendars are now available! Besides featuring some of the more iconic works from sea service art collections, the calendar annotates anniversary dates in the history of all of the sea services. Royalties support the Naval Order of the US Foundation which funds prizes for naval history-related projects at various state National History Day competitions. US Navy 2025 Calendar : Tide-mark
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During the Napoleonic Wars, more than twice as many British warships were lost to shipwreck than in battle. The Royal Navy’s fleets had to operate in unfamiliar seas and dangerous coastal waters, where navigational ignorance was as great a threat as enemy guns. If Britain was to win the war, improved intelligence was vital.
To find out more, Dr. Sam Willis spoke with Michael Barritt about how they secured that intelligence. It is a story of how a cadre of specialist pathfinders led by Captain Thomas Hurd enabled Britain’s Hydrographic Office to meet this need. Sounding amongst hazards on the front line of conflict, alert for breaks in weather or onset of swell, these daring sailors gathered vital strategic data that would eventually secure the upper hand against Britain’s adversaries. And they did this around Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, honing a skill that revolutionized the British way of war at sea, ultimately securing a lasting naval dominance.
Michael Barritt is the former Hydrographer of the Navy, head of the Royal Navy’s hydrographic profession, and a successor to Captain Thomas Hurd. Nelson’s Pathfinders - SNR
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NAVAL HISTORY BOOK REVIEWS | |
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The First Hellcat Ace. By Cdr. Hamilton McWhorter III, USN (Ret.), with Lt. Col. Jay A. Stout, USMC (Ret.), Casemate (2024). First published in 2001 with Pacifica Military Hi-Story
Reviewed by Barrett Tillman
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Cdr. Hamilton McWhorter III was a significant Navy fighter pilot from 1942 to 1945. As the first ace in the Grumman F6F Hellcat, he set the bar for hundreds of “tailhook” aviators who followed in his slipstream.
As a 21-year-old Georgian, Ensign McWhorter reported to Fighting Squadron Nine (VF-9) in 1942. His first combat was Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French Morocco in November. Flying from Ranger (CV 4), McWhorter and his friends learned what warriors always learn: dealing with fear and loss. His conclusion: aviators would rather die than let down their friends. Among the first-cruise pilots was Hugh Winters, who later took Air Group 19 to combat aboard Lexington (CV 16) in 1944. His Skipper: Confessions of a Fighter Squadron Commander (Champlin Museum Press, 1985) remains one of the most honest memoirs of the era.
In three deployments VF-9 claimed 256 aerial victories—third highest in the Navy—and produced 20 aces, a figure only exceeded by three squadrons. Fighting Nine became a leadership factory. McWhorter describes the unit’s atmosphere with objectivity and humor, including his early “duty” as the first skipper’s escort home after social events. The squadron partied hearty with the example of Lt. Cdr. Jack Raby. On one occasion Ensign McWhorter and company had to spring the CO and a chaplain following a night of after-hours revelry.
After return from Torch, a pilot’s date invited McWhorter to kiss her Navy junior roommate upon arrival at a party. McWhorter complied, producing a wartime wedding to Louise and five children in their 66-year marriage.
Read full review>>
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NAVAL HISTORY BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW | |
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Proceeding Podcast: Battle of Leyte Gulf - A Conversation with Drachinifel
18 September 2024
British naval historian Drachinifel speaks with Proceedings Editor-in-Chief Bill Hamblet about
the Battle of Leyte Gulf going into the 80th anniversary of the momentous battle.
Listen here>>
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INVITATION
To Members and Friends of the Society for Nautical Research and the 1805 Club
To Our Annual Wreath-laying Ceremony
at the Tomb of Admiral Lord Nelson
St. Paul’s Cathedral
St. Paul’s Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD
10:30 for 11:00, Monday 21 October 2024
The Officer and Council of the Society for Nautical Research and the Trustees of The 1805 Club invite members and friends, and their guests, to the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the tomb of Admiral Lord Nelson in the Crypt of St Paul’s Cathedral. Wreaths are laid on behalf of the Society, the Club and other organizations.
The service takes place immediately adjacent to Nelson’s tomb in the Crypt, and will begin at 1100 sharp. Your advised arrival time is 1030. Please enter the Cathedral by the North Door (left-hand side of the building when looking at it from the front).
There is no charge for attending the ceremony, but donations towards the upkeep of the Cathedral may be made on the day. Donations to one or both of our organizations are also welcome.
Bags will be searched on entry. To assist the Cathedral’s preparations, please email the secretary of the 1805 Club of your intention to attend, via secretary@1805club.org, with the subject line WREATH2024.
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Maritime Communities Celebrating Milestones
SAVE THE DATES!
24–27 September 2025 • Buffalo, NY
We are delighted to be holding the 12th Maritime Heritage Conference in Buffalo in September 2025.
The conference brings together organizations and participants that engage in all aspects of maritime heritage. This includes maritime museums, historic lighthouses, tall ships for sail training and youth, small craft, marine art, sailing, naval and maritime scholars, advocacy, and more. It is also a gathering of the leadership of the maritime heritage community.
Buffalo will host the first Maritime Heritage Conference to be held in the Great Lakes region.
The 12th Maritime Heritage Conference (MHC) will bring together nautical heritage organizations and individuals for an information-packed conference encompassing a broad array of topics on the banks of Lake Erie at historic Buffalo, New York. Following in the wake of the World Canal Conference which concludes with a bicentennial celebration of the opening of the Erie Canal, the 12th MHC will use that historic milestone to open a three-day program that invites attendees to consider other historic nautical milestones worthy of broader public attention.
Typically held every four years, the MHC has earned a reputation for its high take-away value, networking opportunities, and camaraderie. The conference steering committee invites you to become involved as a presenter; both session and individual proposals are encouraged. Don’t miss this opportunity to gather with individuals from all segments of the maritime community.
Call for Papers & Session Proposals
Papers and session topics include, but are not limited to:
• Inland Water Commerce and Seaport Operations (Erie Canal bicentennial!)
• Maritime and Naval History (2025 marks USN/USMC 250th Birthday)
• Maritime Art, Literature, and Music
• Education and Preservation
• Underwater Archaeology
• Trade and Communications
• Maritime Libraries, Archives, and Museums
• Marine Science and Ocean Conservation
• Historic Vessel Restoration
• Maritime Heritage Grant Program
• Maritime Landscapes
• National Marine Sanctuaries
• Small Craft
• Shipbuilding
• Marine Protected Areas
Focus Sessions include but are not limited to:
• Non-Profit administration
• Event Management
• Fundraising
• Media and Publications
• Media and Social Media
Submissions
Individual paper and session proposals should include a 250–400 word abstract and a one-paragraph biography about each presenter.
Please e-mail proposals and other queries to Dr. David Winkler at: MHC@seahistory.org
Deadline for proposals for papers and sessions is May 31, 2025.
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PD, via Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives. | |
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Naval Dockyards Society 29th Annual Conference
To be held at the University of Greenwich
One Saturday March/April 2025
Dockyard and Shipyard support for the Battle of the Atlantic
in the Second World War
Churchill named the Battle of the Atlantic (1939–45) the longest continuous military campaign in the Second World War. British, Canadian and US navies and air forces protected essential convoys, carrying the million tons of imported material Britain required each week to endure and fight.
What logistical challenges were faced? What was the long-term impact?
Please see Call for Papers here
Please send your title, a 300-word synopsis and a 100-word biography by 31 October 2024 or earlier to Roger Bendall, roger@rogerbendall.com,and Dr. Ann Coats, avcoatsndschair@gmail.com. N.B. The proposal should present original research.
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The Society for Military History | |
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The Society for Military History announces a call for papers for its 90th Annual Meeting in Mobile, Alabama, 27–30 March 2025, at the Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel and the
Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza Hotel.
The Program Committee’s objective is to create a slate of panels that represent the breadth of expertise and interests as well as the overall diversity of the Society’s wide-ranging membership. Individual paper and panel proposals on all facets of military history broadly defined will be considered for inclusion. Members in the academic community, the armed forces and governmental agencies, museums and archives, and independent scholars, as well as international members, are encouraged to participate.
Priority will be given to individual paper and panel submissions that highlight the presentation of original research, new interpretations, topics of immediate interest to our membership, and cutting-edge trends and subject matter. Submission of roundtables is encouraged, but preference will be given to panels that present new, original research.
All submissions will be judged on their merit using the above criteria.
Submission Instructions:
Individual paper proposals must include a 250-word abstract of the paper, and a one-page vita with contact information and email address. If selected, individual papers will be assigned by the program committee to an appropriate panel with a chair/commentator.
Panel proposals must include a panel title and 250-word abstract summarizing the theme of the panel; paper titles and a 250-word abstract for each paper proposed; and a one-page curriculum vitae for each panelist (including the chair and commentator) that includes institutional affiliation, email address, and other contact information.
Roundtable proposals must include a roundtable title, the full name and institutional affiliation of each participant, a 250-word abstract summarizing the roundtable’s themes and significance, and a one-page curriculum vitae for each participant.
Members who wish to volunteer to serve as chairs and commentators should send a one-page curriculum vitae.
Send all materials to the Program Committee Chair before 18 October 2024 at smhconferences@gmail.com.
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Society for Nautical Research Winter Lecture Series 2024–25
The Society for Nautical Research is delighted to announce the schedule for the forthcoming winter lecture series. These online talks will highlight new and ongoing research being undertaken by members of the society and its affiliations. The series aims to promote research into economic, social, political, military and environmental aspects of nautical history, drawing on British, European and international experience.
The 12-part lecture series will be held fortnightly on Wednesday evenings at 6:30PM (UK) between October 2024 to March 2025. Lectures will only be available online (via zoom) and be FREE to Paying Members of the SNR.
Not yet a member?
Sign up now from as little as £22.50 a year. Get access to exclusive events and talks, quarterly editions of the Mariner’s Mirror, and discounts at affiliated museums and gift shops! https://snr.org.uk/become-a-member/
Dates for your calendar …
23rd October 2024: Dr. Rodrigo Pacheco-Ruiz (National Museum of the Royal Navy), Managing archaeological data for HMS Victory’s restoration. (full title TBC)
6th November 2024: Dr. James Davy (University of Exeter), “Tempest; The Royal Navy and the Age of Revolution.”
20th November 2024: Associate Professor Evan Wilson (Hattendorf Historical Centre), “The Horrible Peace; British Veterans and the End of the Napoleonic Wars.”
4th December 2024: Sarah Mott, (Lloyd’s Register Foundation) “Rewriting Women into Maritime History; the SHE_SEES exhibition.”
18th December 2024: Bill Lindsay (independent scholar), “William Schaw Lindsay; Victorian Entrepreneur.”
Christmas Break
15th January 2025: Prof. Rodrigo Pérez Fernández (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid), “The past, present and future of shipbuilding.”
29th January 2025: Dr. Alan James (King’s College London), (full title TBC)
12th February 2025: Dr. Matthew Heaslip (University of Portsmouth), (full title TBC)
26th February 2025: Dr. Michael Roberts (University of Bangor), Archaeological exploration of historical shipwrecks in the Irish Sea. (full title TBC)
12th March 2025: Dr. Jo Stanley (independent scholar), “Diversity at Sea: How sharing historical research can make a difference to the present and future of the maritime industry and public understanding.”
19th March 2025: Dr. Cathryn Pearce (University of Portsmouth), “‘Bandied about for a place of refuge’: Extreme Weather, Coastal Shipping, and the Loss of Lord Nelson, 1840”
How to attend the lectures?
Zoom details will be circulated prior to each of the lectures but details can also be found in the “events” section of the members area of the SNR website (Click Here).
For any questions or queries please contact the convener (daisy.turnbull@myport.ac.uk).
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UPCOMING NAVAL & MARITIME HISTORY GATHERINGS | |
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1 November 2024: Marine Birthday Ball, Albany, GA
2 November 2024: Marine Birthday Ball; Orlando, Fl.
2 November 2024: Marine Birthday Ball, San Francisco, CA
4 November 2024: Morison Book Award Presentation New York
8 November 2024: Sentinel of the Sea Award Gala New York
9 November 2024: Steamship Historical Society of America Annual Meeting, Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA
31 January–2 February 2025: Western Naval History Association Symposium (WNHA), San Diego, CA
27–30 March 2025: Society for Military History (SMH) Annual Meeting, Mobile, AL
9–11 April 2025: Council of American Maritime Museums Annual Meeting, Pensacola, FL
24–25 May 2025: Canadian Nautical Research Society Annual Conference Port Hope,
Ontario
18–19 September 2025: McMullen Naval History Symposium, US Naval Academy
24–28 September 2025: Historic Naval Ship Association (HNSA) Symposium/12th Maritime Heritage Conference, Buffalo, NY
| PREBLE HALL NAVAL HISTORY PODCAST | |
A naval history podcast from Preble Hall – the United States Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis, Maryland. Preble Hall will interview historians, practitioners, military personnel, and other experts on a variety of naval history topics from ancient history to more current events.
Click here for the latest episode: 240: Navy SEAL Brandon Webb's novel "Steel Fear">>
Click here for all Preble Hall Podcasts >>
| DRACHINIFEL YOUTUBE CHANNEL | |
Welcome to Navy History Matters, Naval History and Heritage Command’s biweekly compilation of articles, commentaries, and blogs related to history and heritage. Every other week, they gather the top-interest items from a variety of media and social media sources that link to related content at NHHC’s website, your authoritative source for Navy history.
Click here for most recent article>>
| INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NAVAL HISTORY | |
The International Journal of Naval History (IJNH) provides a preeminent forum for works of naval history, researched and written to demonstrable academic standards, with the goal of stimulating and promoting research into naval history and fostering communication among naval historians at an international level. IJNH welcomes any scholarly historical analysis, focused on any period or geographic region, that explores naval power in its national or cultural context. The journal is independent of any institution and operates under the direction of an international editorial board that represents various genres of naval history.
Click here to read the February 2023 edition and archived issues on the IJNH website >>
| SUPPORTING US NAVAL HISTORY & HERITAGE | |
With the 250th anniversary of the US Navy on the horizon, NMHS seeks your support as we plan to honor those who have provided for our maritime security.
Click here to donate today >>
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