Tuesday Tidings Newsletter

16 January 2023

Welcome back to our National Maritime Historical Society members and friends who share a love for naval history!

Today marks the 33rd anniversary of the launch of Desert Storm, the multinational campaign to liberate Kuwait from Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. After a one-month air assault against Iraq’s defenses, the ground campaign would take approximately 100 hours. We salute all veterans of this remarkable combat success that was accomplished with far fewer casualties than anticipated. One of those veterans was then-Ens. Yvette Davids, who served as the communications officer in USS San Jose (AFS 7). This week we recognize now-Rear Admiral Davids, as last Thursday she assumed duties as the 65th superintendent of the US Naval Academy.

This week features some other historic anniversaries. On tomorrow's date in 1955, Nautilus (SSN 571) sent the message “Underway on nuclear power.” On Thursday's date in 1911, Eugene Ely made the first landing on a ship on a temporary flight deck placed on the armored cruiser Pennsylvania. However, the one anniversary that has been overlooked for decades was yesterday’s 105th anniversary of the great Boston molasses explosion. Details below. courtesy of the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC).

We also take our last parting shot at 2023 with a final salute to Dr. William N. Still Jr. and Rear Adm. James Goldrick of the Royal Australian Navy—two world-class naval historians whose work will enlighten generations to come. One of the chores NHHC Director, Rear Adm. Samuel Cox, USN (Ret.) has taken on is to post memorials to senior navy leaders lost throughout the year. Here is a link to a compilation of his 2023 write ups. We thank Rear Admiral Cox for this service.

Congratulations to Capt. Bill Erickson, USN (Ret.), who has retired after ably serving as the executive director of the Surface Navy Association (SNA) for well over two decades. With his organization committed to support the enhanced professionalization of the Navy’s surface warfare community and the Coast Guard’s cuttermen, Bill has long recognized the role heritage played as illustrated by the Surface Warfare Hall of Fame, sponsorship of essay contests, support for the new Surface Navy Museum…the list goes on! Your efforts have not gone unnoticed! Fair Winds and Following Seas! News was also made at last week’s SNA Symposium with a ship name announcement.

Naval History Book Reviews continues the new year with a review from Dr. Satterfield on a self-published monograph of the capture of U-505. We still await a shipment of new titles from Casemate!

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 are welcome at nmhs@seahistory.org.

ITEMS OF IMMEDIATE INTEREST

17 January 2024 - US Navy Museum, Washington DC, Noon (EST) (Live)

US Navy Floatplanes and the Changing Character of Pacific Naval Combat in World War II

Captain Todd “Nature” Glasser, USN; CNO Chair for Maritime Strategy, National War College

18 January 2024 - “All Hands”: Yankee Whaling and the US Navy, 7 PM (EST) (Virtual)

Michael P. Dyer, Curator of Maritime History, Mystic Seaport Museum

19 January 2024 - Mariners’ Museum, Newport News, VA, Noon (EST) (Live/Virtual)

Battle of Fort Henry on the Tennessee River in 1862

John V. Quarstein, Director emeritus of the USS Monitor Center

27 January 2024 - NMHS Seminar Series, 11 AM (EST) (Virtual)

Exploring Online Research Tools for Ship and Maritime History with Peter McCracken

17–18 February, 2023 – Western Naval History Association Symposium, San Diego, CA

February Naval History magazine look-ahead

FEATURED CONTENT

Davids to Serve as the First Female USNA "SUPT"

Courtesy US Naval Academy:

Naval Academy Superintendent Rear Adm. Fred Kacher, was properly relieved by Vice Adm. Yvette Davids in a change of command ceremony at the Naval Academy on Thursday, 11 January.

Esteemed guests included the Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro and the Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti. Prior to the ceremony, Admiral Davids was promoted from Rear Admiral to Vice Admiral in a private ceremony.

Secretary Del Toro, USNA Class of 1983, spoke at the ceremony, highlighting the importance of leadership at the Naval Academy and how their decisions shape our future leaders.

“The Superintendent is indeed more than just a president of a college—they are a leader, a mentor, a role model for everyone stationed here on the years, from the most junior sailor and

midshipman to the senior-most faculty members and military officers,” said Del Toro. “Their

vision, their decisions, their conduct shapes the future leaders of our Fleet and our Force, ensuring that this institution graduates men and women of honor, of courage, and of commitment to our national security to ensure the United States of America remains a beacon of hope and prosperity.”

Adm. Lisa Franchetti, 33rd Chief of Naval Operations, spoke about the important role our

Navy leadership has on current global events and the impact the new superintendent will have on

developing future leaders within the Brigade of Midshipmen.

Read full article>>

Ship to be named for “The Human Tugboat.”

The following is an excerpt from Navy Secretary Del Toro’s remarks at the 36th annual Surface Navy Association Symposium

Vice Admiral Bulkeley said “You engage, you fight, you win. That is the reputation of our Navy.” That is the reputation of our Department, still, 70 years later. It must remain our reputation throughout this critical decade and into the mid-21st century. And that reputation was forged by many Surface Warriors—men and women like Petty Officer 1st Class Charles J. French, hailed as the “Human Tugboat” and the “Hero of the Solomons” for his daring, daunting, and heroic rescue during World War II.

USS Gregory following conversion from a destroyer (DD 82) to a high-speed personnel transport (APD 3)

As many know, during the night of September 5th, 1942, French was nearly 24 years old when his ship, the USS Gregory (DD 82/APD 3), was sunk by the Imperial Japanese Navy. In the aftermath, French gathered 15 shipmates onto a raft and, fearing they would drift to a Japanese-controlled island, towed the raft himself to a different island. He swam for hours, pulling fifteen souls from the jaws of the sea, defying the odds and the sharks with nothing but his own grit and compassion. He was recommended for the Navy Cross for his actions, but only received a letter of commendation. For too long, we did not recognize Petty Officer French appropriately, but we’ve begun to correct that. Recently, we renamed the training pool at Naval Base San Diego after him. And, today, with profound conviction and heart brimming with long-overdue recognition, I am proud to announce the name of our newest destroyer, DDG 142, will be the USS Charles J. French.

Let this ship inspire us to challenge our own limitations and to always—always—answer

the call of duty, even when the waters are rough and the path ahead uncertain.

The Boston Molasses Disaster

Courtesy: Brent A. Hunt, Naval History and Heritage Command’s Communication and Outreach Division.

The aftermath of the Boston Molasses Disaster that killed 21 people and dumped 2.3 million gallons of molasses on Boston’s North End, 15 Jan. 1919.

On Jan. 15, 1919, US Navy sailors in Boston Harbor on board the training ship Nantucket and

wooden-hulled barge Bessie J. (ID No. 1919) witnessed and played a key role in the recovery

efforts in one of America’s most bizarre disasters. Earlier, in 1915, the United States Industrial

Alcohol Company (USIA) had built a 50-foot-wide, 90-foot-tall molasses tank on Commercial Street in Boston’s North End. The tank was capable of holding more than 2 million gallons. During that time, molasses was used to produce industrial alcohol for munitions and other weaponry. Over the years, workers and locals reported that the tank often rumbled, and it leaked frequently. On 12 Jan. 1919, steamer Miliero arrived in Boston Harbor and pumped about 600,000 gallons of warm molasses into the holding tank. Over the course of the next three days, the warm molasses reacted with the cold molasses already in the tank, accelerating fermentation and increasing pressure on the tank’s already weak walls. On the afternoon of Jan. 15, Gunner’s Mate Robert Johnston was about to sit down for lunch on Bessie J. when he heard a loud rumble and began yelling at his shipmates. Lt. Cmdr. Howard Copeland on Nantucket also heard the rumbling and watched the massive tank burst. Instantly, a tidal wave of 2.3 million gallons of molasses spilled down the streets of Boston’s North End, traveling 35 miles per hour with waves reaching at least 25 feet in height. The surge destroyed homes and swept railroad cars away. The steel supports for the city’s elevated train snapped, and people were tossed into the freezing harbor.

Immediately, Copeland issued a call to quarters, and more than 100 Sailors from Nantucket rushed to the accident. After posting guards to keep bystanders away from the wreckage, Sailors started digging through the rubble. Molasses literally covered everything. Sailors from Bessie J. joined in and waded through the knee-deep molasses while searching for survivors. By the time Boston police and firefighting crews arrived on the scene, sailors had recovered six bodies and rescued more than 20 from the wreckage. After the first responders arrived, sailors continued to rescue locals from the frigid harbor and others trapped inside their apartments. A steady stream of ambulances arrived to transport the wounded, including vehicles from the naval hospital in nearby Chelsea. Two tugboats and a patrol boat crossed the river from the Boston Navy Yard to provide additional transportation for the wounded.

Ultimately, the Boston Molasses Disaster took the lives of 21 people and injured another 150.

Boston Harbor took on a brown hue for days afterward, and molasses continued to spread

throughout the city. USIA quickly blamed anarchists in Boston’s largely Italian North End for the

disaster, claiming an explosion rather than a weak tank was responsible for the incident. Years

later, USIA was found to be responsible in a civil case and forced to pay $628,000 (more than

$11 million today). Today, a plaque in Boston’s North End serves as a reminder of the tragedy

that occurred 105 years ago. Some locals claim they still get whiffs of molasses on hot summer

days.

NAVAL HISTORY BOOK REVIEWS

The Capture of the U-505: A Legion of Heroes By Robert McLaughlin, Regent Square Press, San Bernadino, CA, (2019)

Reviewed by John R. Satterfield

...As for U-505, the Kriegsmarine considered the sub a hard-luck boat before its capture. Commissioned in 1941, she held the dubious distinctions of being “the most heavily damaged U-boat to successfully return to port” in the war and the only one whose captain (U-505’s second CO) committed suicide during combat. An Allied patrol bomber caught her on the surface in late 1942 and nearly destroyed the sub, forcing nine months of repair in the sub pens of Lorient, France, by the Bay of Biscay. She would sink eight Allied merchant ships, but mechanical problems dogged most of her dozen patrols. After capture, Americans scoured the boat, gleaning much valuable technical information. The derelict sub was rusting in Portsmouth, NH, after the war when newly promoted Rear Admiral Gallery suggested to his brother, a Catholic chaplain in the Navy, that U-505 belonged in Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry. Fundraising took eight years, and meticulous restoration took longer, but U-505 became a major exhibit in the museum, visited and celebrated by both surviving crewmen and the Americans who captured her. The submarine is on proud display to this day.

Robert McLaughlin’s self-published book adds little new information to the story of U-505, but his narrative includes clearly written descriptive and explanatory sections on many aspects of the Battle of the Atlantic as well as profiles of the people who figured prominently in the tale. It is a fine introduction to anti-submarine warfare for those with no knowledge of this aspect of the war. It is also especially valuable for young readers as an introduction to World War II at sea.

Read full review>>

NAVAL HISTORY BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW

See the current List of Naval History Books Available for Review >>

Reviewers, authors, and publishers can also see our Guidelines for Naval History Book Reviews >>