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26 March 2024
This week our two lead stories focus on the US Marine Corps. We are delighted to announce that the former director of Marine Corps History, Dr. Charlie Niemeyer, has published a history discussing the transformation of that service during the Cold War. Of note, Chapter Six is titled: “General Alfred Gray and Maneuver Warfare.” We are saddened to report General Gray passed away this past week. The official Marine Corps announcement is our second lead.
Recently we reported Texas back in the water after a long-overdue drydocking. Now New Jersey will follow, having left Camden for a drydock in the former Philadelphia Naval Shipyard where this Iowa-class battleship was built over 80 years ago. Details below. Now if we can get Olympia high and dry!
Late week we highlighted the number of naval history panels at the Society of Military History conference to be held in Arlington, Virginia, 19–21 April. See: 2024 Annual Meeting | The Society for Military History (smh-hq.org). Speaking of conferences, the registration deadline for the 9th International Maritime Heritage Congress in South Korea this August is coming up at the end of this month. See: IMHA2024
For book reviews this week we feature Dr. Charles Kolb’s review essay on Peter C. Smith’s latest edition of Operation Pedestal! Thank You! We have added a number of titles to our book-for-review opportunity list. Check it out!
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 | |
26 March 2024 - New-York Historical Society with Eric Dolan
To discuss Privateers, Pirates, and the American Revolution
6:30–7:30 PM (EST) (In person/Virtual)
29 March 2024 - Sea Stories: Remembering Vietnam
National Museum of the American Sailor, Great Lakes, IL.
1030–1130 (CDT) (In Person)
29 March 2024 - Navy Museum Collections Manager Suzanne Jones Art Talk: “Maritime Art and the Influence of Neoclassicism”
Martin Luther King Library, Washington, DC
2:00–3 PM (EDT) (In Person)
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New From Marine Corps University Press | |
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Marines in Crisis: The Cold War Transformation of the US Marine Corps, 1947–1995 by Charles P. Neimeyer, PhD
ABOUT THE BOOK
Throughout the Cold War and into the 1990s, the Marine Corps faced multiple strategic inflection points. Some of these moments were fights for institutional survival, some were based on emerging technology or internal upheaval, while others were more concerned with developing operational doctrine. When compared to the development of its amphibious warfare doctrine between World War I and World War II, these Cold War decisions related to the Marine Corps came about at an astonishing pace. Many of these post–World War II moments came only after painful experiences in increasingly complex and multidimensional joint combat operations or humanitarian interventions, where international politics, rapidly changing technology, new societal norms, and even culture played an ever-larger role on the battlefield. For the Marine Corps, the Cold War and beyond seemingly required its senior leaders to predict the rapid-fire changes that impacted the new way of war and evolving politics of conflict. In response, those leaders continually transformed the Marine Corps to ensure it played a significant role in US military matters.
A pdf of the book can be found here.
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Marines Mourn the Loss of General Gray | |
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Official Marine Corps News Release: March 20, 2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. --
It is with great sadness that the Marine Corps announces the death of the 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Alfred M. Gray. General Gray died 20 March 2024 in Alexandria, Virginia, after a brief stay in hospice care.
“Today I mourn with all Marines, past and present, the loss of our 29th commandant, Gen. Gray,” said Gen. Eric M. Smith, 39th Commandant of the Marine Corps. “He was a ‘Marine’s Marine’—a giant who walked among us during his career and after, remaining one of the Corps’ dearest friends and advocates even into his twilight. His contributions are many, including the development of our maneuver warfare doctrine, Warfighting, which remains, to this day, the philosophic bedrock of how we fight as Marines. Although he will be missed by all, his legacy will endure and his spirit will continue to live among us.”
General Gray was promoted to the rank of general on 1 July 1987, and he immediately assumed duties as the commandant of the Marine Corps. He retired June 30, 1991, and spent his retirement years in northern Virginia with his wife, Jan, until her death in 2020.
General Gray presided over significant changes in the Marine Corps, none more important than the development and publication of Fleet Marine Force Manual 1 (FMFM-1), Warfighting. This document, barely over 100 pages, has become legendary among military doctrine and remains the foundation for how the Marine Corps thinks about, prepares for, and executes all Marine Corps operations.
General Gray also placed emphasis on large-scale maneuver in desert and cold-weather environments and robust maritime special operations capabilities. His staunch advocacy for military education resulted in the establishment of Marine Corps University.
General Gray was beloved by his Marines, and he is well known for being the first commandant to have his official photograph and portrait taken in the camouflage utility uniform, famously remarking that “every Marine is, first and foremost, a rifleman. All other conditions are secondary.”
His full biography is located here: Gen. Alfred M. Gray.
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Battleship New Jersey Dry Dock Departure Celebration | |
Courtesy Battleship New Jersey Website.
To quote Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen, “WOW!” The Departure Celebration was a phenomenal time! Thanks to the over 1,000 people who came out to experience the celebration and watch the battleship be moved for the first time in over 22 years. The site of her pushing away from the pier and turning around on the Delaware River was unbelievable! A link to a time-lapse video of the battleship on 21 March 21 is below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=qo47BlPZgoA
A special thank you to the participants in the Battleship Dry Dock Departure Celebration goes to speakers during the celebration, which included NJ Gov. Phil Murphy, Rep. Don Norcross, Rear Adm. Thomas Anderson USN, NJ Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr., Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen, Master Chief Keith Cameron USN of the submarine New Jersey (SSN-796), LCDR Chaplain James Johnson USN, and Battleship CEO Marshall Spevak.
Thanks also go to Capt. Joe Benton and McAllister Towing, Creative Arts High School Jazz Band, String Band and Choir, Battleship volunteer and bugler Nan LaCorte, Navy Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 64 Honor Guard, Navy WWII veteran and Battleship volunteer John Quinesso Sr., Ken Kersch and the Battleship Gun Crew, Dietz & Watson for complimentary hot dogs, Wawa for complimentary merchandise, Pine Tavern Distillery and Farmers & Bankers Brewing for complimentary samples, Andreotti’s for bar service, Donkey’s Place for cheesesteaks and everyone who had a role in the Departure event. And a very very special Thank You goes to the battleship’s volunteers and staff who worked tirelessly to make the Departure Celebration and the Dry Dock Project possible! Bravo Zulu!
DRY DOCK GUIDED TOURS
Walk under the World’s Greatest Battleship! Guided dry dock tours of the battleship will take place during Saturdays and Sundays while the ship is at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. See the massive Iowa-class battleship propellers, the underside of the ship and more! Every dry dock tour guest will get a collectable Battleship hard hat to take home!
Dry dock guided tours will launch Saturdays and Sunday, beginning April 6 and 7, and run every Saturday and Sunday while the battleship is in dry dock. Tickets must be purchased in advance online. Standard dry dock tickets are a $225 donation per person.
Battleship Curator Ryan Szimanski will also lead dry dock tours. For Ryan to lead your tour, there is a $1,000 donation per person.
Please Note:
- Dry dock tours are not eligible for museum discounts.
- Fees are non-refundable.
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This tour is not wheelchair or walker accessible and climbing stairs is required to get into and out of the worksite.
- This is an active, outdoor worksite. Please dress accordingly including: steel-toed shoes and sturdy pants. Tour fee includes a commemorative branded hard hat and eye protection. If you don’t have steel-toed shoes, we will provide a steel-toe shoe slip-on for your tour.
- Must be age 16 and over.
Tickets for the dry dock tour, click below:
DRY DOCK GUIDED TOUR TICKETS
DRY DOCK GUIDED TOUR WITH CURATOR RYAN SZIMANSKI
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NAVAL HISTORY BOOK REVIEWS | |
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Pedestal: The Convoy that Saved Malta By Peter C. Smith, Manchester: Crécy Publishing Limited, 2012 (reprinted 2023).
Reviewed by: Charles C. Kolb, PhD
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Peter C. Smith’s venerable Pedestal: The Convoy that Saved Malta is one of more than eighteen works that recount the story of a major British victory in the Mediterranean Sea over Axis German and Italian naval and air forces during World War II. This is likely one of the most significant triumphs in the minds of Britons and her Commonwealth allies during that war. Hence, it remains an achievement pointed to during the glory days of Empire before the colonial system was shattered. Historians generally consider Smith’s account to be the “gold standard” for reporting on this historic event. His book provides a lively, detailed account. Operation Pedestal: The Convoy that Saved Malta, is now in its fifth, 70th anniversary edition.
Read review>>
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NAVAL HISTORY BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW | |
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Dr. Winkler’s presentation of Langley for the Naval Order of the United States
Watch here>>
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Kings Maritime History Seminars
25 April 2024 – Ship of State? Regionalism and Cold War soft power aboard La France
Claire O’Mahony, University of Oxford
9 May 2024 – The Ordered Sea: Naval diplomacy in the Mediterranean, 1815–1911
Erik de Lange, King’s College London
23 May 2024 – The Post-Napoleonic Employment of Former Warships in the British Southern
Whale Fishery, 1815–1845
Julie Papworth and Roger Dence, King’s College London
Seminars for 2023–24 will continue as hybrid events, which means that they may be attended in person or online (with the exception of the entirely online event on the 21st of March). As always, attendance is free and open to all. To take part, you must register by visiting the KCL School of Security Studies Events page. Those of you attending online will receive instructions shortly before the event, by email, about how to join. Otherwise, we will meet in person, as usual, in the Dockrill Room, K6.07, at King’s College London. Papers will begin at 17:15 GMT. The King’s Maritime History Seminar is hosted by the Laughton Naval Unit and the Sir Michael Howard Centre for the History of War in the Department of War Studies, King’s College London. It is organized by the British Commission for Maritime History in association with the Society for Nautical Research. For further information contact Dr. Alan James, War Studies, KCL, WC2R 2LS.
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International Maritime History Association - Frank Broeze Prize for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis in Maritime History
Professor Frank Broeze was one of the leading maritime historians of his generation. In his honor, the International Maritime History Association has instituted the Frank Broeze Prize to be awarded to the author of a doctoral thesis which, in the opinion of the panel, makes the most outstanding contribution to the study of maritime history.
As befitting Frank’s visionary approach to the field, maritime history encompasses all aspects of the historical interaction of human societies and the sea. The panel of judges will therefore consider works that focus on the maritime dimensions of economic, social, cultural, political, technological and environmental history.
The Frank Broeze Prize carries with it a cash award of €500 and reimbursement of the registration fee at the Ninth International Congress of Maritime History in Busan, South Korea, August 2024.
To be considered for this prestigious award, those who have completed a doctoral thesis between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2023 are invited to submit a copy of their thesis for consideration. If the thesis is written in a language other than English, the entrant should provide a summary of their work (minimum 10,000 words) in English.
The judges will apply the following criteria in deciding the winner of the prize:
• Contribution to knowledge and understanding of the maritime past;
• Originality of approach, source material and/or findings;
• Depth and coherence of argument;
• Choice and application of methodology;
• Presentational and stylistic quality.
Eligible candidates should submit their entries, including a letter of support from their supervisor, via e-mail attachment to Prof. Ingo Heidbrink (iheidbri@odu.edu) president of the IMHA, no later than 15 May 2024. The prize will be awarded at the Congress in Busan.
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2024 CNO Naval History Essay Contest
The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) announces the 2024 CNO Naval History Essay Contest and calls for the submission of papers no later than 30 April 2024. The Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) is the lead for the contest, and the US Naval Institute (which has been sponsoring essay contests since 1878) is supporting.
The Challenge
The CNO invites entrants to submit essays that apply lessons from throughout naval history to solving today's Navy challenges. Entrants should consider that today’s era is marked by:
a. Determined and increasingly aggressive efforts by China and Russia to coordinate their respective instruments of power (e.g., economic, political, and military) to compete for commercial, geostrategic, political, and military advantage and access.
b. Chinese and Russian expansion across the spectrum of military operations (competition, crisis, and contingency) and domains (sea, air, land, space, cyberspace, and electromagnetic spectrum).
c. The rise of China as an economic and maritime power and the importance of the maritime domain as well as the need for the US to integrate Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard operations and multi-domain operational concepts and capabilities.
d. The increased importance of navies, sea control, and allies and partners in a globalized world where 90 percent of world trade (by volume) and information travels via the seas or undersea cables.
e. The proliferation of advanced weaponry and the erosion of key US technological advantages that make it difficult for the US to project power to manage crises, deter aggression, and reassure allies and partners.
f. Fundamental strategic and technological shifts and advances that promise to change the character and conduct of naval warfare and challenge the Navy’s ability to adapt conceptually and materially.
The contest seeks submissions from professional historians, midshipmen and cadets, and rising historians. Guidelines for each group below.
2024 CNO Naval History Essay Contest - Professional Historian | US Naval Institute (usni.org)
2024 CNO Naval History Essay Contest - Midshipmen and Cadets | US Naval Institute (usni.org)
2024 CNO Naval History Essay Contest - Rising Historian | US Naval Institute (usni.org)
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The Australian Naval Institute Commodore Sam Bateman Book Prize | |
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Inaugurated in 2021, the Commodore Sam Bateman Book Prize is awarded annually by the ANI to recognise excellence in books making a major contribution to the study and understanding of naval and maritime matters. The Prize is sponsored by the National Shipbuilding College.
The Prize is named after Commodore Sam Bateman AM RAN (1938–2020), a former ANI Councillor and strategic thinker in recognition of his efforts to raise greater awareness of naval and/or maritime matters and progressing the understanding and value of navies in society.
Award of the Prize
The winner of the ANI Commodore Sam Bateman Book Prize is announced on the second Wednesday of each December. It is awarded in a ceremony in Canberra in March the following the year where the author will be asked to deliver the Commodore Sam Bateman Book Prize Lecture.
Entries are now being received for the 2024 Sam Bateman Book Prize
Entries are to be in the English language and will:
- Raise the understanding of naval and/or maritime affairs,
- Have been published from 2 November 2023 to 1 November 2024 and received between 1 April and 1 November 2024, and
- Be of high literary quality and style
Books can be nominated for consideration by either ANI book reviewers or publishers.
For further information or to submit a book first email books@navalinstitute.com.au for dispatch details.
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UPCOMING NAVAL & MARITIME HISTORY GATHERINGS | |
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18–21 April 2024: Society For Military History Annual Conference Arlington, VA
24–25 April 2024: Council of American Maritime Museums, Constitution Museum, Boston, MA
18 May 2024: Naval Dockyards Society 28th Annual Conference
From Yards to Hards: Preparing Allied naval forces for the 1944 Normandy Landings
The D-Day Story, Portsmouth - Partner and Venue: Clarence Esplanade, Southsea, Portsmouth PO5 3NT
23–26 May 2024: 75th Annual Conference of the Company of Military Historians, Augusta, ME
3–5 June 2024: Warships Resting in Peace, Suomenlinna, Helsinki, Finland
20–23 June 2024: Joint NASOH/CNRS Conference, St. Catharines, Ontario
16–19 September 2024: Historic Naval Ship Association (HNSA) Symposium, USS Midway, San Diego
24–28 September 2025: 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: 224: Captain Brett Crozier, USN-Ret, Surf While You Can>>
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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