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25 July 2023
Welcome back to our National Maritime Historical Society members and friends who share a love for naval history!
Thursday marks 70th anniversary of the cessation of hostilities on the Korean Peninsula. In the immediate aftermath of World War II following the introduction of atomic weapons (that story is being told on silver screens across the nation this week with the premier of Oppenheimer) there were many who dismissed the need for a US Navy and Marine Corps. The Korean conflict more than demonstrated the viability of naval forces in the atomic age. In the wake of the truce signed 80 years ago, the continued presence of the US Seventh Fleet in the Western Pacific has enabled South Korea to evolve to become a strong democracy and a leading economic power in the region. Unfortunately, the truce remains just that. No formal peace treaty has ever been signed to officially conclude the conflict that began in June 1950 with a northern invasion to attempt to seize the southern half of the peninsula. Thus, Korea continues as a potential flash point in the struggle between democracies and authoritarian regimes. Our lead features cover US Navy destroyer contributions to the war during the first six months, courtesy of the Navy League.
The end of the Korean War is just one of several anniversaries being remembered during the month of July. In contrast to World War II, the military units that fought in Korea were integrated. Tomorrow, the Director of Naval History, Rear Adm. Sam Cox, will be hosting a distinguished panel at the Navy Museum to mark the 75th Anniversary of President Truman’s signing an executive order to eliminate segregation in the armed forces. For details on this program see Items of Immediate Interest below. For additional July anniversaries, check out the latest NHHC Naval History Matters compilation by Brendon Hunt, who tells of such events as the escape of Constitution from a British squadron off New Jersey this month in 1812, the loss of San Diego off Fire Island in 1918, and the Battle for Guam in 1944.
As noted last week, the shelves have been restocked with new titles coming from Texas A&M, Potomac Books, Casemate, Frontline, Naval Institute Press and others. We have responded to a number of review requests and books should be arriving shortly. There are still a number of good titles listed here. As always send your requests to david.winkler@usnwc.edu.
For this week’s review we thank Jeff Schultz for his thoughtful critique.
Tuesday Tidings is compiled by Dr. David F. Winkler and Jessie Henderson. As always, comments are welcome at nmhs@seahistory.org.
| ITEMS OF IMMEDIATE INTEREST | |
26 July 2023 - Panel Discussion: President Truman’s Executive Order 9981 desegregating the Armed Forces: Then and Now
National Museum of the US Navy - Building 76, Washington Navy Yard, DC
Noon - 1:30 pm (EDT) (in person)
27 July 2023 - 70th Commemoration Ceremony of the Korean Armistice Agreement
National Korean War Memorial, Washington, DC
5 pm - 6 pm (EDT) (in person, YouTube)
28 July 2023 - USS Constitution Museum Movie Night Master and Commander
7 – 10:30 pm (EDT) (in person)
28 July 2023 - Mariners’ Museum USS Monitor Legacy Program “USS Galena: USN’s First Seagoing Ironclad.”
With John V. Quarstein
Noon – 1 pm (EDT) (in person – virtual)
28 July 2023 - William Roka presents “When the East Went West” at the World Ship Society — Port of New York Branch monthly membership meeting.
National Opera Center Rehearsal Hall - 330 7th Ave. at 29th Street, 7th Floor, Manhattan
6:30 pm (EDT) (Zoom - In person)
9 August 2023 - Naval Order of the US Heritage Night featuring Karl Zingheim of USS Midway on The Honda Point Disaster
8pm - 9pm (EDT) (Zoom)
12 August 2023 - Author Talk with David Smith, “A New Force at Sea: George Dewey and the Rise of the American Navy”
National Museum of the US Navy - Building 76, Washington Navy Yard, DC
Noon - 1:00 pm (EDT) (in person)
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The Critical Month - Sea Power - July 2010 | |
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On the weekend of June 24, 1950, Robert A. Schelling commanded the destroyer Lyman K. Swenson during an amphibious exercise near Tokyo Bay. He recalled: “On Sunday afternoon, we got a message to return to port and fuel, then proceed at best speed to Sasebo. Why? Well, about that time, we heard about this 38th parallel thing.”
Lyman K. Swenson and the destroyer Collett sped to Sasebo, refueled, and then deployed to the East Coast of Korea.
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Lyman K. Swenson (DD-729). | |
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The two destroyers were among the first allied warships to respond to the North Korean invasion of South Korea. Overwhelmed by the North Korean blitzkrieg that utilized T-34 tanks, allied ground forces traded space for time. As American and South Korean soldiers retreated down the peninsula toward the southern port of Pusan, naval forces disrupted the North Korean juggernaut with harassing gunfire and naval airstrikes and funneled critical supplies and reinforcements to the troops defending the Pusan perimeter.
On the evening of June 29, the light cruiser Juneau fired the first of tens of thousands of shells that would be aimed at North Korean and then Chinese forces during the three-year conflict. Three days later Juneau, in company with the Royal Navy’s Jamaica and Black Swan, engaged four North Korean torpedo boats and two gunboats. Only one North Korean combatant would survive.
Read full article>>
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Destroyers Contribute to the Korean War Effort - Sea Power - September 2002
During their 50th anniversary year, American destroyers were on the front lines off the Korean peninsula performing a plethora of missions to thwart Communist North Korean and Chinese objectives. A half century later, during the centennial year of the destroyer force, it is appropriate to recall some of the heroic efforts of the “Tin Cans” that answered the nation’s call to duty.
All of the destroyers that served during the Korean War were constructed during World War II, and the majority had seen combat during that war. Four of these veterans, DeHaven (DD 727), Mansfield (DD 728), Lyman K. Swenson (DD 729), and Collett (DD 730) of Destroyer Division 91, were in the Far East when the North Koreans crossed the 38th parallel. Mansfield and Swenson initially deployed with Valley Forge (CV 45), providing plane guard and search and rescue services in the Yellow Sea. The destroyers then swung over to the East Coast to attack enemy movements ashore. Swenson’s commanding officer, Comdr. Robert A. Schelling, recalled, “We would lie-to at night off where the coastal road ran along a cliff. We drew a bead on the headlights of truck convoys and let go two or three gun salvos.” While the American gunfire scored few direct hits, the action forced the North Koreans to turn off their headlights and proceed perilously ahead.
Equipped with Army SCR-608 radio sets, the tin cans began providing effective direct gunfire support for the soldiers holding the Pusan perimeter. With the front lines stabilized at the tip of the peninsula, the DesDiv 91 destroyers, joined by Gurke (DD 783) and Henderson (DD 785) and two British and two American cruisers, steamed up Flying Fish channel on 13 September to conduct two days of shore bombardment in preparation of the landings at Inchon.
The warships pounded North Korean positions and exploded mines that were exposed on the channel surface during low tide, assuring success for Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s bold gambit to place Marines ashore deep in the enemy’s rear.
Read full article>>
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Naval Order of the US Maritime Heritage Lecture Series – Dr. John D. Sherwood, Naval History and Heritage Command
A Global Force for Good: Sea Services Humanitarian Operations in the Twenty-First Century
John Sherwood discussed his forthcoming book which examines three of the most significant Navy humanitarian and disaster relief operations in recent history: Operation Unified Assistance (the response to the 2004 Indonesian earthquake and tsunami); Hurricane Katrina (2005); and Operation Tomodachi (the response to 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster in Japan). His book examines the role of the Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and other Armed Forces in these operations.
Based on documents held by the Naval History and Heritage Command and oral histories conducted by reservists and the author, the book argues these humanitarian operations represent some of the Navy’s biggest wins in recent history. They have had a greater strategic impact in the world than many of the Navy’s recent combat operations. Nothing underscores American commitment to helping a foreign partner or a disaster affected U.S. region more visibly than a super carrier, a big deck amphibious warship, or a hospital ship—our most valuable strategic assets and symbols of American global power—showing up on the horizon to lend a helping hand during a country or a region’s darkest hours.
See more information here>>
Watch lecture here>>
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Sea Wolves: Savage Submarine Commanders of World War Two
By Tony Matthews, Pen & Sword Maritime (2023)
Reviewed by Jeff Schultz
...While that is true, however, the backdrop to the chapter is Operation Hannibal, the landmark evacuation of military and civilian personnel from the encroaching Red Army at a time when fuel and assets for the Wehrmacht were few. Even in that gloomy calculus, some 2 million people managed to escape to Copenhagen, western Germany or otherwise get away from Stalin’s forces, a feat arguably unmatched in history. The author therefore raises the book somewhat in
that he manages to indirectly tell about the efforts made not only to rescue the freezing survivors of the Gustloff but also the Kriegsmarine efforts under great pressure to save the trapped masses.
What is lacking, however, is any proof that Soviet sailor Marinesko is a criminal, in that he attacked a ship marked by navigation lights and had no idea how many people were aboard, nor was the Gustloff a marked hospital ship deserving protection. He did not stay to machinegun victims or demonstrate any intent outside of sinking enemy ships, for which he could not have known how overloaded they were, nor was he prosecuted for war crimes.
Sea Wolves: Savage Submarine Commanders of World War Two is a good place to start for those interested in rogue submarine captains who acted outside of the established norms which the author seeks to prove via a few case studies. While three of the four chapters support this argument, the Gustloff chapter does not, a strange inclusion outside of its status as worst maritime disaster. It is regardless an interesting work about maritime tragedies worth considering but the audience are likely to be those who favor popular history or just want to read a compelling story.
Read full review>>
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NAVAL HISTORY BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW | |
Armistice Agreement for the Restoration of the South Korean State (1953)
This armistice signed on July 27, 1953, formally ended the war in Korea. North and South Korea remain separate and occupy almost the same territory they had when the war began.
Following World War II, in 1948, the Korea Peninsula was divided between a Soviet-backed government in the north and an American-backed government in the south. War broke out along the 38th parallel on June 25, 1950. On that day, North Korean troops coordinated an attack at several strategic points along the parallel and headed south toward Seoul.
Amid the tensions of the Cold War, the United Nations Security Council responded to the attack by adopting a resolution that condemned the invasion as a “breach of the peace.” The United States and other UN member nations sent troops to support South Korea. The three-year conflict claimed the lives of millions of soldiers and civilians.
The Korean War officially ended on July 27, 1953. At 10 a.m., in Panmunjom, scarcely acknowledging each other, US Army Lt. Gen. William K. Harrison Jr., senior delegate, United Nations Command Delegation and North Korean Gen. Nam Il, senior delegate, Delegation of the Korean People’s Army and the Chinese People’s Volunteers, signed 18 official copies of the tri-language Korean Armistice Agreement.
Read full article>>
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Remembering the Not-So-Forgotten War: Korean War Stories of Service in the Navy Log | |
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The Navy Log features Stories of Service that span the history of the nation’s Sea Services. Tales of war and of peace are remembered alongside one another in the Navy Log, and each service member’s service has their own unique tales to tell within this rich history. Throughout the year, anniversaries of battles, events, and achievements offer special opportunities to showcase some of these tales in context. Tales from the Navy Log will take some time on some of these dates to do just that.
On July 27, following annual executive proclamation, the United States observes National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day. Today this national day of observance, which takes place on the anniversary of the armistice signed between the conflict’s warring nations, is meant to remember those service members who gave their lives in the Korean War. In America’s public memory, the Korean War is too frequently the conflict of the twentieth century that receives the least attention. As the nation has marked the 100th anniversary of World War I and the 75th anniversary of World War II over the last several years, this inconsistency has become more apparent. In fact, the Korean War is frequently referred to as the “Forgotten War,” which is a particular tragedy for the more than 36,000 Americans who gave their lives during the conflict. For this reason, concerted efforts to commemorate the service of Korean War veterans is crucial, and events like this day are important steps to take to break down this discrepancy.
To mark National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, Tales from the Navy Log will highlight some Stories of Service from a few Korean War veterans within our records that we recently came across. It also encourages its readers to search through the Navy Log for themselves and find some more of the thousands of Stories that our Korean War veterans have to tell.
Read full article and see log>>
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ADDITIONAL FEATURED CONTENT | |
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Deciphering the Chinese Mystery Cannon
By John L. Morris
Here we have the small cannon’s composite translation, roughly, but not always, in the order appearing on the cannon. Below text includes bits sent by five people with diverse backgrounds, including two professors. These generous contributors have mentioned the archaic language causing difficulty. Some can read the characters but their meaning is not clear. If you can improve the translation, please contact me.
- The cannon was produced in 1843 during the reign of Qing Emperor Daoguang (r. 1820—1850). (2d: 道光 二十三年)
- The cannon was manufactured and/or owned by Viceroy of Zhili, Nerginggae. (2e: 直隸總督 訥爾經額, r. 1841–1853) cf. The viceroy of Zhili administered today’s Hebei and Henan provinces, Tianjin, and some area of the Shandong Peninsula.
- The cannon contains zinc of some 88 grams (two liang and two qian ) (4a: 鉛子二兩二錢). [I don’t understand this, given that gunmetal bronze is normally 90% copper and 10% tin, perhaps zinc was an additional metal.]
Read full article>>
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NAVAL HISTORY CALLS FOR PAPERS | |
UPCOMING NAVAL & MARITIME HISTORY GATHERINGS | |
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25–26 August: Fairwell ECSAA Reunion, Arlington, VA
18–21 September 2023: Historic Naval Ship Association Conference aboard USS Slater
21 September 2023: Navy Memorial Lone Sailor Award Dinner, National Building Museum, Washington, DC
21–22 September 2023: McMullen Naval History Symposium, US Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD
22 September 2023 at 1800: Dudley Knox Award ceremony and dinner, US Naval Institute’s Jack C. Taylor Conference Center in Annapolis, Maryland
9 October: US Naval Institute 150th Celebration
17–22 October 2023: Naval Order of the United States Congress, San Diego
25 October 2023: US Naval Institute Conference – Critical Thinking – Our Greatest Weapon to Winning Tomorrow’s War
| Click here to watch Dr. Michael A. Verney’s presentation of his book: A Great and Rising Nation: Naval Exploration and Global Empire in the Early US Republic. | 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: 193: Admiral Mike Mullen, Part 12: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff>>
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 >>
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