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14 March 2023
Welcome back to our National Maritime Historical Society members and friends who share a love for naval history!
As announced last week, registration is now open for the Council of Maritime Museums (CAMM) annual conference next month in Astoria, Oregon. Below, we feature an overview of several of the Navy-specific related sessions.
Congratulations to the Naval History and Heritage Command for a new publication on the Boxer Rebellion and the role the US Navy and Marine Corps played in restoring order in Beijing over a century ago, offering context for current relationships in the region. This new publication is available to view online (See: https://www.history.navy.mil/news-and-events/news/2023/NHHC-releases-book-on-Boxer-Rebellion.html)
If one of our readers would like to offer a review for our Naval History Book Reviews section, please contact our book review coordinator, Dave Winkler, at david.winkler@usnwc.edu. Thanks to interest in our book review program, several recent books have been sent out, and while we await feedback, this week we feature two reviews from the most recent International Journal of Naval History.
St. Patrick’s Day is this Friday; for those of you who have not seen it, we offer an encore presentation of the third-place prize-winning presentation from this past year’s National History Day on the subject of humanitarian relief and the US Navy’s role in responding to the Irish Potato Famine in the mid-19th century. It was produced by our own Jessie Henderson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDR4Npg4Lkg&t=548s.
Tuesday Tidings is compiled by Dr. David F. Winkler and Jessie Henderson. As always, comments are welcome at nmhs@seahistory.org.
| THIS WEEK'S FEATURED IMAGE |  | |
Painting, Oil on Canvas; by Anne Fuller Abbott; 1925
... The Yeomen (F), or "Yeomanettes" as they were popularly known, primarily served in secretarial and clerical positions, though some were translators, draftsmen, fingerprint experts, ship camouflage designers and recruiting agents. Five went to France with Naval hospital units and a modest number of others were stationed in Puerto Rico, Guam, Hawaii and the Panama Canal Zone. However, the great majority were assigned duties at Naval installations in the continental United States, frequently near their homes, processing the great volume of paperwork generated by the war effort.
Yeomen (F), all of whom held enlisted ranks, continued in service during the first months of the post-war Naval reductions. Their numbers declined steadily, reaching just under four thousand by the end of July 1919, when they were all released from active duty. Yeomen (F) were continued on inactive reserve status, receiving modest retainer pay, until the end of their four-year enlistments, at which point all women except Navy nurses disappeared from the uniformed Navy until 1942.
Many honorably discharged Yeomen (F) were appointed to civil service positions in the same Navy Yards and Stations where they had served in wartime. Entitled to veterans' preference for government employment, they provided a strong female presence in the Navy's civilian staff through the decades after World War I.
| ITEMS OF IMMEDIATE INTEREST | |
23 March: Lessons in Heroism with Former Prisoner of War Porter Halyburton with Taylor Kiland
10:30 AM EST
Jack C. Taylor Conference Center, Annapolis, MD
Free to watch online
www.usni.org/events/lessons-heroism
23–26 March: Society for Military History, San Diego
For a list of 44 naval history-related presentations and 2 roundtables click here >>.
https://smh-hq.org/annualmeeting/info/confregistration.html
25 March: A Great and Rising Nation: Naval Exploration and Global Empire in the Early US Republic with Historian and Author Michael A. Verney
11:00 AM EDT
Zoom Lecture
Click here for more information and to register >>
27 March: The Washington Navy Yard During the Civil War
Noon EDT
Mike Galloway
National Museum of the United States Navy, Washington, DC
Talk: The Washington Navy Yard During the Civil War >>
29 March: Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War Lecture—
Lessons Learned by Seabees and Civil Engineer Corps in Vietnam
Noon PDT
Lara Godbille
US Navy Museum, Pt. Hueneme, CA
Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War (navy.mil) >>
6 April: Vietnam POWs: A Conversation with Everett Alvarez Jr.
1 PM CDT
With Commander Alvarez
Pritzker Military Museum and Library
Webinar Registration - Zoom >>
6 April: Movie at the Memorial— South Pacific
7:30 – 9:30 PM EDT
Navy Memorial, Washington, DC
https://www.navymemorial.org/new-events/2023/1/13/south-pacific
19–21 April 2023 CAMM Conference
Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, Oregon,
Click here for more information and to register >>
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CAMM and the Naval History Connection | |
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The Council of American Maritime Museums Annual Conference is a delightful forum for those interested in maritime/naval heritage and learning how our museums are conveying that narrative to the public. The three-day conference from Wednesday, 19 April, through Friday, 21 April, at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, Oregon, will feature a number of naval history presentations worth noting.
They include a Wednesday morning panel on “Preserving History through Restoration: Making Difficult Choices with Collections” with Beth Sanders of the Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, WA; Bruce Jones of the Columbia River Maritime Museum; and Rich Pekelney, of the USS Pampanito at the San Francisco Maritime National Park. In the afternoon, Alaina Noland of the Battleship New Jersey, berthed at Camden, NJ, and Meghan Rathbun, representing the Battleship Massachusetts and other vessels at Battleship Cove, Fall River, MA, will host a workshop titled: “Order from Chaos: Demystifying Unmanaged Collections.” The first day closes with a US Coast Guard open house with demonstrations and cutter & buoy tender tours.
Thursday morning will include a presentation by Sarah Watkins and Sarah Dunbar, of the USS Constitution Museum, titled “Salute to Service: Maritime Museums and the Military.” (Of note: the USS Constitution Museum will be honored on 9 May, in Washington, DC at the National Maritime Awards Dinner.)
Finally, a Friday highlight of special note for those who served on nuclear-powered submarines and surface ships is a panel on “NS Savannah: Past, Present, and Future” featuring Paul Johnston of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and Erhard Koehler, who is with the Baltimore-based NS Savannah.
For More on CAMM visit: https://councilofamericanmaritimemuseums.org/
Registration is now open! camm-registration-form-2023-1.pdf (councilofamericanmaritimemuseums.org)
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NAVAL HISTORY BOOK REVIEWS | |
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Lethal Tides: Mary Sears and the Marine Scientists Who Helped Win World War II, by Catherine Musemeche, New York: Harper Collins, (2022.)
Review by Dr. Gary Weir, PhD
... As you read this work, in your mind’s eye you will see Sears’s crew in the stacks at the Library of Congress, reviewing many prewar Japanese scientific publications and extracting information that might save lives. Then you will see them leave the library and wait for the city bus that would take them back to the Hydrographic Office facilities in Suitland, Maryland. It all appears hopelessly humble but proved terribly significant. Mary Sears joined the company of Maurice Ewing, John Lamar Worzel, Allyn Vine, Roger Revelle, and many others who brought oceanography to the wartime Navy in a very practical way as an operational asset.
This reviewer very strongly recommends this treatment of Mary Sears. It offers an absorbing and significant story. It also suggests to historians of the female experience in American science other names from the wartime Hydrographic Office that deserve similar attention. These women made significant and creative contributions to the war effort that helped win the war and paved the way for a more complete postwar understanding of the ocean.
Read the full review >>
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Valor and Courage: The Story of the USS Block Island Escort Carriers in World War II, by Benjamin Hruska, Tuscaloosa: University Alabama Press, (2021.)
Reviewed by Lt. Col. Nicholas Smith, USAF
... Valor and Courage does exactly what it sets out to do, which is to bring to life the actions of the crews of CVE-21 and CVE-106 in such a way that has not been done before. True, many of the goals Hruska sets out to accomplish aside from this have already been argued at greater lengths, but that should in no way dissuade anyone from reading this well-crafted work of history. Valor and Courage should be of value to anyone interested in either naval history, World War II, or a more general audience that wants to explore the history of this thus far uncovered topic.
Read the full review >>
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NOTE FOR AUTHORS OF VIETNAM NAVAL HISTORY BOOKS: The Capital Commandery of the Naval Order of the United States has been provided a tent on the National Mall for the forthcoming Vietnam Veterans welcome home event to be held in the nation’s capital from 11 to 13 May. To provide historical context for the thousands of veterans expected to attend, the Naval Order seeks authors of sea service Vietnam-themed books to be on hand to autograph books and talk history with those who served in SE Asia. If you are interested in participating, contact Dave Winkler at david.winkler@usnwc.edu. | |
NAVAL HISTORY BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW | |
NAVAL HISTORICAL ANNIVERSARIES OF NOTE | |
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On March 19, 1917, letters were sent out by the Bureau of Navigation to the naval district commanders stating that they could recruit women into the Naval Coast Defense Reserve. These women would be allowed to be stenographers, messengers, radio operators, nurses, and chauffeurs, and to serve other roles in the industrial line. The majority of these women became yeomen. This change became possible through the vague language of the Naval Act of 1916, which stated that the Naval reserve could consist of, “all persons who may be capable of performing special useful service for coastal defense.”
Read more about this change >>
Read the personal account of Mrs. Henry F. Butler, a female yeoman >>
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ADDITIONAL FEATURED CONTENT | |
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The John L. Morris Feature:
USS Moctobi’s Rescue of USNS Lipan (T-ATF-85)
This week John Morris describes USS Moctobi’s retraction and recovery mission to help USNS Lipan after it collided with the larger tug boat, SS Atlantic Prestige. The tale includes the—in hindsight—slightly comical issues the crew faced in completing the task.
Read the full article >>
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NAVAL HISTORY CALLS FOR PAPERS | |
UPCOMING NAVAL & MARITIME HISTORY GATHERINGS | |
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18 March 2023: Carrier Con 2023 – USS Hornet, Alameda
23–26 March 2023: Society for Military History, Hilton San Diego Bayfront, San Diego, CA
14–16 April 2023: National Maritime Historical Society 60th Annual Meeting, The Mariners' Museum and Park, Newport News, VA
19-21 April 2023 Council of American Maritime Museums (CAMM) Conference, Columbia River Maritime Museum, Astoria, OR
9 May 2023: National Maritime Awards Dinner, National Press Club, Washington, DC
17–20 May 2023: North American Society for Oceanic History Conference, Maritime Museum of San Diego, CA
13–16 September 2023: Historic Naval Ship Association Conference aboard USS Slater
21–22 September 2023: McMullen Naval History Symposium, US Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD
17–22 October 2023: Naval Order of the United States Congress, San Diego
| 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: 177: Question Time: By Gettysburg College Students >>
Click here for all Preble Hall Podcasts >>
| NAVAL HISTORY & HERITAGE COMMAND H-GRAMS | |
H-Gram 077: 24 February 2023 >> Carter Hall at the Naval Academy, Remember the Maine, and the Charge of USS Bailey
| DRACHINIFEL YOUTUBE CHANNEL | 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 NEW 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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