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18 February 2025
Welcome back to our National Maritime Historical Society members and friends who share a love for naval history!
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For this week’s lead item we feature a recent post from the Naval History and Heritage Command website about how the Navy annually captures and stows its history. These annual NHHC Command Operational Reports provide scholars primary source material to offer future accounts of our naval history. Many of those scholars will be presenting their current research gleaned from previous records at the Society for Military History Conference scheduled for the end of March in Mobile, Alabama. A list of naval-related presentations can be found HERE. A heads up: Early-Bird Registration for this three-day gathering closes this Friday. | |
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For this week’s Naval History Book Review, we feature Andrew Orr's The Flight of the Vikings: Daring Escapes in Small Boats from Nazi-Occupied Norway 1940–1945 reviewed by Dr. John Satterfield. Additional books have been received and are waiting in the bin, including Tuesday Tidings compiler Dave Winkler’s The Mighty A, a companion volume to last year’s Witness to Neptune’s Inferno!
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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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ITEMS OF IMMEDIATE INTEREST | |
Wednesday, 19 February – Travel Webinar Japan and Okinawa
With Jonathan Parshall
Noon–1 PM (CST)
Friday, 21 February – USS Monitor Legacy Program, Mariners’ Museum, Newport News, VA
City-Class Ironclads: The Pook Turtles
With John V. Quarstein
Noon–1 PM (EST) (In Person/virtual)
Saturday, 22 February – Collections Talk, Woodridge Neighborhood Library, Washington, DC
From Court Martial to Exoneration: The Port Chicago 50
With Wesley Schwenk
11 AM-Noon (EST) (In Person)
31 January–28 February – USS Constitution Museum, Boston, MA
Masters of Miniature Model Show: Navy 250
Monday, 3 March – New York Naval Order Luncheon Talk
The Bannerman Island Arsenal
With Thom Johnson
11:30 AM—1:30 PM (In person)
Wednesday, 12 March – USS Constitution Museum Virtual Series
USS Constitution’s Journey Around the World: A New Nation Lands on a Global Stage
With Carl Herzog
Noon–1 PM (EST)
Wednesday, 12 March – Naval Order Heritage Night
From Yeomanettes to Fighter Jets: A Century of Women in the US Navy
With Dr. Randy Goergen
8–9 PM (EST) Zoom
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Command Operations Reports: Annual Record of Operational Naval History
February 10, 2025
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Within the buildings that make up Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC), there are corridors of archives. The long aisles of documents, hosted at the Washington Navy Yard, are home to one of the Navy’s most comprehensive documentations of naval operations, the Command Operations Report (COR)
“CORs are the only permanent record to document the activities and actions of individual commands of the US Navy,” said Donna Marchessault, the COR program manager at NHHC. “If a command doesn’t submit a COR there is no permanent record of that command's activities for the year. This essentially leaves a gap, not only in the Navy’s historical record but also in the Navy’s current record that is used to make operational and tactical decisions.”
A COR is a detailed recounting of a Navy command’s operations, training, and events. Unlike a deck log, which traditionally records technical military operations, the COR gives a comprehensive narrative of the command and its events over the calendar year. Each command plays a role in the operations of the Navy, and CORs ensure that each command is given a voice in history.
Over 2,500 commands submit CORs annually to the Navy Archives at NHHC. These reports contribute to the Navy’s overall historical record and serve as an important resource to the public.
“The most personal and meaningful use of CORs for Navy personnel is that they are used extensively by VA (Veterans Affairs) staff researching claims by Navy veterans,” said Donna. “This means that everyone has a stake in creating and submitting a detailed COR. If the information isn't included by a command, it will not be available to verify claims by our current Navy Personnel in 30 years when they might need it.”
The many entities that utilize CORs include the Fleet, the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, the Joint Staff, Congress, researchers, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Beyond government and military organizations, CORs can also be a valuable resource for veterans in assisting VA claims. In some cases CORs from ships and aviation commands have been essential in adjudicating a claim.
CORs are broken into several sections, which at a minimum include:
· Basic command data
· The commander’s annual assessment
· A detailed chronology and narrative
· Supporting and published reports, including
· The command triad biographies and photographs
The governing instruction, OPNAVINST 5750.12 (series), outlines how to submit a COR. Here are some tips from the researchers at NHHC to help organize, build and streamline CORs:
- Identify a person or team of people responsible for creating the report who will stay at the command for several years. The task can become more daunting when it is assigned to new staff members, unfamiliar with the process each year.
- Consider breaking the annual report into quarterly submissions. Some commands have found success with reporting events, operations, and achievements every several months that build a solid backbone for an annual report.
- The command chronology and narrative are two different tasks, but both are required. A complete command chronology should list who, where, and when. The narrative is designed to give details of what happened in the chronology with supporting documents. Without a narrative, a chronology can often lack necessary details.
- Don’t forget to submit command triad photos and biographies.
- A late report is better than no report. The official due date for echelon 4–6 commands’ CORs is March 1st and March 15th for echelon 3 commands, but you can request an extension by email at nhhc_had-cor@navy.mil.
NHHC retains these permanent records for 50 years before they are transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
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Nevada Needs a Home
From USNI News
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A scale model used in the World War II movie Tora! Tora! Tora! is looking for a new home.
The 40-foot replica of USS Nevada (BB-36) is currently under cover in a warehouse near Los Angeles, but needs a new home out of the elements, retired Cmdr. Dave Rupp told USNI News on Wednesday.
Nevada is one of three US battleship models built for the 1970 Japanese-American film depicting the Imperial Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 Dec. 1941. During the attack, Nevada was the only ship able to get underway and fight off the Japanese air attack before the ship was grounded. (Watch the scene from the movie here). The smaller Nevada was the only model to survive the shoot and was eventually bought by Lt. Cmdr. Walt Riter, a Pearl Harbor veteran, for $1.
The model has been restored by Rupp and a former Hollywood model maker John Stewart, who died recently.
“[We] tore it down to the main deck and then rebuilt it to scale,” Rupp said.
To preserve the restoration, the model needs a new covered home. Those who might know of a spot are welcome to reach out to Rupp at the following email: ComDave@sbcglobal.net.
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NAVAL HISTORY BOOK REVIEWS | |
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The Flight of the Vikings: Daring Escapes in Small Boats from Nazi-Occupied Norway 1940–1945 by Andrew Orr, Pen & Sword Military Books, LTD, Philadelphia, PA (2024)
Reviewed by John R. Satterfield, DBA
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Norway, the westernmost nation on Europe’s Scandinavian Peninsula, extends above the Arctic Circle, Sweden, and Finland to Russia. Its mountainous, rocky, North Atlantic coast, with innumerable islands and fjords, stretches more than thirty-two thousand nautical miles. Rough water frames the country from the Barents Sea to the Skagerrak and Kattegat straits separating Norway from Denmark and the Baltic. Today, fewer than six million people inhabit the country, tough folk from a rugged land with a seafaring heritage. Norway’s forebears were Vikings whose voyages of exploration and conquest began in the eighth century and indelibly marked much of Europe, Britain, the Mediterranean and the New World until the twelfth century.
Andrew Orr’s book, The Flight of the Vikings, relies on Norway’s past to depict Norway’s defiance of Nazi Germany’s occupation of the country in World War II. The author, a retired Scottish physician with an interest in history, spent a decade researching the Norwegian resistance against Germany, a heroic episode. Following the title, he emphasizes the nation’s use of the sea to escape from oppression and launch resistance attacks, and their fearlessness in defying the odds against the overwhelming dangers of the ocean, German land and sea patrols, surveillance by German spies, and betrayal by collaborators.
Germany invaded neutral Denmark and unprepared Norway in April 1940. Despite brief help from Britain, within weeks King Haakon VII had to flee and establish a government in exile in England. Ninety thousand people fled to neutral Sweden or followed the king. Hitler admired Norwegians, believing they were exemplars of the mythical Aryans underlying Nazi eugenics and racial purity policies. Erasing the population was not a goal since he hoped to minimize resistance and promote uninterrupted shipments through Norway of vital Swedish iron ore to Germany.
Still, 400,000 German troops, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine units, and collaborators working with the Gestapo, murdered or imprisoned thousands of Norwegians, many of whom died in concentration camps. Germany confiscated Norwegian crops, its extensive fishery yields, and other resources, creating hardships, especially in cities. Villages were wiped from the map in retaliation for attacks from local resistance forces. German-born Reichskommisar Josef Terboven and Norwegian soldier and diplomat Vidkun Quisling (whose surname became a popular synonym for traitor), Minister President from 1942, presided over these tactics, even destroying villages in retaliation for resistance. In 1945, Terboven committed suicide, and Quisling was executed.
Read full review>>
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NAVAL HISTORY BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW | |
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Preble Hall – January 12 – Episode 245
Brian Dickinson joins Dr. Stephen Phillips on Preble Hall to discuss Brian’s book, Calm in the Chaos, True Tales from Elite US Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmers and the Navy’s SAR Swimmer community, to include the history of its development and some historical examples of this important mission.
Listen here>>
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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.
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 31 May 2025.
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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 will 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:
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 | |
PREBLE HALL NAVAL HISTORY PODCAST | |
A naval history podcast from Preble Hall – the United States Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis, Maryland. Preble Hall interviews 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: 245 - Brian Dickinson: Calm in the Chaos>>
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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