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14 January 2025
Welcome back to our National Maritime Historical Society members and friends who share a love for naval history!
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In this edition we say farewell to a long-time advocate of our maritime and naval heritage. Dr. Timothy Runyan passed away last Thursday at age 83.
We also note the naming of two more future Navy destroyers.
For this week’s book review, we thank Dr. Diana Ahmad for her review of a novel on the deadly run to Archangel. Check our book list for new titles awaiting review.
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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, 15 January 2024 – Historian Talk: Shaw/Watha T. Daniel Neighborhood Library, Washington, DC:
America’s First Aircraft Carrier
With Dr. David Winkler, Commander, USN (Ret)
11 AM–noon (EST) (In Person)
Wednesday, 15 January 2024 – Surface Navy Association Heritage Night, Crystal City, VA
The Formation of the US Navy – 1775–1815
With Dr. Craig Symonds, Chair, Former USNA History Professor
Professor Capt. Benjamin Armstrong, USN, Associate Professor of War Studies and Naval History, USNA
CDR Billie Farrell, USN, Past Commanding Officer of USS Constitution (currently at USNA)
Dr. Abigail Mullen, Assistant Professor, Department of History, USNA
5:40–7 PM (EST)
Thursday, 23 January 2024 – Maritime History Lecture
Tailships: Hunting Soviet Submarines in the Mediterranean, 1970–1973
With Capt. John Rodgaard, USN, (Ret.)
7 PM (EST) - Continental Commandery
Friday, 24 January 2024 – Mariners’ Museum History Program
James River Squadron: Construction and Destruction
With John V. Quarstein
Noon–1 PM (In person-virtual)
Saturday-Sunday, 1–2 February 2024 – Western Naval History Association Symposium
See flyer here.
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Tuesday Tidings is saddened to report the passing of Dr. Timothy J. Runyan, a leading advocate of maritime and naval heritage. He died last Thursday. He was 83.
Dr. Runyan was among the most committed advocates for federal maritime heritage causes. He served as chair of the National Maritime Alliance, which represents a diverse maritime community—including museums, historic ships, lighthouses, canals, boatyards, boatbuilding and sailing schools, historic preservation groups, marine unions and businesses, and individuals.
Dr. Runyan was also a founder and trustee emeritus of the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland, Ohio, where he led the effort to preserve the 618-foot SS William G. Mather, built in 1925, as a museum ship on the Cleveland lakefront. He was a past president of the Great Lakes Historical Society, which operates the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo, Ohio. From 2007 to 2010, Dr. Runyan served as acting manager of the Maritime Heritage Program in the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—the largest maritime heritage program in the federal government.
As director of the Maritime Studies Program at East Carolina University—offering graduate studies in maritime history and underwater archaeology—Dr. Runyan completed formal scientific diver training with his students and participated in the program’s archaeological fieldwork. He held numerous roles that advanced maritime heritage preservation in the United States, including organizing Maritime Heritage Conferences. In recent weeks, he was deeply involved in planning the 12th Maritime Heritage Conference, scheduled to take place in Buffalo in late September.
Dr. Runyan held many roles advancing maritime heritage preservation in the United States, but none more influential than his work as an educator. He received his PhD from the University of Maryland and was awarded a fellowship to study at the University of London. He taught at Cleveland State University, Oberlin College, and East Carolina University, mentoring countless college and graduate students throughout their academic programs and into their professional careers.
His many publications include books, articles and research reports; he served as editor of the scholarly journal American Neptune, published at the Peabody Essex Museum. The former director of the Naval Historical Center (now the Naval History and Heritage Command), Dr. William S. Dudley, observed: “We have all lost a great friend and supporter of maritime heritage causes and organizations such as NASOH (North American Society for Oceanic history) and NMHS.”
In 2018, Dr. Runyan was awarded with the David A. O’Neil Sheet Anchor Award at the National Maritime Historical Society’s Annual Awards Dinner. He will be missed.
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Secretary Del Toro names two destroyers in his closing days as Secretary of the Navy
On 3 January, at a ceremony hosted by the Intrepid Museum in New York City, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro named the Navy’s newest Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, the future USS Intrepid (DDG 145) and USS Robert Kerrey (DDG 146).
DDG 145 will honor the skilled, fearless crews of the four previous Navy ships to bear the name. This will be the fifth ship named Intrepid. DDG 146 will honor former US Senator, Nebraska Governor, and naval officer Joseph Robert Kerrey, who received the Medal of Honor for heroism displayed during the Vietnam War. This will be the first Navy vessel named after Kerrey.
The first Intrepid was captured from the Barbary state of Tripoli in December 1803 where she sailed under the name Mastico. In February 1804, she then slipped into Tripoli harbor to set fire to the captured US Navy ship Philadelphia. The second Intrepid was an experimental steam torpedo ram, operating from 1874 to 1892. The third Intrepid was a receiving and barracks ship assigned to the Yerba Buena Training Station and Mare Island Naval Yard. The fourth Intrepid, an aircraft carrier, served from 1943 to 1974. She supported the capture of the Marshall Islands in early 1944. In September, she struck targets in the Palaus and provided close air support to Marines on Peleliu. She helped liberate the Philippines and took part in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944, where her air wing helped sink or damage three aircraft carriers, four battleships, and a cruiser. She was later hit by multiple kamikazes. She participated in the invasion of Okinawa and attacks on mainland Japan. She was decommissioned in 1947 and recommissioned in 1952, becoming the first carrier to use American-built steam catapults. She supported NATO in the 1950s and 1960s and recovered several NASA space capsules. Intrepid then joined Seventh Fleet to support combat operations off Vietnam, where she was lauded for her speed in launching aircraft. In 1969, she returned to the North Atlantic, sailing there until decommissioning in 1974.
At the January 3 ceremony on board Intrepid, the former Nebraska senator was present. Born in Lincoln, NE, in 1943 and entering the Navy in 1966, Kerrey completed Officer Candidate School and Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training. He deployed to the Republic of Vietnam as a platoon officer with Delta Platoon, SEAL Team 1 in 1969. On 14 March 1969, he led his team on a mission to capture important Viet Cong political leaders who had set up a base of operations on an island in the bay of Nha Trang. The platoon scaled a 350-foot cliff and were descending from a ledge overlooking the enemy camp when a grenade exploded at Kerrey’s feet, severely injuring his right leg and propelling him backward onto jagged rocks. Immobilized by his multiple wounds, Kerrey nonetheless continued directing his team in securing the enemy camp and finding an extraction site for helicopter evacuation. Kerrey ultimately would lose his lower leg, but his steadfast courage and leadership under fire earned the gratitude of his Nation. He received the Medal of Honor in 1970, the first Navy SEAL to be so honored. He subsequently served as the 35th Governor of Nebraska (1983–1987) and as a US senator from Nebraska (1989–2001), as well as a member of the 9/11 Commission.
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Statement from President Biden Announcing the Names of CVN 82 and CVN 83
The White House, 13 January 2025
I am proud to announce that the next two Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers will be named for two former presidents: Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. When I personally delivered the news to Bill and George, they were deeply humbled. Each knows firsthand the weight of the responsibilities that come with being Commander in Chief. And both know well our duty to support the families and loved ones who wait and worry for the safe return of their servicemember.
The future USS William J. Clinton (CVN 82) and the future USS George W. Bush (CVN 83) will begin construction in the years ahead. When complete, they will join the most capable, flexible, and professional Navy that has ever put to sea. They will be crewed by sailors who hail from every corner of the United States, and who will sail these ships into harm’s way, defending our interests overseas and our safety here at home.
Those Sailors will demonstrate not only the example of our power, but the power of our example. And our nation remains grateful to them, their families, and all the talented shipyard workers who will bring these ships to life.
May God protect all who sail aboard USS William J. Clinton, USS George W. Bush and every other ship in our fleet. And may God continue to bless our troops.
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NAVAL HISTORY BOOK REVIEWS | |
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Suicide Run to Archangel: A World War 2 Novel Based on a True Story.
By Capt. Michael J. Dodd, Ashland, OR: Hellgate Press, (2024).
Reviewed by Diana L. Ahmad, PhD
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A historical fiction novel based on the World War II diary and letters written by the author’s uncle during his time serving aboard SS Esek Hopkins, a Liberty Ship built in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1942, the book describes the life of merchant mariner Deck Cadet Jack Dodd, a young man from the Baltimore area. The author provides an interesting, detailed adventure story about the journey of Esek Hopkins to Archangel in the Soviet Union at the start of the war.
Like several other historical novels of World War II, there is adventure and romance. The details range from the importance of the positioning of the ships in the convoys to the relationships among the crew. As a Liberty ship, SS Esek Hopkins was manned by the United States merchant marine and protected by a small number of United States Navy Armed Guards. At the same time, the merchant marine, including Jack Dodd, not only tended the vessel and its cargo, but also helped defend the ship when necessary. The author explains how Jack studied the tactics of fighting from instruction manuals, as well as learning from actual fighting using Swiss-designed Oerlikon machine guns. The novel provides details of life at sea that are often neglected by some authors, including the difficulties of taking showers or visiting the head during storms. Dodd explains the creaking and groaning of the ship and the stress that caused the officers and crew, in addition to how the problems were repaired by the men. While harsh weather caused some problems, it proved to be a safer time, as U-boats and the Luftwaffe generally did not attack American ships during those conditions.
As with other war novels, the author discusses the traditional disagreements and fights between the men serving onboard the vessels, as well as romances that were found at the taverns when they made port in Scotland before their final journey to Archangel. The hero of the novel finds romance at a tavern with a woman whose husband may or may not have been killed in the war. While the romance seemed like it would grow, Penny, Jack’s romantic interest, simply fades away, leaving the reader wondering what happened to her.
Jack Dodd spent a lot of time with the captain of Esek Hopkins, as well as the Chief and first mate. Exactly why Jack was given special access to the captain is unclear, except that the captain knew Jack hoped to be promoted and move up the command structure.
Once Esek Hopkins arrived in Archangel, Jack and his men encountered the difficult conditions that the people living in the Soviet Union experienced during the war. There was little access to food and the local people were poorly trained to take care of the Allied vessels that docked there and needed to be unloaded with supplies for the Soviet military.
The novel was easy to read, providing details about the merchant marine, Liberty Ships, sailing in convoys, and interactions with American allies. Considering the author had access to his uncle’s diaries and letters and knew so much about the merchant marine’s role in the conflict that writing a standard history book might have been better, although as-is, the book was good reading.
The author, a retired ophthalmologist, grew up in the northern suburbs of Baltimore. His father introduced him to boating at a young age, and over the years took sailing lessons and owned several boats. In 2016 he obtained a USCG 50-ton commercial captain’s license for inland waters and wrote a cruising guide, Chesapeake Bay Odyssey, based on his own experience sailing those waters.
Dr. Ahmad is a Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor Emerita of American history at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. She specializes in history of the American West, including animals on the overland trails and the expansion of the US into the Pacific. Ahmad received her PhD from the University of Missouri in 1997. Originally from Milwaukee, Diana attended UWM (BA, 1974; MA, 1979), where she studied American History with Dr. Reginald Horsman.
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NAVAL HISTORY BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW | |
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Proceedings Podcast
EP. 424: In Contrast: Admiral Zumwalt vs. Admiral Holloway at the Helm of the Navy
10 December 2024
Host Eric Mills talks with Edward Marolda about his latest article for Naval History magazine
Listen here>>
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2025 Call for Papers
Continental Connections: Inland Waters and the Shaping of Maritime North America. The North American Society for Oceanic History invites you to join us at the Grand Hotel in Natchez, Mississippi, for our 2025 conference from 15–17 May.
For thousands of years, a vast complex of inland waters shaped the lives and cultures of indigenous North Americans. These same waters allowed European states to establish and maintain outposts of empire thousands of miles from the Atlantic Ocean. During the early decades of the nineteenth century, inland waters made it possible for millions of Euro-Americans to move west and establish the cities and farms that became the foundations of North America’s modern agricultural and industrial economies.
This year NASOH is recognizing the complicated historical legacy of North America’s inland waters by meeting at Natchez, Mississippi. Located on the Mississippi River at the western terminus of the Natchez Trace, an overland trail connecting the Mississippi, Cumberland, and Tennessee rivers, Natchez was a natural point of exchange and location of important Indigenous ceremonial mounts. The French, recognizing the area’s importance-built Fort Rosalie in 1716. The present city is named after the Natchez Indians, and its subsequent culture and history are the products of Indigenous, French, English, Spanish, African, and American influences. A natural stopping place and base for keelboats and flatboats, and later steamboats, Natchez became the first capital of the Mississippi Territory and the second-largest slave trading market in the United States. Celebrated for its surviving antebellum architecture and southern heritage, Natchez is also a testament to the enduring and pervasive influences of maritime connections and inland waters in North America.
Session and individual paper proposals are encouraged. Sessions should have no more than 4 papers.
Proposals should include: A) title; B) 150-200 word abstract; C) a 150 word (maximum) biographical statement; D) contact information, including phone number, address, affiliation, and email. This information should be submitted as a single Word document (not pdf), single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font.
Please note that conference registration is required for papers.
PowerPoint presentations are encouraged, and projectors will be provided. Please note that requests for specific audio-visual equipment, special outlets, or accommodation for disabilities should be included in the proposal.
The deadline for proposal submission is 15 February 2025. Please submit proposal packets electronically to NASOHconference25@gmail.com.
For general questions, please contact Dr. Amy Mitchell-Cook, amitchellcook@uwf.edu.
Additional information regarding accommodations and registration will be available on NASOH’s website, https://nasoh.org/.
Student Travel Grants
Students may apply for a Chad Smith Travel Grant to assist in travel to present a paper at the conference. Additionally, each year NASOH bestows the Clark G. Reynolds Student Paper Award to the author of the best graduate student paper delivered at the conference. Please see the awards section of the NASOH website for details. Students wishing to be considered for either award must indicate so as part of their paper proposal. For more information about these grants, please go to: https://nasoh.org/student-awards.
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McMullen Naval History Symposium: 18–19 September, 2025
The year 2025 marks many significant milestones for the United States and its navy. Of special note is the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution and the founding of the Continental Navy. Many other significant naval events celebrate lesser milestones this year as well, including the end of the First Barbary War and the War of 1812, the end of World War II, and the founding of the US Naval Academy. The History Department of the United States Naval Academy invites proposals for papers to be presented at the 2025 McMullen Naval History Symposium on these and any other topics related to the naval and maritime history of the United States or the world. While we encourage in-person attendance and participation, the 2025 McMullen will be equipped for very limited virtual participation for participants from outside the United States. Proposals should include a one-page curriculum vitae and an abstract of no more than 250 words that summarizes the research and its contribution to historical knowledge. Panel proposals that include three presenters and a chair are highly encouraged, and should include all relevant material on the presenters, as well as a one-page CV for the chair. The chair will function as a moderator for the panel; there will be no separate comment, apart from audience Q&A. When submitting proposals, either individual or panel, please put all materials into a single file.
Email proposals to navalhistorysymposium@gmail.com by midnight, 14 February 2025.
The program committee anticipates announcing a draft program by the end of April 2025. Online registration for the conference will begin in the spring of 2025. A small number of modest travel stipends are available to graduate students and recent PhDs who do not hold a tenure-track position or full-time employment. Support for these grants comes from the generosity of the McMullen Sea Power Fund established in honor of Dr. John McMullen, USNA Class of 1940. Please indicate your desire to apply for a travel stipend with your proposal. The committee will publish a volume of proceedings in the New Interpretations of Naval History Series, containing the best papers presented, at a future date. Further information on the 2025 McMullen Naval History Symposium, including hotel registration, will be available online at www.usna.edu/History/Symposium in early 2025. Specific inquiries may be directed to the director, Captain Stan Fisher, or deputy director, Dr. Abby Mullen, at the email address listed above.
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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:
15th January 2025: Prof. Rodrigo Pérez Fernández (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid), “The past, present and future of shipbuilding”
29th January 2025: Dr. Alan James (King’s College London), (full title TBC)
12th February 2025: Dr. Matthew Heaslip (University of Portsmouth), (full title TBC)
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 | |
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31 January–2 February 2025: Western Naval History Association Symposium (WNHA), San Diego, CA
27–30 March 2025: Society for Military History (SMH) Annual Meeting, Mobile, AL
9–11 April 2025: Council of American Maritime Museums Annual Meeting, Pensacola, FL
22–25 May 2025: Canadian Nautical Research Society Annual Conference Port Hope,
Ontario
18–19 September 2025: McMullen Naval History Symposium, US Naval Academy
24–27 September 2025: Historic Naval Ship Association (HNSA) Symposium/12th Maritime Heritage Conference, Buffalo, NY
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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.
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Click here to read the February 2023 edition and archived issues on the IJNH website >>
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