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25 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 LAST CALL for paper proposals for the forthcoming North American Society for Oceanic History (NASOH) conference this May in Natchez, Mississippi. We also offer the program for an upcoming conference over in Greenwich, UK, on the contributions of dockyards during World War II. We are delighted to see Dr. David Kohnen of the Naval War College and Dr. Anna Gibson Holloway of the US Dept. of Transportation Maritime Administration will be representing the Stars and Stripes!
For this week’s Naval History Book Review, we feature another review from Dr. John Satterfield on the successful effort to isolate Rabaul during World War II. Thanks to several requests, the book bin was getting empty. However, a shipment of new Naval Institute Press titles has just been received and they are included in this week’s book offerings.
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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 | |
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)
Tuesday, 4 March – World War II Discussion Forum
Wake Island Wildcat
With Bill Ramsey
8 pm (EST) (Virtual)
“The Indefatigable Howard I. Chapelle,” with John S. Sledge
Lecture at 7 PM EST, Q&A to Follow (Virtual)
Saturday, 8 March – Mariners’ Museum Battle of Hampton Roads Commemoration Day, Newport News, VA
Noon Battle of Hampton Roads Lecture
With John V. Quarstein
10 AM–3 PM
William F. Keeler: The Voice of Monitor Lecture
With Charles W. McLandress
2 PM–3 PM
Saturday, 8 March – Henry Breault Day, Putnam, CT
Celebration of Henry Breault Day, recognizing his achievement as the only enlisted
submariner to receive the Medal of Honor as a submariner
With Ryan Walker, author, The Silent Service’s First Hero
Noon (EST) (in person)
Tuesday, 11 March – World War II Discussion Forum
King’s Navy
With David Kohnen, PhD
8 PM (EST) (Virtual)
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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NASOH Revised Deadline, 28 February
2025 Call for Papers
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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 15–17May.
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 mounds. 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. Topics are not limited to inland waters but can address all aspects of maritime history, culture or archaeology.
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 28 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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Naval Dockyards Society 29th Annual Conference
The University of Greenwich
Saturday 5 April 2025
NDS conferences are sponsored by the Society for Nautical Research
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Dockyard and Shipyard support for the Battle of the Atlantic in the Second World War
With just a bit over 7 weeks to go, now would be a good time to register for our conference at Greenwich. To register, please visit the Naval Dockyard Society Website and scroll down to the second page, where you’ll find the registration form.
In this newsletter we introduce three of our conference speakers and confirm the programme for this, our 29th Annual Conference on Saturday, 5 April 2025, at the University of Greenwich, Maritime Campus, 30 Park Row, Greenwich, SE10 9LS.
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Convoy SC-48, bound from Canada to England, in mid-October 1941. PD | |
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Dockyard and Shipyard support for the Battle of the Atlantic in the Second World War
The Conference theme
Churchill named the Battle of the Atlantic (1939–45), the longest continuous military campaign in the Second World War. British, Canadian and US navies and air forces protected essential convoys, carrying the million tons of imported material Britain required each week to endure and fight. Our seven speakers will deliver a variety of aspects of that battle.
Read full program>>
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NAVAL HISTORY BOOK REVIEWS | |
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The Allied Neutralization of Rabaul: Japan’s Major South Pacific Base: Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives by Jon Diamond, Pen & Sword Military Books, LTD, Philadelphia, PA (2024)
Reviewed by John R. Satterfield, DBA
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Rabaul was a large and strategically important Japanese naval and air base in the Bismarck Archipelago near New Guinea in the Southwest Pacific. Japan captured the base from Australia in early 1942 during its six-month rampage through Southeast Asia and the Central Pacific after Pearl Harbor, expanding and fortifying the immense Simpson Harbor to support large naval operations. Situated on the eastern end of New Britain, Rabaul was an ideal launch pad for Japan’s assault against Port Moresby on New Guinea’s southeastern coast and enabled the Japanese to cover the Solomon Islands and reinforce its Western Pacific defensive perimeter.
In The Allied Neutralization of Rabaul, author Jon Diamond has assembled a diverse album of photographs with narratives and deep captions documenting the campaigns to isolate Rabaul and reduce its strategic value to Japan. Rabaul seemed to be a vital link in Japan’s control of the South Pacific early on, but the Allies managed, just barely, to thwart the Empire’s plan to create an impregnable defense perimeter that would preserve Japan’s new Pacific hegemony. In May 1942, naval actions in the Coral Sea cost Japan and the United States one aircraft carrier each, but forced the Japanese to turn their invasion force back from Port Moresby, leaving the base in Allied hands and securing lines of communication to Australia. A month later, an outnumbered US Navy fleet blocked Japan’s attack on Midway Island, sinking four Imperial Japanese Navy carriers in exchange for one American flattop. In August, Marines landed on Guadalcanal, securing a foothold that opened the way to recapture Japanese positions in New Guinea, the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) and the Philippines. Later, America’s wartime shipbuilding programs rejuvenated the US Navy and led to successful assaults against Japanese-held islands in the Central Pacific.
Aircraft in the Fifth US Army Air Force, assigned to the Southwest Pacific Area’s Supreme Commander, General Douglas MacArthur, and US Navy carrier-based aircraft from the South Pacific Area targeted Rabaul relentlessly as Allied forces moved through New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Given the numbers of troops in the Rabaul garrison, the density of anti-aircraft batteries, and Japan’s ability to provide supplies to the base, the Allies decided that an amphibious assault against New Britain would be too costly in lives and materiel. MacArthur and the US Navy captured smaller bases on islands around Rabaul, isolating the base. The last Japanese merchant ship left Simpson Harbor in March 1944. Thousands of Japanese soldiers and sailors died of starvation, the ring of air installations protecting the harbor were crushed, and hundreds of planes and aircrew were destroyed in the air and on the ground by the time Japan finally surrendered in September 1945.
Read full review>>
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NAVAL HISTORY BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW | |
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Naval Order Heritage Night
12 February 2025
Dr. James C. Rentfrow
Director of Navy Museums discusses the Navy Museum under NHHC jurisdiction.
Watch 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 | |
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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
14 May 2025: Annual Meeting of the US Naval Institute, Annapolis MD, 4 PM (EDT)
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
| 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 >>
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Click here to donate today >>
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