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22 August 2023
Welcome back to our National Maritime Historical Society members and friends who share a love for naval history!
CONGRATULATIONS to the Center of Digital Editing at the University of Virginia on securing a planning grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities to continue the publication of the Naval Documents of the American Revolution in an online format. Supporting endorsements from the now decommissioned Naval Historical Foundation, the US Naval Institute, and the Naval History and Heritage Command helped to secure the grant money that will ultimately lead to an even more comprehensive online collection of our Navy’s founding documents. With the Navy’s 250th birthday on the near horizon and plans to break ground for a new Navy Museum moving forward, the creation of such an extensive historical database is like pouring a solid foundation for a house. Details about the award constitute our featured content.
After our featured content please check out the note from the McMullen Naval History Symposium and the registration link to the U.S. Naval Institute's Commodore Dudley Knox Awards Dinner that will be held at the conclusion of the symposium where Dr. William M. Fowler Jr. and the late James D. Hornfisher will be honored. More about the honorees in next week's Tidings.
Birthday greetings today to the Navy Dental Corps! You have been filling cavities for 111 years! Presently, the Navy Dental Corps comprises more than 1,300 active duty and reserve dentists practicing or training in 14 different dental specialties. Navy dentists are stationed at military treatment facilities, Marine Corps battalions, clinics, and hospitals located within the United States and various overseas locations. Navy dentists provide direct support to sailors and Marines and deploy in support of combat operations, disaster relief, and humanitarian assistance missions, providing the best care our nation can offer, ashore and afloat!
One naval officer from the Age of Sail who took an interest in the dental well-being of his men was Vice Adm. Lord Horatio Nelson. Inspired by Nelson and the exciting Age of Sail in the Georgian era, the 1805 Society came into existence, with members enrolling from both sides of the Atlantic. Today the organization is chaired by former First Sea Lord Admiral Jonathan Band DL. Retired US Navy Captain John Rodgaard serves as the current president. The organization’s aim is to inspire greater understanding of the achievements of the maritime world of the 18th and 19th centuries. The 1805 Club took its name from the iconic Battle of Trafalgar, which gave Nelson his acclaimed place in history. Through its program of commemorative initiatives, publications, research, and education, the Society aims to build a global community open to enthusiasts of naval history from all backgrounds. Further below, we present a flyer from the 1805 Society that highlights a recent initiative and provides contact information for those interested in supporting this initiative or expressing a general interest in joining their voyage. This initiative recognizes the role of the world's sailing navies during the Georgian era (1714–1837) and aims to promote their legacy into the modern age of seafaring.
Thank you Dr. Kolb for this week’s book review. There are still a number of good titles available for others to review listed here. As always, send your requests to david.winkler@usnwc.edu.
For veterans of escort carriers and their families and others coming to Washington later this week to attend the Escort Carrier History Symposium on Friday and the final reunion, we wish you safe travels and an enjoyable weekend.
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 | |
24 August 2023 - Naval Order Continental Commandery Virtual Lecture "Decline of the US Merchant Fleet"
Presented by Kempton Baldridge, licensed 1600 Ton Master and 2nd Mate of Unlimited Tonnage
7:00 PM (EDT) (Zoom)
25 August 2023 - Escort Carrier History Symposium
9:30 AM–5 PM (EDT) (in person)
17 September 2023 - SS John W. Brown Living History Cruise
8:00 am-4:00 PM (EDT) (in person)
18–21 September 2023 - Historic Naval Ship Association Conference USS Slater
21–22 September 2023 - McMullen Naval History Symposium, Annapolis, MD
Click here to Register>>
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Planning Grant Awarded to University of Virginia – Center for Digital Editing Naval Documents of the American Revolution | |
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On 15 August 2023, the National Endowment for the Humanities announced over $41 million in grants for 280 humanities projects. The Center for Digital Editing at the University of Virginia (CDE) was awarded a one-year grant to support the preparation and planning for the digital publication of the Naval Documents of the American Revolution (NDAR).
A collection initiative that traces its roots to the mid-twentieth century, NDAR offers an authoritative, comprehensive account of the naval aspects of the American Revolution through the publication of diaries, letters, petitions, ships’ logs, as well as muster rolls and various orders. Unique in contrast with other document collection and cataloging efforts, NDAR presents a multi-dimensional view of the conflict, publishing materials from American, British, French, and Spanish sources.
Over 22,000 documents have been made available to date in 13 letter press volumes, which are also freely available online. The first volume was published in 1964 by the Naval History Division, Naval History and Heritage Command’s predecessor organization, and included a foreword by President John F. Kennedy. Later volumes included forewords by presidents Lyndon B. Johnson (vols. 2–3); Richard M. Nixon (vols. 5–6); Gerard R. Ford (vol. 7); Jimmy Carter (vol. 8); Ronald Reagan (vol. 9); Bill Clinton (vol. 10); George W. Bush (vol. 11); and Barack Obama (vol. 12). Volume 13, the most recent, was published in 2019 and has taken the project up to 15 August 1778. The publication effort will continue until July 1785 when the Continental Navy was disbanded.
NDAR’s corpus of materials represents the largest collection of source materials on the naval history of the American Revolution in existence anywhere. Documents have been collected from hundreds of repositories and collections across the world. Not only are there materials from well-known repositories such as the Library of Congress and the National Archives, but there are also materials from private collections in Europe, many of which have never been made publicly available or accessible.
Read full article>>
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A NOTE FROM THE MCMULLEN NAVAL HISTORY SYMPOSIUM | |
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Colleagues, Shipmates, and Friends,
We have one month to go until the McMullen Naval History Symposium. The history department is looking forward to having all of you aboard, and we're working hard in the heavy seas of final planning.
We are delighted to announce that our keynote McMullen Sea Power Address, entitled “Seapower as Culture: Mahan, Corbett, and Strategic Choice,” will be delivered by Prof. Andrew Lambert of King’s College, London.
We are also excited to have Assoc. Prof. Jason Smith of Southern Connecticut State University delivering our morning address at the opening plenary on Thursday morning.
Currently the program committee is finalizing the agenda into the “program” format. That will be completed shortly and we will forward it to you so you can start thinking about your plans for which panels you would like to attend.
Registration is still open. If you know someone who might like to attend the Symposium, please pass along the link to our website so that they can get the details and register as well.
https://www.usna.edu/History/Symposium/index.php
Thank you all for your continued support of the symposium, and we look forward to seeing you in Annapolis.
Registration for the Knox Dinner is also now open!
Visit: Summary - Dudley Knox Achievement Award Dinner Honoring: (cvent.com)
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The Sinking of the Blücher: The Battle of Drøbak Narrows: April 1940 By Geirr Haarr and Tor Jørgen Melien, Pen & Sword Ltd, Imprint Greenhill Books, (2023)
Reviewed by Charles C. Kolb, PhD
...Chapter 16 (“Requiem”) reviews the Blücher’s naval casualties 326, those of Lützow seven, and the demise of Luftwaffe crews, as well as the fact that German graves were moved during the post-war period. The Blücher wreck lies in Oslofjord in 60–90 meters of water just outside of Drøbak. Three propellers, two anchors, and 1,600 tons of oil were recovered in 1994, but the site was declared a war grave only in 2016. Oscarborg was repaired and now serves as a museum. While the sinking of Blücher in Drøbak Narrows was a major event in early World War II history, the blame for its loss has many components, in the main, a lack of training, a novice crew, selection of the wrong type of ship for the task, and Großadmiral (Admiral of the Fleet) Eric Raeder’ mistakes. Operation Weserübung was, the authors conclude, “more important for the development of World War II in northern Europe than is usually recognized.”
I believe that the authors make a solid case for their statement in this splendid assessment of the sinking of a major German capital ship, the politics behind the military operations, and the results of the sinking which certainly played a role in the Norwegian government’s ability to escape and establish a government in exile in England. The narrative is incredibly fact-filled and detailed, and includes quotations from the diaries of combatants who participated in the military or diplomatic events. The use of primary sources in multiple languages provides a comprehensive assessment. The excellent maps provide scales of miles or kilometers and are clear, uncluttered renditions of the regional geography and chart the tracks of the naval vessels. The indices are unusual in that they cover only two topics (“Persons,” with 289 individuals listed; and “Ships,” with 165 names) so place names such as Narvik, Oslofjorden, Horten, etc., are not covered. Nonetheless, one of the best volumes on the war in the European Theater that I have read in some time.
Read full review>>
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NAVAL HISTORY BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW | |
A History of the US Navy Dental Corps
The Dental Corps has a rich history, one of care, innovation, and commitment—in the case of two naval dentists, a commitment literally “above and beyond the call of duty.” It includes members who gave their last full measure on the battlefield, were at the forefront of innovative dental treatment, and participated in civic action efforts that changed lives for the better. And it’s a history that even includes moments of humor and glamour.
The Dental Corps was authorized by an Act of Congress on 22 August 1912. But the distinction of who was the Navy’s first dentist is not as clear-cut. For example, when the Dental Corps celebrated its centennial in 2012, a discussion arose as to who should rightfully be regarded as the Navy’s first dentist. Officially, the first naval dentist is Dr. Emory Bryant, “the Father of Naval Dentistry,” who received his appointment on 23 October 1912. But naval medical historians Jan K. Herman, André B. Sobocinski, and Michael Rhode have good-naturedly put forth some other candidates for de facto consideration as the Navy’s first dentist.
If one expands the criteria to include civilians appointed as “Acting Assistant Surgeons,” the “acting” referring to temporary appointments of civilians and volunteers, then the first naval dentist would be Dr. Thomas Oliver Walton, appointed acting assistant [dental] surgeon to the US Naval Academy from 1873 to 1879. After being honorably discharged, he continued as a civilian to perform dentistry for the Naval Academy.
At the start of the 20th century, the Navy had trained dentists in its enlisted ranks. Edward Ewel Harris, a 1904 graduate of the Chicago College of Dental Surgery, enlisted that same year in the Navy Hospital Corps as a hospital steward. Under that rating he worked exclusively as a dentist. In 1914 Harris passed his examination and officially became acting assistant [dental] surgeon.
Read full article>>
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ADDITIONAL FEATURED CONTENT | |
Two French Naval Guns Captured by Horatio Nelson | |
NAVAL HISTORY CALLS FOR PAPERS | |
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 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 >>
| 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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