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1 October 2024
Welcome back to our National Maritime Historical Society members and friends who share a love for naval history!
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Tomorrow marks the 225th anniversary of the Washington Navy Yard. Home to the Chief of Navy Operations and several naval commands such as the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC), it’s not difficult to imagine this facility continuing to serve the nation for another 225 years.
Tomorrow also kicks off the four-day Naval Order of the United States Annual Congress in Buffalo, New York. Best wishes for a productive gathering!
Buffalo will also host the 12th Maritime Heritage Conference next year from 24–27 September in conjunction with the bicentennial of the opening of the Erie Canal. The 12th MHC Call for Papers is included below.
This week we feature two announcements from the Naval History and Heritage Command. A huzzah for Peter Luebke for his publication on naval innovations in the 12th century, and to organizations recognized by NHHC during its annual awards program.
For this week’s Naval History Book Review we feature Capt. Richard Dick’s take on a new Casemate publication on US battleships. Our list of books available for review has been updated with new titles.
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 | |
1 October 2024 - World War II Discussion Forum
Blue versus Orange: The US Naval War College, Japan, and the Old Enemy in the Pacific, 1945–1946
With Hal Friedman
8–9 PM (EDT) (Zoom)
3 October 2024 - NMHS Zoom Series
From Barns and Basements to Museum Exhibit Galleries: How Maritime Museums can Bring Long Lost Shipwreck Artifacts Back to the Public
With Cathy Green and Kevin Cullen
7 PM (EDT)
7 October 2024 - Naval Order New York Luncheon
History of the Naval Reserves
With Cdr. Walter Johanson, USNR (Ret.)
11:30 AM to 1:30 PM (EDT) (In person)
8 October 2024 - World War II Discussion Forum
Dark Nights, Deadly Waters: American PT Boats at Guadalcanal
With Keith Warren Lloyd
8–9 PM (EDT) (Zoom)
9 October 2024 - Naval Order of the US Naval History presentation
War of 1812 Single Ship Engagements – A Canadian Perspective
With Nicholas James Kaier
8–9 PM (EDT)
11 October 2024 - Mariners’ Museum Legacy Program
The Genius of John Ericsson
With John V. Querstein
Noon–1 PM (EDT) (Live/Zoom)
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NHHC releases book on Navy Innovation in the 20th Century
Naval History and Heritage Command released its newest publication, The US Navy and Innovation: Twentieth-Century Case Studies, online, 24 September, 2024.
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The new book, edited by NHHC historian Peter C. Luebke, represents a collective effort by NHHC to share the stories of naval innovation and the innovators themselves amid the great power struggles of the twentieth century.
“Your Navy is accountable to one of history’s largest and most diverse democracies; your global mission is in many regards unparalleled. Thus, often, your past can be your own best case study,” said Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro in the publication’s foreword.
Following Luebke’s introduction, the eight case studies showcase the research of the current generation of NHHC historians. The studies are as follows:
1. “Skeerd-o’-Nothin’: Innovating Battleship Design in the Age of the Dreadnought”
By John E. Fahey
2. “Command and Cooperation: Innovating Unity of Command in the Caribbean Sea Frontier, 1942–1943”
By Martin R. Waldman
3. “Innovating Fire Support: The Development of Naval Surface Gunfire Support in the Pacific during World War II”
By Nicholas K. Roland
4. “The Genesis of Underwater Demolition Teams in the Pacific in World War II: Innovating Special Warfare”
By Guy J. Nasuti
5. “Innovating Fleet Air Defense: The U.S. Fleet and Kamikaze Attacks, 1944–1945”
By Shawn R. Woodford
6. “The Wild Weasel That Wasn’t: Innovating Counter-Radar Tactics and the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses during the Korean War”
By Peter C. Luebke
7. “The Individual Innovating: Raye Jean Jordan Montague, Pioneering Ship Designer, Engineer, and Mentor”
By Regina T. Akers
8. “Innovating Policy: The Maritime Strategy and the Navy in the 1980s”
By Ryan A. Peeks
To download a 508-compliant PDF version, visit: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/publications-by-subject/innovation.html.
To download other NHHC publications, visit: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/publications-by-subject.html
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NHHC Announces 2023–24 Navy History and Heritage Awards Program Winners | |
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The Naval History and Heritage Command announced the 2023–24 Navy History and Heritage Awards Program winners during an awards ceremony aboard the USS Midway Museum in San Diego, 19 September. The annual awards program recognizes non-federal organizations, including museums and individuals, for incorporating the history and heritage of the United States Navy into their publications, documents, and artifacts at their facilities. Applicants are assessed on their ability to encourage and publicize scholarly materials or lectures that depict the Navy’s history and heritage and on the organization’s ability to preserve and maintain artifacts on loan from the Navy.
“I am honored to recognize the outstanding contributions of this year’s Navy History and Heritage Awards Program winners,” said NHHC Director Samuel J. Cox, US Navy rear admiral (retired). “These organizations continue to demonstrate an exceptional commitment to preserving our Navy’s legacy, educating the public, and inspiring future generations.”
The winners of NHHC’s 2023–24 Navy History and Heritage Awards Program include:
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US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Abigayle Lutz | |
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History and Heritage Excellence Pennant (History “E”):
Battleship Texas Foundation
The Battleship Texas Foundation received the History and Heritage Excellence Award for undertaking an initiative that provided a model for the rest of the historic ship community, which included a safe way to offer public tours while the ship was in drydock between November 2022 and February 2024. Their efforts resulted in over 4,500 museum patrons and over $800,000 raised.
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US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Abigayle Lutz | |
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Maintenance Excellence Pennant (Maintenance “E”):
Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial
The Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial received the Maintenance Excellence Award for the 2024 drydocking of USS New Jersey, a $10 million project that ensured the ship will be seaworthy for the 100th anniversary of her commissioning. Specific actions during the maintenance availability included: a complete hull structural integrity survey, pressure washing and cleaning of the entire hull, testing and repairing over 160 through-hull openings, replacement of over twelve hundred hull protection anodes, sealing the propeller shafts, sealing all riveted hull seams, and applying over eighteen tons of paint in three coats, ensuring hull integrity to the maximum extent possible.
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US Navy photos by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Abigayle Lutz | |
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Curatorial Excellence Pennant (Curatorial “C”):
Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum
USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park
The Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum was also recognized for curatorial excellence for the documentation and digitization of the museum’s collection of over 14,000 objects.
The Battleship USS Alabama Memorial Park was recognized for curatorial excellence in the extensive restoration and conversion of a B-25J bomber, representing and honoring the second crew of the famous 1942 Doolittle Raid. This crew included Mobile, Alabama, native and co-pilot Lt William Fitzhugh.
The 2023–24 Navy History and Heritage Awards Program recipients were presented with a plaque and pennant commemorating their achievement during the annual meeting of the Historic Naval Ships Association in San Diego.
For additional information on the Museum Excellence Awards, visit: https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/get-involved/nhhc-awards-program.html
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NAVAL HISTORY BOOK REVIEWS | |
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US Battleships 1939–45, by Ingo Bauernfeind, Havertown, PA: Casemate Publishers, (2024).
Reviewed by Capt. Richard Dick, USN (Ret.)
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The author of US Battleships, 1939–1945, Ingo Bauernfeind, has certainly entered a crowded field. A quick and unscientific survey of offerings on Amazon turned up over 35 titles on American battleships in World War II (either individual units or the ships in aggregate), in addition to numerous books on combat actions involving battleships.
The author begins with a broad survey of iron and steel warships of the 19th century and describes the evolution of the pre-dreadnought battleship. Establishing a pattern he follows throughout the book, the author summarizes the armor and protection, propulsion, and armament of the ships concerned. As usual in Casemate publications, the book uses high-quality pictures and diagrams extensively to illustrate and amplify the points in the text.
Bauernfeind then focuses extensively and thoroughly on the development of HMS Dreadnought and her immediate competitors, including USS South Carolina and USS Michigan, as well as their successors, including USS Texas, the only surviving dreadnought in the world. He then moves into the meat of the book, the US super-dreadnoughts (defined as having main battery guns of 13.5” or greater, all mounted on centerline). In this section, he draws on his extensive experience at the USS Arizona memorial to insert a moving description of the current memorial from the standpoint of underwater archaeology. He goes into considerable depth in describing the “standard-type” battleships (the five classes of US battleships commissioned between 1916 and 1923). Many of these ships would support Allied amphibious landings in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Pacific in World War II.
Read full review>>
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NAVAL HISTORY BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW | |
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The Mariner’s Mirror Podcast: Black Mariners in the Royal Navy
Listen here>>
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The Society for Military History
Distinguished Book Awards for 2025
Background: The Society for Military History is soliciting nominations for its annual Distinguished Book Awards for 2025. Established in 1933, the Society is devoted to stimulating and advancing the study of military history. Its membership (today more than 2,600) includes many of the most prominent scholars, soldiers, and citizens interested in military history. The Society encourages research and publication across the whole range of military history (ancient, medieval, and modern, including related popular studies). The Society publishes The Journal of Military History, the leading international scholarly journal of military history.
The Distinguished Book Awards: For the 2025 awards, books published (copyright date) in 2023 and 2024 are eligible. Works previously nominated for the Society’s book awards may be resubmitted provided they were published in 2023. Nominated books should be assigned to one of the following prize categories:
Distinguished Book (two awards)
- Edited and reference works contain collections of information, such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, handbooks, and diagnostic manuals.
- Biography and memoirs—works that examine the life of a single individual or the lives of multiple individuals, or first-person accounts of lived experiences, in the context of war and/or the military
- First book—works that represent a single author’s first monograph)
The committee will make its selections for awards by January 30, 2025. The Society will give the awards at its annual meeting in Mobile, Alabama on 27–30 March 2025. The author of each prize-winning book will receive recognition at the Society’s annual awards presentation, an award plaque, and a $1,000 prize.
The committee must receive books for consideration for the 2025 awards by 7 October 2024. Publishers must follow this process for each volume they intend to submit:
Please send a copy of each book for consideration with a letter specifying consideration for the SMH Book Awards to each committee member at the addresses listed below. Books must be submitted in physical copy, and electronic versions will not be considered. The committee recognizes the expense to authors and publishers associated with submitting five copies of each nominated book and therefore encourages serious submissions only. Please note that books will not be returned and that only award winners will be notified of selection.
At the discretion of the committee, submissions which are received after 7 October 2024 may be deferred for consideration in the 2026 awards.
Sincerely,
Debra J. Sheffer, PhD
Chair SMH Book Awards Committee
Email: debra.sheffer@park.edu
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SMH 2025 Book Awards
Committee Member Addresses
Marion Dorsey, PhD
Department of History
University of New Hampshire
14 Fogg Drive
Durham, NH 03824
Ian Beckett, PhD
School of History
University of Kent, Canterbury
Tides, Trewelloe Road, Praa Sands, Penzance
Cornwall, TR20 9SU, UK
Tarak Barkawi, PhD
Department of Political Science
Johns Hopkins University
1102 Bryn Mawr Road
Baltimore, MD 21210
Matthew Neufeld, PhD
Department of History
University of Saskatchewan
Room 619, Arts Tower
9 Campus Drive
Saskatoon SK S7N 5A5
Canada
Debra Sheffer, PhD
Park University
9002 N. Camden Ave.
Kansas City, MO 64154
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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.
Typically held every four years, 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 May 31, 2025.
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PD, via Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives. | |
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Naval Dockyards Society 29th Annual Conference
To be held at the University of Greenwich
One Saturday March/April 2025
Dockyard and Shipyard support for the Battle of the Atlantic
in the Second World War
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.
What logistical challenges were faced? What was the long-term impact?
Please see Call for Papers here
Please send your title, a 300-word synopsis and a 100-word biography by 31 October 2024 or earlier to Roger Bendall, roger@rogerbendall.com,and Dr. Ann Coats, avcoatsndschair@gmail.com. N.B. The proposal should present original research.
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The Society for Military History | |
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The Society for Military History announces a call for papers for its 90th Annual Meeting in Mobile, Alabama, 27–30 March 2025, at the Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel and the
Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza Hotel.
The Program Committee’s objective is to create a slate of panels that represent the breadth of expertise and interests as well as the overall diversity of the Society’s wide-ranging membership. Individual paper and panel proposals on all facets of military history broadly defined will be considered for inclusion. Members in the academic community, the armed forces and governmental agencies, museums and archives, and independent scholars, as well as international members, are encouraged to participate.
Priority will be given to individual paper and panel submissions that highlight the presentation of original research, new interpretations, topics of immediate interest to our membership, and cutting-edge trends and subject matter. Submission of roundtables is encouraged, but preference will be given to panels that present new, original research.
All submissions will be judged on their merit using the above criteria.
Submission Instructions:
Individual paper proposals must include a 250-word abstract of the paper, and a one-page vita with contact information and email address. If selected, individual papers will be assigned by the program committee to an appropriate panel with a chair/commentator.
Panel proposals must include a panel title and 250-word abstract summarizing the theme of the panel; paper titles and a 250-word abstract for each paper proposed; and a one-page curriculum vitae for each panelist (including the chair and commentator) that includes institutional affiliation, email address, and other contact information.
Roundtable proposals must include a roundtable title, the full name and institutional affiliation of each participant, a 250-word abstract summarizing the roundtable’s themes and significance, and a one-page curriculum vitae for each participant.
Members who wish to volunteer to serve as chairs and commentators should send a one-page curriculum vitae.
Send all materials to the Program Committee Chair before 18 October 2024 at smhconferences@gmail.com.
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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 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 …
9th October 2024: Dr. Catherine Scheybler (King’s College London), “The Spanish Ship of the Line: Its origins and development before 1752.”
23rd October 2024: Dr. Rodrigo Pacheco-Ruiz (National Museum of the Royal Navy), Managing archaeological data for HMS Victory’s restoration. (full title TBC)
6th November 2024: Dr. James Davy (University of Exeter), “Tempest; The Royal Navy and the Age of Revolution.”
20th November 2024: Associate Professor Evan Wilson (Hattendorf Historical Centre), “The Horrible Peace; British Veterans and the End of the Napoleonic Wars.”
4th December 2024: Sarah Mott, (Lloyd’s Register Foundation) “Rewriting Women into Maritime History; the SHE_SEES exhibition.”
18th December 2024: Bill Lindsay (independent scholar), “William Schaw Lindsay; Victorian Entrepreneur.”
Christmas Break
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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16 October 2024: USS Constitution Museum Salute to Service Gala, Boston, MA
19 October 2024: US Navy Birthday Ball, Arlington. VA
24 October 2024: National Maritime Historical Society Annual Awards Dinner, New York, NY
1 November 2024: Marine Birthday Ball, Albany, GA
2 November 2024: Marine Birthday Ball; Orlando, Fl.
2 November 2024: Marine Birthday Ball, San Francisco, CA
4 November 2024: Morison Book Award Presentation New York
8 November 2024: Sentinel of the Sea Award Gala New York
9 November 2024: Steamship Historical Society of America Annual Meeting, Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA
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
24–25 May 2025: Canadian Nautical Research Society Annual Conference Port Hope,
Ontario
18–19 September 2025: McMullen Naval History Symposium, US Naval Academy
24–28 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 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: 239: Marine General Kenneth F. “Frank” McKenzie Jr., Ret.>>
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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