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22 April 2025
Welcome back to our National Maritime Historical Society members and friends who share a love for naval history!
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Tuesday Tidings notes the passing of Pope Francis in that there is a USS Constitution connection with the papacy. It was in 1848 that Pope Pius IX made the first Papal visit to US soil (technically) when the frigate received him and King Ferdinard II off the coast of Naples. May Pope Francis rest in peace.
This week we have a follow-on to our recent USNA book-banning announcement and note that preparations are underway for this year’s Battle of Midway commemorations.
For this week’s Naval History Book Reviews, we thank Captain Richard Dick for his review of a recent Naval Institute Press book on Admiral Nimitz’s PAO! Enjoy! Reminder, if you have recently authored a naval history book, please have your publisher send us a review copy!
Best wishes to the Naval Submarine League for its upcoming History Seminar this Thursday at the US Navy Memorial. Tickets can be purchased here.
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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 | |
Tuesday, 22 April – World War II Discussion Forum Intrepid’s Fighting Squadron 18
With Mike Fink
8 PM (EDT) (Zoom)
Thursday, 24 April – Submarine History Seminar: 125 Years of Defending America at Sea
David Alan Rosenberg, PhD, moderator
Navy Memorial Auditorium, Washington DC
3–5 PM (EDT)
Saturday, 26 April – Midnight in Ironbottom Sound: The Harrowing WWII Story of Heroism in the Shark-Infested Waters of Guadalcanal
The story of Black mess attendant Charles French, for whom a new destroyer shall be named.
With Carole Avriett
1–2 PM (EDT) Author Talk (In Person)
Thursday, 1 May – NMHS First Thursdays Seminar Series: Making a Maritime Painting
Marine artist Patrick O’Brien will share how he transforms archival records and firsthand accounts into vivid, museum-quality maritime historical paintings that bring the past to life.
7-8 PM (EDT) (Online)
Monday, 5 May – New York Naval Order Commandery monthly author talk luncheon
The Mighty A – The Story of USS Atlanta (CL-51)
With David F. Winkler
New York Racquet Club (in person)
11:30 AM–1:00 PM (EDT)
| | Former Naval Historical Foundation Executive Director contributes to “Operation Caged Bird” | | |
As reported in Tuesday Tidings two weeks ago, the US Naval Academy pulled some 381 books off the shelves of Nimitz Library. Reacting to this initiative that had been directed by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, numerous Annapolis residents and USNA alumni have teamed with the Annapolis bookstore Old Fox Books to purchase the banned books to make them available to midshipmen free of charge. Tuesday Tidings was made aware of this book accessibility effort by retired Navy Capt. Charles T. Creekman, who has contributed to a fund to support the book-buying effort.
Retired Cdr. William Marks of the Class of ’96 initiated the effort, dubbed “Operation Caged Bird,” with a modest goal of $3,810 to acquire a set of the books. So far, the effort has generated over $47,000, which will enable the purchase of multiple copies of titles such as Light From Uncommon Stars, by Ryka Aoki; The Last White Man, by Moshin Hamid; Horse, by Geraldine Brooks; and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Marks stated: “A lot of this is encouraging freethinking” noting that in the military “we don’t want blind followers. We want freethinkers.” In addition to the Old Fox Books partnership, Marks looks to place books at other Annapolis establishments frequented by midshipmen and intends to set up displays at outdoor events. For more on “Operation Caged Bird” visit: Operation Caged Bird.
| | DC Midway Celebration Dinner Sans Speaker | | |
With the annual Battle of Midway commemorative events that include formal dinners in many of the nation’s cities some six weeks distant, we encourage all to look up and participate in events in your region to celebrate this American naval victory, which occurred 83 years ago. In most cities, the local Naval Order of the United States commandery or the regional Navy League council serves as the event organizer. In the nation’s capital, a consortium of nearly a dozen organizations—including the National Maritime Historical Society—is organizing the event to be held this upcoming 4 June at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia.
This year the DC dinner will occur without a formal speaker. Instead, the organizing committee has turned to Kevin J. Delamer, an adjunct professor with the Naval War College’s College of Distance Education, who is organizing the “Midway Theater Company,” a group of active-duty individuals serving in the national capital region who will be assigned roles of actual Battle of Midway participants, reading various radio transmissions, oral recollections, diary entries, and other recordings that were made at the time. Delamer directed a previous version of the production over a decade ago, while assigned to the faculty of the Naval War College. If you live in or near the nation’s capital—or have been looking for a good excuse to come visit—tickets are now available at: Battle of Midway 2025
| | NAVAL HISTORY BOOK REVIEWS | | |
Nimitz’s Newsman: Waldo Drake and the Navy’s Censored War in the Pacific by Hamilton Bean, Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, (2024).
Reviewed by Capt. Richard Dick, USN (Ret.)
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Nimitz’s Newsman is an unconventional entry in the field of naval biography. Its subject, Rear Adm. Waldo Drake, USNR, served as the first Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the US Pacific Fleet from 1941 to 1944, working closely with Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, USN. While Professor Bean charts Drake’s career during the war in the Pacific, he does so from his perspective as an expert in public relations, rather than strictly as a historian (building on Bean’s undergraduate honors degree in history).
Drake’s childhood, like that of many of his contemporaries, was shaped by hardship. Wounded in World War I, he soon found the careers that would define him professionally and personally for the rest of his life—journalism and the United States Navy. Drake became the maritime reporter for the Los Angeles Times and earned a reputation as a superb, imaginative, hard-bitten newsman. He also began a solid career as an officer in the Naval Reserve, serving on several major combatants in the Pacific Fleet. In 1931, Drake was assigned to the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI).
In 1941, responsibility for public relations in the Navy lay with ONI, so when then-CNO Adm. Harold Stark suggested to the commander-in-chief of the US Fleet, Adm. Husband Kimmel, that the latter consider attaching a PRO to his staff, he turned to ONI, who turned to Lt. Cdr. Drake, an experienced West Coast maritime reporter. Following Kimmel’s relief after the Pearl Harbor attack in December, the president selected then-Rear Adm. Chester Nimitz to be the commander-in-chief of the Pacific Fleet, bringing together the two men who would define public relations in the Pacific Fleet for the next two years.
Read full review>>
| | NAVAL HISTORY BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW | | |
Check out the Pima Air Museum’s tour of the aviation collection of the National Museum of the Marine Corps with Dr. Larry Burke!
View here>>
| | Call for Papers: International Journal of Naval History | | |
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.
| | 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: 246 - From Ironclads to Admiral, John Lorimer Worden>>
Click here for all Preble Hall Podcasts >>
| DRACHINIFEL YOUTUBE CHANNEL | |
NAVY HISTORY MATTERS
Welcome to Navy History Matters, the 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>>
| 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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