…another chapter in the Long War against terror is written: The toll: * Seventeen American Sailors dead: Hull Maintenance Technician Second Class* Kenneth Eugene Clodfelter, 21, of Mechanicsville, Va. Electronics Technician Chief Petty Officer* Richard Costelow, 35, of Morrisville, Pa. Mess Management Specialist Seaman Lakeina Monique Francis, 19, of Woodleaf, N.C. Information Systems Technician Timothy…
The background: Arab terrorists had found and struck an Italian luxury liner, Achille Lauro. The ship had just departed Alexandria, Egypt, on a pleasure cruise of the Mediterranean. A few hours later, terrorists from the Palestinian Liberation Front hijacked the ship. After tense negotiations and the killing of an American tourist, the hijackers traveled in…
October 3, 1936: a naval legend is born: On a bright October Saturday in 1936, a sleek steel hull, 800 feet in length, towering over the assembled dignitaries and onlookers, slipped the ways of Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. The autumn air ringing with the words from Shakespeare’s Othello – "May she also…
On this Date (3 Oct): Sixty-two years ago: As the initial attempt to establish an earth satellite program, the Bureau of Aeronautics established a committee to evaluate the feasibility of space rocketry. This would lead to the Vanguard project. Forty-five years ago: Sigma 7, Commander Walter M. Schirra pilot was launched into orbit by a…
2 October: 1799: The Washington Navy Yard was estbalished 1950: The Bureau of Aeronautics authorized the establishment of Project Arowa (Applied Research: Operational Weather Analysis) at Norfolk for the purpose of developing basic meteorological research data into practical weather forecasting techniques. 1952: Aircraft carriers designated CV and CVB were reclassified as Attack Carriers and assigned…
The U.S. Coast Guard marks more than a million lives saved in a 217th birthday ceremony Saturday. Eagle1 has a great rundown on the "Top 10" rescues ( as provided by USCG PAO). Besides the Katrina rescues, there are some very notable, if obscure efforts listed (see espcially the write-ups on the Prinsendam and Bermuda Sky…
So…what do you get when you combine one errant F6F drone, some USAF F-89 Scorpions and a populated center in Southern California? Mayhem. Or The Battle of Palmdale (1956):
08:16 Local, 6 August 1945
The History Department of the United States Naval Academy has resumed its sponsorship of the biennial Annapolis Naval History Symposia. (The last scheduled Symposium had had to be cancelled due to the events of 9-11-2001). The next Symposium will take place 20-22 September 2007 (with the following one scheduled for 2009). PROGRAM: (See Program here)…
If you are in the Greater NYC area today and are interested in compelling stories, you need to head over and meet Brad Peniston: The National Maritime Historical Society has invited me to talk about “No Higher Honor: Saving the Samuel B. Roberts in the Persian Gulf” tomorrow near their New York headquarters. When: noon,…
