Recently the Federation of Genealogical Societies announced the donation of $135,000 to the “Preserve the Pensions” War of 1812 Pension Project. The donation is a generous gift from the estate of the late Jon Stedman in memory of his mother, Ardath Stedman. It will be used to help preserve and digitize the War of 1812
By J. Wandres, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2010). Reviewed by Kempton Baldridge It is a special treat to learn about a 20th century naval hero who has, until now been little more than a footnote in history. The name Paul Shulman might not ring any bells for many naval historians, but thanks to the
On Friday, 20 July, our first group of STEM-H Teacher Fellows completed their 2012 summer workshop with final presentations of lesson plans developed during an intense two week program. The four teachers in the first group were: Benjamin J. Barris (A.C. Jones High School, Beeville, TX); Janice Cunningham (Berkeley County School District, SC); John Clark
A renowned ultra-marathoner has taken on the challenge of running 250 miles from New York City to Annapolis, in order to raise money for a new monument at the United States Naval Academy. Runner Tom McGrath (bio here) is on the road today and heading south, expected to arrive in Annapolis on the morning of
With the 2012 Olympics getting set to kick off in London, we thought it appropriate to share some fascinating artifacts from the collection of the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) here in Washington, D.C. The NHHC Curator Branch maintains a large collection of materials from Captain Carl T. Osburn, USN, who held the record
By David J Ulbrich, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2011) Reviewed by Colonel Curt Marsh, USMC (Ret.) The story of General Thomas Holcomb who was Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1936 to 1943 illuminates a crucial period of Marine Corps history and the very significant contributions of one key participant. Most Marines know all
By Robert W. Cosgriff, CDR USN (Ret.) The highlight of the Annual Meeting of the Naval Historical Foundation on 23 June, 2012 was the ribbon-cutting of a new exhibit for the Navy Museum, “Into the Lion’s Den,” covering the nighttime naval battle of Haiphong Harbor on 27 August, 1972. This exhibit had particular resonance for
In an energetic National History Day ceremony at the University of Maryland’s Comcast Center in mid-June, three middle school students from Alaska were awarded the Naval Historical Foundation’s Captain Kenneth Coskey Award for Naval History scholarship. The 2012 NHD theme was “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History”, and the three young girls, Hallie Whitmore, Challis Debenham
By Taylor Hitt, NHF Intern In May of this year, the battleship Texas celebrated the 100th anniversary of its launching. Of the eight American battleships open for public display, she is the only one that served in both World Wars. During World War I, she patrolled in the North Sea alongside the British to protect
By Thomas P. Ostrom, McFarland & Company, Jefferson, NC, (2009) Reviewed by Charles H. Bogart This is a well-written and nicely researched account of the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II. The author, using seventeen topical chapters, provides short, concise accounts of various missions carried out by the Coast Guard during the war. Each
Speaking on the deck of the decommissioned Olympia in Philadelphia on 3 May 1931, Naval Historical Foundation President Rear Admiral William Rodgers told thirty veterans of the Battle of Manila Bay and some ten thousand onlookers that “everything possible will be done to preserve Olympia as a historic shrine in Washington along with the Constitution
NHF Digital Historian Dave Colamaria had the opportunity to embark on board the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) for a 24 hour visit in late June. NHF has worked closely with Navy Recruiting District, Richmond over the past two years on the NHF STEM-H Teacher Fellowship Program. The June embark
We recently received an inquiry about some well known photographs from World War II. The images (see below) depict a vast fleet of U.S. Navy warships at anchor at Ulithi Atoll, on 8 December 1944, nicknamed “Murderer’s Row.” A group of model builders is working to recreate the images in question, using 1/2400 scale ship
Story and photos courtesy of the Naval History and Heritage Command WASHINGTON (NNS) — The National Navy Museum (NNM) received cable-controlled undersea recovery vehicle (CURV) III, the Navy’s most sophisticated deep sea recovery submersible until its retirement in 2007, along with its operator control van, July 2. The submersible and van were installed in the
By Henry J. Hendrix, Naval Institute Press (Annapolis, MD), 2009. Reviewed by Thomas P. Ostrom Captain Henry J. Hendrix, USN brings an impressive background of naval professionalism and scholarly credentials to the task of writing this history of President Theodore Roosevelt (TR) and the 14-month global cruise of the Great White Fleet of U.S. battleships
