We are very pleased to present the video of the 2013 David Leighton Lecture, from the Naval Historical Foundation Annual Membership Meeting, 15 June 2013. The speaker was Rear Admiral Robert Shumaker, USN (Ret). In February 1965, while flying an F8 Crusader, he was shot down on a mission over North Vietnam, was captured, and
Each summer we take a day to meet with our members, volunteers, and friends, to let them know what the Foundation has been up to, and what our plans are for the future. Last Saturday, 15 June, we once again gathered in the Cold War Gallery with a great crowd of nearly 100 of our
With the support of the Naval Historical Foundation, valuable contextual interpretation is being developed for artifact display cases located in the South Hall of the Cold War Gallery of the National Museum of the United States Navy. On display within these glass cases are Vietnam Prisoner of War artifacts including boxer shorts dotted with red
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the return of American Prisoners of War held by the North Vietnamese. Many of the POWs were naval aviators, and the Naval Historical Foundation, in conjunction with the National Museum of the United States Navy, is working on a number of initiatives to remember the long ordeal endured
With the Covert Submarine Operations exhibit in the National Museum of the U.S. Navy’s Cold War Gallery serving as a backdrop, a large crowd filled the Gallery’s North Hall on the evening of 11 April 2013 (coinciding with the Submarine Force’s 113th Birthday) to witness and participate in a program titled “Seawolf and The Maritime
On 3 April 2013, three retired naval aviators paid their first visit to the Cold War Gallery at the Washington Navy Yard, to view some of the Navy Museum’s newest exhibits. Of particular interest to them was the Ready Room Theater, a replica of an aircraft carrier squadron ready room. The three aviators, Rear
Last week, an enormous model of a unique cruiser from the Navy’s post-World War II fleet was moved from the main Navy Museum at the Washington Navy Yard, across the parking lot to the Cold War Gallery. The builder’s model of USS Worcester (CL 144) now sits in a prominent position in the center
On 8 January 2013, RADM P.D. Smith, USN (Ret) visited the Cold War Gallery at the Washington Navy Yard. The purpose of the visit was to discuss the layout of a future Maritime Patrol Aircraft exhibit for the Gallery. RADM Smith generously donated money for the construction of a Lockheed P2V-5 Neptune model, on display
Fifty years ago, the world held it’s breath. When Navy reconnaissance jets and U-2 spy planes confirmed the existence of Soviet nuclear missile bases under construction in Cuba, the United States demanded their removal and instituted a naval quarantine of the island. The 13 days at the end of October 1962 came to be called
In October 2012, the Cold War Gallery at the Washington Navy Yard, part of the National Museum of the United States Navy, will open to the public. The Gallery has been in development since 2003 and features a number of impressive exhibits, as well as a large collection of ship and aircraft models. The facility
By Taylor Hitt, NHF Intern The danger of combat often brings out the best in people. A way to honor the individuals who have acted with “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his [or her] life above and beyond the call of duty” “while engaged in action against an enemy of the United
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
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
The Naval Historical Foundation 2012 Annual Meeting was held on Saturday, 23 June, and featured the debut of a brand new exhibit for the Cold War Gallery. Admiral James Holloway, USN (Ret), christened the new exhibit with a riveting firsthand account of the 1972 battle in Haiphong Harbor that is memorialized in the new “Into
We’ve sent out a few reminders, but we want to make sure everyone is aware that we’ll be holding the 2012 Naval Historical Foundation Annual Meeting on 23 June, at the Cold War Gallery, Washington Navy Yard. The event is open to NHF members as well as the general public. Of particular note, we’ll be
