In 2006, during the 25th anniversary of the return home of the 52 American hostages in Iran, then Washington Post staff writer Les Carpenter wrote a wonderful piece about the generous gesture of MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn to grant lifetime game passes to each of the detainees released in 1981. The article went on to
Why Not Comic-Con? 10th Maritime Heritage Conference Draws the Best and Brightest in Maritime/Naval History
By Matthew Eng I thought my experience at this year’s 10th Maritime Heritage Conference would be like every other history conference. Most conferences roll by mechanically on autopilot. A variety of presentations and panels on historical subjects form the crux of discussion. Hotel food is eaten. Conversations are made. Cards are exchanged. Hands are shaken.
Monitor’s Coat: A Rare Find in Conservation
By Matthew T. Eng I have never been more happy to arrive early to an event in my entire life. There have been several great talks and panels at the 10th Maritime Heritage Conference this week in Norfolk. Too many, in fact, to mention in a single blog post. Being a fan and enthusiast of the
A lot of Growing Up to Do After 9/11: 13 Years Later
By Matthew Eng I was 17 years old in 2001. My worldview did not extend beyond the confines of my immediate friends and family. Although I was a Senior in high school, I still had a lot of growing up to do. A lot of that experience happened on the morning of September 11th. Like
John Paul Jones and Oliver Hazard Perry are “Baddass?” We Knew All Along
By Matthew Eng It is a rare and beautiful thing when naval history is highlighted in popular culture. According to a recent story by a popular social media site, naval history is alive and well. Social media outlets outside the realm of naval history will occasionally publish content relevant to the history of the United States
BOOK REVIEW – Legends in Sail
By Olaf T. Engvig, Themo Publishing, Los Angeles, CA (2013) Reviewed by Mark Lardas Norway has a long maritime tradition. While it is still among the world’s major shipping nations, it used sailing vessels much later than the rest of the world. Regardless, much of its recent maritime heritage is largely unknown outside Norway. Part
BOOK REVIEW – The Great Ocean: Pacific Worlds from Captain Cook to the Gold Rush
By David Igler, Oxford University Press, New York, NY (2013) Reviewed by Nathan D. Wells Professor David Igler recently won the North American Society for Oceanic History John Lyman Book award for the category of U.S. Maritime History, and rightly so. The Great Ocean is a tale of the interaction between different Pacific cultures from
BOOK REVIEW – Render Harmless
By Marc Liebman, Fireship Press Tucson, (2014) Reviewed by Charles H. Bogart This is the second book in the author’s Lt. Josh Haman USN series. The first book, Big Mother 40, was set in Vietnam. In that book, Lt. Haman was a USN helicopter pilot. Lt Haman is once again the central character in Render
BOOK REVIEW – The Republic Afloat
By Matthew Taylor Raffety, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL (2013) Review by Sam Craghead With the rise of the American merchant fleet to a position rivaling that of Great Britain, the lives of American seamen (from the end of the American evolution to the beginning of the Civil War) sparks great topical interest.
BOOK REVIEW – The British Raid on Essex: The Forgotten Battle of the War of 1812
By Jerry Roberts, Wesleyan University Press, Middletown, CT (2014) Reviewed by David Curtis Skaggs, Ph.D, COL USAR (Ret.) On the night of April 7, 1814, Cmdr. Richard Coote and a party of 136 Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines began a raid over the bar at the mouth of the Connecticut River and rowed up
BOOK REVIEW – South Pacific Cauldron: World War II’s Great Forgotten Battlegrounds
By Alan Rems, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2014) Reviewed by John R. Satterfield, DBA Although an amateur historian, author Rems has produced a very professional volume. His book is the only recent one-volume account of World War II’s Southwest Pacific Theater that treats its numerous campaigns, both comprehensively and chronologically. This is valuable for
Victor Delano, Naval Hero and Friend of NHF, Passes
The Naval Historical Foundation lost a good friend and dedicated member last week. Victor Delano, U.S. Navy Captain (retired) and Pearl Harbor survivor, died on Monday, August 25th, at Casey House in Rockville, Maryland. Delano was 94 years old. Delano was born into a family legacy of Navy Veterans. His father, Captain Harvey Delano, was
