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Commercial Use of Marine Gas Turbines

By Captain George W. Stewart, USN (Ret.) I originally wrote this in response to questions raised by a member of the Steamship Historical Society concerning the lack of use in marine gas turbines in the commercial shipping world. This fact is true, even though they have been the standard application all new surface combatant vessels

My Experiences with the First Group of Female Officers Assigned to Shipboard Duty

By Captain George W. Stewart, USN (Ret.) Author’s Preface: When reading this post, bear in mind that we are discussing the conditions that existed in 1979-1981. I recognize that there have been many developments since that time. In October 1978, the Navy launched a “Women in Ships” program which provided for the assignment of women

Knox-Class Frigates in the 1970s (Part II)

By Captain George W. Stewart, USN (Ret.) As discussed in the previous post in this series, my detailer informed me in 1971 that my next assignment would be as Officer in Charge of something called a Fleet Introduction Team (FIT) at the Avondale Shipyard where USS Blakely (DE 1072), my previous ship, was built. The

Independence-Class Carrier Power Plant

By George Stewart A major factor in the determination of the feasibility of conversion from the original Cleveland-class cruisers to the Independence-class aircraft carriers was the fact that the propulsion plants could meet the needs of both ship types, without major modifications. The cruisers had a design speed of 32.5 knots while the carriers which

Our Introduction to the Knox-Class Frigates in the 1970s

This paper discuses life on USS Knox-class frigates in the 1970s. It is a follow on to a previous article entitled “Post World War II Destroyer Escorts.” Much of the information was obtained by my personal experiences aboard ships of the class which include: Commissioning Executive Officer USS Blakely (DE 1072) Officer in Charge, Fleet

Post-World War II Destroyer Escorts

By Captain George Stewart, USN (Ret.) r>Destroyer Escort (DE) was the original US Navy classification for ships designed with endurance to escort mid-ocean convoys of merchant ships. During World War II their missions evolved into vital parts of hunter-killer groups where in combination with escort carriers (CVE) they were to play a significant role in

Life on a Naval Vessel During the Vietnam War in the 1960s

By Captain George Stewart, USN (Ret.) This episode starts when I was a student at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. I was due to graduate in September, 1967. Our Detailer from BUPERS was due to visit with us to discuss orders. When I went in to see him, I was pleasantly surprised when

The First U.S. Naval Electric Propulsion Plant

By Captain George Stewart, USN (Ret.) This post provides a basic description of the turboelectric propulsion plant aboard the collier USS Jupiter (AC 3) in its original configuration. Much of this information was obtained from the textbook Practical Marine Engineering (1917) by Captain C.W. Dyson, USN. Additional information was obtained from an article in the

Naval Disaster in Newfoundland

By Captain George Stewart, USN (Ret.) This post provides a description of the events surrounding the loss of USS Truxtun (DD 229) and USS Pollux (AKS 2) by grounding off the coast of Newfoundland in February 1942. Because over 200 lives were lost, it is considered to be one of the worst disasters in Naval

“FLIVVERS – THE FIRST STEAM TURBINE DRIVEN DESTROYERS

By George Stewart A “flivver” is an American slang term used in the early twentieth century to refer to any small car that gave a rough ride. These “flivvers” were primarily small, inexpensive and old. In the context of the United States Navy, “flivvers” refer to the two specific classes of destroyers that entered service

Going Ashore: Naval Operations in Casco Bay During World War II (Part IV)

By George Stewart (This is the fourth and final installment in a series of blog posts covering the various operations conducted in Maine during WWII. Click to read Parts I, II, and III of George Stewart’s blog series about Casco Bay during WWII. To read all other post by George, go HERE.)  PART IV This post

Going Ashore: Naval Operations in Casco Bay During World War II (Part III)

By George Stewart (This is the third in a series of blog posts covering the various operations conducted in Maine during WWII. To read Parts I and II of George Stewart’s blog series about Casco Bay during WWII, go HERE and HERE. To read all other post by George, go HERE.)  PART III By 1943,

Going Ashore: Naval Operations in Casco Bay During World War II (Part II)

By George Stewart (This is the second of a series of blog posts that discuss the role that Casco Bay played during the Second World War. This is Part I of the series. “Going Ashore” are the collected posts from George Stewart, retired Navy Captain and NHF blog volunteer. Read the first post HERE). By 1942, the

Going Ashore: Naval Operations in Casco Bay During World War II (Part I)

By George Stewart (This is the first of a series of blog posts that discuss the role that Casco Bay played during the Second World War. This is Part I of the series. “Going Ashore” are the collected posts from George Stewart, retired Navy Captain and NHF blog volunteer). This series of blog posts will provide