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50 Years Ago: Easter Offensive, South Vietnam 1972 — Recollections of the Role of USS Davidson (DE-1045)

By F.H. McCullough, III INTRODUCTION Fifty-years ago, in the Gulf of Tonkin, during the evening of May 8, 1972, offshore North Vietnam, a U.S. Navy SH-3 Sea King helicopter was making its approach to the U.S. Navy’s guided missile light cruiser USS Providence (CLG 6), flagship of Rear Adm. Rembrandt C. Robinson, USN, the Commander

The Navy’s Daiquiri Heritage Honored at Portrait Dedication

Guest Post By Jay Gaul, IV On Friday, June 23, 2017, approximately 80 members of the Army and Navy Club of Washington, DC, the Navy’s Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, the Navy Historical Foundation, the Naval Order of the United States, and the Society for the History of Navy Medicine gathered to dedicate a new

Operation Praying Mantis: An Enterprise Combat Mission

In April 1988, Cdr. Arthur N. Langston was embarked on the carrier Enterprise – his first deployment on the famed carrier – and recalled how naval aviation came into play during Operation Praying Mantis. On April 14, the frigate Samuel B. Roberts struck an Iranian-laid mine in the Persian Gulf. In retaliation, on April 18,

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

HELL BELOW (PART VI) Review: Fatal Voyage

Reviewed by Stephen Phillips Read PART I review HERE Read PART II review HERE Read PART III review HERE Read PART IV review HERE Read PART V review HERE The Smithsonian Channel ‘s Hell Below series provides an important look at World War II submarine warfare in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters with emphasis on actions

HELL BELOW (PART V) Review: Destroyer Killer

Reviewed by Dr. Chuck Steele Read PART I review HERE Read PART II review HERE Read PART III review HERE Read PART IV review HERE Episode five of the Smithsonian Channel’s World War II submarine saga, Hell Below, is the series’ second installment showcasing American efforts during the war in the Pacific. Titled the “Destroyer Killer,” this

Godzilla: The “Lucky Dragon” of Bikini Atoll

EDITORS NOTE: Bikini Atoll remained a nuclear test site long after shot Able and Baker devastated USS Independence. Eight years after the Able and Baker detonations, the United States tested a dry fuel hydrogen bomb, code-named Castle Bravo, on 1 March 1954. Far more powerful than the MARK III bombs use din 1946, Castle Bravo

USS Independence (CVL 22) and “Operation Galvanic”

By John G. Lambert The speed that the Japanese moved their battle flag outward across the curvature of the planet was spectacular as the Empire of Japan settled into vast new ocean area holdings. With the rapidly amassed list of these gains came a growing list of problems to weigh heavily on the balance sheet.

USS Independence (CVL 22) and Operation Crossroads

By John G. Lambert As they shaved in their hotel rooms in eager anticipation of the opening day of the “2009 USS Independence Reunion”, the mirrors reflected back faces of shipmates aged by the passage of over 65 years since, as young men, at war in the Pacific, they had crewed the “Mighty-I.” Father time

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

HELL BELOW (PART IV) Review: Atlantic Showdown

Reviewed by Steven Dieter Read PART I review HERE Read PART II review HERE Read PART III review HERE Episode four of the Smithsonian Channel’s series Hell Below, entitled “Atlantic Showdown,” suggests a great scene of conflict in the Second World War. Yes, what is presented is symbolic of the efforts on the seas – but yet