The U.S. Naval Institute is maintaining and preserving the former Naval Historical Foundation website so readers and former NHF members can still access past issues of Pull Together and other content. NHF has decommissioned and is no longer accepting new members or donations. NHF members are being converted to members of the Naval Institute. If you have questions, please contact the Naval Institute via email at [email protected] or by phone at 800-233-8764.Not a member of the Naval Institute? Here’s how to join!

Afghan War Books Acquired by Navy Department Library

The Naval Historical Foundation is pleased to announce the successful acquisition of three vintage 19th century books for the Navy Department Library. If you recall in November, NHF made an appeal, called “Bucks for Books,” to raise funds for the acquisition of these books for the Library. A number of generous donors stepped forward, and

BOOK REVIEW: The Lady Gangster – A Sailor’s Memoir

By Del Staecker, Cable Publishing, Brule, WI, (2009). Reviewed by Charles H. Bogart The author is the son of Irvin H. Staecker who served on board the Lady Gangster from 1941 to 1945. The Lady Gangster was the crew’s name for USS Fuller (APA 6). The ship’s nickname developed from the fact that many of

Brown Water Navy in Vietnam

2012 marks the beginning of commemorations for the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration has launched a website (www.vietnamwar50th.com) which has information on the anniversary, and on the war itself. The website is a work in progress, and features an expansive interactive timeline of the war, featuring

BOOK REVIEW: The True Story of a Destroyer Sailor’s Life at Sea During World War II

By Jerome S. Welna, Heritage Books, Westminster, MD, (2009). Reviewed by J. Wandres Jerome S. Welna makes a heroic effort to tell The True Story of a Destroyer Sailor’s Life at Sea During World War II. The first 90 pages give a pocket peek at events causing and leading to World War II. Welna relies

Neil Armstrong Visits Cold War Gallery

The Cold War Gallery at the Washington Navy Yard played host to a surprise visitor on Friday – Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon. He stopped by for a private visit, arranged by his friend Captain Ted Bronson, USN (Ret). Armstrong has a personal connection to the Gallery. A model

Call for Proposals for the Adams-Collins Dissertation Prize 2012-13

The John A. Adams ‘71 Center for Military History and Strategic Analysis Department of History Virginia Military Institute Lexington, Virginia 24450 For the academic year 2012-13, the John A. Adams ’71 Center for Military History and Strategic Analysis at the Virginia Military Institute will offer a grant to support dissertation research in the history of

Slade Cutter: A Letter Home from Pearl Harbor

Slade Cutter (1911–2005) was a career U.S. naval officer and a legendary submariner. He gained early notoriety as an All-American football player at the Naval Academy, and was later named to the College Football Hall of Fame. As commanding officer of USS Seahorse (SS 304) he tied for the second most Japanese ship kills of

Civil War at Sea: A New Documentary About the U.S. Navy

In September we told you about “Wings for the Navy,” a documentary celebrating the Centennial of Naval Aviation, produced by R.H. Rositzke & Associates. The film-making team recently completed production on their newest documentary, about the American Civil War. “Civil War At Sea” is a 26 minute documentary about the U.S. Navy’s often-overlooked role in

USS Houston Survivors Dedicate New Model Case

On Thursday 17 November the National Museum of the United States Navy hosted a remarkable event to honor those who were lost and those who survived the sinking of USS Houston (CA 30) on 1 March 1942 off Java.  Over the past 17 months, the Curator of Ship Models with Navy Sea Systens Command, Dana

BOOK REVIEW: Passport Not Required – U.S. Volunteers in the Royal Navy, 1939-1941

By Eric Dietrich-Berryman, Charlotte Hammond, and R. E. White, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2010) Reviewed by Captain Roger F. Jones, U.S. Navy (Retired) This book describes how twenty-two relatively unknown Americans initially fought beside the British by serving in the Royal Navy during the early years of World War II.  During this period, the

Dynamic New Lighting for Submarine Exhibit

In June 2011, the Naval Historical Foundation cut the ribbon on the brand new Covert Submarine Operations exhibit, at the Cold War Gallery, Washington Navy Yard (see photos of the ceremony, which was attended by CNO Admiral Jonathan Greenert, on our Flickr page). The exhibit is the latest display built by the Foundation on behalf

Call for Papers: Global-Regional Nexus – The Sea and the Second World War

3-5 May 2012, King’s College London The King’s College London War Studies Group and Global War Studies are pleased to announce a conference on the impact of the sea on the conduct, experience, and legacy of the Second World War. The conference aims to investigate the ways in which the war raised the strategic status

War of 1812 Bicentennial Heritage Speakers Survey

Opportunity: Since 1997, the Naval Historical Foundation (NHF) has maintained a list of members who are available to speak to groups on naval historical topics in their areas of expertise.  Many of our speakers are scholars who have conducted research and are widely published.  Other speakers are Navy veterans “who were there” or have strong

BOOK REVIEW: Manila and Santiago – The New Steel Navy in the Spanish-American War

by Jim Leeke, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2009). Reviewed by JJ Ahern Theodore Roosevelt referred to the Spanish-American War as a “splendid little war.” It is the shortest declared war in United States history – lasting only four months – and catapulted the nation to colonial power with the acquisition of territories in the