The US Navy didn’t have an admiral until after the Civil War
Career progression for officers in the old United States Navy used to be very different from what we know today. Officers had just four ranks open to them, midshipman, lieutenant,…
How the US Navy captured its first enemy ship in 129 years
In the early days of the U.S. Navy, boarding and capturing enemy vessels was common practice. As naval firepower increased, the practice became to sink the other ship rather than capture it. Then in 1944 with some da…
That time the Navy opened an installation in land-locked Utah
In 1942, the US Navy built a supply depot in Clearfield, Utah. The Clearfield Naval Supply Depot was part of the US war effort during World War II to build…
This is how the Navy’s last ace went from heroic fighter pilot to criminal congressman
The SMS Wien sunk twice — during both World Wars
There’s a such thing as bad luck and then there’s defying the odds. When looking at the SMS Wien, its luck was so considerably horrible, so tragically unthinkable, it seemingly…
Off the shore of Staten Island is PC 1264’s grave
Just off the western shoreline of Staten Island – on a body of water called the Arthur Kill – is the graveyard for a ship that deserved much better. The…
The father of the American Navy also fought for the British and Russians
John Paul Jones is “the father of the American Navy,” as a result of his decisive victories from 1776 to 1779 and how he laid the groundwork for the American Navy. But, he also served the governments of Britain and Russia.
There are many outstanding sailors who could lay claim to the title of the U.S. Navy’s saltiest, but since the term is synonymous with “experienced,” there’s one who stands above… The US Air Force lost a nuclear bomb off the coast of Palomares, Spain. It was on Jan. 17, 1966, when a K-135 refueling aircraft collided midair with a B-52G…Why this World War II veteran was the saltiest sailor in American history
The only ship left in the US Navy that has sunk an enemy ship is 219 years old
Man of honor: The US Navy’s 1st African American master diver & amputee diver Carl Brashear