MD -- Annapolis -- US Naval Academy -- Museum -- History: Post WW2:
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NAMUP3_110206_004.JPG: "Let every nation know...
we will pay any price, bear any burden,
meet any hardship, support any friend,
oppose any foe, to assure the survival
and the success of liberty."
-- President John F. Kennedy
"We will bury you."
-- Nikita Khrushchev
NAMUP3_110206_007.JPG: Cold War Navy
A flexible, responsive force.
Following World War II, budget cuts, reductions in the size of the forces, and attempts to reorganize the military threatened the existence of the Navy. Several Cold War crises, however, showed that the Navy remained a viable force that could respond rapidly and flexibly, applying appropriate force to defuse the situation. The Navy's versatility quieted critics and guaranteed it a continuing role in the defense of the Nation.
1947-1980
The Iron Curtain Descends:
After suffering enormous losses during World War II, the Soviet Union felt that its security depended upon a buffer of satellite states along its borders, and a large standing army. The communist "iron curtain" would separate Eastern Europe -- including a divided Germany -- from the rest of the world.
In contrast, the [sic] America's desire to "return to normal" as quickly as possible meant a rapid demobilization of the Armed Forces and significant reduction of the defense budget. Americans were confident that the new United Nations could resolve disputes, and that the devastating power of the atomic bomb was theirs alone.
Then, in 1949, the Soviet Union detonated its first atomic bomb, ending American complacency.
On 25 April 1945, representatives of 50 nations including the United States and the Soviet Union convened in San Francisco to outline a new international peacekeeping organization called the "United Nations". The UN charter was officially ratified six months later. ...
The 100-mile-long Berlin Wall bisected Germany's capital city for 28 years.
Cuban Missile Crisis
To The Brink of Nuclear War:
When communist Fidel Castro became leader of Cuba in 1959, the Cold War veered uncomfortably close to home. The small Caribbean country was only a hundred miles south of Florida. Castro's actions, which included ending free speech and expropriating American property, only heightened American fears.
In 1962, surveillance flights discovered that the Soviets were were [sic] erecting missile batteries on the island of Cuba; missiles that could be aimed at the United States. In the tense October days that followed, President John F Kennedy had to confront the unthinkable -- the Cold War could culminate with nuclear holocaust.
Bay of Pigs Fiasco -- April 1961:
On 3 January 1961, just 17 days before Kennedy became president, Eisenhower severed diplomatic relations with Castro-ruled Cuba. He also ordered the Central Intelligence Agency secretly to train Cuban exiles for an invasion of the island, but he left the decision to use them to the new President.
Advised than an invasion would trigger a counter-revolution against Castro, Kennedy gave the go ahead, but stipulated no American forces would be used.
The invasion of Cuba ended almost as soon as it began. Cubans captured or killed all of the invaders at the Bay of Pigs.
Cuban Missile Crisis -- October 1962:
Soviet leaders saw the failure of the Bay of Pigs as a sign of weakness in the new administration, and installed missiles on Cuba. On 14 October, American surveillance photos detected the weapons.
After a tense week, President Kennedy and his advisors decided to "quarantine" the island. On 22 October, Kennedy made the plan public. A Navy task force had already taken station 500 miles from Cuba. The Russians had two days to make their move.
Robert L. Dennison (1901-1980) USNA 1923:
While serving as commander of the battleship Missouri, Dennison so impressed Harry S Truman that the President promoted him to naval aide. Dennison served in this position from 1948 to 1953, when Truman left office.
In February 1960, Dennison was appointed Commander in Chief, Atlantic Fleet. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, he was responsible for reading Army, Air Force, Marine, and Navy assault forces for a possible invasion of Cuba. His responsibilities also including coordinating the maritime support of America's allies.
Crisis Averted:
As the United States and Soviet Union teetered on the brink of nuclear war, some two-dozen Soviet ships -- with canvas-draped ballistic missiles visible on their decks -- steamed toward the Cuban quarantine line. ... Navy ships and aircraft carefully tracked these ships.
On 28 October 1962, American intelligence agencies received word that half of the missile-bearing Soviet ships had either stopped or put about. Soon after, Khrushchev informed Kennedy that he was ordering the withdrawal of all missiles and bombers from Cuba. The most dangerous Cold War confrontation was over.
Castro would remain in power after the Cuban missile crisis, but Khrushchev's handling of the affair initiated his downfall. The Russian leader was ousted in October 1964.
USS Liberty:
During the Arab-Israeli "Six-Day War" of 1967, the USS Liberty was sent to collect electronic intelligence in the eastern Mediterranean. On the afternoon of 8 June, the ship was attacked first by Israeli aircraft, and then by three Israeli Navy motor torpedo boats.
Liberty received more than 800 bullet holes, and a torpedo hit on her starboard side that ripped a large hole in her hull. Thirty-four men were killed in the attacks and more than 170 wounded. Although Israel quickly apologized, explaining it had mistaken the Liberty for an Egyptian Navy ship, the debate rages to this day whether the attack was deliberate.
Originally built in 1945, Liberty was acquired by the Navy in 1963. After being outfitted for collecting and processing foreign communications and electronic emissions, she was deployed in June 1965. After the Israeli attack, she was repaired and returned to the United States, and then decommissioned in 1968.
Liberty's crew managed to keep the badly damaged ship afloat, and she left the area under her own power. ...
NAMUP3_110206_010.JPG: Minesweeper:
The landings at Wonsan were complicated by the presence of mines and a shortage of American minesweepers. By the time the harbor was cleared, the South Korean Army had already taken the port from the rear.
NAMUP3_110206_014.JPG: In June 1950, North Korean troops poured over the border into the south virtually unopposed. In three days, Seoul, the South Korean capital, fell and the defenders retreated to a small enclave around Pusan where, supported from the sea, American and Korean troops regrouped. Then, in September, Gen. Douglas MacArthur again used his unchallenged command of the sea and made a daring amphibious landing at Inchon, cutting the North Korean supply lines and forcing them into a precipitous retreat.
The Korean War
The Korean War:
In 1910, Japan annexed Korea and dominated the peninsula. Following World War II, the country was divided into a Soviet-dominated northern half and an American-dominated south. However, early in 1950, several American politicians indicated that the US had no strategic interest in the country; an open invitation for the Soviet Union to expand its influence in the Far East.
On the morning of 25 June 1950, North Korean troops launched a full-scale attack on South Korea. Seoul fell in three days and South Korean troops fell back to Pusan.
The United Nations authorized sending troops to the defense of South Korea, with the American forces playing a leading role.
Pusan -- August 1950:
As North Korean troops advanced southward and the defenders slowly retreated toward the port town of Pusan, American and British aircraft carriers attacked enemy targets. At the same time, American troops stationed in Japan were rushed to Korea to help hold the line. By the end of August 1950, a stable defensive perimeter about Pusan was established and General MacArthur planned to take the offensive.
Operation Chromite: The Landings at Inchon -- September 1950:
In a daring move, General MacArthur sought to cut the extended North Korean supply lines by landing at the western port harbor of Inchon, then retaking Seoul and nearby Kimpo Airport.
By midnight 15 September, Inchon was in American hands, a victory gained at the cost of 22 men killed and 174 wounded. Within days, Kimpo was secured, the Marines were closing in on Seoul, and North Korean troops [were] racing away from Pusan.
A long narrow channel, 23-foot tidal range, fast current, and shoal water made an amphibious landing at Inchon risky.
James H Doyle (1897-1981) USNA 1920:
Doyle acquired skill in coordinating amphibious operations during World War II, when he helped oversee the Guadalcanal and Solomon Islands campaigns, and served principal amphibious planner on Adm Ernest J. King's staff.
At the outbreak of the Korea War, Rear Admiral Doyle was the amphibious group commander in the Far East. He is regarded as one of the men chiefly responsible for preventing the defeat of United Nations forces in Korea because of his skill as commander of the successful amphibious landing at Inchon.
The Landings at Wonsan -- October 1950:
As the Marines and the US Eighth Army closed in, North Koreans fled back across the 38th parallel. Despite warnings that an invasion of North Korea would result in Communist China's intervention, MacArthur decided to make another amphibious landing at Wonsan harbor in a drive for the Yalu River, the border between Korea and China. He did not believe the Chinese would carry out their threat to attack if United Nations troops approached the river. He was wrong.
Evacuating Hungham -- November-December 1950:
MacArthur's forces began advancing on 25 November, and the Chinese immediately inflicted heavy losses. An onslaught at Chosin Reservoir forced the Americans to retreat.
Despite the sub-zero weather, elements of the 1st Marine Division managed to make their way to Hungnam, on Korea's eastern coast. By Christmas Eve, 109,000 soldiers, 68,000 civilians, and 18,000 vehicles had been evacuated to Pusan.
Winter weather also complicated operations for the Navy units. Ice and snow had to be removed from carrier decks and aircraft before launching aircraft.
The 38th Parallel:
Ultimately, the Korean War stalemated along the 38th parallel, the original division between North and South Korea. Truce talks began on 10 July 1951, but negotiations leading toward a formal truce and terms for the return of prisoners continued for more than two years.
The Korean War did garner positive results for the US Navy. The wide scope of its activities off the Korean coast provided an irrefutable argument against those who said that navies were obsolete.
USS Missouri:
USS Missouri was the first American battleship to reach Korean waters. She provided diversionary fire on Samchok during the landings at Inchon and helped prepare the way for the breakout from the Pusan perimeter. The battleship later provided defensive fire as United Nations troops withdrew from Hungnam.
C. Turner Joy (1895-1956) USNA 1916:
Having commanded first a cruiser and then a cruiser division in the Pacific Theater of World War II, Joy was destined to play a significant role in Korea. At the outbreak of the war, Vice Admiral Joy commanded all United States naval forces in the Far East. Much of the success of the Inchon landings was due to his skill and acumen as a commander.
He was also instrumental in ending the war. From July 1951 through May 1952, Joy served as senior United Nations delegate to the peace negotiations with North Korea. ...
NAMUP3_110206_027.JPG: Arleigh A. Burke
1901-1996
Burke first made a name for himself as the commander of the much-lauded "Little Beavers" of Destroyer Squadron 23 during World War II. His Korean War service began with command of Cruiser Division Five. Then, in July 1951, he was made a member of the United Nations Truce Delegation. In this position, he was a principal negotiator in ending the war.
His career culminated with his appointment as Chief of Naval Operations. He was CNO from 1955 to 1961, the longest tenure in the Navy's history. His leadership shaped the Navy during the beginnings of the Cold War.
USNA 1923
NAMUP3_110206_031.JPG: Desk Sign and Flag:
The brass sign and miniature United Nations flag identified Vice Adm C. Turner Joy as the senior United Nations delegate to the armistice negotiations with North Korea. He served in that position from July 1951 to May 1952. He concluded his naval career as Superintendent of the Naval Academy.
NAMUP3_110206_039.JPG: Rifle:
A Soviet-made PPSh automatic rifle of the type used by Chinese troops in Korea.
NAMUP3_110206_050.JPG: Pass and ID Card:
War correspondents endured the long, drawn-out efforts to achieve a Korean truce at Panmunjon. Their staying power was humorously rewarded with a pass certifying them as Pan Muh Jon Pundits.
NAMUP3_110206_057.JPG: USS English (DD 696):
Warship armament is changed to counter the current perceived threat. This model of the destroyer English, with the tripod mast and 3-inch secondary battery, depicts a typical Allen M Sumner-class configuration of the mid-1950s. Gone are the numerous 20mm and 40mm guns that were mounted in World War II to combat Japanese aircraft.
NAMUP3_110206_077.JPG: 5" Powder Casing Base and Ships Crest:
The ship's crest of the Eugene A. Greene symbolizes its combat rules. In August 1966, the destroyer used its 5-inch guns to destroy an enemy camp. The brass powder casing from one of these rounds was turned into an ashtray for one of the ship's officers.
NAMUP3_110206_092.JPG: POW life.
Vietnam
Vietnam:
In the 1950s, communist-ruled North Vietnam began making hostile overtures to South. From the American perspective, an entirely communist Vietnam was not only undesirable itself, but also could lead to bigger problems. As President Dwight Eisenhower explained it, Vietnam's fall to communism could cause nearby countries to fall: the "domino theory."
American involvement in Vietnam began in the early 1960s, gained momentum in the mid-1960s, and ended in 1973. Throughout the war, the United States Navy provided sea lift, warships, aircraft, Marines, and logistic support.
Tonkin Gulf:
In August 1964, three North Vietnamese, Soviet-built torpedo boats attacked American destroyers in international waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. President Lyndon Johnson ordered retaliatory air strikes and asked Congress for full authority to "resist aggression."
The Tonkin Gulf Resolution easily passed Congress, fully committing the United States to saving South Vietnam from communist domination. The number of Americans in Southeast Asia leaped from 23,000 in late 1964 to 250,000 in 1965, and to 550,000 in 1968.
At Sea:
Every type of combat ship was used in Vietnam: carriers, the battleship New Jersey, cruisers, destroyers, landing ships, supply and ammunition ships, mine craft, repair ships, tenders, patrol boats, river boats, Coast Guard cutters, and even air cushioned vehicles.
These ships engaged in gunfire support, plane guarding, surveillance, interdiction, and blockade operations. In addition, 98 percent of the materials sent to Vietnam went by sea. The tonnage sent to Vietnam equaled all other American exports combined.
The Navy would have had a difficult time staying on station off the coast of Vietnam had it not been for the fleet's supply ships. Food, fuel, ammunition and even movies were regularly brought to the Gulf of Tonkin and distributed to the ships.
USS New Jersey:
The battleship New Jersey was commissioned for the third time on 8 April 1968, this time for service off Vietnam. On 30 September, the battleship fired her 16 inch guns in combat for the first time since the Korean War. Within two months, she fired more than 3,000 rounds.
The warship departed Vietnam at the end of March 1969 and returned to the United States to prepare for another deployment. Before the New Jersey was ready, the veteran battleship was again retired.
On Rivers:
Riverine warfare, common in Vietnam, was not new to the United States Navy. It had been used in the Civil War, the Philippines, Nicaragua, and China. The Navy converted various small craft such as landing craft into armored "monitors" in order to control movement along the waterways and to transport and support Army and Marine troops.
North Vietnamese and Viet Cong relied on rivers and the sea to transport arms and supplies to their troops in the south. Small patrol boats from the Coast Guard and Navy such as the "Swift" boat, stopped and inspected hundreds of thousands of watercraft in an attempt to cut the flow.
On the Ground:
In March 1965, the Marine Corps provided the first American ground forces in Vietnam when it landed two battalions at Danang. At its peak strength in 1968, the Marine Corps had 85,755 men and women in Vietnam.
There were no fixed front lines in Vietnam; the enemy was all around. This fundamental problem was painfully evident with the Tet Offensive in 1968. North Vietnam launched a series of coordinated attacks on cities across South Vietnam.
In January 1968, North Vietnamese regular troops and the Vietcong launched an all-out drive to capture the main cities of the South. In the old capital of Hue, they came up against the determined resistance of the Marines. In bloody and desperate action, the Marines repulsed the attackers.
William P. Lawrence (1930-2005) USNA 1951:
Lawrence was a skilled Naval pilot, the first to fly at twice the speed of sound. He was on a combat mission in Vietnam when his plane was shot down in 1967. He was captured and held captive for nearly six years. Prisoners relied on many tactics to fill their time and occupy their minds. Lawrence wrote poetry. This one, dedicated to his home state, was adopted as the official state poem.
Lawrence went onto [sic] serve as Superintendent of the Naval Academy from 1978 to 1981. His daughter, Wendy, was in the second Academy graduating class to include women.
John M. McGrath (1939- ) USNA 1962:
On 30 June 1967, Lieutenant McGrath took off from the carrier Constellation in an A-4 Skyhawk on his 167th mission over Vietnam. He would not return home for six years. He kept a record of his time as a prisoner-of-war in North Vietnam. His simple and powerful sketches of torture and deprivation were published after his release.
Lessons Learned:
The Tet Offensive of 1968 proved to be a turning point in the Vietnam War. Although it took years for enemy forces to recover the losses they sustained during the offensive, the American public was shocked by the brutal and seemingly endless fighting. Support for the war waned.
When President Richard M Nixon took office in January 1969, he began to withdraw American troops. The war cost nearly 60,000 American and two million Vietnamese lives. While it discredited the policy of containment and Eisenhower's domino theory, the war shaped American military thinking for a generation.
In 1973, North Vietnamese and American envoys arranged for the release of prisoners and withdrawal of American forces. However, a cease-fire did not hold, and in 1974 the North Vietnamese began a drive on the South and captured Saigon. The last Americans in the embassy were evacuated by helicopter.
NAMUP3_110206_096.JPG: Various POW artifacts:
Clothes pins made from bamboo.
Dice made from cement. Most dice, chips, ashtrays etc were made of bread dough.
Rubber strap from shoe used as an eraser.
Thread from blanket, needles made from copper wire, some needles were made of bone.
Toothpaste caps served as inkwells for homemade ink. My favorite ink was made of ground cigarette ashes with a few grains of sugar used as a bonding agent.
Pencils and pencil leads were stolen during interrogation sessions. Leads were then sewn in seams of clothing.
Split bamboo pen. I usually hid my pen in my pan [???]. Toilet paper and cigarette wrappers were used for writing paper.
NAMUP3_110206_103.JPG: Bracelet:
Despite the protests against the war at home, the POWs were not forgotten. Bracelets, engraved with a prisoner's name and date of capture, were a popular way to keep them in the public mind. This bracelet bears the name of John S McCain, a 1958 graduate of the Naval Academy, and the son and grandson of admirals. McCain later became a United States senator and advocate for MIAs.
NAMUP3_110206_117.JPG: Rifle, Mortar Shells, Grenades, and Sword:
The North Vietnamese and Viet Cong were very creative in their acquisition of weapons: the rifle is an MAT-49 captured from the French; the automatic rifle is a Soviet AK-47; the mortar shells are Chinese; the grenades Vietnamese; and the sword is made from an old car spring.
NAMUP3_110206_124.JPG: Steel Spikes and Bamboo Punji Stakes:
Steel spikes and bamboo punji stakes were effective anti-personnel weapons. They could penetrate a soldier's combat boots, inflicting a painful and incapacitating wound.
NAMUP3_110206_129.JPG: Grenade Launcher:
This Soviet-made anti-tank grenade and launcher were captured by the 3rd Marine Amphibious Force on 18 August 1965. Such a weapon would also be effective against the Navy's monitors as they patrolled the narrow waterways of Vietnam.
NAMUP3_110206_138.JPG: In The Air:
This case contains models of the naval aircraft mostly [sic] commonly used in Vietnam: the propellor-driven A-1 Skyraider, the light-attack bomber A-4 Skyhawk, the attack bombers A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair II, and F-4 Phantom fighter, and the P-3 Orion patrol plane.
In 37 months of operations in Vietnam, 300 Navy planes were destroyed and 1,000 damaged. More than 80 Navy and Marine pilots and crewmen were killed, with another 200 missing in action.
NAMUP3_110206_141.JPG: USS Enterprise (CVA(N) 65)
When Enterprise was commissioned on 25 November 1961, the 90,000 ton ship combined the flexibility of the aircraft carrier with the endurance of nuclear power.
The carrier played a vital role in the Cuban Missile Crisis. Two years later, it became the first nuclear-powered ship to engage in combat when it launched bomb-laden aircraft in a projection of power against the Viet Cong. Since then, the carrier has been involved in operations around the world, from the Pacific to the Middle East and the Mediterranean.
NAMUP3_110206_148.JPG: Envelope:
The envelope of a North Vietnamese soldier's letter is decorated with a rubber stamp showing American planes being shot down. The envelope was a souvenir of a Marine Corps fighter pilot.
NAMUP3_110206_154.JPG: A-1 Skyraider:
Designed by Ed Heinemann of the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1944, the Skyraider is considered the most powerful single-engine propeller aircraft in the world. It first saw action during the Korean War in both Navy and Marine Corps squadrons. The US Air Force also used the Skyraider during the Vietnam War. Throughout its service life, the aircraft was configured to serve in night attack, photo reconnaissance, electronic countermeasures, and early warning roles.
NAMUP3_110206_160.JPG: A-4 Skyhawk:
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk was designed as a simple, low-cost fighter and ground-attack plane intended to operate from virtually every United States carrier. It was perhaps the most famous design to rise from Douglas designer Edward Heinemann's drawing board. The Skyhawk was one of the first Navy aircraft able to carry nuclear weapons. It was one of the Navy's attack "work horses" during the Vietnam War. This aircraft was flown by Lt William M Roark, USNA 1960, who was killed in action while on a bombing mission over North Vietnam, 7 April 1965.
[Note: Unit cost: $860K when new]
NAMUP3_110206_164.JPG: F-4 Phantom:
The second most prolific American jet fighter to be built, 5,057 F-4 Phantoms were produced between 1959 and 1979. During the Vietnam war, 72 Phantoms were coming off the production line every month. Although initially designed as an interceptor and later used primarily in the air-to-ground strike role, the Phantom proved to be surprisingly successful in the air-to-air combat role. USAF, Navy, and Marine Corps Phantom II's achieved 277 air-to-air combat victories in Vietnam. This modem shows markings of the aircraft flown by Capt. David W Gould, USMC, USNA 1964.
[Note: Unit cost: $2.4 million when new]
NAMUP3_110206_170.JPG: P-3 Orion:
Originally designed in 1959 as a replacement for the P2V Neptune. More than 30 years later is remains the Navy's sole land-based antisubmarine warfare aircraft. It has gone through one designation change (P3V to P-3) and three major models: P-3A, P-3B, and P-3C. The last Navy P-3 came off the production line at the Lockheed plant in April 1990.
[Note: Unit cost: $36 million in FY87]
NAMUP3_110206_173.JPG: Sighting Device:
This aerial-target sighting device was used to determine range, dive angle, and aspect angle of aircraft for a North Vietnamese Army .50-caliber machine gun. It was recovered during Operation Mameluke in June 1968.
NAMUP3_110206_179.JPG: William J. Crowe, Jr.
1925-2007
In a fifty-year career of public service, Admiral Crowe has commanded submarines; been assistant naval aide to President Dwight D Eisenhower; senior naval advisor to the Vietnamese Navy Riverine Force; Commander-in-Chief of the US Pacific Fleet; Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; Ambassador tot eh Court of St James; and teacher. His services have been recognized not only by the United States, but also by many foreign nations.
USNA 1947
NAMUP3_110206_195.JPG: USS Albacore:
Commissioned on 5 December 1953, under the command of Lt Cmdr Jon Boyes, USNA 1944, and "piloted" by Lt Ted Davis, USNA 1947, Alabacore was the first true underwater ship. She was built as an experiment to explore new ideas for ship design. Her streamlined shape, which made her fast and quiet, was tested in a wind tunnel. Today's submarines, marrying the teardrop hull form and nuclear propulsion, are the direct descendants of Albacore and Nautilus.
Albacore spent almost twenty years as an experimental ship before being decommissioned in 1971. She is now at a museum in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
The Technological Battle:
The long years of the Cold War were marked not only by hot confrontations on the battlefield but also by technological competition. This was a competition of intelligence, creativity, and innovation. Both sides generated increasingly complex and sophisticated ships, planes, weapons, and weapons systems in the hope they would provide the winning edge in battle. Naval Academy graduates were at the forefront of the technological battlefield.
Carriers:
The size of atomic bombs limited the Navy's ability to employ them. Big bombs needed big aircraft and new, larger aircraft carriers. The Navy's attempt to achieve a nuclear capability, however, became embroiled in an inter-service rivalry for limited budgets, especially since the Air Force heavily promoted its B-36 bomber.
In the end, the Korean War would prove the value and effectiveness of the Navy and naval aviation. The P-36 provided useless in a non-nuclear war and soon passed into history.
On 29 July 1948, President Harry S Truman approved a new 65,000 ton aircraft carrier. The USS United States would be large enough to handle bombers carrying the massive atomic weapons of the day. The keel had just been laid in 1949 when Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson abruptly cancelled construction.
In 1955, the Navy commissioned the USS Forrestal, named for James V Forrestal, Secretary of the navy and the first Secretary of Defense. In the Forrestal and its successors, the Navy realized not only nuclear capability, but also the ability to respond to crises rapidly and flexibly. Aircraft carriers continue to serve in the 21st century.
[Note: Cost of the USS Forrestal was $200 million. The ship was decommissioned in 1993 and is to be sunk as an artificial reef.]
The Air Force contended that their Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" bomber was the only airplane needed to deliver atomic bombs. Its intercontinental range would render the Navy's carriers obsolete, relegating the Navy itself to mere transport service.
Submarines:
During World War II, submarines played vital roles in the German naval blockade of England and the American blockade of Japan. But wartime subs were essentially surface vessels that could submerge for attack or defense; they had limited speed and endurance under water.
The introduction of nuclear power into subs changed their character, making them true underwater vessels. And the marriage of an undersea ship with ballistic missiles changed their strategic role.
Ballistic Missiles:
In 1955, American intelligence reported that the Soviet Union was developing an atomic weapon that could be delivered by a ballistic missile of intercontinental range. The Navy Special Projects Office was created to develop in [sic] response to the threat.
Director Rear Adm William Raborn proposed a small rocket fueled by a solid propellant. Approval was granted. Within three months, the Special Projects Office had developed the Polaris, a missile small enough to fit within the hull of a submarine.
On 20 July 1960, the USS George Washington (SSBN 598) fired a Polaris missile from beneath the ocean's surface. It was the culmination of four years of intensive work, requiring the coordination and simultaneous development of many new systems that had to be integrated flawlessly.
William F. Raborn, Jr.
1905-1990, USNA 1928
Although an aviator by training, Raborn had a major impact on modern submarines. On 8 November 1955, Rear Admiral Raborn was appointed Director of Special Projects at the Bureau of Weapons. His mission: to develop a submarine-launched ballistic missile. The new system had to achieve interim capability by early 1963 and full capability by early 1965.
Under Raborn's direction, the program more than met its deadline. The George Washington was commissioned 30 December 1959 and fired its first test missile 20 July 1960.
NAMUP3_110206_203.JPG: USS Nautilus:
On 17 January 1955, a US submarine, for the first time, was "Underway on Nuclear Power." The event culminated four years of work, made possible y the nuclear propulsion plant developed by the Naval Reactors Branch of the Atomic Energy Commission led by Capt Hyman G Rickover, 1922.
Nautilus spent 25 years in service and steamed almost a half million miles. The ship's ability to remain submerged for extended periods made her ideal for operation beneath the polar ice cap. Nautilus was decommissioned in 1980, and can now be seen at the Submarine Force Museum in Groton, Connecticut.
NAMUP3_110206_207.JPG: Aegis Cruiser:
The development of this Ticonderoga-class began in the 1970s. Initially designed as Guided Missile Destroyers (DDG), the Ticonderogas were re-designated Guide Missile Cruisers (CG) on 1 January 1980. Built on the same hull as the Spruance-class destroyers, the cruisers were the first surface combatant ships equipped with the "Aegis" weapons system. They were capable of conducting interdiction and escort missions and directly twenty missiles at a time in defense of carrier battle groups and amphibious assault groups. These ships were vital to the Navy's success in the last years of the Cold War.
NAMUP3_110206_213.JPG: Tomcat:
In the 1960s, the Navy and Air Force developed a fighter aircraft that both services would utilize. Unfortunately, the result, the F-111, proved too heavy and not suited for carrier use. Vice Adm William D Houser, USNA 1942, urged the development of a different aircraft, eventually designated the F-14. Early versions were fitted with the engine and weapons systems of the F-111, but succeeding versions carried modifications that added greater speed, maneuverability, and new weapons.
The F-14 entered service in 1973, and was the principal fighter and interceptor for carrier battle group defense for more than thirty years.
[Note: Unit cost of the F-14: $38 million (1998). The F-111 was $10 million.]
NAMUP3_110206_217.JPG: Model of A-6 Intruder:
The Intruder was designed as a high-performance, low-altitude, all-weather strike aircraft. It entered service in 1963 and began operation in Vietnam two years later. The plane carried a crew of two who sit nearly side by side. Variations of the craft are used for in-flight tankers and electronic countermeasures planes.
[Note: Unit cost $43 million (1998).]
NAMUP3_110206_227.JPG: Hyman G. Rickover
1900-1986
The father of the nuclear navy initially earned his master's degree in electrical engineering from Columbia University. He qualified in submarines and commanded the S-9 and S-48. During World War II, he served as head of the Electrical Section in the Bureau of Ships.
After the war, he promoted the idea of nuclear power for naval ships. He received an assignment in the Division of Reactor Development, Atomic Energy Commission and then headed the Navy's Naval Reactors Branch in the Bureau of Ships. The combination of these roles gave him great authority over the development of the USS Nautilus.
USNA 1922
NAMUP3_110206_233.JPG: Lieutenant's Commission:
Rickover received his commission as lieutenant on August 29, 1928, signed by the Acting Secretary of the Navy Theodore D. Robinson.
Hyman Rickover Souvenirs:
Admiral Rickover was very involved in all aspects of nuclear-powdered ships, both submarines and surface combatants. He attended sea trials, but also launchings, christenings, and commissionings of the ships. From all of these events, he received mementos. A very few of the many souvenirs are shown here.
NAMUP3_110206_236.JPG: Souvenir Plaque:
Souvenir plaque from the submarine Benjamin Franklin
NAMUP3_110206_243.JPG: Drafting Kit and Navigation Kit:
Midshipmen were taught drafting and navigation. These instruments, the larger drafting kit and the smaller navigation kit, may date from the time Rickover was at the Academy.
NAMUP3_110206_244.JPG: Epaulettes:
At the time Rickover graduated from the Naval Academy, naval officers worn [sic] a dress uniform that included epaulettes. These are in excellent condition, but bear the marks of the rank devices being pinned to them. By the time of World War II, epaulettes were no longer part of the uniform.
Shoulder Boards:
Shoulder boards worn by Rear Admiral Rickover.
NAMUP3_110206_250.JPG: Nautilus Medal:
Coin commemorating the launching of the first nuclear-powered ship, the USS Nautilus on 21 January 1954.
NAMUP3_110206_254.JPG: Enterprise Medal:
Souvenir coin commemorating the christening of the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise, on 24 September 1960.
NAMUP3_110206_265.JPG: Egleston Medal:
The Columbia Engineering School Alumni Associated awarded its Egleston Medal to Admiral Rickover for "distinguished engineering achievement" in 1955.
NAMUP3_110206_272.JPG: Distinguished Service Medal:
Admiral Rickover received the Distinguished Service Medal for service in charge of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion program from 1955 to 1961.
NAMUP3_110206_277.JPG: Congressional Medal:
In 1982, Congress authorized a second medal recognizing Rickover's "contributions to the defense of our nation, [and the] peaceful development of nuclear reactor technology."
Awards:
Throughout his long naval career, Admiral Rickover received numerous awards and recognitions, from the Navy, civilian societies, and two medals authorized by Congress in appreciation of his contributions to his country. A few of these awards are shown here.
NAMUP3_110206_280.JPG: Legion of Merit:
Admiral Rickover was twice awarded the Legion of Merit. The first time was for duty as the Head of the Electrical Section of the Bureau of Ships throughout World War II. The second award was for work as Chief of the Naval Reactors Branch of the Atomic Energy Commission and as Director of Nuclear Power Division of the Bureau of Ships from 1949 to 1952.
NAMUP3_110206_285.JPG: Enrico Fermi Medal:
The Atomic Energy Commission awarded Rickover its Enrico Fermi Medal for the "meritorious contributions to the development, use, or control of atomic energy" in 1964.
NAMUP3_110206_294.JPG: Nuclear Core Rod:
A fragment of the nuclear core rod from the first nuclear powered ship, Nautilus.
NAMUP3_110206_303.JPG: This chart illustrated the path of the submarine Nautilus from the Pacific Ocean, through the Bering Strait, under the polar ice pack, and into the Atlantic.
Polar Exploration:
For more than a century, the United States Navy stood in the forefront of exploration. While naval officers and men continued their scientific quests, new technologies developed during the Cold War opened a new front in the confrontation with the Soviet Union. Could possession of the polar regions yield strategic advantage? Could submarines approach the Soviet Union undetected beneath the Arctic ice? The Navy investigated the possibilities.
Operation Highjump -- 1946:
Immediately after World War II, the United States determined to investigate the strategic value of the Antarctica. In 1946's Operation Highjump, as it was called, twelve ships and thousands of men were ordered to determine how best to operate in the extreme cold, the feasibility of operating aircraft and bases in the Antarctica, as well as to conduct scientific investigations.
Under the North Pole -- 3 August 1958:
Unlike the Antarctic, the Arctic is covered with an ice cap. To test the feasibility of navigating under the northern ice, the Navy's first nuclear-powered ship, USS Nautilus, was given a secret mission: sail under the polar cap from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. The ship's ability to remain submerged for extended periods made her ideal for the job.
Nautilus got underway on 23 July 1958 and completed her mission on 3 August.
William R. Anderson (1921-2007) USNA 1943:
After graduating from the Naval Academy and completing submarine training, Anderson served in World War II. He made eleven combat patrols in the Pacific, six of them while assigned to Narwhal, and was awarded the Bronze Star for his services. In 1957, Adm Hyman G Rickover selected Anderson to be the second commanding officer of the new submarine Nautilus. At 23:15 on 3 August 1958, Nautilus was the first ship to cross the North Pole. After twenty distinguished years in the Navy, Anderson retired and began a new career in politics, being elected to three terms in Congress as representative from Tennessee.
Breaking the Ice -- July 1958 and March 1959:
Following Nautilus' successful navigation under the North Pole, the Navy set a more aggressive agenda for polar exploration. In July 1958, the submarine Skate steamed 2,400 miles under the ice and surfaced nine times.
She returned to the North Pole in March 1959, surfacing ten more times through the ice during the course of a 3,600-mile cruise.
Skate became the second ship to visit the North Pole. On 17 March 1959, she surfaced so that the ashes of Arctic explorer Sir Hubert Wilson could be scattered there.
James F Calvert (1920-2009) USNA 1943:
Calvert graduated from the Naval Academy in 1942 and during World War II, he served in the submarines Jack and Haddo, completing nine war patrols. Following the war, he was executive officer of Charr and Harder, and commanding officer of Trigger. He was chosen by Admiral Hyman Rickover for the nuclear submarine program. He was Skate's first commanding officer and commanded her during the submarine's pioneering voyage, surfacing the submarine at the North Pole. Admiral Calvert served as Superintendent of the US Naval Academy from 1968 to 1972.
NAMUP3_110206_309.JPG: Steuben Glass Sculpture:
This is a Steuben glass sculpture of USS Nautilus under the ice.
NAMUP3_110206_316.JPG: Nautilus Position Report:
This famous position report notes the location of Nautilus as 90 degrees North.
NAMUP3_110206_321.JPG: Flag from Operation Highjump:
This ensign was used during Operation Highjump.
NAMUP3_110206_326.JPG: James A Lovell, Jr.
1928-
Lovell was selected as an astronaut in 1962. He was in Gemini 7 when it rendezvoused with Gemini 6 in 1965, the first time two manned spacecraft had met in space. Three years later, he was onboard Apollo 8 when it orbited the Moon on Christmas Eve and sent pictures of the Moon's surface back to Earth. On 11 April 1970, Lovell was again en route to the Moon in Apollo 13. As the spacecraft neared the Moon, an oxygen tank ruptured. Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise battled for three days to stay alive and bring their craft back to earth.
USNA 1952
Cold War to Space War:
With the fall of Nazi Germany, the Allies and Soviet Union rushed to capture as much of the advanced German missile technology as possible. Scientists, engineers, and equipment were rounded up and put to work improving missile capabilities.
In October 1957, the Soviet Union beat the United States into space with the launch of Sputnik. Two months later, America's first attempt, the Navy's Vanguard, exploded on the launch pad. The space race was on, and Navy and Naval Academy graduates would play prominent roles.
Viking Rocket:
Among the contraband captured from post-War Germany were V-2 rockets. After some test firings, the Naval Research Laboratory developed an enlarged rocket called the Viking, which was used to explore the upper atmosphere. The feasibility of launching a rocket from shipboard was tested on board the carrier Midway.
In the 1950s, Wernher von Braun, a leading German rocket engineer who had come to the United States after the war, lobbied to use existing technology to place a satellite in orbit. The idea was taken up by the United States as part of its effort in the International Geophysical Year, 1957-58.
In 1947, the Navy launched a V-2 from the deck of the USS Midway to demonstrate that rockets could be launched from ships.
Alumni in Space:
The United States has always drawn those who are attracted by the challenge of the frontier, whether westward across the Mississippi River, or northward across the Rio Grande. That challenge is now directed beyond the bounds of Earth into space. Just as the United States Navy of the 19th century was at the forefront of exploration of the land and sea, today's Navy and Naval Academy contribute to the exploration of space.
Project Mercury -- 1959-1963:
Sputnik galvanized the United States into action. Project Mercury sought nothing less than putting human beings into orbit. On 5 May 1961, Alan B Shepard Jr, a 1944 graduate of the Naval Academy, made a short suborbital flight aboard Freedom 7. A few days later, President John F Kennedy set a national goal to land an American on the moon.
A subsequent Mercury mission was also manned by an Academy graduate, Walter Schirra. He made six orbits of the earth on 3 October 1962.
Alan B Shepard, Jr (1923-1998) USNA 1945:
Alan Shepard became the first American in space on 5 May 1961 in a flight that lasted less than 15-1/2 minutes. Short though the flight was, Shepard demonstrated that a human could control a craft in the extreme conditions encountered in space.
Shepard went on to command 1971's Apollo 14 flight, which landed in the Lunar Highlands.
Project Gemini -- 1963-1966:
Sending a man to the moon required a practical plan. The first step was to develop a two-man capsule. Of the 21 astronauts who flew in the Gemini program, six were Naval Academy graduates.
The original Gemini 6 mission, to rendezvous with a target satellite, was scrubbed when the target's rocket broke up after launch. Since Gemini 7 was already scheduled for December, and [sic[ it was decided that Gemini 6 -- redesignated Gemini 6A -- would launch the same month. The two capsules would then rendezvous.
On 4 December 1965, Gemini 7 was launched on a 13-day, 18-hour space mission -- lengthy even by today's standards.
Gemini 6 was launched 15 December on a mission that lasted less than 26 hours.
On 15 December, the two spacecraft rendezvoused, coming within about a foot of each other. ...
Thomas P. Stafford (1930-) USNA 1952:
Upon graduation from the Naval Academy, Stafford received his commission as a second lieutenant in the Air Force. In 1959, he graduated from the Air Force Experimental Flight Test Pilot School and was selected as an astronaut in 1962.
After piloting Gemini 6 and commanding Gemini 9, Stafford commanded Apollo 10, a Lunar orbital flight that paved the way for the Moon landing. His fourth space mission saw the union of the American Apollo and the Soviet Soyuz.
The Last Gemini -- November 1966:
On 11 November, James Lovell and Edwin Aldrin took off on the last of the Gemini missions. Once in orbit, they docked with a Gemini Agena Target Vehicle -- the second stage of a rocket that had been launched about an hour and a half earlier. While Lovell piloted the spacecraft, Aldrin opened a hatch and, attached to a long tether, ventured into the open. The astronauts managed to photograph a total eclipse of the sun.
Walter M. Schirra, Jr. (1923-2007) USNA 1946:
After completing six orbits of the earth on 3 October 1962, Schirra splashed down in the Pacific Ocean just 9,000 yards from the recovery ship, USS Kearsage. Schirra experimented with a hand-held camera during the flight and participated in the first live television broadcast of a manned American space flight.
He later flew on the Gemini 6 and Apollo 7 missions.
Men on the Moon:
The Apollo Project fulfilled President Kennedy's goal of putting an American on the Moon. More than just a propaganda event, Apollo's missions were to develop technology that could be applied to other national interests in space, carry out the scientific exploration of the Moon, and develop man's capability to work on the Moon.
Naval Academy graduates were on board six of the eleven Apollo flights.
Continuing the Mission:
Throughout our history, the Navy and Naval Academy graduates have probed the boundaries of the known world and pushed into space. Men and women from the Naval Academy are still in the forefront of the continuing exploration of space. More than fifty graduates have been on board Space Shuttle missions, investigating a broad spectrum of scientific questions.
We cannot read the future, and we do not know where mankind will venture next, but we can be sure that Naval Academy graduates will continue to lead in America's quest of the unknown.
NAMUP3_110206_350.JPG: Lunar Module:
The Lunar Module, nicknamed Antares, landed only 87 feet from its target in the Fra Mauro highlands. The astronauts completed two Moonwalks, collecting rock and soil samples and conducting experiments.
NAMUP3_110206_356.JPG: Old and New Testament Bibles
This volume of selections from the Old and New Testaments was given to James Lovell before graduation. He carried it with him on each of his missions in Space.
NAMUP3_110206_365.JPG: Signed by Gene Cernan and James Lovell
NAMUP3_110206_368.JPG: Tom Stafford
NAMUP3_110206_382.JPG: Flight Suit:
Flight suits are not worn in space, but within the shuttle and often in training, and for flights in regular aircraft. This suit was worn by David Leestma, USDA 1971, and displays patches associated with his career as an astronaut.
AAA "Gem": AAA considers this location to be a "must see" point of interest. To see pictures of other areas that AAA considers to be Gems, click here.
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2011 photos: Equipment this year: I mostly used the Fuji S100fs camera as well as two Nikon models -- the D90 and the new D7000. Mostly a toy, I also purchased a Fuji Real 3-D W3 camera, to try out 3-D photographs. I found it interesting although I don't see any real use for 3-D stills now. Given that many of the photos from the 1860s were in 3-D (including some of the more famous Civil War shots), it's odd to see it coming back.
Trips this year:
Civil War Trust conferences (Savannah, GA, Chattanooga, TN),
New Jersey over Memorial Day for my birthday (people never seem to visit New Jersey -- it's always just a pit stop on the way to New York. I thought I might as well spend a few days there. Despite some nice places, it still ended up a pit stop for me -- New York City was infinitely more interesting),
my 6th consecutive San Diego Comic-Con trip (including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco).
Ego strokes: Author photos that I took were used on two book jackets this year: Jason Emerson's book "The Dark Days of Abraham Lincoln's Widow As Revealed by Her Own Letters" and Dennis L. Noble's "The U.S. Coast Guard's War on Human Smuggling." I also had a photo of Jason Stelter published in the Washington Examiner and a picture of Miss DC, Ashley Boalch, published in the Washington Post.
Number of photos taken this year: just over 390,000.
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