Volume 60, No. 2
Fall 2021
Pull Together
N e w s l e t t er of t h e N ava l Hi s t or i c a l F o un d at i on
The Arrival of the Unknown Soldier Centennial
Naval Historical
Foundation Honors See Pages 9-16
REWARDING EXCELLENCE!
This edition of Pull Together features a pull-out “NAVAL HISTORICAL HONORS” section that recognizes some of the accomplishments of our aspiring future naval historians. Above at the September 24, 2021, Commodore Dudley W. Knox Medal Presentation Dinner, NHF Executive Director Rear Adm. Sonny Masso and NHF Chairman Adm. William J. Fallon join with Dr. Jennifer London to salute the 2021 Voices of Maritime History Competition for the Superintendent’s Annual Leadership and Vision Award Finalists Midshipmen Jennifer Sun, Nels J. Waaraniemi, and Brett Brady. Before the certificate presentation, Midshipman Sun discussed her paper on the integrity of the Fleet Problems that were conducted during the inter-war years summarizing lessons learned for the present. To the left, Rebecca Bemiss poses in front of USS Constitution before a September 11, turnaround cruise. Bemiss, the junior division winner of the 2021 National History Day Captain Kennth Coskey Prize, boarded “Old Ironsides” with her family courtesy of an invitation coordinated through the Naval History and Heritage Command.
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Table of Contents 4
From the Executive Director’s Desk
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The Centennial of the Arrival of the Unknown Soldier
By Rear Adm. Edward S. “Sonny” Masso, USN (Ret.)
By Peter Seibert, Executive Director and CEO, Independence Seaport Museum
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Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 100th Commemoration Announcement
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Naval Historical Foundation Honors Chairman’s Message DeMars Award Volunteer of the Year 2020 – 2021 Knox Medal Recipients Other NHF Awards
10 Chairman’s Message
By Adm. William J. Fallon, USN (Ret.)
17 National History Day Summary By Capt. Jim Noone, USNR (Ret.)
19 Notable Passings
Remembering John W. Warner, James D. Hornfischer, John T. Mitchell, and Edward F. Bronson
Naval Historic Founda The Naval Historical Foundation
preserves and honors the legacy of those who came before us while inspiring the generations who will follow. We focus on educating and creating global public interest about the importance of our rich naval history and linking it to today’s challenges and opportunities in the maritime domain. www.navyhistory.org
22 The Director’s Cut: The Capture of U-505 By Rear Adm. Samuel J. Cox, Director, Naval History and Heritage Command
COVER: USS OLYMPIA, the ship that carried the body of the unknown soldier from Le Harve, France to Washington, D.C. Original image is from the collections of the Marine Corps, #521810. - Credit: Naval History and Heritage Command; Body bearers carry the unknown soldier from the USS Olympia to a horse-drawn caisson that transported the body to the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 9, 1921. Among the saluting officers is Army Gen. John Pershing, who commanded the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. Credit: Army
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From the Executive Director’s Desk By Rear Adm. Edward S. “Sonny” Masso, USN (Ret.)
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t the beginning of the pandemic, your Foundation staff took a hard look at how to best deliver relevant, quality content to our members that was easily accessed and that offered a way to directly interface with our team and get direct answers from our subject matter experts on any given topic. We began our quest by turning to our mission and vision statements for our 96-year-old Foundation: Preserve and Honor: Remembering the legacy of those who came before us. Educate and Inspire: Passing the legacy on to the generations who will follow.
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and Naval History The Loss of the USS Thresher (over 25,000 views) Lord Horatio Nelson at 250. His semiquincentennial of going to sea with the Royal Navy The NHF 2021 Annual Meeting featuring the origins of Top Gun The Navy in Operation Desert Storm The Navy Reserve/Mustin Family connection over a century of service Batter Up: Major League Baseball and the U.S. Navy in World War II Art of the Sea: The artistic works of commissioned Navy artist Arthur Beaumont • The 20th commemoration of 9/11 and the Navy’s role
All together, these Second In October 2019 we hosted Saturday webinars have been an exceptional and well-attended viewed live and from YouTube by event commemorating the Battle of over 30,000 viewers with many Leyte Gulf at the historic Decatur substantial and positive comments House, just across the street from from the viewers. Future topics the White House. Our Foundainclude the following: tion historian, Dr. Dave Winkler, • The Battle of Surigao Straits as reached out to C-SPAN, and they told from Adm. James Holloway’s graciously recorded our conference, personal experience, with a distinwhich served as one of our motivaguished panel tors for creating our Second Saturday • USS Olympia’s 100th anniversary webinar. of delivering the hallowed remains As the pandemic emerged, the of the first Unknown Soldier to the Foundation was again challenged to Washington Navy Yard for delivery The Art of the Sea Second Saturday webinar in host an annual meeting, this time to Arlington National Cemetery August featured the works of commissioned Navy via an online platform with a guest artist Arthur Beaumont. • 80th commemoration of Pearl speaker (Dr. Craig Symonds) being Harbor featured from a remote location. What we found by doing this was very impressive. We In addition, we continue to bring you our weekly had record numbers of viewers, and bringing Tom Hanks Thursday Tidings e-letters. We are proud of the content we in to introduce Dr. Symonds (a technical consultant for deliver to you each week and month. Our plans for the the movie Greyhound) seemed to be the “hook” to attract a future include both podcasts and more artist chats between large audience. We were sold on the prospect of delivering book authors and our staff historian, Dr. Winkler. solid content with historically relevant warfighters, histoThere has never been a better time to join our Foundarians, and academicians to develop and deliver what today tion or donate to our advancement of the promotion of is known as Second Saturday. The results of our webinars naval history. We look forward to you joining us to enjoy are impressive. Our topics have included the following: all our historical content! • The NHF Annual Meeting featuring Dr. Craig Symonds • Leadership Lessons of Jack Aubrey and Horatio Hornblower • Herman Wouk and The Caine Mutiny: The Book, Movie,
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Naval Historical Foundation
Edward S. “Sonny” Masso Rear Adm., USN (Ret.)
Cruiser Olympia and the Difficult Journey Home By Peter Seibert, Executive Director and CEO, Independence Seaport Museum
PHOTO COURTESY NAVAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND
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ust steps from the Memorial Amphitheater at topside in a relatively secure location just below the aft Arlington National Cemetery lies American signal bridge and radio house. Capt. H. L. Wyman, USN, Unknown Soldiers from various conflicts. The first of Olympia’s Commanding Officer, ordered Capt. Graves B. these Unknown Soldiers, buried with the highest Erskine, Commander of Olympia’s Marine Detachment, military honors, was the American Unknown Soldier from and his Honor Guard to watch the Unknown Soldier World War I. around the clock. Sailors and Marines lashed the transport These soldiers’ remains symbolize the nation’s indebtcase down as securely as possible to keep it safe on the edness to all U.S. service members who died in combat. journey. Congress authorized the establishment of the Tomb of the While sailing westbound, Olympia encountered the Unknown Soldier in 1921 as a memorial for the thousands remnants of “Hurricane #5” and “Hurricane #6,” also of American families known as the Tampa who lost loved ones Bay hurricane of in World War I and 1921. Both storms whose remains were crossed Florida never identified. within a week of Though American each other and participation in the continued tracking war was shorter than into the North the other Allied Atlantic in Olympia’s powers, the cost in direction. These casualties was severe. combined storms There were 116,708 subjected those on recorded American the journey to 20- to deaths, 3,350 of 30-foot waves for them missing or nearly two-thirds unidentified. of the Atlantic The year 2021 crossing. marks the centennial Cross-waves anniversary of the sporadically American World colliding with the War I Unknown ship’s sides were Soldier’s transporthe biggest threat The Unknown Soldier being brought aboard Olympia at Le Harve, France on tation home from to Olympia because October 25, 1921. France. Some people they could easily know the story of how he was selected and buried at capsize her or cause the loss of the Unknown Soldier. Arlington. But most are not aware of his perilous journey Frederick A. Landry of the Marine Guard reported the aboard Olympia as she made her way across the Atlantic ship rolled 39 degrees at one point, a mere 10 degrees away Ocean. from being lost. He noted even the ship’s cook specuOlympia (CL 15) left Le Havre, France, on October lated how close Olympia would come to capsizing on the 25, 1921. The ship’s crew included a Marine detachment next roll. The Marines guarding the transport case lashed detailed to guard the Unknown Soldier during his journey. themselves to the ship to keep from being swept overboard. Sailors placed the casket containing the Unknown Soldier’s As Erskine later recalled: remains within a larger transport container to protect it We lashed the fellow down with everything that we over the transit. The crew could not, however, move the could tie on him. Many times the waves would go up the case below deck without disturbing the remains inside bridge . . . and in the wardroom, we had at least four inches because of size restrictions imposed by Olympia’s doorways and hatches. This meant the remains had to be stowed Continued on page 6 Pull Together • Fall 2021
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Cruiser Olympia Continued from page 6
of water most of the time. . . . We had some very rough weather coming home, and there were times we thought we might not make it home. The chaplain and the captain got together and he had a special service, praying to God that the ship wouldn’t sink.i Landry also wrote: “I began feeling sorry for myself standing there in a small area with wind and rain pelting me in the face, but my self sorrow didn’t last long. I soon realized that what I was doing was little enough compared to what the Unknown Soldier had done—given his life.”ii The bravery of those aboard at the time, including Olympia’s officers, sailors, stewards, and the Marine Honor
Guard, kept the ship safe, and the Unknown Soldier’s remains were delivered to the Washington Navy Yard on November 9, 1921. Upon arrival, an Army caisson took the Unknown to the Capitol Rotunda, where his body lay in state. Thousands of visitors left flowers and paid their respects. An Honor Guard then transported the Unknown Soldier to Arlington National Cemetery on November 11, Armistice Day, to be laid to rest in a grand ceremony presided over by the president of the United States and attended by soldiers, sailors, Marines, and civilians from around the world.
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Erskine quote taken from interviews recorded between the fall of 1969 to early spring of 1970. The complete interview is part of Independence Seaport Museum’s Cruiser Olympia collections.
ii
Last Voyage by Dennis D. Nicholson, Jr. pg. 44. Lt. Col. Dennis Nicholson, USMC, article “In Good Hands,” Marine Corps Gazette, November 1964. General Graves B. Erskine, USMC, oral history transcript, 1975, Benis M. Frank interviewer, History and Museum Division, U.S. Marine Corps. J.R. Neubeiser, With the Hand of God, Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, 2021.
Preservation Efforts for Cruiser Olympia
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Cruiser Olympia, the oldest floating steel warship in the world, is still afloat thanks to the constant, careful maintenance performed by Independence Seaport Museum’s shipkeepers. One of the most significant preservation efforts in 2020–2021 was a fundraiser to install new quarterdeck railings. This added 2,500 square feet of deck space to the public route. With funds successfully raised, the quarterdeck opened for the first time in two decades this past May.
CAROL M. HIGHSMITH
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ruiser Olympia, the oldest floating steel warship in the world, is still afloat thanks to the constant, careful maintenance performed by Independence Seaport Museum’s shipkeepers. One of the most significant preservation efforts in 2020–2021 was a fundraiser to install new quarterdeck railings. This added 2,500 square feet of deck space to the public route. With funds successfully raised, the quarterdeck opened for the first time in two decades this past May. A more involved, ongoing project is waterline maintenance. The crew, working in conjunction with a local marine engineer, uses a portable cofferdam to clean sections of the waterline, identify leaks, fill holes with composite resin, then prime and paint the repairs. They completed 33 feet of Olympia’s waterline in 2021. Overall, they have repaired over 200 feet of Olympia’s 700-foot waterline. The waterline maintenance project is supported by a grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Independence Seaport Museum is dedicated to the preservation of Cruiser Olympia for future generations. Follow them on social media @phillyseaport or visit www.phillyseaport. org to get project updates and to learn how you can help conserve this piece of naval history.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 100th Anniversary Commemorations at the Washington Navy Yard Date: 9 November 2021 Location: National Museum of the US Navy, Museum Education Center
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n 9 November 1921, following a harrowing crossing from Le Havre, France, USS Olympia arrived at the Washington Navy Yard carrying precious cargo. After docking pier side, the crew, in front of the assembled dignitaries and crowd, carried what would be the first remains for the Tomb of the Unknown off and placed it on a caisson for the journey to the capitol. On 9 November 2021, join the Naval History and Heritage Command as we look back on the importance of the Tomb, the journey, and its impact on us today with a speakers panel made up of historians from NHHC, USMC History Division, USCG, NHF, and the Independence Seaport Museum.
Doors open at 1145 Pannel begins at 1230 NDW Waterfront Ceremony to follow at 1500
Detailed Schedule: 1145-1230 Doors Open, Networking & Exhibits 1230-1245 Director Opening Remarks 1245-1255 SHGTUS Remarks 1255-1300 Panel Chair Opens 1300-1315 Independence Seaport 1315-1330 USCG 1330-1345 USMC 1345-1400 NHHC 1400-1415 Q&A 1415-1445 Networking & Exhibits 1445-1500 Walk over to Pier 3 1500 Naval District Washington Ceremony Following the ceremony, come back to the museum for refreshments.
Panel Presenters: Kara Newcomer, Historian, Formerly of USMC History Division, now USAF Chris Havern, Historian, Naval History and Heritage Command Scott Price, Chief Historian, Historian’s Office, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters Lucas Clawson, Historian, Independence Seaport Museum
Panel Chair: Dr. David Winker, Historian, Naval Historical Foundation
ARMY
Other Speakers : Samuel J. Cox, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (Retired), Director, Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) Gavin Mcllvenna, President, Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (SHGTUS) Pull Together • Fall 2021
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or its first “live event” since October 2019, the NHF hosted a luncheon on August 12, 2021, at the Army Navy Country Club (top left) to honor its 2020 Volunteer of the Year and the 2020 recipients of the Commo. Dudley W. Knox Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Naval History. NHF chair Admiral Fallon presided over the presentations. In the images above, Admiral Fallon (top right) joins with Rosemary Coskey to present NHF Volunteer of the Year Dr. Charles C. Chadbourn of the Naval War College for his work representing the NHF in National History Day. After lunch, the Director, Naval History and Heritage Command, Rear 8
Naval Historical Foundation
Adm. Samuel Cox talked to the filled Nimitz Ballroom audience about Dr. Michael Crawford’s contributions to the command and the profession and joined with Admiral Fallon for the medal presentation (bottom left). Finally, NHF board member Adm. Jamie Foggo addressed the audience on how influential Capt. Peter Swartz was in his career dating back to his postgraduate studies as a lieutenant in France and then joined with Admiral Fallon to bestow the medal on the retired Center for Naval Analyses historian (bottom right). For more on these awardees, see the NAVAL HISTORICAL FOUNDATION HONORS section starting on the opposite page.
DANIEL SWARTZ
NHF Honors Luncheon - August 12, 2021
August 12, 2021
September 24, 2021
Naval Historical
Foundation Honors
2020 and 2021 Commodore Dudley W. Knox Medal Recipients: Dr. Michael J. Crawford Capt. Peter M. Swartz, USN (Ret.) Dr. Robert M. Browning, Jr. Dr. Thomas C. Hone Dr. Kathleen Broome Williams
Naval Historical Foundation Volunteer of the Year for 2020: Dr. Charles C. Chadbourn Voices of Maritime History Competition for the Superintendent’s Annual Leadership and Vision Award Finalists: Midn. Jennifer Sun, Midn. Nels J. Waaraniemi and Midn. Brett Brady
Message from the Chairman ★★ ★ ★
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et me offer my sincere appreciation to all who attended our August luncheon in Arlington and our September dinner at Annapolis and convey a special thanks to the sponsors who underwrote the expenses associated with these two celebratory events. Your presence and support enabled the Naval Historical Foundation (NHF) to host these first in-person events in a year and a half. We are pleased to be able to resume live events to demonstrate that our organization remains vibrant and relevant, particularly in this pivotal time in history as sea power plays an increasingly important role in the defense of democracy and the freedoms we cherish. As we forge ahead into the 21st century, the historical understanding of past events and the role of seapower will be more important than ever. The individuals we are honoring have brought these important messages to light and shared their work with other people. The five individuals honored with the Knox Medal at our luncheon and dinner have spent their careers enhancing our knowledge of the significance of the maritime domain and have served as role models for future naval history practitioners. Some of those future practitioners also have their names printed in this program—finalists in the U.S. Naval Academy’s Voices of Maritime History Competition for the Superintendent’s Annual Leadership and Vision
Naval Historical Foundation PAGE 9: Commodore Dudley W. Knox, USN CREDIT: Naval History and Heritage Command
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Award. Perhaps someday we may see their names again highlighted in this program, this time as Knox Medal recipients! Our DeMars Award recipient, former NHF president “Bud” Langston, and our Volunteer of the Year, “Chuck” Chadbourn, are finally recognized publicly for their service to the NHF—long overdue but understandably delayed as a result of the pandemic. Thank you again for your efforts on behalf of naval history. Finally, on a somber note, we had hoped to present our NHF Distinguished Service Award for significant contributions to the naval historical enterprise to Dr. James D. Hornfischer at one of these two events but, unfortunately, we lost him on June 2. Thankfully, I did have the opportunity to present the award virtually during a gathering of family and friends on May 26. We will continue to remember Jim in our thoughts and prayers along with two other former leaders in our organization, Dr. J.P. “Jack” London and Rear Adm. John T. Mitchell, as well as our long-standing champion, Senator John W. Warner, all of whom passed away recently. These individuals left wonderful legacies that will benefit us all for years to come. Thank you,
Adm. William J. Fallon, USN (Ret.)
Since 1926
GENERAL DYNAMICS SALUTES THE NAVAL HISTORICAL FOUNDATION COMMODORE DUDLEY W. KNOX MEDAL RECIPIENTS: DR. ROBERT BROWNING, JR DR. TOM HONE & DR. KATHLEEN B. WILLIAMS
The awardees shown above are flanked by Admiral Fallon and presenters Dr. Sal Mercogliano, Trent Hone, and Capt. William Peerenboom. Photos taken by Sean Walsh.
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NHF Volunteer of the Year for 2020
bout the Volunteer of the Year Award—The NHF relies on dozens of volunteers who have performed a wide range of chores, including judging essay contests, writing book reviews, editing, collecting oral history, handling correspondence,
About the Recipient:
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n 1963, Dr. Chadbourn earned his B.S. in zoology at Louisiana Tech University. Three years later he earned an M.A. in history at that school and then joined the Navy to serve as a Surface Warfare Officer on destroyers in the Western Pacific with two tours to Vietnam. Dr. Charles C. After leaving active duty, in 1976 Chadbourn he earned his Ph.D. at the University of Washington in the field of U.S. naval and diplomatic history. He continued serving in the Navy Reserve, retiring as a captain. He held three commands, including two of the largest reserve units in
45+ historical professionals on staff
Headquartered near DC with CONUS & OCONUS support
conducting research, and organizing events. The award recognizes an individual who donated their time and skills to further the mission of the NHF above and beyond the call of duty.
the United States. He was selected by Vice Adm. Stansfield Turner to open the first nonresident Fleet Seminar Program in Washington, D.C., which has now expanded to more than 1,000 students at fleet concentration sites around the country. A recipient of the Department of the Navy’s Meritorious Civilian Service Award, Dr. Chadbourn is the editor-in-chief of the NHF-supported International Journal of Naval History and has been the foundation’s point person at National History Day ceremonies, presenting the NHF Captain Kenneth Coskey Prize to selected junior- and senior-level contestants. He also helped to initiate the NHF Teachers of Distinction Program, which recognizes teachers who supported their students’ naval history projects.
2 decades of service to the US Navy
HAI provides: • Archives and information services
• FOIA research
• Asset documentation • Digitization support
• Interpretive and educational materials
• Historical research and analysis
• Cultural resources management
• Digital and physical exhibits
Serving the Navy Through Specialized History & Heritage Services
historyassociates.com/navy • 301.279.9697 Contact HAI to learn how we support the management, treatment, and interpretation of naval heritage
The Commodore Dudley Wright Knox Medal
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bout the Commodore Dudley Wright Knox Medal—The award is named for Commodore Dudley Wright Knox (1877–1960). A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and Naval War College, Knox had a distinguished career as a naval officer with service in the Spanish American War, Boxer Rebellion, Great White Fleet, and World War I. But it was his abilities as a historian, librarian, and archivist that earned him respect and admiration among his peers and later generations. Transferred to the Retired List of the Navy on 20 October 1921, Knox had served as Officer in Charge, Office of Naval Records and Library, and as Curator for the Navy Department. The publication of his clarion
call Our Vanishing Naval History in the Naval Institute Proceedings in January 1926 led to the establishment of the Naval Historical Foundation. He would serve as secretary of the organization for decades and was its president at the time of his passing in 1960. Established in 2013, the Medal is presented to individuals who have dedicated a lifetime of work to further our understanding of naval history. Besides the publication of work of scholarly significance, factors germane for award consideration include mentorship of future naval historians and participation and leadership in organizations that promote maritime/naval/military history.
Following is a list of the previous recipients of the Knox Medal: • • • • • •
2013: James C. Bradford, Philip K. Lundeberg, William N. Still, Jr. 2014: William S. Dudley, John B. Hattendorf, Harold D. Langley, Craig L. Symonds 2015: Dean C. Allard, Thomas J. Cutler, Kenneth J. Hagan 2016: Christopher McKee 2017: Jon Sumida, Paul Stillwell, Edward Marolda 2019: Tyrone G. Martin, Norman Polmar, David Curtis Skaggs, Jr.
The U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1957 Salutes the 2018-2019 Holder of The Class of 1957 Chair in Naval Heritage
Kathleen Broome Williams Joining previous chairs James C. Bradford and Craig L. Symonds As recipients of the Naval Historical Foundation’s
Commodore Dudley W. Knox Medal
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Congratulations to the 2020–2021 Knox Medal Recipients! Dr. Michael J. Crawford (2020)
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r. Crawford earned his Ph.D. from Boston University in 1978 and briefly taught at Texas Tech before joining the staff of the then Naval Historical Center in 1982 as the assistant branch head of the Research (Early History) Branch. He made significant contributions to the American Revolution: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection volume series that was recently digitized by the NHF, and he subsequently assisted and then succeeded Dr. William S. Dudley as the lead editor of the four-part The Naval War of 1812: A Documentary History. His efforts have made thousands of documents accessible to researchers who collectively have broadened our understanding of our Navy during the early years of the republic. He authored or edited 17 books and contributed 30 articles or chapters in books, encyclopedias, and peer-reviewed journals. He wrote 27 book reviews and presented three dozen papers at professional conferences, always finding time to work with interns and fellow scholars working on a myriad of projects. From 2008 until his retirement from the NHHC in 2017, he held the distinguished title of Senior Historian of the Navy.
Capt. Peter M. Swartz, USN (Ret.) (2020)
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aptain Swartz is an expert on 20th- and 21st-century Navy strategy, policy, and operations and on military history, organization, and culture. His recent work examines Navy strategy, the organizational history of the Navy and OPNAV, U.S. Navy international relationships, and U.S. interservice relationships, policies, and doctrine. He has analyzed alternative Navy global fleet deployment models; lessons learned from past Navy operations in homeland defense, counterpiracy, and irregular warfare; the Navy’s role in the Unified Command Plan; and the relationships among Navy 14
Naval Historical Foundation
strategy, programming, and budgeting. Prior to joining the Center for Naval Analyses, Swartz served for 26 years as a Navy officer, primarily in the areas of strategy, plans, and policy. A member of the Secretary of the Navy’s Advisory Committee on Naval History in the 1980s, he served as an advisor to the Naval Historical Center/Naval History and Heritage Command for more than three and a half decades. He has mentored scores of junior and senior naval officers, including dozens of senior flags and civilian senior executives, on the facts and use of naval history in strategic planning and national policy.
Robert M. Browning, Jr. (2021)
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r. Robert Browning earned a Ph.D. in history at the University of Alabama as well as a master’s degree at East Carolina University. Browning published five monographs on American naval and maritime history between 1993 and 2015. The first of these treated the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron; it garnered the North American Society of Oceanic History’s John Lyman Award (1994). Dr. Browning’s latest book, From Cape Charles to Cape Fear (2015), analyzed Lincoln’s blockading navy in the Gulf. In addition to his books, Dr. Browning has published nearly 40 scholarly articles on the history of the USN and the U.S. Coast Guard, two of which appeared in Naval History in 2020. He began his career with the Coast Guard Historian’s Office in 1989 and eventually became the USCG Chief Historian until his retirement in 2015. Early on, Dr. Browning assembled a “History Action” team that did yeoman’s service recording the Coast Guard’s role in the events following 9/11/2001, in Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, and throughout the heroic responses to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Beyond immediate crises, Dr. Browning’s relentless determination ensured that the Coast Guard Historian’s Office effectively continued to maintain the service’s written, oral, and tangible history for the benefit of future generations of Americans. Continued on page 15
2021 Knox Medal Recipients Continued from page 15
Thomas C. Hone (2021)
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r. Hone earned his bachelor’s from the Ohio State University (1966) and a doctorate in political science from the University of Wisconsin at Madison (1973) and graduated from the DOD’s Defense Acquisition University’s program managers course (1988). Between 1985 and 2018, Dr. Hone held at least 13 academic positions ranging from an initial one-year stint at the Naval War College (1985–1986) to faculty positions at the George C. Marshall Center for European Studies (1994–1997) to the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (1991–2001) and the Faculty of Joint Military Operations Department at the Naval War College (2006–2009) to his final appointment as a contract historian with the Navy History and Heritage Command (2014–2018). He also served as Principal Deputy Director for the Office of the Secretary of Defense Office of Program Analysis and Evaluation in 2001–2002 and was Special Assistant to the Commander, Naval Air Systems Command, in 1992–1994. In 2003–2006, he was Assistant Director for Risk Management, Office of Force Transformation, Office of the Secretary of Defense. He published his first naval history article, “Battleships vs. Aircraft Carriers: The Patterns of U.S. Navy Operating Expenditures, 1932-1941,” in 1977. Since then he has written at least 40 articles, book chapters, and reviews of books on naval history, ranging in topics from arms control treaties following World War I and II to portraits of pioneering naval leaders and to the early 2000s “AirSea battle concept.” Dr. Hone is the coauthor of the following books: the Naval History and Heritage Command centennial History of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 1915-2015; American & British Aircraft Carrier Development, 1919–1941; Battle Line: The United States Navy, 1919–1939; Innovation in Carrier Aviation; and Vol. 1, Part 2 of the Gulf War Air Power Survey as well as the author of Power and Change: The Administrative History of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 1946–1986.
Kathleen Broome Williams (2021)
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rofessor Williams holds a bachelor’s degree, with honors in history, a master’s, and a Ph.D. from Wellesley, Columbia, and City University of New York (CUNY), respectively. Prior to settling permanently as an adjunct professor at Holy Names University in Oakland, Ca. (2014–present), she taught at Sophia University in Tokyo, the Panama Canal College, and CUNY. She reached her teaching pinnacle in 2018 as the 10th Class of 1957 Chair in Naval History at the U.S. Naval Academy. Beyond the classroom, she first exhibited her fascination with applied science, the Navy, and World War II in Secret Weapon: U.S. High-Frequency Direction Finding in the Battle of the Atlantic (Naval Institute Press, 1996), followed by Improbable Warriors: Women Scientists and the U.S. Navy in World War II (Naval Institute Press, 2001) and Grace Murray Hopper: Admiral of the Cyber Sea (Naval Institute Press, 2004, 2013). She also published an appreciative biography of her father, a Marine who fought at Saipan in World War II: The Measure of a Man: My Father, the Marine Corps, and Saipan (Naval Institute Press, 2013). In addition, she has published six chapters in other books, written 15 scholarly articles, delivered 50 scholarly papers at academic gatherings, and reviewed 24 books.
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Voices of Maritime History Competition for the Superintendent’s Annual Leadership and Vision Award Finalists
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bout the Award—Sponsored by the late Dr. J. Phillip London, USNA ’59, and administered by the NHF, the award is intended to promote potential new naval perspectives, narratives, tactics, investments, adoption of innovative technologies, and capabilities including public education and interests in the maritime environment, freedom of the seas, or productivity of the ocean. To sustain this award in the
coming years, the NHF has created the Dr. J.P. “Jack” London Fund. Additional contributions to this fund are welcome. Please make checks available to “Naval Historical Foundation” and annotate “Dr. London Fund” on the comment line and send to the NHF at PO Box 15304, Washington, DC, 20003. Conversely you may donate online at www.navyhistory.org.
First Place ($5,000) Midshipman 3/C Jennifer Sun
“Fleet Problems and Integrity” extolling the necessity of Fleet exercise rigor, integrity, and thoroughness. A clarion call, with superb examples, on raising the bar in Fleet exercises to enhance training and readiness.
Second Place ($2,500) Midshipman 3/C Nels J. Waaraniemi
“Sea Control: How the Battle of the Atlantic Illuminates Today’s Challenges,” a juxtaposition of the Battle of the Atlantic and emerging Pacific Rim threats specifically focused on hypersonic missiles.
Third Place ($1,500) Midshipman 3/C Brett Brady
“Maritime Challenge,” a treatise and call for greater use of technology in providing better maritime situational awareness to facilitate decision making and teamwork to prevent maritime accidents.
The Naval Historical Foundation also Salutes! The 2021 Vice Admiral Robert F. Dunn NROTC Essay Contest Grand Prize Winner: Midn. Will Stefanou of the University of San Diego for his paper on “The Six Cornerstones of Naval Tactics and our Future.”
The 2021 National History Day Captain Kenneth Coskey Prize Winners: Junior Division: Rebecca Bemiss of Platsville, CT, “Mavis Batey and the Geese That Never Cackled”
Senior Division: Jessie Henderson of Cleveland, TN, “Aerographer’s Mates: Communicating Weather from Sea to Shining Sea”
The 2021 NHF National History Day Teachers of Distinction Awardees:
Julie Mitchell, Bradley Central High School in Cleveland, TN; Brian Zawadniak, teacher at John F. Kennedy School, Platsville, CT; Stephanie Hammer, teacher at William Monroe Middle School, Stanardsville, VA; Megan Souchek, teacher at New Caney High School, New Caney, TX; Justin Carroll, teacher at Deer Creek Middle School, Edmond, OK; Alfred Meadows, teacher at Wilbur Cross High School, New Haven, CT; and Cathy Kaus, teacher at Chadron Senior High School, Chadron, NE.
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About the Naval Historical Foundation: The NHF preserves and honors America’s naval heritage. We seek to inform, educate, and inspire current and future leaders and the public in understanding the importance of our Navy, sea power, and the maritime domain. Working closely with the U.S. Navy, we ensure that naval history remains in the forefront of American thought. NHF is a 501(c)(3) membership organization based in the historic Washington Navy Yard.
Naval Historical Foundation
National History Day Summary By Capt. Jim Noone, USNR (Ret.)
The NHF featured Rebecca Bemiss’s presentation at its August 12, awards luncheon.
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wo students and seven teachers from around the country were awarded prizes by the NHF for outstanding projects with naval/maritime themes in the annual National History Day (NHD) competition that concluded June 19.
DANIEL SWARTZ
Winners of the coveted NHF Coskey Prizes for Naval History were Jessie Henderson of Bradley Central High School in Cleveland, TN, and Rebecca Bemiss of John F. Kennedy Middle School in Plantsville, CT. Ms. Henderson’s project was a Senior Individual Documentary entitled “Aerographer’s Mates: Communicating Weather from Sea to Shining Sea.” Ms. Bemiss’ entry was a Junior Individual Performance entitled “Mavis Batty and the Geese That Never Cackled.” The Coskey Prizes are awarded in both senior (high school) and junior (middle school) divisions. Each received a $1,000 Coskey Prize award. Links to the two students’ video presentations will be published in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Naval History (www.ijnhonline.org). NHF established the prizes in 1999 and later renamed them in honor of the late Captain Ken Coskey, Navy pilot, Vietnam prisoner of war, and former NHF executive director. In addition, NHF Teacher of Distinction awards went to seven teachers in middle or high school whose students (a) win Coskey Prizes or (b) are ranked first, second, or third nationally in their categories for projects with a naval
or maritime theme. These awards consist of $200 honorariums, NHF Certificates of Achievement, one-year NHF memberships, and access to NHF Navy-related research assistance. Following are the Teacher of Distinction winners: •
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Julie Mitchell, teacher at Bradley Central High School in Cleveland, TN, for the Coskey Prize–winning project by student Jessie Henderson. Remarkably, it was the second straight year that student Henderson and Ms. Mitchell received the Coskey and Teacher of Distinction awards, respectively, in the NHD competition. Brian Zawadniak, teacher at John F. Kennedy School, Plantsville, CT, whose student, Rebecca Bemiss, won the Coskey Prize.
• Stephanie Hammer, teacher at William Monroe Middle School, Stanardsville, VA. Her students Kayla Shaller and Caroline Bruton won 1st place for their Junior Group Documentary, “Communicating Through Cell Walls: The Secret Correspondence of American POWs in Vietnam.” • Megan Souchek, teacher at New Caney High School, New Caney, TX. Student Carter Holton earned 1st place for his Senior Individual Exhibit, “The 1900 Storm.” • Justin Carroll, teacher at Deer Creek Middle School, Edmond, OK. Students Jemay Leow, Carter Robbins, and Jacob Rubin won 3rd place for their Junior Group Exhibit, “Navajo Code Talkers: Their Story of Communication.” • Alfred Meadows, teacher at Wilbur Cross High School, New
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Haven, CT. Students Sneha Maskey and KeQing Tan won 3rd place for a Senior Group Website entry, “Communicating Through Code: Elizabeth Friedman’s Crackdown on Nazi Spy Rings During World War II.” • Cathy Kaus, teacher at Chadron Senior High School, Chadron, NE. Her son, student Tyler Kaus, was awarded the Senior Division Physical Science Prize for his Senior Individual Documentary, “Grace Hopper: Computer Programmer.” The project honored the late Navy Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, the famed computer programming pioneer.
Over half a million middle and high school students from the United States, District of Columbia, territories, and international schools in China, Korea, and South Asia participate annually in NHD. Each year some 3,000 student finalists and several hundred teachers descend on the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, in mid-June for the final rounds of the national competition. This year, as in 2020, the competition was conducted in a virtual format due to the coronavirus pandemic. NHD has a broad theme for the contest every year. This year’s theme was “Communication in History: The Key to Understanding.” Student projects are expected to
be consistent with the NHD theme. There are five project categories: papers, exhibits, documentaries, websites, and performances. Students competing in all categories except papers may do so as individuals or in groups of two to five students. Competition begins at individual schools, with the top middle and high school winners advancing to regional, state, and national competitions. In the four years since the Teacher of Distinction award was initiated, NHF has recognized 43 teachers from 25 states and one territory, Guam. “It’s encouraging to have such widespread interest in naval and maritime history by teachers and students,” said Adm. William Fallon, USN (Ret.), NHF chairman. “While the students receive the NHD awards—as they should—we’re very pleased to recognize the teachers who inspire the students to produce such outstanding naval and maritime projects.” Teachers are generally elated to receive the awards. In learning of this year’s award, teacher Alfred Meadows of Wilbur Cross High School in New Haven, CT, exclaimed, “I’m flattered by my award; it was unexpected. I thank the Naval Historical Foundation for this honor. I am most excited about framing my certificate!”
Combat Documentation Det. 206 to Stand Down
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or decades, NHHC’s reserve unit, the Navy Combat Documentation Detachment 206, collected large amounts of information on current operations. With the end of the war in Afghanistan and changing Navy Reserve billet priorities, assigned Navy Reserve billets supporting the NHHC’s combat documentation and collections mission are to be phased out. The Navy Reserve will defund the unit after this fiscal year. Tracing its lineage to World War II, the unit, manned by only reservists, collected historical records and interviews for use in official histories, as well as to provide operational historical support to Fleet staffs . During its thirty-five year existence, reservists were sent, many having advanced degrees in history, to cover operations in the Balkans – in the 1990s, Operation Desert Fox, the Cole bombing, Operations Enduring Freedom
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and Iraqi Freedom, as well as operations on the Horn of Africa and in the Pacific. One of the most notable collection efforts followed in the wake of the attacks on 9/11 (links from the NHHC website below). The unit also conducted numerous end-oftour interviews with departing senior flag officers and senior naval officials. In addition, the unit often provided reservists to the Joint History Office to participate in joint combat documentation teams to support Combatant Commander collection needs. With the phase out of the NHHC’s reserve unit, the NHHC will need to lean on the other service’s active duty and reserve service members who currently perform this mission to fill-in when the US Navy needs operational historical support, collection and documentation in forward deployed combat zones. https://www.history.navy.mil/
Notable Passings Pull Together honors four remarkable individuals who passed on in the wake of our last edition. Secretary of the Navy and Senator: John W. Warner
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orn in 1927 and a native of Washington, D.C., John W. Warner enlisted in the Navy during the final year of World War II and still was at Great Lakes Naval Training Station when news broke of the German surrender. He would kiddingly recall his combat experience as being detailed to quell overly rambunctious celebratory crowds in the streets of Chicago. Following his discharge from the Navy, he pursued an undergraduate degree at Washington and Lee and then enrolled at the University of Virginia Law School. While at Washington and Lee he enrolled in the Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Course and earned a commission as a Marine Corps 2nd Lieutenant. Brought on active duty, Warner served as a ground maintenance officer for the 1st Marine Air Wing stationed behind the front lines in Korea. Following the war he completed his law degree and served as a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals. He eventually joined the law firm of Hogan & Hartson and served as an advance man in Richard Nixon’s 1960 campaign for the White House. When Nixon won the presidency in 1968, Warner had hoped to be appointed as Secretary of the Navy. Instead, the post went to John Chafee, and Warner served as the Undersecretary. As Undersecretary, Warner negotiated the Incidents at Sea Agreement with the Soviet Union and would sign the accord in Moscow on May 25, 1972, in Moscow. His passing fell exactly one year short of the 50th anniversary of the implementation of that agreement. After a successful tenure in charge of the American Bicentennial Commission, a change of administrations returned him to private practice. With no experience as an elected official, he ran for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat from Virginia in 1978 only to be edged out at the nominating convention. However, with the death of the GOP candidate in a plane crash, Warner found himself the Republican standard bearer. Aided on the campaign trail by his second wife Elizabeth Taylor, Warner barely won what would be his first of five terms in the U.S. Senate. Representing Virginia first as the junior and then senior senator and serving on and chairing the Armed Services Committee, Warner took an avid interest in the Navy and
Marine Corps. He maintained a close relationship with NHF Chairman Adm. James L. Holloway III, who had been CNO when Warner was SecNav, and this led to an appropriation to support the NHF’s Cold War Gallery capital campaign. Over the years Senator Warner’s support of maritime heritage was demonstrated by his attendance at a National Maritime Awards Dinner that was sponsored by the Historical Society in collaboration with the NHF. He attended NHF receptions held at the Navy Museum to welcome incoming Secretaries of the Navy. Recently, he aided an NHF effort in partnership with the Center for Strategic and International Studies to broaden public awareness of the state of the nuclear power infrastructure in this nation, focusing on how the United States had lost its historic edge in this mode of energy generation. He was a recipient of the NHF’s Admiral DeMars Award for service to the NHF. While others will recognize Senator Warner as the type of consensus-building get-thingsdone politician that Washington is sorely lacking and note his legacy as Liz Taylor’s seventh husband, we will always remember him as a patriot, a champion of the sea services, a believer in the importance of heritage, and a friend.
Naval Historian and NHF Board Member: James D. Hornfischer
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he NHF lost an active, enthusiastic, and engaging member of its board of directors in early June with the passing of Jim Hornfischer. One of the most prolific and popular 21st-century historians of World War II naval history, Hornfischer was also one of its most honored. His awards included the 2018 Samuel Eliot Morison Award, given by the Board of Trustees of the USS Constitution Museum, for work that “reflects the best of Admiral Morison: artful scholarship, patriotic pride, an eclectic interest in the sea and things maritime, and a desire to preserve the best of our past for future generations”; the 2020 NHF Distinguished Service Award; and a Department of the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award. Born in Massachusetts in 1965, Hornfischer attended Colgate University. Graduating in 1987, he landed editing Continued on page 20
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positions in New York at McGraw Hill and Harper-Collins. He married Texan ER nurse Sharon Grace Simmons, and the two settled in Austin where Hornfischer parlayed his editorial skills and publishing house connections to become a well-respected literary agent. It can be argued that Hornfischer’s interest in mentoring promising writers of naval history and championing their cases before the publishing houses in New York and elsewhere accomplished as much, if not more, to elevate the public’s awareness of our great naval heritage than did his own writings. For example, NHF’s Cdr. David T. Leighton lecturer at the 2021 annual meeting, Top Gun author Capt. Dan Pederson, was a Hornfischer client. While maintaining his literary agency, Hornfischer tried his hand at the keyboard. His first book, The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, about the Battle off Samar during Leyte Gulf would earn wide acclaim and a spot on the CNO’s reading list. Hornfischer went on to publish Ship of Ghosts, Neptune’s Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal, and The Fleet at Flood Tide: America at Total War in the Pacific, 1944–1945, the latter receiving the Commodore John Barry Book Award and the John Lehman Distinguished Naval History Award. Aware of his mortality, Hornfischer kept writing during his final days. Three books will be published posthumously: Who Can Hold the Sea: The U.S. Navy in the Cold War, 1945–1960, The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, and a book coauthored with his son David: Destroyer Captain: The Last Stand of Ernest Evans. To quote Admiral Fallon: “Jim served as a mentor to a new generation of aspiring scholars writing history about the sea services; as a director who has provided invaluable guidance to support the missions and imperatives of the Foundation; and most significantly, [through] his outreach to veterans organizations and thousands of service members and their families to provide vital context and sense of purpose for the service and sacrifice they offered.”
Former NHF President: John T. Mitchell
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iven that he was born on December 7, 1941, as president of the NHF, Mitchell often surmised that the historical date of his birth sent him on a life’s journey that would include a productive naval career as an Engineering Duty Officer, an interesting postnaval career with Bechtel National, Inc., and then finally as a board member and then president of the NHF. Commissioned into the Navy in 1964 through the NROTC program at Rice University, Mitchell served on the recently recommissioned guided missile cruiser Columbus, working with both the Tartar and Talos surfaceto-air missile systems. Selected to become an Engineering Duty Officer, he drew an assignment to the Naval Plant Office assigned to monitor the production of submarine-launched ballistic missiles. After earning his master’s in physics from the Naval Postgraduate School, Mitchell headed north to the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard as the Combat Systems Officer and shipyard closure manager. He then enjoyed a tour with the Royal Australian Navy as part of the Personnel Exchange Program working as a weapons Quality Control Engineer. In July 1981, Commander Mitchell commenced a 10-year run in the Director, Strategic Systems Project Office as Director of the Technical Division overseeing the development of the Trident I and Trident II ballistic missile programs. He served consecutively as Missile Branch Head, Technical Director and Director. Having been promoted to 0-6, in April 1991, Captain Mitchell assumed duty as Direct Reporting Program Manager for the Strategic Systems Program. He was promoted to rear admiral (lower half ) on 1 April 1992. He served concurrently on the Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Strategic Command Strategic Advisors Group, and as Program Director for Navy Theater Missile Defense. Rear Admiral Mitchell retired on July 1, 1994. Following his retirement from active duty, Rear Admiral Mitchell worked for Bechtel National, Inc. from 1994 to 2006 as Senior Project Manager, Senior Vice President, General Manager Nevada Test Site, General Manager Yucca Mountain Project, and Deputy Director of Los Alamos National Laboratory. He served on the
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board of directors of Pantex Plant, Savannah River Plant, Idaho National Laboratory, Bettis National Laboratory, and the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory. At the urging of the then NHF Chairman Adm. Bruce DeMars, he joined the board of directors of the NHF where he supported the science teacher fellowship program that brought high school STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) educators to the Navy Museum to use exhibits to inspire lesson plans. He served as NHF president from 2012 to 2016. During his tenure as president he built closer ties with other organizations, helping the National Maritime Historical Society to establish their annual Washington National Maritime Awards Dinner and hosting a memorable reception for the North American Society for Oceanic History annual conference in Monterey, California. At the time of his June passing, he was on the board of the Tall Ship Providence Foundation.
Force 77 Air Operations officer. After his 1976 Attack Squadron 46 Commanding Officer tour flying A-7B Corsairs from John F. Kennedy, he reported to the Navy Office of Legislative Affairs. Chief of Legislative Affairs, then Rear Admiral, Tom Kilcline would state: “Bronson was more responsible than any other OPNAV person for the Congressional approval for production of the F/A-18.” After a tour as the executive assistant to Navy Director, Command and Control, he was tasked to form Naval Space Command, Dahlgren, Virginia.
A True Naval Aviation Legend: Ted Bronson: Remembering
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n August the Naval Historical Foundation lost a long-time friend and avid supporter with the passing of Capt. Edward F. “Ted” Bronson, U.S. Navy (Ret.). Born in Havre de Grace, Maryland, Bronson grew up in Wilmington, Delaware, and after earning his B.S. from LaSalle College in Philadelphia in 1954, he was accepted at the University of Chicago, receiving a master of arts degree in June 1958. He received that degree as a naval officer, having graduated from the Navy’s Aviation Officer Candidate program and earning his commission on June 28, 1957. “Cash” Bronson served 29 years, and in 1976 he became the 25th naval aviator to achieve 1,000 carrier landings. His first of seven Vietnam tours was in 1963 with the South Vietnam Air Force, transitioning T-28 pilots into AD-6 Skyraiders. His later Vietnam actions included combat tours in Attack Squadron 113 aboard Kitty Hawk [1966] and Enterprise [1967], flying the A4C Skyhawk for 236 missions over North Vietnam. Later he served as Flight Deck Officer and Handler aboard USS Oriskany for Yankee Station deployments in 1969/70/71. He returned to the Gulf of Tonkin in 1972 as the Commander, Task
Much of the artifacts seen in the Navy Museum’s Cold War Gallery Ready Room -- including the flight suit on the right -- were donated by Captain Bronson.
From 2007 to 2017 he served as the NHF’s aviation representative to an advisory committee that supported the build-out of the Navy Museum’s Cold War Gallery at the Washington Navy Yard. His legacy can be seen in the Cold War Gallery Ready Room, which replicated the ready room of his VA-46 “Clansman” using artifacts that he donated. In addition, he coordinated the fundraising for the production of models of Cold War vintage aircraft. Furthermore, to correct a long-neglected oversight, Captain Bronson initiated the awarding of Navy Astronaut Wings to Neil Armstrong in 2010. NHF Chairman Admiral Fallon remembers Captain Bronson as a stalwart supporter of naval history, stating, “No person was as energetic and diligent in pursuing the causes in which he believed than Ted Bronson. His perseverance and attention to detail in the naval aviation portion of the Cold War Gallery brought it to fruition almost singlehandedly. I am pleased that we were able to honor Ted as an early recipient of the NHF Volunteer of the Year award. May his soul rest in peace.” Pull Together • Fall 2021
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The Director’s Cut: The Capture of U-505 By Rear Adm. Sam Cox, USN (Ret.), Director, Naval History and Heritage Command
USS Guadalcanal (CVE60) Hunter-Killer Group vs. U-505 – 4 June 1944
fighters hit the U-boat with a deluge of gunfire. Lange was badly wounded on the conning tower, two others were wounded, and one was killed. Realizing the situation was he Submarine Tracking Room (F-21) of the hopeless, Lange ordered the sub abandoned and scuttled. U.S. TENTH Fleet was aware of the general However, in the haste to abandon, the crew neglected to set movements of U-505 throughout her patrol the charges. Two Avengers airborne were under orders not due to Ultra intellito drop depth charges if gence derived from the submarine surfaced, intercepted and as the Task Group decrypted German Commander Capt. communications and Daniel V. Gallery had a high-frequency direcplan to try to capture a tion finding. U-505’s U-boat. fruitless patrol off In accordance with West Africa was Gallery’s plan, the plagued by equipment screen commander breakdowns and poor ordered boarding teams morale. Based on away. The team from intelligence from F-21, Pillsbury was underway TENTH Fleet knew first and those from when U-505 started Chatelain and Jenks home and vectored were diverted to Guadalcanal (CVE60) rescue the 58 German Hunter-Killer group survivors. Although to intercept. After abandoned and settling several days of fruitless by the stern, U-505 searching, Guadalcanal was still churning in broke off the search to circles at six to seven head to Casablanca for knots. The leader of refueling. Ten minutes the boarding team, later, destroyer escort “Mustang” Lt. (j.g.) Chatelain (DE 149), Albert David, made commanded by Lt. Cdr. the first leap from the Dudley S. Knox, gained whaleboat, followed On U-505’s conning tower are, from right to left: Cdr. Earl Trosino, USNR; sonar contact on U-505, by two petty officers. Capt. Daniel V. Gallery, Jr., USN, Commanding Officer, USS Guadalcanal; between Guadalcanal Knowing that the and Lt. (jg) Albert L. David, USN, who was posthumously awarded the and the escorts. scuttling charges could Medal of Honor for leading the boarding party that captured the submarine Chatelain conducted go off at any moment and carried out initial salvage operations. an immediate and that the sub could Hedgehog attack with sink at any minute, and no result. U-505’s skipper, Oberleutnant zur See, Lt. (j.g.) not knowing if any armed Germans were still below and Harald Lange, put up his periscope and was dismayed to willing to fight, David plunged down the conning tower see the array of ships and aircraft around him. U-505 got ladder without hesitation into the dark U-boat, followed by off an acoustic homing torpedo that missed, just as ChatePetty Officers Knispel and Wdowiak. The petty officers set lain rolled in for a devastating depth charge attack. about rounding up codebooks and valuable papers, while When the crippled U-505 came to the surface, ChateDavid worked valves to keep the U-boat from sinking. lain, Pillsbury (DE 133), Jenks (DE 665), and two Wildcat Continued on page 23 22
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Director’s Cut Continued from page 22
As more of the team came down the hatch, another petty officer found and closed a bilge strainer that was flooding the boat. Another boat arrived with Guadalcanal’s engineer, Cdr. Earl Trosino, and a salvage party. Another petty officer found and disarmed 13 of the 14 scuttling charges known to be in the U-boat (based on intelligence). An attempt to tow U-505 by Pillsbury resulted in two flooded compartments when U-505’s bow planes sliced into Pillsbury’s hull. Finally, Guadalcanal was able to take U-505 in tow. The transit to Bermuda would feature the unique event of a carrier conducting alongside underway refueling and flight operations and towing a submarine, all at the same time. After the capture of U-505, great lengths had to be taken to ensure the Germans didn’t find out, otherwise they would have to assume the Enigma coding machine was compromised, which would result in the loss of probably the most valuable source of intelligence in the war. Among other measures, U-505’s crew was sequestered from other POWs and denied any contact with the outside world; it wasn’t until 1946 that their families learned they were alive, and the crew was not returned to Germany until December 1947. Lt. (j.g.) David was awarded the Medal of Honor (the only one awarded in the Atlantic Fleet during the war) but died of a heart attack before receiving it. Knispel and Wdowiak were each awarded the Navy Cross. Numerous awards went to others in the Guadalcanal Hunter-Killer group. U-505 is now an exhibit at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. As a final note, intelligence played a critical factor in each of these incidents. The Convoy Escort Commander of TAW-15 was warned that U-boats were waiting in the Windward Passage, and the convoy escort commander of ON-166 was warned of the large number of U-boats in his path, both thanks to intercepted German communications. Each took action as a result and did the best they could with the resources available. Card and Block Island Hunter-Killer groups were where they were because Allied Intelligence knew the location and timing of the Milchkuh refueling rendezvous points. The boarding teams were armed with information on the workings of U-boats, derived from the capture of U-570 by the British in 1941 and from interrogations of captured U-boat crews by Naval Intelligence’s Special Activities branch, which treated the Germans humanely and were rewarded with a bonanza of useful intelligence.
Long-Time NHF Members to be Honored
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ational Maritime Historical Society (NMHS) to Honor Capt. Sally McElwreath Callo, USN (Ret.) and Rear Adm. Joseph Callo, USN (Ret.) with the David A. O’Neil Sheet Anchor Award at New York Yacht Club on the evening of October 28, 2021. Both recipients had successful careers in the Navy Reserve in the area of public affairs, though Captain McElwreath Callo also served with Navy Reserve Combat Documentation Detachment 206 that currently supports the Naval History and Heritage Command. Rear Admiral Callo is highly regarded as a foremost authority on Adm. Lord Horatio Nelson on both sides of the Atlantic having written three books on the subject including Nelson Speaks and Nelson in the Caribbean. They will be the first couple to receive the award, in partial recognition for their work in furthering the special relationship between the maritime communities of the United States and Great Britain. As chairs of the American Friends of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, the have used the New York Yacht Club venue to host annual Pickle Night dinners, which honor Lord Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar. At the dinner, NMHS will also present its Distinguished Service Awards to Steven Kalil, the president of Caddell Dry Dock & Repair Co. in recognition for work performed to restore numerous historic vessels and to David K. Elwell Jr., a director of the Youth Sailing Foundation of Indian River County of Vero Beach, Florida. For further details about the annual awards diner visit www,seahistory.org. Pull Together • Fall 2021
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Naval Historical Foundation at the Washington Navy Yard P.O. Box 15304 Washington, DC 20003
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Family ($75): Extends Individual benefits to multiple family members (not to exceed two parents and their children). Supporter ($250): Benefits include a 10% discount on Navy Museum Store purchases and a subscription to our Thursday Tidings and Pull Together newsletters for one year, as well as a special mention in an issue of Pull Together. Life ($1,000): Benefits include a 20% discount on Navy Museum Store purchases and a subscription to our Thursday Tidings and Pull Together newsletters for life, as well as a special mention in an issue of Pull Together. Pull Together is published by the Naval Historical Foundation. EDITORIAL BOARD Chairman: Adm. William J. “Fox” Fallon, USN (Ret.) President: VAdm. Frank Pandolfe, USN (Ret.) Executive Director: RAdm. Edward “Sonny” Masso, USN (Ret.) Historian / Editor: Dr. David Winkler Designer: Marlece Lusk Copy Editor: Catherine S. Malo
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Naval Historical Foundation, P.O. Box 15304, Washington DC, 20003 If you desire to become a member or donate via credit card, visit us on-line at www.navyhistory.org. The Naval Historical Foundation is an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. incorporated in Washington D.C. with a mission to preserve & promote naval history.
Address submissions and correspondence to Executive Editor, Pull Together, c/o NHF, P.O. Box 15304, Washington, DC 20003. Phone: (202) 678-4333. E-mail: info@navyhistory.org. Subscription is a benefit of membership in the Naval Historical Foundation. Advertisement inquiries for future issues and digital content are welcomed. Opinions expressed in Pull Together are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Naval Historical Foundation. © 2021
