Eighty Three Years Ago Today: The Sinking of the USS Reuben James – October 31, 1941

The first American naval ship lost in World War II was not sunk in the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941.  Over a month before, on October 31, 1941, the destroyer USS Reuben James, escorting a convoy bound … Continue reading

Eighty Years Ago Today — Battle off Samar, a Victory Against All Odds

The Battle of Leyte Gulf was fought eighty years ago this week between the US and Australian navies and the Imperial Japanese Navy.  It was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some standards the largest naval … Continue reading

Apex Boats — the Unlikely and Dangerous Naval Drones of World War II’s Operation Dragoon

Based on the recent conflicts in the Black Sea and the Red Sea, it appears highly likely that the future of maritime warfare will be shaped by the use of naval drones. This made me wonder when the first naval … Continue reading

Robert L. Allen, Chronicler and Champion of Black Sailors in Port Chicago Disaster & Mutiny, Dies at 82

Robert L. Allen, who definitively told the story of 50 Black sailors who were convicted of conspiracy to commit mutiny for refusing to continue to load munitions onto cargo ships after explosions had blown apart two ships at a California … Continue reading

Black History Month — First Black Liberty Ship Captain, Hugh Mulzac, Says No To Jim Crow

Hugh Mulzak served as the first Black Liberty ship captain in World War II. When offered the command, he refused to sail with a segregated crew. An updated repost in honor of Black History Month. Born in 1886 on Union … Continue reading

Wreckage of WWII British Submarine HMS Thistle Believed to Have Been Found Off Norway

The Institute of Maritime Research announced recently that the wreckage of the World War II British submarine HMS Thistle has probably been discovered outside Rogaland, Norway, after more than 80 years on the seabed. In the Spring of 2023, the … Continue reading

Malaysia Detains Chinese Barge on Suspicion of Looting WWII British Warship Wrecks

For more than a decade, warships sunk in World War II have literally been disappearing from the ocean floor.  Illegal scrappers operating grabs from barges have been looting of Australian, American, British, Dutch, and Japanese warships for scrap metal in … Continue reading

Harry Belafonte and the Port Chicago Disaster & Mutiny

Harry Belafonte, the multi-talented  American singer, actor, and activist, died last week at the age of 96. Born in Harlem to Jamaican immigrants, he shattered racial boundaries in the 1950s. During his career, Belafonte popularized calypso music with audiences around … Continue reading

Wreck of SS Montevideo Maru, Australia’s Worst Maritime Disaster, Found After 81 Years

On July 1, 1942, the submarine USS Sturgeon was on its fifth war patrol in the South China Sea off the northwest coast of the Philippines’ Luzon Island, when it sighted a Japanese troop transport, SS Montevideo Maru.  The submarine … Continue reading

Hugh Mulzac, First Black Liberty Ship Captain, Says No To Jim Crow

Hugh Mulzak served as the first Black Liberty ship captain during World War II. When offered the command, he refused to sail with a segregated crew. An updated repost in honor of Black History Month. Born in 1886 on Union … Continue reading

Battleship Texas Scheduled to Be Towed to Yard for Repairs on August 31, Weather Permitting

The 110-year-old Battleship Texas is the oldest remaining dreadnought battleship and only one of six surviving ships to have served in both World War I and World War II. Over the last decade or so, the historic ship has been … Continue reading

Wrecks of Dozens of Explosive-Laden Nazi Ships Exposed By Drought in Serbian Danube

One of the worst droughts in European history has exposed a graveyard of sunken German warships filled with explosives and ammunition in the Serbian section of the Danube River. More than 20 hulks have emerged near the port town of … Continue reading

Report: Navy Failed to Prevent & Respond to Hawaii’s Red Hill Fuel Leaks

In December we posted Hawaii Deputy AG: Pearl Harbor Leaking Fuel Tanks a “Ticking Time Bomb” describing the fuel oil leaks in the massive World War II era fuel tanks into the island of Oahu’s water supply that forced over … Continue reading

Women’s History Month — Honoring Winnie Breegle, WWII WAVE and Code Talker at 100

During Women’s History Month, it is a good time to honor Winnie Breegle who celebrated her 100th birthday last month. She served in World War II as a WAVE (Woman Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) cryptographer and a Navajo code … Continue reading

Black History Month — First Black Liberty Ship Captain, Hugh Mulzac, Says No To Jim Crow

Hugh Mulzak served as the first Black Liberty ship captain in World War II. When offered the command, he refused to sail with a segregated crew. An updated repost in honor of Black History Month. Born in 1886 on Union … Continue reading

One Year After Pearl Harbor — Launching of the Battleship USS New Jersey, December 7, 1942

On this, the 80th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, I thought that it might be interesting to look one year forward to gauge how the US responded to the attack. On December 7, 1942, American shipyards launched … Continue reading

Volcanic Activity on Iwo Jima Lifts Sunken WWII Ghost Ships

A number of small Pacific island nations, including Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Marshal Islands, are facing an existential threat from rising sea levels. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), sea level in the western Pacific Ocean has been … Continue reading