William Forbes-Sempill shows Japanese Admiral Heihachiro Togo the interior of a British-built Sparrowhawk fighter in 1921.

On Our Scope

By Richard G. Latture, Editor-in-Chief
December 2019
A naval adage all too often overlooked by historians is that to fight you must stay afloat, well illustrated in this issue's theme of damage control and naval aviation.
The German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee at anchor in Montevideo Harbor, Uruguay, after the Battle of the River Plate and before her scuttling.

In Contact

December 2019
Readers debate the Battle of the River Plate, remember Lieutenant Joe Hunt, and recall a incident of bottom-contour navigation in a dense fog.
32nd annual Admiral Nimitz Foundation and National Museum of the Pacific War symposium

Naval History News

December 2019
‘Command and Control’ at a WWII Symposium, the anniversary of the Battle of Coronel, Midway Museum gets a replica TBD Devastator, and conserving artifacts from Vietnam.
Plan of the brig Oneida showing profile of starboard side

‘A Perfect Slug’

By J. M. Caiella
December 2019
Despite being a "dull sailor," the U.S. Navy brig Oneida saw more combat against the British than any other U.S. warship during the War of 1812
Firefighting efforts aboard the stricken USS Yorktown's (CV-5) flight deck

Fighting for Survival

By David Lee Bergeron
December 2019
From the bruising experience of Coral Sea to her ultimate fate at Midway, the USS Yorktown (CV-5) bequeathed to the Navy some hard-earned damage control doctrine.
A repair party works in a hole made by a blast on the Yorktown's third deck.

Commending Their Actions

By David Lee Bergeron
December 2019
After the Battle of Midway, the Navy recognized the damage control accomplishments of many enlisted men and officers of the Yorktown’s first responders and the all-volunteer salvage team.
Douglas A-4E Skyhawk of VA-56 on board the USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) in October 1965

Skyhawk Down

By Chief Petty Officer Delbert Mitchell, U.S. Navy (Retired)
December 2019
A firsthand account of the 5 December 1965 ‘broken arrow’ incident when an A-4 loaded with a one-megaton H-bomb went over the side of the USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14).
Ground-to-ground left front view of an EA-6B Prowler with crew standing outside

Electronic Warfare Par Excellence

By Norman Polmar, Author, Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet
December 2019
The Grumman EA-6B Prowler—one of the world’s most effective electronic warfare aircraft—was in the forefront of combat and crises for almost 50 years.
Dogfight Over Tokyo book cover

Book Reviews

December 2019
Professionals review Dogfight over Tokyo, U-Boats Around Ireland, and USS Arizona: The Enduring Legacy of a Battleship.
Postcard of the USS Connecticut (BB-18)

Pieces of the Past

By Eric Mills
December 2019
Samples from a massive accumulation of nautical postcards donated to the U.S. Naval Institute Photo Archive offer evocative glimpses of early U.S. battleships.