150th Anniversary of the sinking of CSS Albemarle

"This Day in History"

October 27, 1864

In April 1862, the Confederate Navy Department enthusiastically sought to replicate the victory of their first ironclad, CSS Virginia, against the Union’s wooden hulled blockaders. This was finalized with the Confederate ram, CSS Albemarle. Constructed to assist in the North Carolina sounds, this ram was armored with eight 30-degree angled sides, and included two 6.4 inch Brooke pivot rifles stationed in three different fixed positions. These cannons were protected by six iron shutters, mounted on all sides. The ram was propelled by 3-bladed screw propellers that were powered by steam engines. Albemarle was constructed throughout 1863-4 and was commissioned in April 1864.

Albemarle was a powerful tool used by the Confederacy, and a terror to the Union Navy. Two plans were submitted by Lt. William B. Cushing in an attempt to destroy Albemarie. Locating two small steam launches, Cushing fitted each of them with spar torpedoes. Spar torpedoes consisted of a bomb that was placed on the end of a long pole, or spar, and then attached to a boat. The goal was to run the bomb into an enemy ship. Some spar torpedoes were equipped with a barbed spear in the end, so it could stick to wooden hulls, and then a fuse would be lighted to detonate.

The night of October 27, 1864, Cushing took his small steam launches upriver towards Albemarle, who was anchored up the Roanoke River at Plymouth, Virginia. Under the cover of darkness, they were able to sneak past the guarding boats undetected to surprise Albemarle and ride up to place the spar torpedoes against the hull of the ironclad. The explosion was detonated and she sank immediately.

The spar torpedoes were the latest invention in submarine evolution. The torpedoes are the next evolution of technology for submersibles to destroy an enemy. Unfortunately, with budgetary constraints prevalent by World War II, many boats were equipped with under-performing torpedoes that would either not detonate, or could not be controlled to hit an enemy boat. It was evident after World War II that new technology for torpedoes needed to be developed to keep up with the newer boats and ships of the time.

USS Razorback, located at the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum in North Little Rock, Arkansas, also saw the evolution of technology development in torpedoes. Razorback started with the unreliable World War II torpedoes, the Mark 14, and was soon after introduced to the Mark 37 torpedo. The Mark 37 used electrical propulsion rather than pressurized air to launch from its tubes, and was guided with a gyroscope, a passive sonar homing system and a Doppler-enabled active sonar homing. Like Albermarle, without this superior technology, the results during war could have been drastically different.

Author: Nicolette Lloyd

100th Anniversary of the First Naval Ship to Transit the Panama Canal

"This Week in History"

October 12, 1914

Photograph courtesy of U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command.

On October 12, 1914, the USS Jupiter (AC-3) became the first United States Navy ship to complete the transit of the Panama Canal. Built in 1911 at the Mare Island Navy Shipyard in Vallejo, California, and launched August 14, 1912, Jupiter was originally built as a collier. A collier is a ship designed to carry coal for naval use by coal-fired warships. These bulk cargo ships were noted for their flat-bottom hulls and sturdy construction, which assisted them well in transition. They served the Navy until the invention of aircraft carrier hulls that were built for this specific task. Jupiter reported to the Pacific Fleet in Mexico on April 27, 1914. She assisted the U.S. Navy during the Veracruz crisis, remaining there until October 1914. She departed for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 10th. En route to Pennsylvania, she steamed through the Panama Canal on Columbus Day to become the first vessel to transit from west to east. From the Naval Yard in Norfolk, Virginia, she was converted into the first United States aircraft carrier to assist with conducting experiments in the new experimental phase of seaborne aviation. She was renamed USS Langley, and reclassified as a CV-1. She officially was re-commissioned on March 20, 1922.

Photograph courtesy of the Library of Congress.

On October 14, 1912, President Taft traveled to the Panama Canal for inspection aboard USS Arkansas (BB-33).  Arkansas did not transit the canal until July of 1919.  The battleship made this transit multiple times during her service in the Navy.  Like Jupiter, Arkansas made the transition through the Panama Canal to join the war effort in the Pacific Ocean.  The Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum displays an exhibit about Arkansas's service from 1912 through 1946.  Visitors can browse the museum exhibits about the battleship and missile cruiser ships named after the State of Arkansas as well as a World War II submarine, USS Razorback (SS-394).  Today, the museum honors the victories and the brave men who fought during World War II.  Come on down to North Little Rock, Arkansas, and take a tour to see the history for yourself.

Author: Nicolette Lloyd

USS Finback Saves George H. W. Bush

This Week in History

September 2, 1944

On September 2, 1944, Lt (jg) George H. W. Bush was pulled from the Pacific Ocean by USS Finback (SS-230) after bailing out of his VT-51 aircraft.  Bush's mission was to destroy the Japanese radio station on Chichi Jima, which had been intercepting United States military radio transmissions.  After receiving a devastating hit by Japanese anti-aircraft, Bush still managed to destroy the radio station and was successfully picked up four hours later.  Bush returned to the United States after 30 days aboard the submarine.  Later Bush was elected as the 41st President of the United States; an event which may not have occurred unless he was rescued that faithful day.

George H. W. Bush

Like Finback, USS Razorback (SS-394) also picked up friendly pilots during World War II, totaling five airmen.  These missions were referred to as "lifeguard duty."  Razorback was assigned this duty during her fourth war patrol, from May 7th through June 27th of 1944.  While on patrol in the Nanpo Islands and Tokyo Bay area, she rescued LtCol Charles E. Taylor on May 25th and four crewmen from a B-29 Superfortress on June 5th.  Visit www.aimmuseum.org to read Razorback's war patrols.  In total during World War II, 520 airmen were saved by submarines.

Razorback and Finback share their namesake since both are named after a suborder of the baleen whales, commonly known as the fin whale.  These marine mammals are the second largest animal in the world, beautiful and fast, much like the submarines themselves.  The fin whale, besides being known as both the finback and razorback, is also called a common rorqual.

Fin Whale

The Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum is the permanent home of the submarine Razorback, and while touring her you will hear tales of the life of a sailor and her history.  Razorback accomplished many feats during her time commissioned in the Navy, but it is her World War II history that you will find most astounding.  Stop by and take a tour to learn more about what Razorback, and her fellow submarines, withstood during World War II!

Author: Nicolette Lloyd

Submarine Transport Mission

This Day in History

August 27, 1944

World War II submarines were a vital part of the overall goal for the United States Navy.  Making up less than 2 percent of the Navy, they still effectively sank over 30 percent of the Japanese Navy.  Their missions were strategic.  

Graph courtesy of valoratsea.com.

Submarines were instrumental in disrupting the Japanese supply chain, but they were also instrumental in delivering supplies to their allies.  USS Stingray (SS-186) played a part in the guerrilla operations that took place on August 27, 1944.  She took fifteen Filipino personnel and six tons of supplies on the island of Luzon in advance of military personnel landings.  This way only one of dozens of "special transport" missions that would help assist the United States in the war effort.

Photograph courtesy of U.S. Naval Historical Center.

USS Razorback (SS-394) also helped in these missions.  Razorback was launched on January 27, 1944, and was sent on her first patrol on August 25, 1944.  As a member of an offensive group in support of many of these landings on the Philippines, she would stay east of Luzon until mid-September.  While on patrol defending the special transport missions, she would earn one of her many war victories when she sank an 820-ton destroyer.

Submarines during World War II were an effective tool to help assist the Navy.  They would strangle the Japanese economy by effectively sinking over five million tons of supplies.  Though they were a great asset, this came with a heavy cost.  52 submarines were sunk, resulting in 3,506 men dying during World War II.  Their legacies are incorporated in many museums and memorials we see today.  Patrons of the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum can visit one of these memorials on location.  USS Snook Memorial is on display to the public to commemorate the submarines that are still on patrol.

Bless those who serve beneath the deep,

Through lonely hours their vigil keep.

May peace their mission ever be,

Protect each one we ask of thee.

Bless those at home who wait and pray,

For their return by night or day.

--Submarine verse of the Navy Hymn

Memorial on site at the Museum.

Author: Nicolette Lloyd

90th Anniversary of the First Aircraft Carrier Reporting for Duty

"This Day in History"

November 17, 1924

Traditionally, an aircraft carrier is the capital ship of a navy, meaning that she possesses the heaviest firepower and armor and is the leading ship in the fleet.  Aircraft carriers are used to deploy aircraft, and can be categorized based on the distinct types of aviation they carry, or their operational assignments. Originally, they were wooden vessels that were converted from different ship types such as cruisers, cargo ships, or even battleships. Today, they are nuclear-powered and can carry dozens of aircraft, ranging from fighter jets to helicopters.

Photograph courtesy of Naval History and Heritage.

USS Langley started her early life as USS Jupiter, a Collier whose keel was laid on October 18, 1911, and who was the first vessel to transit the Panama Canal from west to east.  Jupiter served during the Veracruz crisis in 1914, and after her transit through the canal, arrived in the Naval Yard in Norfolk, Virginia, to start her conversion to an aircraft carrier. As the United States Navy’s first aircraft carrier, Langley’s mission was to conduct experiments for the new discovery of seaborne aviation. Named after Samuel Pierport Langley, the first American astronomer, physicist, aeronautics pioneer and aircraft engineer, she was commissioned on March 20, 1922, with Cmdr. Kenneth Whiting in command.  By October 17^th of that same year, Lieut. V.C. Griffin made the first take off from Langley in a Vought VE-7SF, while she was anchored in the York River, Virginia. After additional testing over a two year period, Langley reported for duty with the Pacific Battle Fleet on November 17, 1924, becoming the first operational aircraft carrier in the United States Navy.  

Photograph courtesy of the U.S. Navy and the National Archives.

When the United States entered World War II, aircraft carriers became an essential component of the Navy. They were used to provide air support for both convoys and amphibious invasions, and further refinement would eventually lead to several different designs. Small escort carriers were used as a stop-gap measure, while light aircraft carriers were used as a more militarized version of her predecessor.  With the freedom to move around in the oceans, an aircraft carrier is a large, roaming, military base.

Like Langley, USS Razorback served during World War II.  Unlike Langley, Razorback was a submarine.  Submarines were escorts for aircraft carriers, and though they spent the majority of their time on the surface of the water, they were effective enough to sink over thirty percent of the Japanese Navy.  Since that time, Razorback has gone through a few upgrades, which changed her entire appearance and operation.  Stop by the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum for a tour to learn her history and how she assisted the Navy's war efforts during World War II.

Author: Nicolette Lloyd

Port Chicago Disaster

"This Day in History"

July 14, 1944

The Port Chicago Disaster was the largest homeland disaster during World War II.

World War II was in full swing by 1944, and the United States needed to develop an additional munitions facility to help supply the war effort. Port Chicago, north of San Francisco, was created and by the summer of 1944 the port could load two ships at once around the clock – including dangerous cargo. 

Diagram of the Port Chicago loading pier.

These operations were handled mainly by African-American units, many whom were not trained in handling dangerous cargo.

Photograph courtesy of the National Park Service.

On July 17, 1944, the SS Quinault Victory and SS E.A. Bryan were being loaded with 4,600 tons of explosives, including depth charges. In addition, 400 tons of explosives lay nearby on rail cars. Around 10:18 pm, massive explosions destroyed everything in the vicinity, and took the lives of 320 workers who were at or near the pier at the time. The blasts were so extensive, that they were felt as far as away as Nevada and the damage extended up north to San Francisco. Smoke and fire destroyed everything within a two mile radius of Port Chicago.

Remains of the pier.  Photograph courtesy of sf.blueherontours.com.

Of the 320 workers, two-thirds of them were African-American, which contributed to 15% of all African-Americans killed during World War II.  The remaining men were transferred to Mare Island to serve the rest of their enlistment. The Port Chicago disaster stands as a testament to the implementation of safer procedures when handling and loading dangerous cargo, including proper training for individuals handling ammunitions. Though the Port Chicago legacy is tainted with disaster, we can use the example to help further not only regulations and training today, but technology and even civil rights issues.

Photograph courtesy of www.disclose.tv.

USS Razorback was an active war vessel during World War II, capable of holding 24 torpedoes, a Bofors 40 mm and Oerlikon 20 mm cannon and two five-inch 25 caliber deck guns.  Fortunately for the submarine, the crew was well trained in munitions and dangerous cargo. No internal explosions marred the record, but Razorback did carry material that would make civilians question stepping onto the deck.  USS Razorback stands today as an example of daily submarine life and World War II technology and is located at the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

Author: Nicolette Lloyd

"Attack By Japan Would Be Made Without Previous Declaration of War"--Admiral Frank Upham

"This Day in History"

June 20, 1934

Admiral Frank Upham started his Naval career serving with the Pacific Squadron after graduating from the United States Naval Academy in 1893.  Commissioned as an Ensign, Upham spent his time in the Far East, eventually working his way up the ranks to Captain.  He commanded the cruisers USS Columbia and USS Pueblo during World War I and earned a Navy Cross.  In 1933, Upham returned to the Far East as a Fleet Admiral, Commander in Chief of the Asiatic Fleet, where he gave his testimony to the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) on the Japanese.

Photograph courtesy of United States Navy.

During Upham's report to the CNO on June 20, 1934, he said that "based on analyses of Japanese radio traffic, any attack by Japan would be made without previous declaration of war or international warning."  This ominous prediction came to reality on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked the base on Pearl Harbor and officially brought the United States into World War II.  Admiral Upham passed away before this event, but his words and predictions live on in history.

USS Razorback saw action during the end of World War II, but without the United States declaration and involvement in this war, the submarine may never have been built.  The Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum, where the submarine is based, has a wide historical view on many different wars throughout the history of the United States, but none more awe inspiring than touring an authentic World War II submarine.  Admiral Upham may have tried to war the United States about an impending Japanese threat, but Razorback was able to successfully sail into Japanese waters in 1944 to 1945 and help to defeat this enemy.

Author: Nicolette Lloyd

The End of Pearl Harbor Salvage Efforts

"This Day in History"

September 23, 1944

Japan attacked the United States Navy harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941.  The week after the raid a salvage organization was formerly established for one of history’s greatest salvage jobs.  Captain Homer N. Wallin commanded the salvage efforts for over two years.  United States Navy and civilian divers completed about 5,000 dives and spent around 20,000 hours underwater.  The dives focused on recovering human remains, documents, ammunition, and other items from the ships damaged in the harbor. 

Divers standing in front of a decompression chamber.
Pearl Harbor Salvage Operations, official U.S. Navy Photograph.

Due to the attack five battleships, two destroyers, a target ship, and a mine layer were sunk or so severely damaged that they were considered a total loss.    Three ships that never returned to service due to their damage were USS Oklahoma, USS Utah, and USS Arizona.  In 1942, four ships were refloated and placed back into the active fleet to help defeat Japan.  These ships included USS Nevada, USS California, USS Oglala, and USS West Virginia.

USS Oklahoma righted about 30 degrees on March 29, 1943.  Official U.S. Navy Photograph.

USS West Virginia (BB-48) was a battleship present in Pearl Harbor during the December 7, 1941, Japanese attack. The Japanese bombardment hit the battleship with two bombs and several torpedoes, and though she was saved from capsizing, she still sank to the harbor bottom. Her crew was on board, and over a hundred souls were lost. 

"The conduct of the crew and officers was outstanding.  There was no confusion and
every man and officer did his duty as well as he was able under the conditions."
-- Lieutenant Commander T. T. Beattie

She entered the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard for repairs and was modernized at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, emerging in July 1944 fully functional. She rejoined the Pacific Fleet on September 23, 1944. 

USS West Virginia in drydock at Pearl Harbor on June 10, 1942, for repair.  Official U.S. Navy Photograph.

USS Hoga (YT-146), a tug boat, was also present during the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor. She was able to not only successfully avoid devastating damage, but assisted with rescue and firefighting operations on the battleships that were damaged. She remained in Pearl Harbor after the attacks, assisting with continued debris clean up, salvage efforts, and patrols of the shore. 

The Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum is continuing its efforts in bringing Hoga to the Arkansas River in the near future, where tours will be available. Currently, the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum houses USS Razorback (SS-394) and a museum dedicated to continued education in not only World War II vessels, but different vessels throughout American history. Come down and take a tour and learn something new!

Author: Nicolette Lloyd

70 Years of Fleet Admirals

"This Day in History"

December 14, 1944

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. The mission of the Navy is to patrol the world’s oceans and protect the United States and her citizens from any dangers. Internally, to maintain control and organization, the Navy sets a chain of command in order to establish a line of authority and responsibility.  The Navy also has an extensive set of rates and ranks associated with each sailor to determine their status in the chain of command, as well as their pay grade. Rates are associated with enlisted sailors. These rates start at E-1 and go up to E-9. Ranks, however, are only reserved for Navy Officers. The highest Navy rank is the four-star Admiral.

Fleet Admiral collar device, shoulder board, and sleeve stripe.

However, during times of war, Congress can approve the rank of a five-star Fleet Admiral. Equivalent to the General of the Army or the General of the Air Force, the Fleet Admiral in the Navy is the highest rank attainable in the service – though it is only awarded during times of war. This rank was established by an Act of Congress during World War II, on December 14, 1944. Under this act, four officers were authorized the temporary rank of Fleet Admiral: William D. Leahy, William F. Halsey, Jr., Ernest J. King,  and Chester W. Nimitz.

Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, USN, 1945.
Photograph courtesy of the National Archives.

Ernest King served on submarines from 1923-1925, but never received his Submarine Warfare insignia. He is credited with creating the first design of the insignia worn today by qualified submariners, called “dolphins”.

Official photograph of the United States Navy.

Chester Nimitz was the leading authority on submarines. He was a major contributor in overseeing the conversion of gasoline to diesel in submarines propulsion and assisted with the approval in building the first nuclear-powered submarine. Nimitz was the last surviving officer who served as a Fleet Admiral.

Today, the legacy of the United States Navy and their accomplishments during World War II is memorialized at the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum and USS Razorback. As one of the most complete submarines built during World War II, Razorback is a welcomed addition to the museum. Stop by the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum for a tour of the submarine, and learn more about her service during World War II and after.

Author: Nicolette Lloyd

Editor: Allison Hiblong