A Sailor's History of the U.S. Navy Read online

  A Sailor’s History

  of the U.S. Navy

  This book has been brought to publication

  with the generous assistance of Edward S. and Joyce I. Miller.

  Other Titles in the Blue & Gold Series

  The Bluejacket’s Manual

  The Chief Petty Officer’s Guide

  Newly Commissioned Officer’s

  Guide Naval Officer’s Guide

  Command at Sea

  Principles of Naval Weapons Systems

  Naval Ceremonies, Customs, and Traditions

  Dictionary of Naval Terms

  Dictionary of Naval Abbreviations

  Division Officer’s Guide

  Watch Officer’s Guide

  Dutton’s Nautical Navigation

  The Naval Shiphandler’s Guide

  The U.S. Naval Institute

  Blue & Gold Professional Library

  For more than a hundred years, U.S. Navy professionals have counted on specialized books published by the Naval Institute Press to prepare them for their responsibilities as they advance in their careers and to serve as ready references and refreshers when needed. From the days of coal-fired battleships to the era of unmanned aerial vehicles and laser weaponry, such perennials as The Bluejacket’s Manual and the Watch Officer’s Guide have guided generations of Sailors through the complex challenges of naval service. As these books are updated and new ones are added to the list, they will carry the distinctive mark of the Blue & Gold Professional Library series to remind and reassure their users that they have been prepared by naval professionals and they meet the exacting standards that Sailors have long expected from the U.S. Naval Institute.

  A Sailor’s History

  of the U.S. Navy

  Thomas J. Cutler

  A Co-publication of the U.S. Naval Institute and

  the Naval History & Heritage Command

  NAVAL INSTITUTE PRESS

  Annapolis, Maryland

  Naval Institute Press

  291 Wood Road

  Annapolis, MD 21402

  © 2005 by Thomas J. Cutler

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Lyrics to the ballad “Brave Yankee Boys” appear here courtesy of the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts.

  ISBN-13: 978-1-61251-164-1

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Cutler, Thomas J., 1947–

  A sailor’s history of the U.S. Navy / Thomas J. Cutler.

  p. cm. — (U.S. Naval Institute blue & gold professional library)

  1. United States. Navy—History. 2. Sailors—United States—History. I. Title. II. Series.

  VA58.4.C88 2004

  359'.00973—dc22

  2004023713

  129 8 7 6 5

  To all who serve—

  yesterday, today, tomorrow

  Contents

  A Sailor’s Preface

  Acknowledgments

  About the Publisher

  About the Author

  List of Acronyms

  Part I. Core Values

  1.Honor

  2.Courage

  3.Commitment

  Part II. Traditions

  4.What’s in a Name?

  5.Don’t Tread on Me

  6.Don’t Give Up the Ship

  Part III. A Unique Profession

  7.Transitions

  8.War Words

  9.Strange but True

  10.Lucky Bag

  Appendix—Battle Streamers

  A Sailor’s Preface

  More than half a century ago, Theodore Roscoe wrote a book called This Is Your Navy, an informal history written specifically for Sailors. On the first page he asked: “What’s the good of going back to the old days, or even yesterday, when you’ve got your hands full with affairs in the present? You’re kept jumping by what’s going on around you here and now. You’re busy with what you’re doing here today.” His comments are still true today.

  Roscoe’s answer to his own question was, “What you do today depends largely on what was done yesterday”; that “the things you’re doing now result from, and are a continuation of, things done in the past.” He quoted American patriot Patrick Henry (who is best known for his stirring words, “Give me liberty or give me death”) as saying: “I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know no way of judging the future but by the past.”

  This is a good answer. But for me, there has always been an even better reason. Perhaps it’s a little selfish in its origin, but it has served me well. In my many years of service in the U.S. Navy, I sometimes felt like quitting. Although I loved many things about the Navy, it was a tough life in a lot of ways, making demands on me that other people my age—those who had chosen an easier life in the civilian world—did not face. Sometimes the hardships of life at sea, the separation from my family and friends, or the multitude of dangers that were never very far away would cause me to long for a quieter life, a more “normal” life, a less demanding life. But then I would stand before a mirror, getting ready to shave, look at the face staring back at me, and say, “You work for the Acme Soap Company.” And I did not like what I saw. I would try again. “You work for Smith & Johnson, Inc.” And I still did not like what I saw. Then I would say, “You are a Sailor in the United States Navy.” And I very much liked what I saw.

  The reason that the last statement worked when the others did not was that I knew I was part of something special. And what made it special—far different from anything else I might do—were the great things that had been done in the past by Sailors just like me. The uniform I wore with such pride—that made me instantly identifiable as someone special—meant little without the knowledge that other people wore that same uniform, or some form of it, when they fought the Barbary States of North Africa, charged into hostile Confederate fire at Mobile Bay, and destroyed Nazi submarines and Japanese aircraft carriers when evil men were hell-bent on dominating the world.

  Another thing that made being a Sailor special for me was using terms like “galley” and “starboard” and “scuttlebutt,” a language that connected me with “iron men who sailed wooden ships,” that made me part of a “club” that has been around for a very long time and whose initiation requirements were that I give my own “honor, courage, and commitment.”

  The lather-covered face I saw each morning in the mirror was not unusual in any particular way. Yet it was special because it had felt the sting of salt spray and had seen the wonders of a starry night at sea just as Sailors had done for many centuries before. It had been darkened by the sun while patrolling the waters of Vietnam and weathered by heavy gales in the Mediterranean during the Yom Kippur War. It had known the bitter cold of patrols in the North Atlantic during the Cold War and been streaked with tears of pride the first time I heard “Anchor’s Aweigh” played at the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C.

  No doubt, I would have been proud of my service even if I had never known any of the history that had preceded me. But the more I learned about those Sailors who had gone before me, the more special I felt, the more determined I became to measure up to the standards they had set. I could have served the Navy well without knowing its history, but I sure wouldn’t want to.

  In the pages that follow, I have tried to capture some of the magic I myself experienced as I served in the Navy and discovered the exciting past that made my “club” so special. I have done so in an unconven
tional way. Even though this book can be called an “informal history” of the Navy, just as Roscoe’s book was, I have tried to make it a heritage book instead of a history book. To me, history is the stuff that scholars study for the good of the world. Heritage is the stuff that makes me stand a little taller and walk with a hint of a swagger.

  Most history books start at the beginning and move forward through time. This book charts a different course. I have chosen to explore our heritage by way of themes rather than by chronology. It may be a little confusing at times, because we may jump from the recent war in Afghanistan to a battle in the American Revolution, but the goal here is not to make us historians, but to share in the heritage that makes us different and special. In case you occasionally need a road map to figure out where we are, I have included a chronological account of the major parts of our history in the appendix, titled “Battle Streamers.” You may also want to refer to the date-by-date chronology that is Appendix B in your Bluejacket’s Manual, which includes other major historical events besides the battles. For the most part, however, we will be traveling through time with few concerns about dates and chronologies, focusing instead on the Sailors who gave us reasons to be proud.

  The word sailor has many meanings, ranging from the “iron men in wooden ships” of yesteryear to highly trained technicians running nuclear power plants in submerged submarines, from a young girl plying the waters of her hometown lake in a tiny sloop to a merchant marine captain carrying oil from the Middle East to Japan. The word has even had different meanings within the Navy; there was a time when it was used to differentiate enlisted personnel from officers. Today, however, sailor has come to have a special meaning, with a bit of mystique to it—so much so that it is now capitalized to make it clear that “Sailor” means a man or a woman who is a part of the greatest Navy the world has ever seen, one who carries on the heritage we will sample in this book. It refers to officer and enlisted alike: to seamen, airmen, firemen, and corpsmen; to those who stand watches on decks and those who man the ramparts of a five-sided building near the nation’s capital; to those who stay for thirty years and those who move on after a single hitch; to those whose names are distinguished by USN or USNR.

  Unlike most other histories of the Navy, this one focuses on all Sailors, in all their varied roles, from seaman to admiral. You will come to know Vernon Highfill, a fireman in the forward engine room of USS Lexington in World War II, as well as Commodore George Dewey, commander of the squadron that defeated the Spanish fleet at Manila Bay. You will meet Lieutenant John Worden, who commanded USS Monitor in her epic battle with CSS Virginia, and Quartermaster Peter Williams, who steered that ironclad into history. You will fly with Petty Officer Alvin Kernan, submerge with “Doctor” Wheeler Lipes, and sail with Ordinary Seaman John Kilby.

  Although this is a proud celebration of the greatness of our Navy and how it came to be great, it is not intended to be a whitewash. You will see some mistakes made; after all, our predecessors were human beings like us. There are defeats as well as victories, and you will see ships and aircraft and their crews lost. But despite the setbacks and the sacrifices, you will see a Navy that moves ever forward: avenging, learning, correcting, and growing stronger and smarter as tragedy is turned into triumph. This is a story that has no happy ending simply because it is far from ended. But a story emerges that has a happy middle, a story that is still being written as each day dawns.

  If you are a Sailor reading this heritage book, never forget that you are one of the main characters of this ongoing story. Unlike the high school or college student who can merely read history, you are writing history every day that you serve in the U.S. Navy. The more you know about the Sailors who served before you, the better prepared you will be to do your job, and do it well. It is your turn to follow in the wakes of those who went before you, to lead the way for others who will follow you, and to make your contributions to the Navy’s ongoing legacy of honor, courage, and commitment.

  Don’t forget to look in the mirror—you just might like what you see.

  Acknowledgments

  Authors who claim to have written a book all by themselves are either extraordinary or liars. This work is the product of a great many impressive and important people who generously took time out of their busy lives to help me create this book. Together, they served as a board of advisors who helped me locate information, provided creative advice, and vetted my chapters as I wrote them. I am tempted to describe what each one did to contribute, but this book would be many pages longer if I did. Suffice it to say that each played a vital role, and all have my everlasting gratitude.

  Lieutenant Commander Richard R. Burgess, USN (Ret.)—Managing editor of the U.S. Navy League’s Sea Power magazine.

  Commander Anthony Cowden, USNR—Mobilized following the attacks of 11 September 2001 and served for two years as liaison officer to the Joint Staff and battle watch captain in the Navy Operations Center in the Pentagon.

  Dr. Michael Crawford—Head of the Early History branch of the Naval Historical Center in Washington, D.C.

  Captain Todd Creekman, USN (Ret.)—Executive director of the Naval Historical Foundation in Washington, D.C.

  Deborah W. Cutler—Author, editor, critic, creative consultant, and loving wife.

  Lieutenant Commander Youssef H. Aboul-Enein, MSC, USN—Author and director for North Africa and Egypt, and special advisor on Islamic militant ideology, for the Office of the Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs.

  Vice Admiral Robert F. Dunn, USN (Ret.)—President of the Naval Historical Foundation in Washington, D.C.

  Journalist First Class Mark Faram, USNR—Military correspondent for Navy Times newspaper.

  Dr. Alan B. Flanders—Naval historian at the Navy’s Center of Naval Leadership in Norfolk, Virginia.

  Colonel Charles Gentile, AUS (Ret.)—A former Army counterintelligence officer and staff assistant and tutor at the Schuler School of Fine Arts in Baltimore, Maryland.

  Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Mark T. Hacala, USNR—Director, Education Institute Foundation at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C.

  Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Hagan, USN (Ret.)—Master chief petty officer of the Navy (1992-98) and coauthor of the Chief Petty Officer’s Guide; currently the human systems integration lead for the Navy’s destroyer concept (DDX) program.

  Dr. John B. Hattendorf—Ernest J. King Professor of Maritime History and chairman of the Maritime History Department at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.

  Command Master Chief Delta Hinson, USN—Command master chief USS Wasp and former member of the U.S. Naval Institute’s editorial board.

  Vice Admiral Al Konetzni, USN (Ret.)—Chairman of the U.S. Naval Institute’s board of control.

  J. F. (Jack) Leahy—Executive director of the Naval Writers’ Group and author of Honor, Courage, Commitment: Navy Boot Camp; Ask the Chief: Backbone of the Navy; and coauthor of the Chief Petty Officer’s Guide.

  Dr. Edward J. Marolda—Senior historian at the Naval Historical Center in Washington, D.C.

  Rear Admiral Larry Marsh, USN (Ret.)—Vice president of the Olmstead Foundation in Alexandria, Virginia.

  Force Master Chief Michael McCalip, USN—Force master chief at the Naval Education and Training Command.

  Chief of Naval Operations Directed Command Master Chief Sean McGurk, USN—Executive assistant to the master chief petty officer of the Navy in Washington, D.C.

  Chief Journalist Lisa Mikoliczyk, USN—Special assistant to the master chief petty officer of the Navy in Washington, D.C.

  Vice Admiral Jerry Miller, USN (Ret.)—Author who has served the Navy as commander of fourteen sea commands, including special task forces and the U.S. Second and Sixth Fleets.

  Chief of Naval Operations Directed Command Master Chief Bernard Quibilan, USN—Command master chief at the U.S. Naval Academy.

  John C. Reilly Jr.—Ambassador J. William Middendorf Naval History Rese
arch Chair at the Naval Historical Foundation in Washington, D.C.

  Rear Admiral Ann E. Rondeau, USN—Commander, Naval Service Training Command.

  Captain David Alan Rosenberg, USN—Chairman of the secretary of the Navy’s subcommittee on naval history and former head of the Navy’s Task Force History project.

  Vice Admiral James Stavridis, USN—Senior military assistant to the secretary of defense.

  Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Terry Scott, USN—Master chief petty officer of the Navy, 2002 to present.

  Commander Paul Stillwell, USNR (Ret.)—Director of the history division at the U.S. Naval Institute.

  Captain Peter M. Swartz, USN (Ret.)—Author and commentator on naval affairs at the Center for Strategic Studies at the CNA Corporation (formerly Center for Naval Analysis).

  Dr. Craig L. Symonds—Professor and former chairman of the U.S. Naval Academy’s history department.

  Chief Hospital Corpsman Anna Wood, USN—Special assistant to commander of Naval Service Training Command.

  A few final words of acknowledgment are in order. This book would not have been possible without the trust and encouragement of Ron Chambers, former Naval Institute Press Director. Nor would it have been possible without the tireless efforts of an extraordinary team that expended a great deal of midnight oil to produce it in less than half the time it normally takes. In the long-standing tradition of the Naval Institute, each has served the Navy well, and I am deeply indebted to them all: Susan Artigiani, Patti Bower, Jim Bricker, Donna Doyle, Karen Eskew, Mark Gatlin, Tom Harnish, Linda O’Doughda, Fred Rainbow, Dewitt Roseborough, Sara Sprinkle, Faith Stewart, Mary Svikhart, Jennifer Till, Eddie Vance, Tom Wilkerson, and Jon Youngdahl.

  About the Publishers

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