war-at-sea

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March 8, 1862. The Battle of Hampton Roads begins as CSS Virginia and two other wooden warships sail into Hampton Roads to confront the Union squadron of five wooden frigates. Virginia takes a heavy toll, ramming and sinking the USS Cumberland before turning her guns on USS Congress. After an hour and a half of combat, Congress surrendered. Though the battle would continue the next day, culminating in the famous clash of the ironclads, the first day proved the superiority of ironclad warships over wooden ones and sent mass panic through Washington, D.C.

Artwork: Congress Burning by Tom Freeman

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Howard W. Gilmore

Howard Gilmore was a commander in the United States submarine force during World War II and commanding officer of USS Growler (SS-215).

On the night of February 6, 1943, during Growler’s fourth war patrol, the sub approached a convoy and was preparing for a surface attack when the destroyer Hayasaki spotted Growler and started to close with the intent to ram. Gilmore, on the bridge, sounded the collision alarm and ordered ‘left full rudder’. While the collision was unavoidable, it ended with Growler striking Hayasaki amidships instead of the other way around. 

The sub struck at 17 knots,heeling her 50 degrees,  bending 18 feet of her bow sideways to the port side, disabling her forward torpedo tubes, and tearing a gash in the destroyer’s side.

 Simultaneously, the Japanese unleashed a burst of machine gun fire at Growler’s bridge, killing one lookout and the junior officer of the deck while wounding three others, including Gilmore who proceeded to order the bridge cleared and his men below.

Once they were safe, and realizing he would not be able to make it below himself in time if the sub were to make an escape, Gilmore gave the order to “Take her down.” In the conning tower, Lieutenant Commander Arnold Schade, shaken by the collision and dazed by his own fall into the conning tower, hesitated for a moment before obeying his captain’s command and closing the hatch. The crippled Growler dove, leaving Gilmore behind.

Growler surfaced again so hours later to find the seas empty, with no sign of Hayasaki or Gilmore. Her crew managed to control the flooding and on February 17 they limped into port at Brisbane, Australia.

Gilmore was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions, the submarine service’s second recipient of the award and the first to receive it during World War II. His citation reads thusly;

For distinguished gallantry and valor above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of the U.S.S. Growler during her Fourth War Patrol in the Southwest Pacific from 10 January to 7 February 1943. Boldly striking at the enemy in spite of continuous hostile air and antisubmarine patrols, Comdr. Gilmore sank one Japanese freighter and damaged another by torpedo fire, successfully evading severe depth charges following each attack. In the darkness of night on 7 February, an enemy gunboat closed range and prepared to ram the Growler. Comdr. Gilmore daringly maneuvered to avoid the crash and rammed the attacker instead, ripping into her port side at 11 knots and bursting wide her plates. In the terrific fire of the sinking gunboat’s heavy machineguns, Comdr. Gilmore calmly gave the order to clear the bridge, and refusing safety for himself, remained on deck while his men preceded him below. Struck down by the fusillade of bullets and having done his utmost against the enemy, in his final living moments, Comdr. Gilmore gave his last order to the officer of the deck, “Take her down”. The Growler dived; seriously damaged but under control, she was brought safely to port by her well-trained crew inspired by the courageous fighting spirit of their dead captain.

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Special thanks to @secretclarissa for the story!

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The Battle of Jutland from the bridge of HMS New Zealand, as depicted in a painting by Chief Petty Officer Eddie Fitzgerald.

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US Asiatic Fleet, USS Edsall Christmas card.

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USCGC Campbell was sunk on 29 November 1984 as a target in the mid-Pacific ocean by the United States Navy at coordinates 22°48′N 160°06′W, northwest of Hawaii, and rests at 2,800 fathoms (5,100 m). A final message was transmitted as the ship, which remained largely intact after a Harpoon missile strike, went down. It said:

“UNCLAS //N05752// SUBJ: FINAL FAREWELL

1. I SERVED WITH HONOR FOR ALMOST FORTY-SIX YEARS, IN WAR AND PEACE, IN THE ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC. WITH DUTY AS DIVERSE AS SAVING LIVES TO SINKING U-BOATS, OCEAN STATIONS TO FISHERIES ENFORCEMENT, AND FROM TRAINING CADETS TO BEING YOUR FLAGSHIP. I HAVE BEEN ALWAYS READY TO SERVE.

2. TODAY WAS MY FINAL DUTY. I WAS A TARGET FOR A MISSILE TEST. ITS SUCCESS WAS YOUR LOSS AND MY DEMISE. NOW KING NEPTUNE HAS CALLED ME TO MY FINAL REST IN 2,600 FATHOMS AT 22-48N 160-06W.

3. MOURN NOT, ALL WHO HAVE SAILED WITH ME. A NEW CUTTER CAMPBELL BEARING MY NAME, WMEC-909, WILL SOON CONTINUE THE HERITAGE. I BID ADIEU. THE QUEEN IS DEAD. LONG LIVE THE QUEEN.”

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Hart guessed, probably accurately, that MacArthur resented Hart’s rank; as a full admiral, Hart wore four stars, MacArthur only three. “Small Fleet, big Admiral” was the way Mac Arthur put it, and the fact that, being an old acquaintance and friend of the family, Hart was not awed by him did not help things a  bit. There seems little question that Mac Arthur was either insensitive to Hart’s feeling, or tried to humiliate him, as on this occasion: “The General came down to my living quarters, right under his own. Characteristically he had his wife telephone me for the appointment and he came down in this bathrobe.” The occasion was a dispatch from the War Department about Army reinforcements on the way. After extolling the Big Show, he said,  "Get yourself a real Fleet, Tommy, then you will belong.“ “I listened to such patronizing talk,” Hart wrote, “and under the circumstances it was not pleasant.”

A Different Kind Of Victory, by James Leutze (via shiggyquotes)

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Admiral Thomas C. Hart, USN, Commander - in - Chief Asiatic Fleet. Photographed by Joseph O. Shanghai, circa mid - 1939. He is wearing a black mourning band, in memory of the late Claude Swanson, Secretary of the Navy until his death in July 1939.

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”USS Conway (DD-507) Underway in the South Pacific, while escorting a convoy, in August 1943. Photographed from USS Nicholas (DD-449). May have been taken during the Vella Lavella invasion.”

(NHHC: 80-G-56813)

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Believe it or not, they look pretty similar today...

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Kaiser Wilhelm II addressing naval officers after the Battle of Jutland (Skagerrak) 31 May 1916.

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A landing craft, air cushion (LCAC) attached to Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 5 transits behind the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Anchorage (LPD 23) during a cooperative deployment with the Indian navy. 

Anchorage is deployed as part of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). The Essex ARG/ 13th MEU is a capable and lethal Navy-Marine Corps team deployed to the 7th fleet area of operations to support regional stability, reassure partners and allies and maintain a presence postured to respond to any crisis ranging from humanitarian assistance to contingency operations. 

(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ryan M. Breeden/Released)

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HMS Cavendish (D15) refuelling from Centaur-class light fleet carrier HMS Centaur (R06) in heavy weather in the Arabian Sea. July 1964. IWM

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I’m pretty sure this is Admiral Essen

Russian Admiral Grigorovich class FFG-494, couldn’t find the name of this one.

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As far as I know this is no longer the norm. I certainly know of more demotions upon retirement for disciplinary reasons

odd question, one I feel I should know the answer to but for some reason don’t, do people get a promotion just prior to their discharge from military service?