Naval History - February 1996 - Hornet's Farewell
Naval History: A Publication of the United States Naval Institute, Volume 10, Number 1, January / February 1996. Articles Included Civil War Sea Drama Explodes in Vivid Color, Espionage or Negligence? A Sinking Mystery, Vietnam Veteran Faces the Enemy, and Arleigh Burke's Navy. GGA Image ID # 218860636e
On The Cover
"Congress Burning." The CSS Virginia finishes off the frigate USS Congress in Hampton Roads, Virginia, the day before her appointment with the USS Monitor—and destiny—in March 1862. For more Tom Freeman Civil War art see pages 29 to 35.
Featured Articles
The Royal Navy Lost the Revolution
By David L. Preston
Royal defenders of the sea averted their attention from the American Revolution, because they were preoccupied with fighting the French.
Hornet’s Farewell
By Robert L. Lawson
One of the old "Fighting Ladies" receives a fitting tribute.
Fighting to Save the Hornet
By Rich Pedroncelli
Swarms of Hornet supporters appear to be winning a battle to save her.
Espionage or Negligence? A Sinking Mystery
By Captain Peter A. Huchthausen, U.S. Navy (Retired)
For the first time, the true circumstances surrounding the mysterious sinking of a Soviet battleship in 1955 rise to the surface.
Diving by Design With the Tsarist Navy
By Norman Polmar
Recently uncovered photos afford new views of early Russian submarines.
Navy Comes First for Arleigh Burke
By Admiral J. M. Boorda, U.S. Navy
The current Chief of Naval Operations honors the storied career of one of the U.S. Navy’s true living heroes—and the woman behind the man.
Oak to Armor: A Pictorial
By Tom Freeman
The Civil War era—when ironclads rendered wooden ships obsolete— comes alive from the palette of an award-winning maritime artist.
It Really Did Carry the Kitchen Sink
By Frederick A. Johnsen
For two decades, the Douglas Skyraider was a mainstay of naval aviation.
Facing the Enemy
By Colonel Thomas Campbell, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired)
A Vietnam veteran/novelist looks inside his former foe—the Vietcong.
Easter ‘45: Incoming
By Rear Admiral Robert H. Spiro, U.S. Naval Reserve (Retired)
Things got mighty hot for the USS Morris when the kamikazes attacked.
Departments
- Looking Back
- In Contact
- Museum Report
- Book Reviews
- Books of Interest
- Naval History News
- Salty Talk
- Historic Fleets
- Reunions
About this Issue
To kick off our tenth volume, we determined to make a splash. And what better way to do so than with vividly detailed naval images of the Civil War composed by highly acclaimed naval and maritime artist Tom Freeman?
The last time Tom graced our cover, exactly two years ago, his "Ashes to Iron" won Naval History an Award of Excellence from a panel of national magazine art directors—the Visual Club.
We hope "Congress Burning," the scene on this cover, will do as well. The Naval Institute plans to offer a select series of Freeman’s Civil War art prints for sale later this year.
Also in this issue, a former U.S. naval attaché to Moscow sleuths a 40- year-old mystery—who sank the battleship Novorossiysk, how did they do it, and why?
On the naval aviation front, we pay tribute to both a ship and an aircraft, with accounts of the last days of the carrier Hornet and current efforts to keep her afloat, and the history of the fabled Douglas Skyraider.
Chief of Naval Operations Admiral J.M. Boorda, rounds out this issue with honors to war hero and former CNO, Admiral Arleigh Burke.
