DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable: The War of 1812

Filed under Bloggers Roundtable by on February 5, 2012 at 8:30 am {no comments}

Michael J. Crawford, Senior Historian, Naval History and Heritage Command

On Tuesday, Feb. 7, we hosted a DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable with Dr. Michael Crawford, the Senior Historian at the Naval History and Heritage Command.  Dr. Crawford discussed how the U.S. Navy contributed to some of the most significant outcomes of the War of 1812.

Check out our prior roundtables on the War of 1812, from Oct. 19, and Nov. 17.

Joining us on the call were Chuck Simmins, of America’s North Shore Journal; Tom Goering, of the Navy Log Blog; and Boston Maggie, of BostonMaggie blog.

Listen to the Roundtable.

Read the Transcript.

Armed with Science: African American Women in the Navy

Filed under DoD News by on February 17, 2010 at 12:43 pm {no comments}
Navy Nurse Joan C. Bynum, first black female promoted to captain in 1978. Courtesy US Navy.

Navy Nurse Joan C. Bynum, first black female promoted to captain in 1978. Courtesy US Navy.

Today on Armed with Science, we were joined by Dr. Regina Akers, historian at the Naval History and Heritage Command and expert on African American history. Dr. Akers discussed the little-publicized contributions of African American women in the U.S. Navy and describe her personal motivations for pursing a career in research.

Learn more about the Naval History and Heritage Command on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter.

LISTEN to the interview.

To Read Transcript , click here.

To read the Defense.gov article, click here.

To view a transcript from this interview, click here.

DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable: Scientists Dive Deeper Into Story of 1941 Japanese Attack Subs

Filed under Bloggers Roundtable, DoD News by on January 11, 2010 at 11:00 am {no comments}

Scientists who have been studying wreckage from Japanese mini-submarines that were part of an advance strike force on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, say a new television show could leave viewers with misunderstandings.  For one thing, they say, the show — part of PBS’s “NOVA” series — reveals no new discoveries.

Navy Capt. John A. Rodgaard, Peter Hsu, a scientist who analyzes forensic shock effects of underwater explosions and Robert Neyland of the Naval History and Heritage Command, which studies shipwrecks and sunken aircraft recapped facts and speculation about the incident during a “DoDLive” bloggers roundtable Jan. 6.  Five mini-subs were launched hours before the main air attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

Using the same evidence referenced on the television show, these experts arrived at some different conclusions related to the most recently identified sub.  They said the show misstated the launch order timeline and they questioned the notion that the sub fired a dud torpedo that hit the USS Arizona.  They also clarified what they believe are bigger mysteries concerning the post-war salvaging of the sunken submarines, which were discovered in an underwater US Navy debris field outside Pearl Harbor.   Still, the experts said the program warrants attention and the evidence deserves ongoing research to shed more light this little known chapter of history.

Joining us on the call were Taylor Kiland, www.examiner.com; Chuck Simmins, www.northshorejournal.org; Andrew Lubin, the Military Observer; Jim Dolbow, www.usni.org, and Joe Buff, www.military.com.

To read the full article, click here.

For a transcript of this interview, click here.

To listen to the interview, click here.

DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable: Dr. Robert Neyland, Peter Hsu, and U.S. Navy Capt. John Rodgaard

Filed under Bloggers Roundtable by on January 5, 2010 at 1:47 pm {no comments}
Dr. Robert Neyland of the Naval History and Heritage Command

Dr. Robert Neyland, Navy underwater archeologist of the Naval History and Heritage Command, pictured here on assignment.

On Jan. 5, PBS NOVA will air a documentary at 8:00 p.m. EST about the discovery of the remains of a Japanese mini-submarine that participated in the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. Navy Underwater Archaeologists and Navy researchers identified the mini-sub and have offered their opinions that the sub fired its torpedoes at Battleship Row.

Japanese Imperial Navy World War II Mini-Sub

World War II Mini-Sub

On Wednesday, Jan. 6 at 4:00 p.m. ET, we will interview  U.S. Navy Capt. John Rodgaard, scientist Peter Hsu, and Dr. Robert Neyland of the Naval History and Heritage Command who all participated in the mini-sub identification. They will be available to discuss their findings the day after the documentary is broadcasted.

To listen live, click here.

To view the transcript from this interview, click here.

Armed with Science: Recovering, Conserving and Protecting the Navy’s Underwater Historical Treasures

Filed under Uncategorized by on December 15, 2009 at 2:52 pm {no comments}

On Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 2:00 p.m. ET, listen to Armed with Science. Dr. Robert Neyland, Underwater Archaeology branch head, Alexis Catsambis and George Schwarz, archaeologists with the Naval History and Heritage Command Underwater Archaeology Lab will discuss issues related to underwater research, including the science and technology used to locate and study wrecks, recover artifacts, restore and protect them.

To listen to the show, click here.

To follow us on Twitter, click here.



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    An United States Air Force C-130J Hercules cargo aircraft from the 146th Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard, conducts flare training off the Ventura County coast. The flares are used as tactical infrared countermeasures to confuse and redirect heat-seeking missiles.

    (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Dave Buttner)


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    Famed Yankees pitcher “Lefty Gomez” once remarked “I’d rather be lucky than good,” but for one Tuskegee Airman, luck and good combined to make him one of the most successful combat pilots of World War II.

    During the summer of 1944, 2nd Lt. Clarence D. “Lucky” Lester was flying the P-51 Mustang over the skies of Italy’s Po Valley providing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers with cover support on their way to attack airfields in southern Germany.

    Lester was assigned to the 100th Fighter Squadron, a part of the 332nd Fighter Group, and had earned the nickname “Lucky” “because of all the tight situations from which I had escaped without a scratch or even a bullet hole in my aircraft.”

    Read the story of a flight that helped Lester earn his nickname here.


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    The only African-American ace of World War II, and a former Tuskegee Airman, went on to have a career in the Air Force, as well as success in the business world.

    Lee A. Archer joined the Army in 1941 with high hopes of becoming a pilot, but was initially denied because of his race. When the Army’s policy changed about a year later, Archer was accepted to the training program for black aviators at the Tuskegee Army Airfield in Alabama.

    Archer is best known for a day in late 1944 when he was involved in a series of dogfights over German-occupied Hungary. Flying a P-51 Mustang fighter, Archer shot down three German fighters. He would go on to add two more German fighters to his credit to become the first and only African-American ace of the war.

    As a civilian, Archer enjoyed even greater success, serving as vice president for urban affairs with General Foods, as CEO of North Street Capital Corp. and chairman of Hudson Commercial Corp. He also served on the board of directors of Beatrice International Foods and the Institute for American Business.

    Read the rest of his story here.