The Great White Fleet

On December 16, 1907, 16 US Navy battleships departed from Hampton Roads, VA. The convoy, named The Great White Fleet, would circumnavigate the world for 14 months. Post cards, such as the one pictured below commemorating the battleship Connecticut,  were released during the voyage.

Operation Crossroads

On July 25, 1946, the United States conducted Operation Crossroads, a nuclear test in the lagoon of tiny Bikini Atoll in the South Pacific. Many decommissioned ships from the US Navy fleet were purposely placed in the lagoon for the test in order to study any effects a nuclear bomb would have on them. In preparation for the test, residents of the atoll were relocated to another island, and Bikini remains uninhabited to this day as a result of unsafe radiation levels.

Battle of Midway

The crew of the sinking carrier USS Yorktown abandon ship after being hit by Japanese aerial torpedoes on June 4, 1942. The USS Balch remains nearby to render assistance. From June 4 - 7, 1942,  the battle of Midway proved to be the turning point of World War II in the Pacific.   

PT 109

(PT 105 at full speed)

PT boats were a staple for the United States Navy during World War II. They were designed for speed when attacking larger conventional vessels. With a full compliment of arms, including torpedoes and anti aircraft guns, they proved to be workhorses in the Pacific theatre.

(PT 109 & crew)

Lt. John F. Kennedy, commander of PT 109, is pictured on the far right with his crew in 1943. On August 2nd of that year, his vessel would eventually be sunk in battle by the Japanese.

Old Ironsides

This is the oldest known picture of the USS Constitution, which was taken in 1858 while undergoing repairs at the Navy Yard in Portsmouth, NH. The 44 gun frigate was launched in 1797 in Boston, MA, and was one of six original wooden hull three masted frigates built. The ship was named by President George Washington. Based at the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston, the Constitution remains on the Navy's active list.