This page features the Online Library's September and October 2003 "What's New?" entries.
For the more recent entries, and links to previous years'
entries, see:
For earlier entries from the year 2003, see:
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the Online Library's digital images, see: How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions. |
This fortnight's most significant offering is extensive coverage
of the epic Jeannette
Arctic Expedition, a voyage that makes modern claims for
"longest deployment" seem downright brief. The Navy-manned
Jeannette's crew left the U.S. in July 1879 and her survivors
did not return home until 1882, after being frozen in the ice
north of Siberia for nearly two years and then walking hundreds
of miles over the rugged icepack and sailing the frigid Arctic
seas in small boats. Our new postings also include views of the
expedition leader, Lieutenant
Commander George W. DeLong; two of his Sailors, William
F.C. Nindemann and Louis
P. Noros, whose
efforts to obtain help for their stranded shipmates is quite
a story in itself; and George
H. Wadleigh, who participated in efforts to find the missing
Jeannette. Other people involved in the expedition will
be added during the coming weeks.
Our other new subjects are a good deal less exotic. As is usually
the case, we added another World War II era cruiser, USS Fargo (CL-106), a
pair each of destroyers and submarines, plus a lot of other ships.
The destroyers are DeLong
(DD-129) and Wadleigh
(DD-689), both named for the officers mentioned above. For
good measure we also did the first USS DeLong
(Torpedo Boat # 28). Submarines are Viper
(Submarine # 10), later renamed B-1, and Cuttlefish
(SS-171).
Coverage of World War II auxiliaries increased notably, with
eight attack transports, a troopship and a water distilling ship
joining the ranks. These are Garrard
(APA-84), Geneva
(APA-86), Hanover
(APA-116), Hendry
(APA-118), Hinsdale
(APA-120), Gage
(APA-168), Gallatin
(APA-169), Gosper
(APA-170), Golden City
(AP-169), and Abatan
(AW-4).
All the Jeannette work, plus a reworking of some office
infrastructure, squeezed out some of our usual flock of World
War I and Civil War acquired vessels, but we still managed get
in a quartet, including coastal transports Charles
(ID # 1298) and City
of South Haven (ID # 2527), the "reefer" Tanamo (ID # 2176)
and the patrol craft Taniwha
(SP-129). We'll try to make up the deficiency in time for
our next report.
31 October 2003
A little "normalcy" has brought us back to a conventional
2-week reporting schedule, with freshly-added coverage on a variety
of subjects:
Newly added cruisers include the "turn of the (last) century"
protected cruiser Galveston
(Cruiser # 17, later PG-31 and CL-19) and the World War II
light cruiser Atlanta
(CL-104). The latter was converted to a weapons
effects test ship (IX-304) in 1964 and participated in Operation "Sailor
Hat", a series of very large conventional explosions
conducted to test contemporary warship survivability.
Destroyers and submarines joining the ranks include Yarnall
(DD-143), Marcus
(DD-321), Yarnall
(DD-541), Shark (Submarine
# 8), later renamed A-7, and Pike
(SS-173). Linking subs and destroyers is a presentation on
an officer who lost his life in a 1917 accident on A-7,
Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Arnold
Marcus, in whose honor USS Marcus was named. We also
put in a minesweeper, USS Measure
(AM-263).
Images of three more Second World War attack transports are now
available, including Audubon
(APA-149), Bandera
(APA-131) and Beckham
(APA-133). In addition, we posted extensive coverage on another
of World War I's big troop transports, USS Mount
Vernon (1917-1919), which has originally been the German
trans-Atlantic passenger liner Kronprinzessin
Cecilie.
Other "Great War" ships and craft just added are the
tanker Sylvan Arrow
(ID # 2150), cargo ships Arizonan
(ID # 4542-A) and Tiger
(ID # 1640), patrol vessels Sylvia
(SP-471) and Tacony
(SP-5) and the fishing trawler A.
Brooke Taylor.
New Civil War subjects are gunboats Iuka,
Spirea, and Isaac Smith, and Landsman
Richard Stout, who
received the Medal of Honor for his bravery on board Isaac
Smith in January 1863.
20 October 2003
What with Hurricane Isabel's baneful effects, plus a few other
little events, the Online Library's usual fortnightly schedule
managed to expand into a three-weeker. However, new postings
cover the expected range: another light cruiser, a pair each
of destroyers and submarines, a half-dozen World War II attack
transports, a number of World War I acquired ships and craft,
plus some earlier items.
Our cruiser is USS Galveston
(CL-93), which was not actually commissioned until the late
1950s, by which time she was CLG-3),
the Navy's first warship armed with the huge "Talos"
guided missile. Destroyers include Boggs
(DD-136, later AG-19 and DMS-3) and Epperson
(DDE-719, later DD-719). The former is also represented by
the officer for which she was named, Rear Admiral Charles
S. Boggs.
Newly added submarines are Porpoise
(Submarine # 7), later renamed A-6, and Porpoise
(SS-172).
The attack transports are Dawson
(APA-79), Fallon
(APA-81), Fillmore
(APA-83), Highlands
(APA-119), Fond Du
Lac (APA-166), and Freestone
(APA-167).
The World War I era brings the transports Buford
(ID # 3818), Blue
Ridge (ID # 2432) and Cap
Finisterre (ID # 4051); cargo ship Texan
(ID # 1354); patrol vessels Ardent
(SP-680), Sturdy
(SP-82) and Sybilla
III (SP-104), and the motor boat Susanne,
which was considered for acquisition as SP-832 but not actually
taken over.
From the Civil War we offer the blockade runner Anglia
and the gunboats Hendrick
Hudson (1862-1865), herself a former blockade runner,
and Hibiscus (1864-1866).
Earlier times are represented by the brig Porpoise
(1836-1854), and two Revolutionary War Providences:
the sloop of 1775-1779
and the Lake Champlain gondola
of 1776
6 October 2003
The Online Library's offerings for the first half of September
include the usual light cruiser, three destroyers, two submarines
and quite a number of other ships, plus two little-known but
important officers of bygone days. This reporting period's cruiser
is Dayton (CL-105).
Destroyers include Dent
(DD-116, later APD-9), Charles
Ausburn (DD-294) and Charles
Ausburne (DD-570). Our submarines are Pike
(Submarine # 6), which was later renamed A-5, and
Bang (SS-385).
Freshly added people are Captain John
Herbert Dent (1782-1823), for whom USS Dent was named,
and Vice Admiral Harry
McL. P. Huse (1858-1942), who was the name source for the
long-serving World War II escort ship Huse
(DE-145), another of our "new" ships.
Also posted was pictorial coverage on five World War II auxiliaries,
among them attack transports Cullman
(APA-78), Dade
(APA-99), Cottle
(APA-147), and Dane
(APA-238), plus the fleet tug Salinan
(ATF-161).
From
the previous World War we have a herd of patrol vessels, auxiliaries
and service craft, among them Artemis
(SP-593), later renamed Arcturus, Berkshire
(ID # 1578), Bivalve
(ID # 2472), Foam
(ID # 2496), Gorgona
(ID # 2164), Ripple
(ID # 2439), Spray
(ID # 2491), Star
1 (ID # 1351), Stinger
(SP-1252), Surf
(SP-341), and Sussex
(SP-685).
The Civil War is represented by the gunboats Estrella
(1862-1867) and Flag
(1861-1865).
15 September 2003
This page features the Online Library's September and October 2003 "What's New?" entries.
For the more recent entries, and links to previous years'
entries, see:
For earlier entries from the year 2003, see:
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the Online Library's digital images, see: How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions. |
Page made 13 November 2003