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Photo # NH 41883: Plate I of 'The Laws of the Navy', by Rear Admiral Ronald A. Hopwood, illustrated with etchings by Lt. Rowland Langmaid, R.N., published during the World War I era.

Archive of Older "What's New in the Online Library of Selected Images?" --
Entries posted in November and December 2005


This page features the Online Library's 'What's New?' entries for November and December 2005.

For the more recent entries, and links to previous years' entries, see:

  • What's New in the Online Library of Selected Images.

    For earlier entries from the year 2005, see:

  • What's New in the Online Library of Selected Images? -- Entries posted in January through March 2005; and
  • What's New in the Online Library of Selected Images? -- Entries posted in April through October 2005.


    If you want higher resolution reproductions than the Online Library's digital images, see: How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions.


    Photo # NH 60309:  Masked medical personnel treating an influenza patient at New Orleans Naval Hospital, circa autumn 1918 December's new additions to the Online Library are relatively few in subject numbers, but represent a lot of pictures and even more effort.
    Our main "Event" for the month is a bit of a change of pace, but one that is timely in terms of concern about the potential of the avian influenza that has been much in the news of late. As our contribution to all those worries, we offer a page featuring all the pictures we have that are related to the Influenza Epidemic of 1918, the deadliest plague (in terms of numbers of fatalities) in the World's history.


    Photo # NH 103377:  Sgt. Lena Mae Basilone, USMC(WR) prepares to christen USS Basilone, 21 December 1945 The month's other subjects include one relatively modern (at least from the perspective of the Online Library's compiler) ship: the veteran (active service 1949 to 1977) destroyer Basilone (DDE-824, later DD-824) and the U.S. Marine Corps hero for whom she was named, Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone. Three other ships, all auxiliaries, round out our offerings for the World War II and later eras: The cargo ship Pegasus (AK-48, later IX-222), and the radar picket ships Protector (YAGR-11, later AGR-11) and Vigil (YAGR-12, later AGR-12).


    Photo # NH 18:  President Wilson waves his top hat from the deck of USS George Washington, at New York, 8 July 1919 Our ongoing work on ships of World War I and the immediate postwar era continued, with the addition of a very large presentation on the transport George Washington (ID # 3018), which carried President Woodrow Wilson across the Atlantic on four occasions, twice eastbound to France, and twice back to the U.S., as well as transporting thousands of American service personnel to and from the European war zone.
    Like George Washington, USS Zeppelin (ID # 4042) was a former German passenger liner, but a good deal smaller. She had brief service in 1919, bringing war veterans home from France. A page was also posted on the tug Sea Rover (SP-1014, later AT-57).
    Finally, as promised in our last report, pictorial coverage on USS President Lincoln (1917-1918) was substantially expanded during December.
    31 December 2005


    Photo # NH 86494:  Sinking of USS President Lincoln, 31 May 1918.  Painting by Fred Dana Marsh November's additions to the Online Library continue the recent emphasis on the First World War, though some more recent, and one older subject also joined up.
    The month's most historically significant new presentation covers the short career of the transport USS President Lincoln (1917-1918), a former German passenger liner that was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-90 on 31 May 1918. Also newly added is Lieutenant Edouard V.M. Isaacs, an officer of the President Lincoln who was taken prisoner when she sank and later escaped from a German Prisoner of War facility. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic conduct while a POW. After changing his family name to Isac, he served for ten years as a U.S. Congressman. Viewers who are quick out of the blocks in early December may want to revisit these two subjects'pages later in the month, as both will gain more photographs within the next few weeks.

    Photo # NH 44759:  USS Northern Pacific stranded off Fire Island, N.Y., after going aground on 1 January 1919 Other "Great War" era troop transports include USS Iowan (ID # 3002), USS Marica (ID # 4031), USS Northern Pacific (1917-1919) -- which spent more than two weeks aground off Fire Island in January 1919, USS Ohioan (ID # 3280), USS Siboney (ID # 2999), and USS Suwanee (ID # 1320). Also of this vintage of acquired vessels are the hospital ship Mercy (ID # 1305, later AH-4), the passenger ferry Tudno (1918-1919) and a healthy quantity of cargo ships, including: USS Kerowlee (1918-1919), USS Lake Worth (ID # 2997), USS Morristown (ID # 3580), USS Munwood (ID # 4460), USS Pequot (ID # 2998, formerly S.S. Ockenfels), USS Sixaola (ID # 2777) and USS Westward Ho (ID # 3098). While still a merchantman, the latter was torpedoed on 8 August 1918, but survived to join the Navy. Not so lucky was the S.S. Lucia. The Navy intended to take her into service (under ID # 3090), but the German submarine U-155 got there first, torpedoing and sinking her on 17 October 1918.

    Photo # NH 46545:  Keel laying of USS S-6, at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine, 29 January 1918Moving into combatant ships contemporary to the vessels listed above, there is a pair of destroyers, four submarines and a Coast Guard Cutter. The former include USS Fairfax (Destroyer # 93) and USS Robinson (Destroyer # 88), both of which had British Royal Navy service in the Second World War. The subs are USS L-4 (Submarine # 43), USS O-4 (Submarine # 65), USS R-3 (Submarine # 80) and USS S-6 (Submarine # 111). The Coast Guard ship is Tampa (originally named Miami), which was lost with all hands on 26 September 1918

    From the World War II era, we did another submarine, a destroyer, an escort ship, a frigate, a hospital ship, and a pair each of motor torpedo boats and tank landing ships. Photo # 80-G-K-3913: USS PT-333 operating at high speed off New York, 20 August 1943. These are, listed in that order: USS Springer (SS-414), USS Robinson (DD-562), USS Newell (DE-322, later DER-322), USS Uniontown (PF-65) -- launched under the name Chattanooga, USS Mercy (AH-8), USS PT-332, USS PT-333, USS LST-563, USS LST-759.
    Photo # NH 41883: Plate I of 'The Laws of the Navy', by Rear Admiral Ronald A. Hopwood, illustrated with etchings by Lt. Rowland Langmaid, R.N., published during the World War I era

    Our 19th Century offering this month is the steam screw gunboat Norwich (1861-1865).

    Finally, photographic reproductions were posted of a nicely illustrated version of the well-known, and much-beloved poem "The Laws of the Navy". Written by British Rear Admiral Ronald A. Hopwood during the 1890s, this memorable little piece was adopted for the U.S. Naval Academy's orientation program during the 1920s, and remains in use there to the present day. The version featured on the Online Library dates from the "Teens" and differs slightly in wording from that generally encountered on this side of the Atlantic.
    30 November 2005


    This page features the Online Library's 'What's New?' entries for November and December 2005.

    For the more recent entries, and links to previous years' entries, see:

  • What's New in the Online Library of Selected Images.

    For earlier entries from the year 2005, see:

  • What's New in the Online Library of Selected Images? -- Entries posted in January through March 2005; and
  • What's New in the Online Library of Selected Images? -- Entries posted in April through October 2005.


    If you want higher resolution reproductions than the Online Library's digital images, see: How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions.


    Return to Online Library listing.

    Page made 31 December 2005