Naval History & Heritage Command

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On Sept. 6, 1918, a U.S. Navy railway battery, under the command of Lt. j.g. E. D. Duckett, fired its first long-range o...
09/06/2026

On Sept. 6, 1918, a U.S. Navy railway battery, under the command of Lt. j.g. E. D. Duckett, fired its first long-range operational bombardment against German forces operating near Soissons, France.

The U.S. Navy's Bureau of Ordnance designed and assembled the railway batteries at the Washington Navy Yard in less than six months. The Navy built five of these massive 14-inch/50-caliber guns, which could fire 1,400-pound shells nearly 25 miles to neutralize enemy artillery and railway hubs. A total of 782 14-inch rounds were fired on 25 different days, with the last round fired less than three minutes before the armistice cease-fire went into effect on Nov. 11, 1918.

Today, one of only a few surviving examples is on display at the Washington Navy Yard.

History is a warfighting tool. By analyzing our past, NHHC ensures the U.S. Navy learns at a higher velocity to meet today's operational and acquisition requirements.

09/06/2026

NHHC REMEMBERS 9/11: As Naval History and Heritage Command marks the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, it honors the memory of those who lost their lives that day. Before that day became a date engraved into the world’s memory, it was simply another Tuesday for Capt. Gerald F. DeConto. He arrived at work ready to serve.

But as the chaos of that morning unfolded, DeConto's responsibility was clear, help the Navy respond.

As director of the Current Operations and Plans Branch of the Navy Command Center, DeConto was helping coordinate the Navy’s response to the attacks on the World Trade Center when Flight 77 struck the Pentagon.

DeConto had spent more than two decades building a career as a Navy surface warfare officer. He served aboard USS Excel, USS Fresno, USS Hewitt and USS Lake Erie before taking command of USS Simpson. He later served as chief of staff for the Standing Naval Force Mediterranean before returning to Washington for his assignment at the Navy Command Center.

But DeConto was not just his rank and assignments.

He grew up in Sandwich, Massachusetts, where he was a standout soccer player before attending the Naval Academy, where he played rugby. He loved sailing, ran with his two dogs and stayed closely connected to his family. He also enjoyed giving his brothers advice as they coached soccer.

Just days before the attacks, DeConto spent a weekend with his family at his brother’s home in Connecticut. They ate together, played badminton and basketball, and enjoyed an ordinary weekend as a family. After returning to Alexandria, he sent his mother an email letting her know he had arrived safely. She had only recently opened her email account. It was the first message she received from her son and unfortunately would also be the last.

Looking back on that weekend, his mother said, “We’re so lucky we had that weekend all together.”

On this anniversary, NHHC honors Capt. Gerald F. DeConto by remembering the life behind the uniform and the people who knew and loved him.

A Place for Everything and Everything in its PlaceDuring a Marine's pack inspection aboard the USS New Jersey (BB 62), C...
09/05/2026

A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place

During a Marine's pack inspection aboard the USS New Jersey (BB 62), Capt. Carl E. Holden (third from left), Rear Adm. Donald B. Beary (fifth from left), and Capt. K.D. Christain (sixth from left) all express some concern about what they are viewing on Sept. 5, 1943.

Battleship New Jersey was commissioned on May 23, 1943, and participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, Battle of Leyte Gulf, and supported the Iwo Jima and Okinawa Campaigns. Decommissioned in 1948, it was recommissioned for the Korean War and served until 1957.

Due to increasing U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, New Jersey was recommissioned in April 1968, providing Naval Gunfire Support until decommissioned the following year. In 1982, it was recommissioned and served in the Persian Gulf War until she was decommissioned in 1991. New Jersey currently serves as a museum ship in Camden, New Jersey.

NHHC serves as the institutional memory for the fleet—from deck plate Sailors to the CNO—ensuring lessons learned in past conflicts directly inform modern strategy.

09/05/2026

NHHC REMEMBERS 9/11: As Naval History and Heritage Command marks the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, it honors the memory of those who lost their lives that day. Aerographer's Mate 1st Class Edward Thomas Earhart was among the Sailors who were killed in the line of duty that morning.

Earhart was stationed at the Pentagon, working as an aerographer’s mate forecasting weather for the Joint Chiefs of Staff to inform conditions for naval exercises affecting ships and aircraft carrier traffic.

Earhart, a 26-year-old native of Salt Lick and Morehead, Kentucky, began his military career with basic training in Great Lakes, Illinois. He completed assignments at the Naval Reserve Center in Lexington, Kentucky, and the Naval Technical Training Unit at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi. Demonstrating a deep commitment to his naval duties, he spent three years stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and served on ships around the globe, helping vessels navigate around sea ice before receiving his orders to the nation's capital.

Earhart wasn't supposed to be at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. He was scheduled to be on vacation but reported to work that morning to help a friend. "Sometimes it's hard. You think, what if you had just stayed home?" his sister, Andrea Earhart Stauter, recalled. "But it's how he was raised. My parents taught us that if we can help people, help people. And that was just Ed." She remembered her brother as a goofy, easy-going guy with a smile always on his face who wanted to make a career out of his military service.

Petty Officer 1st Class Edward Earhart was the only military casualty from Kentucky to die in the terrorist attacks on the United States. After his funeral, his coworkers signed a white U.S. Navy "Dixie cup" hat and presented it to his family as a symbol of their love, support, and the lasting impact he left on his shipmates.

09/04/2026

NHHC REMEMBERS 9/11: As Naval History and Heritage Command marks the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, it honors the memory of those who lost their lives that day. Sept. 11, 2001, began like any other morning for Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Kris Romeo Bishundat. He reported for duty at the Pentagon, unaware that he would never return home.

To those who knew him, he was simply “Romeo.” Born in Georgetown, Guyana, and raised in Waldorf, Maryland, Bishundat joined the Navy on the day after his 18th birthday, beginning a career that took him from USS Yorktown (CG 48), to USS Shreveport (LPD 12), and ultimately to the Pentagon.

His shipmates remembered him as an exceptional Sailor. Aboard Shreveport, he devoted countless hours to helping fellow Sailors and Marines with education and training, while also serving as the ship’s webmaster. He was known for his dedication, his enthusiasm for learning, and the genuine care he showed for those around him.

In May 2001, Bishundat reported to the Chief of Naval Operations Telecommunications Center at the Pentagon. Just months later, he was among those who lost their lives in the Sept. 11 attack. Bishundat was in the OPNAV TCC office, located in Wedge 1, when Flight 77 struck the building.

But his life was far more than the events of that morning. He was a son, a brother, a friend, and a Sailor who made a lasting difference in the lives of those he served alongside.

His legacy lives on aboard USS Shreveport, where a learning center was established in his name to continue the commitment to education and service that defined his Navy career.

Today, NHHC remembers IT2 Kris Romeo Bishundat and the life he lived, the people he touched, and the service he gave to his country.

Situated in the world’s largest fleet concentration area, the Hampton Roads Naval Museum connects today's warfighters wi...
09/04/2026

Situated in the world’s largest fleet concentration area, the Hampton Roads Naval Museum connects today's warfighters with over 200 years of naval history in , from the Revolutionary War to the present day.

Navy Medicine celebrated 184 years on August 31? In honor of their birthday, we've chosen to make today's a piece of...
09/04/2026

Navy Medicine celebrated 184 years on August 31? In honor of their birthday, we've chosen to make today's a piece of that pays homage to with this pen and ink on paper drawing titled, "This is the Doctor's First Patient Today" by Charles Waterhouse.

Marines were heavily engaged in ground combat. When casualties occurred, Navy corpsmen assigned to their units provided front line medical attention.

The Loss of USS Shenandoah (ZR 1)Commissioned in October 1923, USS Shenandoah (ZR 1) was the 's very first rigid airship...
09/03/2026

The Loss of USS Shenandoah (ZR 1)

Commissioned in October 1923, USS Shenandoah (ZR 1) was the 's very first rigid airship and the first in the world to be inflated with non-flammable helium. Measuring over 680 feet in length, Shenandoah served as a pioneering floating laboratory for naval aviation, proving the viability of lighter-than-air scouting and fleet reconnaissance across the United States.

Tragedy struck in the early morning hours of Sept 3, 1925. While traversing southeastern Ohio, Shenandoah encountered thunderstorms and turbulence. Caught in extreme vertical air currents that exceeded the structural limits of its duralumin framework, the airship broke apart in mid-air and crashed near Marietta, Ohio. Fourteen crew members lost their lives, including the commanding officer, Lt. Cmdr. Zachary Lansdowne, while 29 survivors heroically guided the severed sections safely to the ground.

The lessons learned from Shenandoah’s service and loss revolutionized aviation meteorology, rigid airship design and safety protocols.
Learn more cool naval aviation information at National Naval Aviation Museum .

NHHC stands on the frontlines of keeping faith with those who served, ensuring the sacrifices of American Sailors are permanently honored, protected, and remembered.

09/03/2026

Behind the massive 16-inch guns and thick steel armor of uss Missouri i (BB 63) was its true strength: a crew of more than 2,500 American Sailors.

From "Mighty Mo’s" commissioning in 1944 through World War II, the Korean War, and Operation Desert Storm, thousands of brave Sailors and Marines called Missouri home. These are the faces, stories and daily lives of the crew who kept this legendary battleship operating and made history on its decks.

NHHC stands on the frontlines of keeping faith with those who served, ensuring the sacrifices of American Sailors are permanently honored, protected, and remembered. We honor their dedication, their sacrifice and the enduring legacy they left behind.

Circle Marks the Spot 📍On Sept. 2, 1945, the official surrender of Japan was broadcast to the world and marked the end o...
09/02/2026

Circle Marks the Spot 📍

On Sept. 2, 1945, the official surrender of Japan was broadcast to the world and marked the end of World War II. To commemorate the signing of the agreement, in a letter dated Sept. 11, 1945, Adm. Nimitz requested that a plaque be placed aboard (BB 63). Shortly thereafter, the Naval Gun Factory, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., designed and cast the plaque. It was installed on the ship in October 1945.

After more than forty years of polishing, the writing had become worn and difficult to read. In 1988, the Missouri Association raised funds to replace the original plaque, which was removed from the ship and sent to NHHC in 1989. A replica of the original was installed in its place aboard Missouri.

Today, this original plaque is part of the U.S. Navy’s collection here at NHHC, preserved to connect the American public to their Navy and inspire future generations through the preservation and presentation of our nation’s rich maritime history.

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