Shining a light on the Attic’s artifacts and stories.
By Kelly Duffy, National Museum of the American Sailor Deputy Director
It’s that time of year again where we enter into the heart of winter. While many of us now wrap ourselves in warm blankets, eat soup with healthy vegetables, and grab any fruit imaginable off the grocery store shelf, sailors in the past were not always so lucky. Continue reading
By Tricia Runzel, National Museum of the American Sailor Curator
The attack on Pearl Harbor lasted just two hours, but the loss of life, supplies, and ships was staggering. When the smoke cleared, thirteen ships were in various stages of damage and seven ships, as well as a floating dry dock, were sinking or already sunk. Worse still, the attack had killed over 2,000 military personnel, including Navy, Army, and Marines. The human loss could never be repaired, but for a nation entering war, repair and reuse of the ships and materials was paramount. The question was, how? Continue reading
By Samantha Belles, National Museum of the American Sailor Collections Manager
The National Museum of the American Sailor’s collections are comprised of numerous artifacts, each telling a unique story of an enlisted Sailor’s career. When taken together, these stories help illuminate just what it was like to be a Sailor in the United States Navy. In particular, uniforms play a key role in helping the museum tell the Navy’s history. Continue reading
By Michael Frutig, National Museum of the American Sailor Intern
An Iowa-class battleship was the single most powerful ship ever built for the United States Navy, comprised of 45,000 tons of steel and equipped with the largest guns ever fitted to an American ship. Nine 16-inch guns sat in three-gun turrets; each barrel was capable of firing on its own. These guns could fire a shell that weighed either 1,900 (HE) or 2,700 (AP) pounds a distance of twenty-four miles. Continue reading
By Kelly Duffy, National Museum of the American Sailor Curator
Norman Collins, known better as Sailor Jerry, was perhaps the most influential tattoo artist of the twentieth century. His style of tattooing is still copied and is a classic example of the Golden Age of Tattoos, especially Naval tattoos. Continue reading
By Dan Smaczny, National Museum of the American Sailor Contract Curator
For years the students at Merizo Martyrs School played baseball on a raggedy field in the village of Merizo, Guam. That changed when the NAVFAC Marianas Self-Help Seabees of U.S. Naval Base Guam volunteered their time to refurbish the George Leonard Charfauros Baseball Field in May 2016. Continue reading
By Kelly Duffy, National Museum of the American Sailor Contract Curator
Nicknamed “rats with wings,” pigeons are often viewed as a nuisance. Historically for the military, however, pigeons were much more than “air rats.” They save lives, are brave and are incredibly smart. They deliver important messages and fly great distances at fifty to ninety miles per hour. Continue reading
By Justin Hall, National Museum of the American Sailor Contract Curator
As a member of the Golden Thirteen, the first African American sailors to undergo officer training at Great Lakes Naval Training Station (now Naval Station Great Lakes), Dennis Nelson broke down color barriers throughout his Naval career. While other members of the Golden Thirteen made accomplishments for equality in their post-Navy professional lives, Nelson was the only member of his officer class to serve a full career on active duty in the Navy. During his service, he challenged segregation and fought for equality in the Navy. Continue reading
Hi, I’m Markus Dohner, Exhibit Specialist for the National Museum of the American Sailor. Here at the National Museum of the American Sailor, we design most of our exhibits in-house. In this blog entry, we are going to give you a brief peek at the design process for our “When Baseball Went to War” exhibition.
While delving into the Medal of Honor for a new exhibit, we’ve learned some interesting things. That made us wonder, how well do you know the Navy’s highest honor? Test your Medal mettle in our ten-question quiz. Then check your answers at the end. Let us know how you did!
Sailor's Attic 