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DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060
Archive of Older "What's New in the Online Library of
Selected Images?" --
Entries posted in October - December 1998
This page features older entries from the Online Library's
"What's New?" section. For the more recent entries,
see What's New in the Online Library of
Selected Images?

- 1998's final week saw the completion, for now, of the African-Americans
and the U.S. Navy section, with the addition of two pages:
African-Americans
and the U.S. Navy -- The 1960s and 1970s, and
African-Americans
and the U.S. Navy, Recruiting Posters Featuring African-Americans.
This section now includes more than 150 images from the Civil
War into the recent past. It should be helpful to Navy units
preparing "Black History Month" celebrations, as well
as to all persons interested in this subject.
Pages were also added for two ships:
USS Indianapolis (CA-35),
1932-1945, a heavy cruiser sunk in the last weeks of World
War II, with very heavy loss of life; and
USS Tranquillity (AH-14),
1945-1961, a hospital ship which helped transport some of
Indianapolis' survivors after their rescue.
Coverage on USS Indianapolis is extensive, presenting
72 individual images of the ship, her activities and her crew
throughout nearly thirteen years of active service. This represents
the Online Library's largest selection of pictures on any one
ship and will be a valuable resource for anyone studying the
busy career of this cruiser and its still-controversial loss.
(31 December 1998)
- In the week before Christmas, two additional pages were added
to the African-Americans
and the U.S. Navy section. These include: African-Americans
and the U.S. Navy -- Later 1940s and the 1950s; and
African-Americans
and the U.S. Navy -- The Vietnam War, 1965-1972
We also added coverage of two more People, a new Foreign Ships
section, and views of five more U.S. Navy Ships.
The People added are:
Lieutenant Commander Wesley
A. Brown, USN (1927-___), the first African-American to graduate
from the U.S. Naval Academy; and
Vice Admiral Samuel L.
Gravely, Jr., USN (1922-___), the first African-American
to be promoted to Flag Rank in the U.S. Navy.
The new Foreign Navy Ships section is:
Japanese Navy Ships.
This section currently contains only one ship, the submarine
I-58 (1944-46),
but should grow significantly during the next year.
The new U.S. Navy Ships are all members of a group of large,
very fast steam cruisers begun during the Civil War to deter
foreign intervention in that conflict. When completed after the
War, some of these ships proved to be the fastest steamships
of their day. However, they were unsuited for peacetime conditions
and were either converted to other uses or remained inactive
until disposed of during the 1870s and 1880s. The ships added
during the past week are:
USS Ammonoosuc (1868-1883),
later renamed Iowa;
USS Chattanooga
(1866-1872);
USS Idaho (1866-1874),
whose bizarre and unsuccessful steam powerplant was the creation
of a politically influential attorney, whose earlier efforts
at steam engineering had inspired the epic tale "Uncle Samuel's
Whistle, and What It Costs", a classic piece of 1860s naval
engineering humor;
USS Pompanoosuc
, later renamed Connecticut, whose incomplete hull
remained on the stocks from 1864 until broken up in 1883-84;
and
USS Wampanoag (1868-1885),
later renamed Florida;
In addition, we added a new image to another ship of this group,
USS Neshaminy (1865-1874),
whose page was originally posted the week before.
(24 December 1998)
- Seven new ships and an additional person were added to the
Online Library during the last week. The ships have allowed us
to complete the page U.S.
Navy Ships Named in Honor of African-Americans.
The person added is:
Ensign Jesse L. Brown,
USN (1926-1950), the first African-American Naval Aviator,
who was killed in action during the Korean War.
New ships include:
USS Jesse L. Brown
(DE-1089, later FF-1089 & FFT-1089), a frigate named in honor
of Ensign Brown;
USS George Washington
Carver (SSBN-656), a ballistic-missile submarine named
in honor of an important African-American scientist;
USNS Henson (T-AGS-63),
a new survey ship named in honor of Matthew Henson, the Arctic
explorer;
USNS PFC James Anderson,
Jr. (T-AK-3002), a maritime prepositioning ship named
in honor of a Vietnam War combat hero;
USS Rodney M. Davis
(FFG-60), a guided-missile frigate, also named in honor of
a Vietnam War combat hero;
USS Glide (1863-65),
a Civil War "Tinclad" gunboat, for which photographs
have previously been unavailable; and
USS Neshaminy (1865-1874),
a never-completed Civil War fast cruiser, renamed Nevada
in 1869. This ship's photo also represents a new addition to
the Naval Historical Center's pictorial collections.
(18 December 1998)
- The Online Library has just opened a major new category,
following several weeks of preparatory work. This is African-Americans
and the U.S. Navy. Containing over twenty pages and in excess
of 130 images, with links to many more, this section includes
photographs dating from the Civil War to the end of World War
II. An additional two or three dozen pictures, covering ships,
people and activities of the Post-World War II era, will be added
over the next few weeks.
(13 December 1998)
- The Online Library's cover page now presents a "Picture
of the Month", and previous cover page images are featured
in a Picture of the Month Archive.
In addition, two more people and a pair of ships have been added
to subject coverage.
The new People include:
Petty Officer Doris ("Dorie")
Miller (1919-1943), who won the Navy Cross during the attack
on Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941; and
Chief Gunner's Mate John
Henry ("Dick") Turpin (1876-1962), who, in 1917,
became the Navy's first African-American Chief Petty Officer.
New U.S. Navy Ships are:
USS Miller (DE-1091,
later FF-1091), a frigate that was named in honor of Petty
Officer Doris Miller; and
USS Rizal (DD-174,
later DM-14), a World War I type destroyer named in honor
of a martyred hero of the Philippines' struggle for independence
from Spanish rule;
(6 December 1998)
- The Online Library has gained an additional person and seven
ships since the last "What's New" report.
The new Person is:
Leonard Roy Harmon,
a hero of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 13 November 1942;
New U.S. Navy Ships include:
USS Cero (SS-225),
a World War II submarine;
USS Harmon (DE-678),
a destroyer escort named in honor of Leonard Roy Harmon;
USS LST-4, a World
War II tank landing ship;
USS Mason (DE-529),
a World War II destroyer escort that was largely crewed by African-Americans;
USS PC-1264, a
World War II submarine chaser that also had a largely African-American
crew;
USS Prometheus (AR-3),
a repair ship that served in both World Wars. This ship's pages
feature views of 1919-20 workshop activities and other on board
photographs;
USS Sea Cloud (IX-99),
a World War II weather reporting ship whose Coast Guard crew
was racially integrated.;
(27 November 1998)
- One new person and several ships make their initial Online
Library appearances this week.
The new Person is:
Sam Tines, a sailor
serving on USS Monongahela in 1899;
New U.S. Navy Ships include:
USS Flusser (DD-20),
1909-1919;
USS Flusser (DD-289),
1920-1930,
These two destroyers were named for Charles W. Flusser, whose
pictures were posted last week;
USS New Jersey (BB-16),
1906-1923, a battleship of the "Great White Fleet"
era;
USS S-22 (SS-127),
1924-1946, a submarine of World War I design that served
through the Second World War in both the U.S. and the British
navies; and
USS Saint Louis (C-20,
later CA-18), 1906-1923, a four-funneled cruiser designed
after the Spanish-American War.
(21 November 1998)
- The Online Library has gained several new people and ships,
most of Civil War vintage. Additionally, a big file has been
added on a notable ship from the era of the two World Wars.
New People include:
Landsman Frank Allen,
who served on USS Franklin in 1868;
Lieutenant Commander
Charles W. Flusser (1832-1864), who was killed in action
during the Civil War;
Landsman John Lawson,
who won the Medal of Honor at the Battle of Mobile Bay;
Fireman 2/c Robert Penn,
a Spanish-American War Medal of Honor winner; and
Robert Smalls, a
notable Civil War nautical hero and Reconstruction Era political
figure.
New U.S. Navy Ships include:
USS Galena (1880-1892),
one of the Navy's last wooden steam sloops;
USS Hunchback (1862-1865),
a Civil War gunboat converted from a ferryboat;
USS Miami (1862-1865),
one of the Civil War's "Double-Ender" gunboats;
USS Monitor (1862),
the World's first armored turret ship;
USS Monongahela (1863-1908),
A Civil War era steam sloop that became a sail training ship
during the 1890s;
USS Ossipee (1862-1891),
another long-lived Civil War era warship;
Steamship Planter
(1860-1876), which Robert Smalls boldly navigated out of
Charleston, S.C., in 1862;
USS Sacramento (1862-1867),
a Civil War steam sloop that was lost off India a few years after
the War;
and a rather large number of photographs of USS
Utah (BB-31, AG-16), an early U.S. Navy "Dreadnought",
which survived long enough to be sunk in the Pearl Harbor Attack.
(13 November 1998)
- The Online Library has just posted pictorial coverage on
four notable U.S. Navy people, another Spanish Navy ship, and
nine additional U.S. Navy ships. The People -- United States
additions include the Battle off Samar heros: Rear
Admiral Robert W. Copeland, USNR, (1910-1973) and Commander
Ernest E. Evans, USN, (1908-1944), plus 19th Century Navy
leaders Commodore David
Porter, USN, (1780-1843) and his son Admiral
David Dixon Porter, USN, (1813-1891).
The new Spanish ship is the Hospital Ship Alicante.
In addition, many new photographs have been added to our coverage
of the Spanish battleship Pelayo.
U.S. Navy ships joining the Online Library for the first time
include: USS Eldridge
(DE-173); USS Garfield
Thomas (DE-193), both of which introduce an method for
referencing National Archives' photographs which are not represented
among the Online Library's digital images; USS
Johnston (DD-557) and USS
Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413), both of which were lost
under heroic circumstances in the Battle off Samar; USS
Porter (DD-356); USS
Southery (1898-1933); USS
Underhill (DE-682); USS
United States (1797-1861); and the old steam frigate
(and long-time receiving ship) USS
Wabash (1856-1912). (6 November 1998)
- The Online Library's latest additions include two new sections,
some fresh U.S. Navy ships and expanded coverage of others. The
largest new section, entitled: Spanish
Navy Ships largely, though not entirely, contains images
cross-referenced from Spanish-American War coverage. The second
new section, People -- United States
is presently very small, but will grow rapidly over the next
few months. It currently contains views of the five Sullivan
brothers, who were lost with USS Juneau in November 1942.
New U.S. Navy ships added include USS
Franklin (1867-1915) and USS
Chicago (1889-1936). New photos have been added to
two more ships: USS Juneau
(CL-52) and USS The
Sullivans (DD-537). There's more to come! (28 October
1998)
- The "Online Library " has just added a section
entitled: Ships of the
U.S. Coast Guard, Revenue Cutter Service and Lighthouse Service.
This presently very brief section contains images cross-referenced
from Spanish-American War coverage, but will grow gradually as
additional Coast Guard ship pictures are posted. (22 October
1998)
- The latest "Online Library " section, U.S.
Navy Ships -- listed alphabetically by name, is now open
to the public. It contains some 300 images of 121 individual
ships, with many ships being listed under more than one name.
The great majority of these ships' images have been cross-referenced
from those already posted in the Spanish-American War section,
but there are completely new listings for USS Cyclops
(1910-1918), USS Juneau (CL-52), USS Porter (DD-59),
USS Queens (APA-103), USS Quincy (CA-39), USS Quiros
(PG-40) and USS The Sullivans (DD-537). In addition to
the images posted for each ship, a very brief history is provided
to put the ship and its pictures in chronological context. The
"U.S. Navy Ships" section should grow substantially
in the coming months. Keep an eye on it! (15 October 1998)
For more recent "What's New?" entries, see What's New in the Online Library of Selected
Images?
Return to Online Library listing.
Page completed 31 December 1998
Coding updated 7 April 2001