Battle between HMS Frolic and the USS Wasp is depicted in this early 19th-century painting by Thomas Birch.

Two Navies, Three Names

Wasp is among the oldest and most revered names of U.S. Navy ships.

J. M. Caiella
June 2023
the Lightning

Prelude to the Beginning

The Lightning could contribute nothing to the newer technology, thus she simply faded away, including from the record books.

J. M. Caiella
April 2023
USS Pueblo

‘Ultimately, Alone’

The second oldest active commissioned U.S. Navy warship began life as an Army vessel crewed by U.S. Coast Guardsmen.

J. M. Caiella
January 2023
Continental frigate Confederacy

The Sad Frigate

The new frigate was somewhat unusual: “ornate” and “profusely carved” and of “uncommon length.”

J. M. Caiella
November 2022
Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.

Family Namesake

The ship’s namesake had been killed on 12 August 1944 when a PB4Y-1 Liberator he was piloting accidentally exploded.

J. M. Caiella
September 2022
USS United States, artist rendering

The Right Call

The most mysterious and indeed mythical ship in the U.S. Navy never sailed and was never completed.

J. M. Caiella
August 2022
Union Square

Manhattan’s Battleship

The Recruit was to serve not only as a recruiting vehicle, but also as a training “ship” and a hands-on interface between the Navy and general public.

J. M. Caiella
May 2022
Buchanan

Little-Remembered Heroine

Of the 273 iconic four-stack destroyers of three World War I–era classes, several gained fame during the later global conflict.

J. M. Caiella
March 2022
Adirondack illustration

A Very Short Life

With a service life of just 54 days, the screw sloop Adirondack had little time to make an impact on history.

J. M. Caiella
January 2022
painting of ship

The Yankee Racehorse

The 36-gun ship Constellation was one of the first six frigates of the new U.S. Navy, which was created in 1797.

J M. Caiella
November 2021