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Naval History and Heritage Command

The Naval History and Heritage Command, formerly the Naval Historical Center, is an Echelon II command responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. naval history and heritage located at the historic Washington Navy Yard. The NHHC is composed of 42 facilities in 13 geographic locations including the Navy Department Library, 10 museums and 1 heritage center, USS Constitution repair facility and detachment, and historic ship ex-USS Nautilus.

U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command

1944–present

United States of America

Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.

Rear Admiral Samuel J. Cox

Admiral , USN, July 1944 – December 1945

Edward C. Kalbfus

Vice Admiral , USN (ret.), December 1945 – June 1946

Vincent R. Murphy

Rear Admiral , USN (ret.), July 1946 – October 1956

John B. Heffernan

Rear Admiral , USN (ret.), October 1956 – January 1970

Ernest M. Eller

Rear Admiral , USN (ret.), 24 January 1970 – 31 July 1970

F. Kent Loomis

Vice Admiral , USN (ret.), August 1970 – July 1976

Edwin B. Hooper

Rear Admiral , USN (ret.), August 1976 – December 1985

John D. H. Kane

Dr. , 21 July 1986 – 19 July 1989

Ronald H. Spector

Dr. , 29 July 1989 – 31 January 1995

Dean C. Allard

Dr. , 23 July 1995 – 30 September 2005

William S. Dudley

Rear Admiral , USN (ret.), 25 July 2005 – January 2008

Paul E. Tobin Jr.

Rear Admiral , USNR (ret.), 23 June 2008[2] – 14 May 2012[3]

Jay A. DeLoach

Captain , USN, 14 May 2012 – 27 June 2014

Henry J. Hendrix

Rear Admiral Samuel J. Cox, USN (ret.), 29 December 2014 – present

[4]

The position of Director of Naval History was established in 1944.

The Command procures and maintains records, manuscripts, books, photographs, artifacts, and artwork that document the . Extensive collections at the Command's headquarters on the Washington Navy Yard include:

history of the United States Navy

Archives—Millions of official operational records, historical documents, personal papers, officer biographies, oral histories, and manuscripts related to naval operations, policy, and strategy, including ships’ deck logs dating back thirty years and annual command operations reports of active U.S. Navy ships, aviation units, and shore commands

Historical Artifacts—More than 200,000 artifacts, such as shipboard equipment, anchors, bells, uniforms, flags, and weapons from some of the Navy's most famous fighting ships and personnel

Archaeological Artifacts-Over 9,000 artifacts recovered and documented from sunken military craft such as personal effects, ordnance, ship's rigging and hull elements, and ceramic vessels

Photos—More than 500,000 historic still photos in a dedicated photo collection, with thousands more in the records collections housed in the Command's archives

Art—More than 18,000 paintings, prints, drawings, and sculptures

Library—More than 150,000 books and 80,000 manuscripts related to naval, maritime, and military history in the official Navy Department Library

Similar collections that document the Navy's history in specialized areas of interest are located at the eleven official U.S. Navy museums nationwide.

– Washington, DC

National Museum of the United States Navy

– Great Lakes, IL

National Museum of the American Sailor

– Norfolk, VA

Hampton Roads Naval Museum

– Pensacola, FL

National Naval Aviation Museum

– Keyport, WA

Naval Undersea Museum

– Bremerton, WA

Puget Sound Navy Museum

– Newport, RI

Naval War College Museum

– Port Hueneme, CA

U.S. Navy Seabee Museum

– Groton, CT

Submarine Force Library and Museum

– Annapolis, MD

U.S. Naval Academy Museum

Ten official Navy museums are dedicated to making available the artifacts, documents, and art that best embody U.S. naval history and heritage for present and future generations.[5]

USS Constitution and NHHC Detachment Boston[edit]

The mission includes but is not limited to: plan and perform all maintenance, repair, and restoration of USS Constitution; perform annual inspections of Constitution, reporting all work necessary to maintain the ship in satisfactory material condition to perform its mission; and provide a plan of action and milestones for any corrective action; as far as practicable, ensure material compliance and documentation with the historical requirements for the ship, as close to its 1812 configuration as possible. The detachment was established on 25 October 1991. NHHC DET Boston is a detachment under the direct supervision of the Director, Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, D.C. Located near the ship, the USS Constitution Museum is a private museum that interprets the ship and her history.

Navy Reserve units[edit]

Naval Reserve Combat Documentation Detachment 206[edit]

Assigned to the History Command since 1991, the unit deploys its teams to U.S. Navy, joint, and combined commands worldwide where they conduct oral history interviews, collect historically significant artifacts and records, and document operations through photography and art. Their collection effort contributes to the Navy's lessons learned and preserves the history of current naval operations during crisis response, wartime, declared national emergency, or in situations as directed. Teams have documented the Navy's role in the Persian Gulf War, Operation Restore Hope (Haiti) and Operation Allied Force (Kosovo); counter-narcotics actions in the Caribbean; fleet exercises, special warfare activities, Information Technology (IT-21); the attack on, and the rebuilding of USS Cole (DDG-67); the 11 September 2001 attack on the Pentagon; and the Global War on Terrorism. In 2001 eleven unit members were recalled to active duty to support the History Command's documentation collection efforts related to Operation Noble Eagle and Operation Enduring Freedom. For Operation Iraqi Freedom and in support of the Navy's Task Force History, four unit members were recalled to active duty.

Naval Reserve Naval History Volunteer Training Unit 0615[edit]

This non-pay Naval Reserve unit provides project support to the Naval History & Heritage Command in keeping with the larger goal of enhancing the Navy's effectiveness by preserving, analyzing, and interpreting its history and heritage. Unit members work on long-term historical projects with the NHC staff, processing archival collections, conducting oral history interviews with Pearl Harbor survivors, and digitizing histories for the Command's website or publication in print. VTU members also conduct end-of-tour interviews with key naval leaders.

Approaching Storm: Conflict in Asia, 1945–1965, by Edward J. Marolda, The U.S. Navy and the Vietnam War series. 2009.  978-0-945274-57-5

ISBN

Nixon's Trident: Naval Power in Southeast Asia, 1968–1972, by , The U.S. Navy and the Vietnam War series. 2009. ISBN 978-0-945274-58-2

John Darrell Sherwood

From Hot War to Cold: The U.S. Navy and National Security Affairs, 1945–1955, by Jeffrey G. Barlow. Stanford University Press, 2009.  9780804756662

ISBN

Diplomats in Blue: U.S. Naval Officers in China, 1922–1933, by William Reynolds Braisted. University Press of Florida, 2009.  978-0-8130-3288-7

ISBN

Blue & Gold and Black: Racial Integration of the U.S. Naval Academy, by Robert J. Schneller Jr. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2008.  978-1-60344-000-4.

ISBN

Magnificent Mavericks: Transition of the Naval Ordnance Test Station from Rocket Station to Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation Center, 1948–58, by Elizabeth Babcock. Vol. 3 in The Navy at China Lake. Washington: Naval History & Heritage Command with Naval Air Systems Command, 2008.  978-0-945274-56-8

ISBN

The World Cruise of the Great White Fleet: Celebrating 100 Years of Global Partnerships and Security, Michael J. Crawford, editor. Washington: Naval History & Heritage Command, 2008.  978-0-945274-59-9.

ISBN

Anchor of Resolve: A History of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/Fifth Fleet, by Robert J. Schneller Jr. Washington: Naval History & Heritage Command, 2007.  9780945274551

ISBN

Black Sailor, White Navy: Racial Unrest in the Fleet during the Vietnam War Era, by , New York: New York University Press, 2007.ISBN 0-8147-4036-7

John Darrell Sherwood

Interpreting Old Ironsides: An Illustrated Guide to USS Constitution, by Charles E. Brodine Jr., Michael J. Crawford, and Christine F. Hughes. Washington: Naval Historical Center, 2007.  978-0-945274-54-4.

ISBN

The U.S. Navy in the Korean War, by Edward J. Marolda. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2007.  978-1-59114-487-8

ISBN

Breaking the Color Barrier: The U.S. Naval Academy's First Black Midshipmen and the Struggle for Racial Equality, by Robert Schneller Jr. New York: New York University Press, 2005.  0-8147-4013-8.

ISBN

Afterburner: Naval Aviators and the Vietnam War, by . New York: New York University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-8147-9842-X.

John Darrell Sherwood

Against All Odds: U.S. Sailors in the War of 1812, by Charles Brodine, Michael Crawford, and Christine Hughes, 2004. GPO Stock No. 008-046-00204-5,  0-945274-50-5.

ISBN

Sea Raiders of the American Revolution: The Continental Navy in European Waters, by E. Gordon Bowen-Hassell, Dennis M. Conrad, and Mark L. Hayes, 2003. GPO Stock No. 008-046-00202-9,  0-16-051400-2

ISBN

Department of Defense Historical Advisory Committee

(USNA)

Research Chair in Naval History

History of the United States Navy

List of maritime museums in the United States

Military history of the United States

Secretary of the Navy's Advisory Subcommittee on Naval History

Underwater Archaeology Branch

United States Army Center of Military History

United States Marine Corps History Division

Bibliography of early American naval history

Official website

Naval Historical Foundation

Media related to Naval History and Heritage Command at Wikimedia Commons


Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Navy