The USS Saratoga (CV-3) was one of just three United States Navy aircraft carriers—along with USS Ranger (CV-4) and USS Enterprise (CV-6)—to survive the entirety of the Second World War. Although outdated by 1943, as the newer and more capable Essex-cla...
NIJ threat levels, the three ways armor gets worn on patrol, what each platform does well and where it falls short, and the fit and long-term wear considerations that differ depending on which system you're in.
The USS Hornet (CV-12) stands as one of the most storied aircraft carriers in United States naval history, playing a decisive role in World War II as part of the Essex-class fleet. From its origins as a replacement for the lost USS Hornet (CV-8) to its participa...
No one on board the USS Indianapolis (CA-35) knew anything about the cargo they were carrying. What they did know was that the veteran cruiser (launched in 1931) made the trip from San Francisco to the island of Tinian in the Marianas in just ten days. The crew was proud of the “Indy”, and fo...
During the Second World War, the Imperial Japanese Navy’s Yamato was feared due to its immense size and power. She was the most heavily armed battleship ever built, with nine 18.1-inch (460mm) main guns, the largest ever mounted on a warship. Each shell weighed nearly 1.5 tons and had a range i...
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a 1944 Heimsoeth & Rinke Enigma machine marked “18499/jla/44”, one of an estimated 250-350 surviving examples from approximately 37,000 manufactured for the Wehrmacht during WWII. Arthur Scherbius designed the Enigma in 1918 as...
The United States Congress still retains full authority to issue Letters of Marque, although none have been issued for more than a hundred years.