The E.A. Stevens: A Ship Ahead of its Time
The 19th century saw an incredible advance in ship designs, from full-rigged wooden ships to enormous iron and steam liners. Progress was achieved through experimentation,…
The Beautiful American Ship USS Constitution Was Built In 1797 And Is Still Afloat Today
“Old Ironsides”, the USS Constitution, has been through it all and lived to tell about it – as her nickname suggests. Built of a study oak,…
Surviving A Kamikaze Attack: A Story From USS Callaway During The War In The Pacific
January 7, 1945. USS Callaway (APA-35) was steaming towards Lingayen Gulf, in the Philippines, as one ship in a massive invasion fleet. Onboard she had…
The Mysterious Disappearance Of The French WW2 Submarine Surcouf
The mystery of how the record-breaking French submarine Surcouf sunk has been debated since the day it disappeared in the Pacific, near Tahiti. Were she…
The SK-105 Kürassier – Austrian Light Tank Capable of Climbing a 75% Slope
After WWII, the Austrian military went through a series of reforms to reconstitute itself as the armed wing of the newly formed Austrian state. It…
The Panhard EBR – French Postwar Armored Vehicle, Heavily Armed, Lightly Armored
The Panhard EBR was a French reconnaissance vehicle made in several different variants in the period between 1951 and 1963. Based on a design that…
Wartime Bomb Shelters – Saving Lives From Bombing Raids
Bomb shelters were unnecessary until the 20th century when warfare evolved to aircraft, and falling bombs became a threat. A bomb shelter is not intended…
Things Nearly Went Nuclear When the Chinese Stole a Soviet Tank
In 1900, Russia signed the Treaty of Beijing which gave them Outer Manchuria and other Chinese lands. When both countries became communist, their nagging border…
The Dawn of the Submarine: U-21 sinks HMS Pathfinder
In 1914 submarines were still a novel idea. Many nations had not utilized them until 1900, Germany not until 1906. Soon their worth would be…
The Ambitious Scotsman Who Used A Tiny, War-Scarred Brig To Capture A Huge 32-Gun Frigate
On March 28th, 1800, a Scottish aristocrat took command of the small Brig-Sloop HMS Speedy, based at Port Mahon. The Scotsman, Thomas Cochrane, was an…
The Vultee Vengeance – The Allied WWII Dive Bomber Developed To Rival The German Stuka
When people talk about aircraft used in WWII, most remember the German Stuka dive-bomber used to great effect very early in the war, but both…
Battlecruisers: A Flawed Naval Experiment of WWI
WWI was a time of change in naval warfare. Heavy dreadnoughts were replacing older, more vulnerable ships. Submarines made their first serious appearance in combat.…