Low gravity environment

One of the core missions of NHS is to use antiquated technology 'at sea' to develop teamwork and leadership skills.  This we accomplish with our small boats, a mission we will someday expand to Hornet.  Putting participants in an open boat with no engine and forcing them to be reliant on their own abilities to get underway and return safely is rather startling, too.  It has the effect of peeling back that blanket of security most people have in their daily routines and modern technology, leaving most feeling a little vulnerable.  And that's where the education starts - building up from the base of core abilities as individuals, and coming together as a team in a foreign, and highly demanding environment.

But it has another effect as well - it makes people think about the technology they rely on every day.  Some hearken back with anecdotes of the days before cell phones and the internet.  And after a while one question always comes up - as technology makes life, and information, more convenient, are we getting dumber, or perhaps worse, lazier?

Some time ago, I came across the picture above, and I've been thinking about that concept ever since.

HELLOOOO Annapolis!

As we enter the new year, I've moved to Annapolis and started a new assignment as a seamanship, shiphandling and navigation instructor at the US Naval Academy.  Yes, I've entered the history-bedecked halls of our Navy's most celebrated educational institution.  I know - God save the Navy.

My regular weekdays will largely be spent alternating between Luce Hall and a gray-hull on the Severn River, returning to my surface warfare roots tackling all manner of naval navigational gnarliness.  After two years on an admiral's staff, the move is tremendously refreshing, and I'm psyched!

I also have to say, having not spent much time in Annapolis before now, that I'm amazed to find it such a small, close-knit community.  Everyone seems to know everyone else and I've constantly been meeting new people - including a few, um, fans.  That's right, a few NHS followers caught me out in town and stopped to say hi - so HELLOOOO Annapolis!  And don't worry - I.  Have.  A.  Plan.

Bicentennial year - and we're already celebrating the 200's!

Well, I've been away for some time now - and to the more or less devoted readers follow this blog, you have my apologies.  It's been a busy season, not just for the holidays but also here at NHS, where the point was far from lost on our staff that we are entering the first year of the War of 1812 bicentennial commemorations.  But 200 years ago, right now, one of the fastest ships in the American fleet was racing diplomats to and from Europe.  During the winter of 1811-1812, newly promoted Master Commandant James Lawrence would find himself at the proverbial spearhead of the United States’ entry into the conflict we’re about to commemorate.

Many will no doubt recall that Lawrence would go on to give the Navy its legendary motto "Don't Give Up The Ship".  But in 1812, he was already somewhat well known.  In fact, while most no doubt associate Lawrence with the capture of the frigate Chesapeake, he had quite a stellar - albeit curtailed - naval career which I feel significantly outweighs the 'glory' of his bravely fought end.

California Cannonball Melee

The crew of Mythbusters sent a cannonball shooting through a residential neighborhood during filming for a recent eopisode where they were trying to measureits speed.  The shot wound up leaving some very clean holes in a nearby house, in which the family was sleeping, and without injuring anyone bounced around before exiting the structure, bouncing across a busy street, off the roof of another home, and ending up coming to rest inside a parked mini-van.

Update - Intrepid

My previous post regarding the repatriation of the remains of the 13 Sailors of USS Intrepid crew from Libya has gained considerable attention.  Of course, I have deep sensitivities to our Navy's history and heritage.  I also have a moral obligation to defend my service.  And so I'm doing my best to see the issue of repatriating the remains of the Intrepid crew from the Navy's point of view.  As anyone giving even a glimpse to the argument can tell, the issue is a complicated one.  So let me play devil's advocate and see what shakes out.

Fossilized Pearl

There is a lot of media attention this year for the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Pearl Harbor.  And much of it seems to be rightly recognizing that our living connection to that event - our veterans - are slowly fading away.  Consequently many articles this year focused on the stories of that day told from those who lived it.

But what will we remember of the event when everyone associated with it has passed on?  What do we remember of any event when the chief reminders are monuments silently extolling the unspecified sacrifice of faceless names, lost ships, and numbered unit designations?

Navy abandons its dead? or honors them?

There has been significant press lately on an issue more than 200 years old: thirteen American Sailors, often referred to as the first predecessors of today’s Navy SEALs, remain buried on Libyan soil. The families of some of those Sailors want the remains repatriated to the United States. Navy officials argue that the early practice of burying its dead at sea and along foreign coastlines near the site of death constitutes an official burial, and therefore considers the matter closed. Is the Navy honoring its dead? or doing an injustice to their memory? The issue is hotly contested.