The “Apache”

                                               NOVEMBER 1966                                                  THE “APACHE” The cruelty experienced by American servicemen at the hands of the North Vietnamese confounds verbal description.  Such was the case in “Indian Territory” in the northwest corner of South Vietnam in 1966, nicknamed for its rampant Viet Read More

HMS DEVONSHIRE vs. ATLANTIS

                                             22 NOVEMBER 1941                                    HMS DEVONSHIRE vs. ATLANTIS One of the Royal Navy’s early successes in WWII was the effort against German surface raiders.  Indeed, KMS ATLANTIS had accumulated some impressive statistics by November 1941.  Converted from the freighter SS Goldenfels, she Read More

Foxardo Affair (cont.)

                                 27 OCTOBER-14 NOVEMBER 1824                                          FOXARDO AFFAIR (cont.) So often in history, the similar actions of separate individuals are interpreted quite differently in light of the background circumstances.  In 1818, GEN Andrew Jackson invaded Spanish Florida with US forces, capturing a Spanish Read More

Foxardo Affair

                                 27 OCTOBER-14 NOVEMBER 1824                                               FOXARDO AFFAIR With a splash, the anchor of USS BEAGLE hit the water of Foxardo harbor (modern Fajardo), Spanish Puerto Rico.  The 3-gun US Navy schooner and her commander, LT Charles T. Platt, were in search of Read More

German Raider ATLANTIS

                                             11 NOVEMBER 1940                                       GERMAN RAIDER ATLANTIS Recognizing at the outset of WWII that the Kriegsmarine had not the strength to match the Royal Navy’s warfleet, Hilter’s maritime strategy concentrated on guerre de course, interrupting the flow of merchant ships carrying the Read More

MV San Demetrio

                                              5 NOVEMBER 1940                                               MV SAN DEMETRIO The Eagle Oil and Shipping Company operated in England from 1912-59 moving petroleum products between Mexico, the Caribbean, and the United Kingdom.  Each of their tankers was given the Spanish name of a Christian saint.  Read More