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The Valor Vault Dedicated to preserving the history of the United States Navy. Check out my Youtube channel - www.youtube.com/

The British "White Ensign" and the U.S. Flag flying from the mainmast of the heavy cruiser USS Augusta (CA-31), while Ki...
01/09/2026

The British "White Ensign" and the U.S. Flag flying from the mainmast of the heavy cruiser USS Augusta (CA-31), while King George VI was visiting President Harry S. Truman on board while the ship was berth at Plymouth, England, on August 2nd 1945. President Truman was heading home from the Potsdam Conference.

Omaha class cruiser USS Raleigh (CL 7) in dry dock June of 1928.
31/08/2026

Omaha class cruiser USS Raleigh (CL 7) in dry dock June of 1928.

31/08/2026

The Elusive USS Yorktown (CV 10)

On December 4th, 1943, while operating off Kwajalein Atoll, a Japanese Nakajima B6N torpedo plane, commonly referred to as a Jill, made a torpedo run on Yorktown. As you can see in the film, her port side 20 mm gunners managed to get enough of the plane to throw it off course and it crashed into the sea close aboard Yorktown. The second clip comes from March 29th, 1945, and was shot off of Okinawa. A Japanese Yokosuka D4Y, referred to as a Judy, makes a kamikaze run on Yorktown and very nearly hits the Essex class carrier. The still photos that follow the film were taken from another ship in Yorktown's screen.

Film courtesy of the US National Archives

The Grumman F6F Hellcat debut on this day in 1943.
31/08/2026

The Grumman F6F Hellcat debut on this day in 1943.

The battleships USS Indiana (BB-58), USS Massachusetts (BB-59) and USS Alabama (BB-60) form a line ahead during target p...
30/08/2026

The battleships USS Indiana (BB-58), USS Massachusetts (BB-59) and USS Alabama (BB-60) form a line ahead during target practice. Seen from USS South Dakota (BB-57) in early 1945.

Those little things that just might come in handy in case of war...5" turrets await their new home on the battleship Sou...
30/08/2026

Those little things that just might come in handy in case of war...
5" turrets await their new home on the battleship South Dakota (BB-57). Philadelphia Navy Yard, 1942.

30/08/2026

USS Pennsylvania Torpedoed off Okinawa

⚓ On This Day — August 30th, 1942USS Colhoun (APD-2) was sunk off Guadalcanal. This photo was taken from HMAS Hobart les...
30/08/2026

⚓ On This Day — August 30th, 1942
USS Colhoun (APD-2) was sunk off Guadalcanal. This photo was taken from HMAS Hobart less than three weeks before she was sunk off of Kukum Point, Guadalcanal with 51 members of her crew.

30/08/2026

On January 4th 1945, Lieutenant Charles August took off from USS Langley piloting an F6F Hellcat on a mission to attack Kobi Airfield on the island of Formosa. After several successful strafing runs on the airfield, his Hellcat suffered an engine failure and he was forced to land nearby. August survived the landing unharmed but was immediately taken prisoner. He spent the remainder of the Pacific War as a Prisoner of War at the infamous Omori POW Camp near Tokyo. His intact F6F was recovered by personnel from the Airfield and was transported to Japan where it was repaired and repainted. The plane operated out of Yokosuka Airfield for the remainder of the war and was found by US forces during the occupation of Japan in late 1945.

USS North Carolina (BB-55) silhouetted by the sunset off Hawaii on 15 October 1942.
30/08/2026

USS North Carolina (BB-55) silhouetted by the sunset off Hawaii on 15 October 1942.

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