“Believe only half of what you see and nothing of what you hear” - Edgar Allan Poe.
The U.S. Navy is a melting pot of beliefs and practices that reflect the experiences of Sailors across generations. Superstitions, which have been adopted and passed down throughout the Navy’s history, have served as an important means of understanding the dangers and uncertainties of life at sea.
Some of the best remembered superstitions involve fantastical sea creatures and can even be found in popular culture today. The fearsome kraken, a cephalopod-like sea monster said to drag entire ships into the depths of the ocean, likely originated from sightings of large real-life creatures such as whales and giant squid before their existence was...
CSSN Nicholas Murphy reflects on the adversity he overcame growing up in a rough Miami neighborhood and his appreciation for the opportunities he's been afforded by the U.S. Navy.
The U.S. Navy is a melting pot of beliefs and practices that reflect the experiences of Sailors across generations. Superstitions, which have been adopted and passed down throughout the Navy’s history, have served as an important means of understanding the dangers and uncertainties of life at sea.
A feature story focusing on Aviation Electronics Technician 3rd Class Gabrielle Jensen and her passion for art that lead for her to illustrate a mural on the USS Gerald R. Ford's hangar bay.
(NORFOLK) – The “Tridents” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron NINE (HSC 9) returned to their homeport of Norfolk, VA on January 16, 2024, following a more than eight-month deployment with Carrier Strike Group 12 (CSG12) to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – “Team Factory” of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 returned to their home base Naval Air Station Oceana on January 16, 2024, following an eight-month deployment with Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 12 to the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operation.
Aviation Electronics Technician 2nd Class Paige Vedra (left) and Aviation Machinist's Mate Chief Dallas Vanenkevort, both assigned to the "Spartans" of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 70, builds a main rotor head spindle aboard the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), April 1, 2025. The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is underway in the Atlantic Ocean completing integrated naval warfighting training. Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) is the Joint Force’s most complex integrated training event and prepares naval task forces for sustained high-end Joint and combined combat. Integrated naval training provides America’s civilian leaders and commanders highly-capable forces that deter adversaries, underpin American security and economic prosperity, and reassure Allies and partners. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Zamirah Connor)
CAPT Rick Burgess, a native of Bellevue, WA, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and was designated a Naval Flight Officer in 1998.
Operational assignments include tours with Fighter Squadron (VF) 31, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72); Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 102, USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63); and two tours with VFA-103, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) and USS George Washington (CVN 73).
Shore assignments include service as Action Officer in the House Liaison Office, Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA); TOPGUN Instructor with Navy Fighter Weapons School; Strike Fighter Placement Officer (PERS-433B) with Navy Personnel Command (NPC); Branch Chief, Global Missile Defense...
Gerald R. Ford, the 38th President of the United States, was born July 14, 1913, in Omaha, NE. The future President grew up in a close-knit family, excelled scholastically and athletically at South High School in Grand Rapids, and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in November 1927.
Ford attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he majored in economics and political science. An extremely gifted athlete, FORD was voted the Wolverine’s most valuable player in 1934, with opportunities to play professional football.
Ford chose the legal profession over a professional football career, graduating with a law degree from Yale in 1941. After the United States entered the war during World War II, Ford received a commission...
