DIVE INTO HISTORY!

At the Galveston Naval Museum, we’re carefully staging three officer quarters in Officer's Country on the USS Stewart to give visitors a glimpse into the daily routines of WWII naval leadership.

This collection piece is a necklace that was made to display USS Cavalla’s (SS 244) insignia. USS Cavalla was named after a Caribbean fish (Caranx hippos), which is pictured wearing a sombrero and holding a torpedo. The initial design was drawn by Yeoman P. Rizelli and was approved by the Skipper, LCDR H. Kossler, in January 1944 before Cavalla’s commissioning. The design used in the necklace was the design of Cavalla’s symbol until it was redesigned in 1951.

This gyroscope would have been installed inside a Mark 12 Torpedo as the guidance system, keeping the torpedo on course for its target. Mark 12 Torpedoes were launched from Destroyers from 1928-1945, and only about 200 were ever made. These torpedoes were 22 feet 7 inches long, had a diameter of 21 inches, and weighed 3,505 lbs.

This cigarette box recently entered our collection. It belonged to a sailor who had a 26-year Navy career and who spent the late 50s and early 60s assigned to the USS Galveston. Read More!