Extra! Extra! Read All About It

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES

12.01.2022

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Zachary Pearson 

All Hands Magazine

All Hands magazine is celebrating its
100th anniversary this month. All Hands has
had a long and rich history of informing Sailors.
Although the magazine is now well known as
the premier U.S. Navy magazine, it started
as a simple news publication by the Bureau
of Navigation. The first issue was printed as
the Bureau of Navigation News Bulletin issue
(No. 1) on Aug. 30, 1922. The primary purpose
of this bulletin was to inform Sailors of new
Navy instructions and policies.
For roughly the next seven years, the
bulletin had a simple, albeit succinct, official
Naval message. The biggest change in that time
came in the October 1928 issue (No. 89), when
the name changed to the Bureau of Navigation
Bulletin. In the January 1929 issue (No. 95),
the Bureau of Navigation placed a simple cover
page on the front that would become standard
with only slight modifications for most of the
next 13 years.
The 1940s was a decade filled with
historic changes to the status quo of the
Bureau of Navigation Bulletin. The April 1941
issue (No. 291) was the first time the phrase
“Information for Naval Personnel” was printed
on the cover page of the bulletin, reinforcing the
notion that the bulletin was for all Sailors. Later
that year, the November 1941 issue (No. 297)
was the first time an actual illustration appeared
on the cover. The May 1942 issue (No. 302)
of the Bureau of Navigation Bulletin featured
its first photo in the history of the publication.
In the photo, President Franklin D. Roosevelt
personally presented the Congressional Medal
of Honor to Lt. Edward H. 0’Hare for shooting
down five Japanese bombers and disabling a
sixth in a naval engagement off of the Gilbert
Islands in February of that year.
May 15, 1942, the Bureau of Navigation
officially changed its name to the Bureau of
Naval Personnel, which therein changed the
name of the publication to the Bureau of Naval
Personnel Information Bulletin, with the June
1942 issue (No. 303) being the first one printed
under the new name. The October 1942 issue
(No. 307) introduced an enormous change to
the publication’s format, transitioning from 20
years of a simple document with information
to an actual full magazine. It featured photos
from the fleet, illustrations, a more diverse set
of articles, and a featured photo on the front
cover like a standard magazine. The following
issue introduced a new font for the title with
color, further progressing the bulletin toward a
more standard magazine style. The September
1943 issue (No. 318) featured a note on the
front cover saying, “This magazine is for ALL
HANDS, see new pro rata distribution on pg.
79.”. That page went into a further explanation Extra! Extra!
Read All About It! From Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Zachary Pearson
All Hands magazine is celebrating its
100th anniversary this month. All Hands has
had a long and rich history of informing Sailors.
Although the magazine is now well known as
the premier U.S. Navy magazine, it started
as a simple news publication by the Bureau
of Navigation. The first issue was printed as
the Bureau of Navigation News Bulletin issue
(No. 1) on Aug. 30, 1922. The primary purpose
of this bulletin was to inform Sailors of new
Navy instructions and policies.
For roughly the next seven years, the
bulletin had a simple, albeit succinct, official
Naval message. The biggest change in that time
came in the October 1928 issue (No. 89), when
the name changed to the Bureau of Navigation
Bulletin. In the January 1929 issue (No. 95),
the Bureau of Navigation placed a simple cover
page on the front that would become standard
with only slight modifications for most of the
next 13 years.
The 1940s was a decade filled with
historic changes to the status quo of the
Bureau of Navigation Bulletin. The April 1941
issue (No. 291) was the first time the phrase
“Information for Naval Personnel” was printed
on the cover page of the bulletin, reinforcing the
notion that the bulletin was for all Sailors. Later
that year, the November 1941 issue (No. 297)
was the first time an actual illustration appeared
on the cover. The May 1942 issue (No. 302)
of the Bureau of Navigation Bulletin featured
its first photo in the history of the publication.
In the photo, President Franklin D. Roosevelt
personally presented the Congressional Medal
of Honor to Lt. Edward H. 0’Hare for shooting
down five Japanese bombers and disabling a
sixth in a naval engagement off of the Gilbert
Islands in February of that year.
May 15, 1942, the Bureau of Navigation
officially changed its name to the Bureau of
Naval Personnel, which therein changed the
name of the publication to the Bureau of Naval
Personnel Information Bulletin, with the June
1942 issue (No. 303) being the first one printed
under the new name. The October 1942 issue
(No. 307) introduced an enormous change to
the publication’s format, transitioning from 20
years of a simple document with information
to an actual full magazine. It featured photos
from the fleet, illustrations, a more diverse set
of articles, and a featured photo on the front
cover like a standard magazine. The following
issue introduced a new font for the title with
color, further progressing the bulletin toward a
more standard magazine style. The September
1943 issue (No. 318) featured a note on the
front cover saying, “This magazine is for ALL
HANDS, see new pro rata distribution on pg.
79.”. That page went into a further explanation
on the distribution update with a statement
from Rear Adm. L.E. Denfield, the Assistant
Chief of Naval Personnel, stating:
“Beginning with the October 1943
issue, it will be possible to provide enough
copies of the publication to allow distribution
based on one copy for every 10 officers and
enlisted personnel. It is directed that appropriate
steps be taken to ensure that all hands have
quick and convenient access to each issue of
the subject publication.”
The increase in production now
broadened the scope of how many Sailors could
access the magazine. The cover of the June
1945 issue (No. 339) proclaimed, “Victory in
Europe” and the new banner read, “All Hands”
at the top, with “The Bureau of Naval Personnel
Information Bulletin” in small text underneath
the banner. The magazine’s banner gained
popularity and is where the magazine of today
gets its name. These many changes marked a
turning point for the publication and laid the
groundwork for the All Hands magazine today.
In the August 1950 issue (No. 402), All
Hands returned to a black-and-white format
until the July 1962 issue (No. 546), where the
cover page featured a massive American flag
waving over the silhouette of a ship in full color.
Over the next five months, the magazine would
transition to a colored banner over a black and
white photo on the cover. In the March 1969
issue (No. 626), the magazine changed its
logo to a more modern design and dropped
“The Bureau of Naval Personnel Information
Bulletin” from the cover page banner, now
simply titled “All Hands”. The January 1970
issue (No. 636) featured a full-color photo on
the front cover. In December 1971, a brand-new
logo was introduced, which remained constant
on the cover for more than 26 years, making it
the most tenured of any All Hands logo.
Over the next 20 years, not much would
change in the magazine. A notable change
came in the April 1985 issue (No. 817) of All
Hands when the phrase, “Magazine of the U.S.
Navy”, was added to the front cover in small
text underneath the banner, where it remains to
this day. One of the most historic updates to All
Hands came in the June 1997 issue (No. 962),
when the magazine moved to full color. From
then on, All Hands would feature full-color
photos that propelled the magazine into a more
modern style. In October 1998, All Hands
introduced a new logo resembling an aircraft
carrier from bow to stern. This would become
the final look of the logo for the remaining
years of the print publication.
The new millennium brought new
technology like digital cameras and digital
artwork. These advancements in technology
raised the quality of the magazine to new
heights. Recognizing the changing times and
how modern-day sailors consume information,
All Hands decided to cease its printed
publication, with the October 2011 issue (No.
1135) being the last official printed magazine.
Two years later in February 2013,
All Hands would have a massive resurgence
with the creation of the All Hands official
website. All Hands would continue to release
digital monthly issues along with many other
resources on their website, such as featured
videos, articles, podcasts, and updated U.S.
Navy policies. An archive section was also
added with every single All Hands issue from
1922-2011 digitally scanned and uploaded to
their site. The move to online vastly increased
All Hands’ reach to Sailors, similar to the new
pro rata released in 1943. In the first year of the
website’s inception, All Hands had published
191 articles and garnered more than 20 million
page views.
Over the years, the magazine has
covered many historic events such as World
War II, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam
War, and the tragedy of 9/11. From 1922 to
today, All Hands has continued with the same
mission of informing its Sailors. Beginning
as a simple bulletin and evolving into a
digital magazine and website, All Hands has
consistently supported Sailors in any way
it could. The magazine’s, “For Sailors, by
Sailors” mentality has proven effective for 100
years, with no signs of stopping.

• Date Taken: 12.01.2022
• Date Posted: 12.28.2022 13:50
• Story ID: 435983
• Location: FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, MARYLAND, US