The United States Naval Academy is a federal service academy in Annapolis,Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy is the second oldest of the five U.S. service academies and it educates midshipmen for service in the officer corps of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. It is part of the Naval University System. The 338-acre (137 ha) campus is located on the former grounds of Fort Severn at the confluence of the Severn River and Chesapeake Bay in Anne Arundel County,33 miles (53 km) east of Washington,D.C.,and 26 miles (42 km) southeast of Baltimore. The entire campus,known colloquially as the Yard,is a National Historic Landmark and home to many historic sites,buildings,and monuments. It replaced Philadelphia Naval Asylum in Philadelphia that had served as the first United States Naval Academy from 1838 to 1845 when the Naval Academy formed in Annapolis.
John Smith Thach was a World War II Naval Aviator,air combat tactician,and United States Navy admiral. Thach developed the Thach Weave,a combat flight formation which could counter enemy fighters of superior performance,and later the big blue blanket,an aerial defense against kamikaze attacks.
Forrest Percival Sherman was an admiral in the United States Navy and the youngest person to serve as Chief of Naval Operations until Admiral Elmo Zumwalt in 1970. The Forrest Sherman-class destroyer and the airfield at Naval Air Station Pensacola were named for him.
VFA-31 or Strike Fighter Squadron 31 is known as the Tomcatters,callsign "Felix",a United States Navy strike fighter squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana flying the F/A-18E Super Hornet. The Tomcatters are the second oldest Navy Fighter Attack squadron operating today.
Timothy John Keating is a retired United States Navy admiral. During his career,he served as commander of Carrier Group Five,the United States 5th Fleet,the United States Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD),and United States Pacific Command. He retired in 2009 after more than 38 years of service. He was the first navy officer to head Northern Command and NORAD.
Michael Harold "Mike" Miller is a former Vice Admiral in the United States Navy,and was the first active-duty officer to direct the White House Military Office. He was the 61st Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy.
William Porter "Bill" Lawrence was a decorated United States Navy vice admiral and Naval Aviator who served as Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy from 1978 to 1981. Lawrence was a noted pilot,the first Naval Aviator to fly twice the speed of sound in a naval aircraft,and one of the final candidates for the Mercury space program. During the Vietnam War,Lawrence was shot down while on a combat mission and spent six years as a prisoner of war,from 1967 to 1973. During this time,he became noted for his resistance to his captors.
VF-74,Fighter Squadron 74,Be-Devilers was an aviation unit of the United States Navy in service from 1944 to 1994. Originally established as VBF-20 on 16 April 1945,it was redesignated as VF-10A on 15 November 1946,redesignated as VF-92 on 12 August 1948,redesignated as VF-74 on 15 January 1950 and disestablished on 30 April 1994. It was the third US Navy squadron to be designated as VF-74.
Robert Frederick Willard is a retired United States Navy admiral who last served as the 22nd Commander,U.S. Pacific Command from October 19,2009 to March 9,2012. He previously served as Commander,U.S. Pacific Fleet from May 8,2007,to September 25,2009. Prior to that,he served as the 34th Vice Chief of Naval Operations from March 18,2005,to April 2007. On March 9,2012,Admiral Willard retired from the Navy after 39 years of service. On May 9,2012,he was elected president and chief executive officer of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations,succeeding retired Navy admiral James O. Ellis Jr.
James Lemuel Holloway III was a United States Navy admiral and naval aviator who was decorated for his actions during World War II,the Korean War,and the Vietnam War. After the Vietnam War,he was posted to The Pentagon,where he established the Navy's Nuclear Powered Carrier Program. He served as Chief of Naval Operations from 1974 until 1978. After retiring from the Navy,Holloway served as President of the Naval Historical Foundation from 1980 to 1998 and served another ten years as its chairman until his retirement in 2008 when he became chairman emeritus. He was the author of Aircraft Carriers at War:A Personal Retrospective of Korea,Vietnam,and the Soviet Confrontation published in 2007 by the Naval Institute Press.
Rear Admiral Draper Laurence Kauffman was an American underwater demolition expert,who served during the 1960s as 44th Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy. During World War II,he organized the first U.S. Navy Combat Demolition Units from which the SEALs and Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) would evolve. His wartime service also included participation in the invasions of Saipan,Tinian,Iwo Jima,and Okinawa.
The superintendent of the United States Naval Academy is its commanding officer. The position is a statutory office,and is roughly equivalent to the chancellor or president of an American civilian university. The officer appointed is,by tradition,a graduate of the United States Naval Academy. However,this is not an official requirement for the position. To date,all superintendents have been naval officers. No Marine Corps officer has yet served as superintendent.
Carrier Air Wing Seven (CVW-7) is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Oceana,Virginia. At the moment,CVW-7 is assigned to the USS George H.W. Bush. The tail code of aircraft assigned to CVW-7 is AG.
Carrier Air Wing Eleven (CVW-11) is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Lemoore,California. The air wing is attached to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt.
Vice Admiral James Henry Flatley Jr. was a World War II naval aviator and tactician for the United States Navy (USN). He became a fighter ace credited with shooting down six enemy aircraft in aerial combat.
Rear Admiral Richard Joseph Naughton was the superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy from 2002 to 2003.
Admiral Robert Joseph Natter is a retired United States Navy admiral who served as Commander,U.S. Atlantic Fleet/Fleet Forces Command from 2000 to 2003.
Thomas McClelland is a decorated U.S. Navy veteran who served in the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm.
Thomas John Kilcline Jr. is a retired vice admiral of the United States Navy who served as Commander,Naval Air Forces from June 22,2007,to July 1,2010.
Samuel John Paparo Jr. is a United States Navy four-star admiral serving as the 64th commander of the United States Pacific Fleet,succeeding Admiral John C. Aquilino on May 5,2021.
