📝 Essay Ideas for Students (1940–2010)

Use these narrow, research-ready prompts with GG Archives primary sources (cruise books, rosters, yearbooks) plus textbooks or approved secondary sources. Suggested citation: Chicago style.

Roles & Leadership

• What does an XO actually do? Compare cinematic portrayals to a specific cruise book (e.g., Coral Sea 1960–61).
• Air Boss and flight deck safety: Analyze risk management using carrier photos/captions + a secondary source.
• CAG/CVW Commander: How did air wing leadership coordinate with ship command in different eras?

Pair with: Carrier Roles · Ranks & Roles

Carrier Operations & Safety

• Deck jersey colors: Explain each role and why color-coding matters for safety.
• Launch/recovery cycles: What shipboard teams make flight ops possible?

Pair with: Glossary: Flight Deck Jersey Colors

Ratings & Technology Evolution

• RD → OS (1970s): How did the shift reflect changes in naval warfare?
• BT → MM (1997): What does the merge say about propulsion systems and training?
• PN → YN (2005): How did admin work consolidate and modernize?

Pair with: Historical Evolution

Women in the Navy

• From WAVES to full integration: Trace roles and opportunities over time.
• Navy Nurse Corps: What leadership and logistical roles did nurses play?

Pair with: WAVES and Navy Women items in GG Archives; add link when page is live

Boot Camp & Training Pathways

• USNTC yearbooks: What do they reveal about assignments to A-school and fleet unpredictability?
• Pathway case study: Track one rating from boot camp to first sea tour.

Pair with: USNTC Boot Camp & Pathways

Film vs. Reality (Comparative Analysis)

• Top Gun vs. cruise books: Identify one role (e.g., LSO) and compare duties on screen vs. in primary sources.
• Midway (1976/2019): How do the films depict CAG decision-making vs. historical accounts?

Pair with: Navy on Film · Carrier Roles

Primary-Source Projects

• Photo essay: Choose 5–7 images from a cruise book to explain one shipboard process (e.g., aircraft fueling).
• Roster study: Map hometowns of one division; discuss recruitment patterns.

Pair with: Relevant cruise books (e.g., Coral Sea, Essex) in GG Archives.

Guidelines & Submission Tips

• Scope: 800–1,500 words (HS/undergrad), Chicago style citations, include at least one primary source from GG Archives.
• Thesis clarity: Define the role/time period precisely (e.g., “XO on a Cold War carrier, 1960–1975”).
• Source balance: Pair films with primary sources; avoid relying solely on Hollywood depictions.

Quick links: Ranks, Ratings & Roles · Carrier Roles · Glossary · Navy on Film