US Naval Women's Reserve - The WAVES
Women Accepted for Vounteer Emergency Service or WAVES was part of the United States Naval Reserve during World War II. Established by Congress in July 1942, it authorized the US Navy to accept women into the Naval Reserve as commissioned officers or enlisted personnel.
The GG Archives collection includes books, brochures, and other ephemera on or about the WAVES and women serving in the United States Navy from World War II onwards.
The WAVES’ New Uniforms - October 1942
Navy—Rear Admiral Randall Jacobs, USN, Chief of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, inspects the new uniforms of the Women's Reserve. Who said Britannia rules the waves? Here are the ones who lead the WAVES of the US.
Facts About The WAVES and SPARS
The WAVES is an organization of women who replace Navy men at shore stations. The SPARS is an organization of women whose job is to replace Coast Guard men at shore stations. Discusses where you will serve, how you will live, Pay, and "Navy blue uniforms designed by the famous stylist Mainbocher to flatter every figure." (1943)
Serve Your Country InThe WAVES or SPARS
To every woman who wants a part in winning this war. Never in history have American women been offered such a chance to serve their country. Never has there been such an urgent need for their service. (1943)
Photo Postcard of the Telephone Center at the Us Naval Training School (WR) in Bronx, New York. Postally Used 7 December 1943. Card Printed Courtesy of New York Telephone Company. GGA Image ID # 15f9257ce7
Story of You In Navy Blue (The WAVES)
The story of you in Navy blue is the story of the thousands of other women who serve their country and their flag as part of the United States Navy. (1944)
WAVES of Quarters D : Pass In Review
Lavishly illustrated brochure created in 1945 provides an incredible photographic record of the WAVE activities and life in Washington DC at WAVES Quarters D. The Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service were a "Pass in Review." (1945)
Women's Reserve Separation Information Pamphlet
A job accomplished, a victory won. As WAVES have accepted their responsibilities as citizens in a nation at war, so may they contribute their efforts to the fullest in building a peaceful world. Good luck and Godspeed. (1945)
Navy WAVES on Navy Pier Bus - 1944. Library of Congress # 153723431. GGA Image ID # 141c09fd96
The May 1946 issue of the WAVES News Letter marks the publication of the thirty-sixth and final issue. Published by the Women's Reserve office in BuPers since April 1943 for the information and interest of all WAVES. May 1946 Final Issue (NAVPERS 15,002)
Making Waves: Navy Women of World War II
Featuring more than 150 photographs, WAVES offers a different view of World War II. These are not images of men at war; instead, they portray the essential work and efforts of the women at home who made the war's success possible.
The Story of WAVES Recruit Training
Public Law 625, passed in June 1948, marked a new era in the history of the armed services. For the first time, women outside the medical services were to become an integral part of the regulars, Army, Air Force, Marines, and Navy.
1950-01 Enlisted Wave College Grads May Apply for Commissions
Enlisted Wave college graduates are invited to apply for appointment to the rank of ensign in the line or Supply Corps by BuPers Circ. Ltr. 173-49 (NDB, 15 Oct 1949).
1951 Great Lakes Company W23 Navy Boot Camp Book
Roster for WAVE Recruit Company W23 for 1951, United States Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Illinois. Company Commander: Agnes McSkimming. 68 Women Graduated. Training Dates Not Reported. Supplemental Content: Extensive listing of WAVE Officers, Instructors, and Staff.
1953 Bainbridge WAVE Company 125 Navy Boot Camp Book
Roster for Recruit Waves Company 125 for 1953, United States Naval Training Center, Bainbridge, Maryland. Waves Company Commander: A. M. Deleo, YNC. 46 Women Graduated 3 August 1953. Supplemental Content: WAVE Command Leadership.
1953 Bainbridge WAVES Company 126 Navy Boot Camp Book
Roster for Recruit Waves Company 126 for 1953, United States Naval Training Center, Bainbridge, Maryland. Waves Company Commander: P. Muenchow, TE1. 52 Women Graduated 10 August 1953. SupplementGraduation Dateal Content: WAVES Command Leadership.
1954 Bainbridge WAVES Company 23 Boot Camp Book
Roster for WAVE Recruit Company 23W for 1954, United States Naval Training Center, Bainbridge, Maryland. Company Commander: M. Carver, RM1. 38 Women Graduated 27 September 1954. Supplemental Content: Listing and Photographs of WAVE Instructors at Bainbridge NTC.
1955 Bainbridge WAVES Company 18 Navy Boot Camp Book
Roster for WAVE Recruit Company 18W for 1955, United States Naval Training Center, Bainbridge, Maryland. Company Commander: E H. Walther, DKCA. 71 Women Graduated on 3 October 1955. Extras: Photos of Boot Camp Life for the WAVE Company 18(W); Newspaper Clipping of Honor Medal Winners Listing Honormen for Companies 332-361 and 18(W); Photo of Capitolie A. Sutton, SR, Co. 1955-18(W) Receiving Honor Certificate; and Photo of Presentation of American Spirit Honor Medal to SR C. A. Sutton, USN.
ABOARD U. S. NAVY hospital ship USS Repose (AH 16) there are 19 Navy nurses, most of them volunteers, and for many it is their first trip in a Navy ship. They are looking forward to the travel and excitement that the months ahead' will bring.
There's Something About a Navy Wave - 1967
This 1967 WAVES enlistment brochure provides a transitional phase where the World War II era moves toward full integration into the regular US Navy. The emphasis on fashionable uniforms reflects the period from which this brochure represents.
1966-07 Navy Relief Society Ladies: A Smart Group
A RECORD 204 women have completed the Navy Relief Society's most recent training course held at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. This brings the number of qualified workers at the school to 374.
U. S. Naval Institute Proceedings, Volume 100/9/859, October 1974. The first woman in any of the armed services to be commissioned a Chaplain, Lieutenant Florence Pohlman, USN, is portrayed in this painting by Margaret Holland Sargent, for the Navy's Combat Art Center in Washington, DC. GGA Image ID # 1d1313087e
Welcome to the Navy - Women at Orlando Naval Training Center
This 1978 brochure offers a glimpse of life at the Orlando Naval Training Center in the late 1970s before women were allowed to serve on most ships except for submarines. (1978)
Pictorial History Of Navy Women, Volume One
Pictorial History of Navy Women 1908 - 1988 - Volume 1. This book is formatted like a yearbook and has hundreds of photos and short bios of women that served in the U.S. Navy through 1988.
