navy – Page 5 – Hinges of History

‘a Caroling

Tis the season. WAVES carol at a candlelight service at Port Hueneme, California in December 1943.

The photograph comes from the National Archives.

Graduation Day

Graduation day for Lt. Harriet Ida Pickens (left) and Lt. Frances Wills (right), the only two African American women commissioned as officers in the WAVES during World War II.

Their graduation was 70 years ago, December 21, 1944. The photograph comes from the National Archives.

The Engine

Aircraft Machinists Mates (WAVES and sailors) alongside an aircraft engine.

The photo comes from the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies, Harvard University.

Inspection

Capt. Mildred H. McAfee, USNR, accompanied by Rear Adm. George S. Bryan, USN, inspects the WAVES on duty at the Hydrographic Office, Suitland, MD. She is saluting the colors as WAVES pass in review.

The photo comes from the National Archives.

Here Come the WAVES was released worldwide, including in Sweden (Flottans farliga flickor, November 1945), Finland (Laivaston heilat, December 1946), Turkey (Gönüllü melekler, 1947), Denmark (En rigtig sailor, August 1947), and Portugal (A Tentação da Sereia, May 1949).

The poster above is from the Argentinian version of the film, known as Mellizas Peligrosas, or Dangerous Twins. The poster below from the Denmark release, which translates as A Real Sailor.

Hollywood’s Secret

Betty Hutton, star of Here Come the WAVES, in an advertisement timed to coincide with the theatrical release of the film in December 1944.

Here Come the WAVES

The theatrical poster for the film Here Come the WAVES, filmed in cooperation with the US Navy and released in December 1944.

December 1944

Happy December!

The December, 1944 edition of the WAVES Newsletter finds a photograph of a WAVE stepping out of a plane. We’d probably expect a Christmas-themed cover these days….

It’s a Grand and Glorious Feeling…..

…. when you join the WAVES. World War II-era recruitment photo.

The Mascot

Watching football this weekend? Maybe this photo of some WAVES at the USS Hunter (aka Hunter College Boot Camp in New York) will help you get some team spirit. Give me an N! Give me an A! Give me a V! Give me a Y! What’s that spell? NAVY!!!

The photo comes from the New York Historical Society.