Navy·Integration / civil rights·In Memoriam
WAVES — Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service
Served: 1942–1948
Filled clerical, communications, intelligence, aerology, and aviation-support billets so men could go to sea. ~100,000 served in WWII; peak strength ~82,000.
The Story
WAVES uniforms were designed by Mainbocher, the New York couturier — arguably the best-dressed branch of the WWII US military.
Epitaph
“Released the fleet for sea duty. Couture by Mainbocher.”
Sources
- NHHC — WAVES 75thwww.history.navy.mil
- NPS — WAVESwww.nps.gov