4 May Daily Shipmate

Monday, 4 May 2026

Remembering Hank Martin ’68

On 30 April in Naples, Florida, 11 members of USNA ’68 attended the Memorial Service for RADM Hank Martin ’68, USN (Ret.). He was a member of First Company, the Color Company for the 1967 and 1968 academic years. Hank passed on 22 April 2026.

1917 - With RADM William S. Sims ’80, USN posted to Great Britain as a liaison with the Admiralty, advocating the quick dispatch of antisubmarine vessels to European waters to combat the U-boat menace, the first U.S. warships arrive in European waters on this date. Under the command of Commander Joseph K. Taussig, Destroyer Squadron 8 consists of Conyngham(Destroyer No. 58), Davis (Destroyer No. 65), McDougal (Destroyer No. 54), Porter (Destroyer No. 59), Wainwright (Destroyer No. 62), and Wadsworth (Destroyer No. 60). “We are ready now, sir,” Taussig replies when queried by the British commander about his readiness for action upon arriving at Queenstown, Ireland.

 

1961 - CDR Malcolm D. Ross and LCDR Victor A. Prather, MC, achieve a record altitude of 113,740 feet after being launched in a balloon from the deck of the carrier Antietam (CVS-36) operating in the Gulf of Mexico. Prather falls while being recovered from the water by a helicopter and subsequently dies.

 

1943 - Oiler Edward Bryan, III ’35, US Maritime Service was lost following the sinking of his ship, USAT Oneida, in a storm off the coast of Cape Charles, Virginia. The ship was part of a convoy headed from New York to Sydney, Australia. USS Andres (DE 45) rescued half of the men, but the other 30 were never heard from again. Edward resigned from the Naval Academy in February 1932, his plebe year. Edward was born in Bound Brook, New Jersey, and graduated from its high school. He then attended Rutgers Preparatory School, Severna Park School in Maryland, and the Naval Academy for one year. He then worked in the family’s nursery business and became a member of the Piscataway Township Board of Education. He married Katharine Lindsay on 27 June 1942, and on 19 October he announced his resignation from the board to join the Maritime Service. He was trained at Sheepshead Bay, New York, and he hoped to get an engineer’s license. On 28 January 1943, Edward was issued certificates for Efficiency as Lifeboat Man and as a Qualified Member of the Engine Department as to his knowledge of the duties of fireman. He was survived by his wife, mother, two sisters and two brothers.

 

Content in “Today in Navy, Marine Corps and USNA Memorial Hall History” is generously provided by our partners and fellow alumni at the Naval History and Heritage Command and the Run to Honor SIG, which supplies the USNA Memorial Hall content. We are grateful for their partnership in preserving and sharing this history, and the Daily Shipmate is proud to serve as a distribution platform. You can learn more or provide feedback through their respective websites hyperlinked above.

Academy & Graduate happenings

The Great Class Challenge is live. Jeff Webb ’95, President & CEO of the Alumni Association & Foundation, is here to welcome you—and remind you a little healthy competition goes a long way in supporting the mission. Make your gift today and get your class on the board.

At Shipmate magazine, we are taking a fresh approach to the way class, chapter and SIG notes are submitted. Beginning with the July-August 2026 issue, we will be accepting note submissions only through an online portal. This will provide efficiencies for the magazine’s production and modernize the content-collection process. Our intention is to streamline the production process by integrating digital portal submissions with existing production programs for Shipmate, Daily Shipmate and myUSNA. Starting this week, we are offering training to class, chapter and SIG scribes leading up to the July-August submission deadline of 27 May. To learn more or sign up for a training session, please contact Editor Jimmy DeButts at [email protected].

From the Podcast Fleet

Two pods in one week?!? Yesssssir. Chris and John run back another pod to celebrate the arrival of May. They discuss the recent Council of Class Presidents meeting and preview the weekend ahead…which features Navy Rugby playing for the National Title! And our interview this week features another prime example of our alums making it happen from the Fleet to the C Suite - Prudential Chairman and CEO Andy Sullivan ’92. Andy talks about his origins in Delaware, his perspectives on leadership and his vision for Prudential. A great convo on a wide range of topics. That and more on the best Alumni Association podcast there is. Beat Army. Always!

Listen on

Government & Military News

Behind a record-breaking $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget request, the Navy’s unfunded wish list focused on a handful of military construction projects, according to the document reviewed by USNI News. The $602 million unfunded priority list leads with $50 million for a 16,118 square foot facility at Naval Submarine Base New London, Conn., for maintenance equipment for Virginia-class submarine, $169 million for a 77,400 square foot facility for the Theater Undersea Surveillance Command at Whidbey Island, Wash., and $86 million for stormwater management facilities for the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. Other items include $121 million for a periscope repair facility in Bangor, Wash., $68 million for a research and development lab for cyber warfare and $108 million for a P-8A Poseidon hangar at Whidbey Island, Wash.

Two U.S. service members taking part in Exercise African Lion 2026 were reported missing Saturday near the Cap Draa training area outside Tan Tan, Morocco. According to U.S. Africa Command and Moroccan military officials, the troops disappeared near a cliff during or after activities connected to the multinational exercise. U.S., Moroccan and partner forces immediately launched a coordinated search-and-rescue mission using ground teams, aircraft and maritime assets. The incident remains under investigation, and officials have not yet released the identities of the missing personnel. African Lion is AFRICOM’s largest annual military exercise in Africa, involving thousands of troops from more than 30 nations across Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has thrown his support behind proposed legislation that would give combat-wounded service members who are medically retired from the U.S. military their full retirement pay and Veterans Affairs disability compensation. During a hearing Thursday on the Defense Department’s $1.5 trillion fiscal 2027 budget request, Hegseth said he supports the Maj. Richard Star Act — a bill that would give roughly 54,000 veterans their retirement pay and VA disability concurrently. “As I have said in the past to other organizations, we support the Richard Star Act,” Hegseth said during questioning by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

As the Marine Corps prepares to introduce a robotic wingman drone into its aviation fleet in the next few years, officials are simultaneously parsing out its long-term plans for developing unmanned aerial vehicles for other missions. The Corps wants to begin operational testing of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Uncrewed Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft (MUX TACAIR) platform by 2029, said Col. Richard Rusnok, branch head of the Cunningham Group, the service’s aviation-focused innovation unit. The aircraft will be the first of many larger drones that the service plans to field to transform airborne operations.

The Department of the Navy is one the biggest users of the Defense Department’s GenAI.mil platform. The Navy designated the generative artificial intelligence tool as an enterprise service in just five days after evaluating it. It also told all employees to use it for controlled unclassified information and Impact Level 5 (IL5) data by 30 April. But just giving sailors, marines and civilians access to the large language models and saying “use it” without any training is not a recipe for success. The DoN is ensuring its employees are gaining real benefits of the AI tools by mandating training and then measuring how that training is turning into mission outcomes.

The War Department's Personal Property Activity will officially launch its new website, www.ppa.mil, tomorrow, creating a centralized digital hub designed to better support DOW personnel and industry partners as they navigate the moving process. The new platform serves as the definitive single source of truth for all parties involved in supporting global household goods and vehicle shipment, in-transit storage and non-temporary storage. It replaces previously fragmented platforms by providing a modernized, user-friendly experience that focuses on clarity, accessibility and efficiency. Designed with warfighters in mind, the website provides step-by-step moving guidance and checklists for every stage of the relocation process. It also includes resources on permanent change of station moves, personally procured moves, overseas shipments and guidance for filing claims and shipping privately owned vehicles.

Local, Education & other academy news

Mr. William “Bill” Toti ‘79 began Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary of the Navy on 1 May 2026. Previously, Toti served as Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of War. With more than 40 years of experience in defense, he spent 26 years on active duty in the United States Navy, followed by 17 years in the defense industry. After graduating and commissioning from the U.S. Naval Academy, Toti served as commanding officer of Fleet Antisubmarine Warfare Command Norfolk, as commodore of Submarine Squadron 3 in Pearl Harbor, and as captain of the nuclear fast attack submarine USS Indianapolis (SSN 697).

May in Annapolis & Anne Arundel County ushers in a season of celebration and signature experiences across our Chesapeake Bay destination. The month opens with National Travel and Tourism Week, a fitting start to a new wave of visitors enjoying festivals, waterfront adventures, and spring traditions as the Chesapeake comes alive. From May Day and Commissioning Week to Mother’s Day festivities, outdoor experiences, and culinary events, May offers countless ways to embrace the season. It’s also prime time for outdoor dining—perfect for savoring the flavors of the Bay. Whether wandering historic streets in bloom, watching the Blue Angels soar, or gathering for waterfront meals and seasonal celebrations, May invites everyone to discover something memorable throughout Annapolis & Anne Arundel County.

Naval Academy Athletics News & Results

The #8 / #6 Navy women's lacrosse team (18-1) outscored #13 / #13 Army, 6-1, in the second quarter to take control of the game, ultimately claiming a 17-11 victory over the Black Knights (14-4) to win the 2026 Patriot League Women's Lacrosse Championship on Saturday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. With the win, the Midshipmen have won back-to-back conference championships and eight total titles in program history. "This is all about a true commitment from the Naval Academy to Navy Athletics to our new Athletics Director Michael Kelly," head coach Cindy Timchal said of the victory.

The second-ranked Navy men's rugby team (11-2) fell to top-ranked California (17-0) 36-22 in the Collegiate Rugby Association of America (CRAA) Division I-A National Championship game on Saturday evening at Kuntz Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. The Golden Bears secured their second-consecutive national championship by capitalizing on early Navy turnovers to build an insurmountable first-half lead and withstand a resilient second-half push by the Midshipmen. "A big takeaway for me would the sheer disappointment that our seniors didn't get to experience the ultimate high before they leave and go into the fleet," said director of rugby Gavin Hickie. "The ultimate goal wasn't achieved, which is winning the national championship, but we did our best and we hope that we made our family, friends and the Naval Academy proud."

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