In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we recognize Lt. Susan Ahn Cuddy, the first Asian American woman to join the Navy’s WAVES during WWII, breaking barriers while serving her country in a time of war.

Learn more about what the Monitor Conservation team was up to in the spring, detailing the process we go through when working in the tank farm and treating larger objects!

November is Native American Heritage Month! Today we’d like to celebrate that by honoring two Navajo sisters who served at the Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation (HRPE) during WWII.

WAVES fulfilled various positions and worked at Naval bases across the US, ranging from yeoman to chauffeur, baker to pharmacist, and artist to aircraft mechanic. Most WAVES worked in naval aviation units–maintaining aircraft, testing parachutes, and working as domestic air traffic controllers or weather specialists.

While the military at this time was officially against allowing LGBTQ+ identifying people into the military, they also were desperate for more service members. So in some ways, there was a similar mentality to the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy of the 1990s and 2000s.

While the Women’s Army Corps was founded on May 15, 1942 (then the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps) they did not recruit women living in Hawaii until October of 1944. This was because Hawaii was technically still a territory, and did not become a state until 1959.

Oil reservoirs are a tool commonly found on USS Monitor‘s engine. Also known as an oil cup or lubricating cup, they were used on steam engines to keep valves and levers constantly lubricated.