Ready for sea

by Frank J. Allston

Ready for Sea traces the two-hundred-year history of the U.S. Navy Supply Corps from its beginnings in 1795 with the appointment of the nation's first purveyor of public supplies, through a series of organizational and nomenclature changes, to today's competent group of naval businessmen and women. The Supply Corps's history is the story of its people, those who served first as naval agents, then pursers, paymasters, Pay Corps officers, and finally as Supply Corps officers. Their stories are told through more than two hundred comprehensive portraits and personal vignettes of the men and women who over the years have come to exemplify the characteristics of ingenuity, creativity, perseverance, and dedication in their efforts to provide "Service to the Fleet." All of their stories are placed in the context of American naval history and reflect the struggle of the nation to evolve into the world's most modern and efficient sea power.