The United States Navy has been a significant force in computing history, funding early computer development, employing pioneering programmers, and driving innovations from ballistic calculations to real-time systems.
Early Computing Investment
The Navy was an early adopter and funder of computing technology:
Harvard Mark I (1944):
- The Navy funded operations and used it for wartime calculations
- Naval personnel, including Grace Hopper, programmed the machine
- Calculated ballistic tables, gun trajectories, and atomic bomb implosion lenses[1]
UNIVAC I (1951):
- The Navy was among the first government customers
- Grace Hopper continued her computing work on Navy contracts
Grace Hopper’s Naval Career
Rear Admiral Grace Hopper served in the Navy and Naval Reserve from 1943 to 1986:
- Joined as a Lieutenant (junior grade) in 1944
- Assigned to the Bureau of Ships Computation Project at Harvard
- Recalled from retirement multiple times due to her expertise
- Retired in 1986 as a Rear Admiral at age 79, the oldest serving officer[2]
Her work on compilers and COBOL was conducted while on naval assignment or under Navy contracts.
Computing Legacy
The Navy contributed to computing through:
- Funding critical early hardware development
- Employing and training pioneering programmers
- Driving development of real-time systems for ship and weapons control
- Standardizing programming languages (Navy support was crucial for COBOL adoption)
Sources
- Computer History Museum. “The Mark I.” Navy involvement with the Mark I.
- Yale University. “Biography of Grace Murray Hopper.” Hopper’s naval career.