The Lone Sailor

The Lone Sailor, a 1987 bronze sculpture, is a tribute to all the personnel of the sea services. The sculpture was created by Stanley Bleifeld, for the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The Lone Sailor
The original statue in downtown Washington, D.C., located at the US Navy Memorial
Artist	Stanley Bleifeld
Year	1987
Type	Bronze
Location	United States Navy Memorial, Washington, D.C., United States
Coordinates	38°53′39″N 77°1′23″W
Owner	National Park Service

History

Rear Admiral William Thompson was the first president and CEO of the Navy Memorial Foundation, which raised the funds to create the Navy Memorial. As a tribute to Thompson's work to bring the memorial to life, sculptor Stanley Bleifeld placed Thompson's initials and last name on the sea bag.[1] The model for The Lone Sailor was Dan Maloney.[2][3][4] Maloney modeled in 1984 or 1985 when he was a Petty Officer First Class assigned to the submarine USS Alabama.[5] The Navy Times published Maloney's first person account of his selection and collaboration with Bleifeld on The Lone Sailor and Liberty Hound statues.[6] The Liberty Hound is located on the Jacksonville, Florida waterfront. There were several earlier designs for The Lone Sailor but the versions created from those sessions were not approved.[7] After the failed attempts using Navy Ceremonial Honor Guard models, Bleifeld asked New London Submarine Base for someone more typical.[8] As part of the casting process, the bronze for The Lone Sailor was mixed with artifacts from eight U.S. Navy ships, provided by the Naval Historical Center.

Replicas around the United States

The Lone Sailor keeps watch over USS Wisconsin

There are other copies of The Lone Sailor in memorials around the United States.[9]

• Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USS KIDD Veterans Memorial and Museum
• Bremerton, Washington, Bremerton Marina.47°33′48″N 122°37′25″W Dedicated May 23, 2009.[10]
• Burlington, Vermont, Leahy Center.44°28′33.4″N 73°13′17.7″W
• Charleston, South Carolina, Charleston Naval Memorial Park.32°51′09″N 79°57′24″W
• Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Esplanade Park overlooking the New River.26°07′10.8″N 80°08′53.5″W
• Great Lakes, Illinois, Great Lakes Naval Training Center.42°18′29.0″N 87°50′57.7″W
• Jacksonville, Florida, overlooking the St. Johns River.30°19′12.35″N 81°39′25.64″W
• Long Beach, California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.33°45′41.7″N 118°09′22.4″W
• Marin County, California, above Fort Baker.37°49′57.6″N 122°28′47.8″W
• Norfolk, Virginia, in Wisconsin Square standing watch over the museum ship USS Wisconsin.36°50′55.2″N 76°17′39.9″W
• Orlando, Florida, in Blue Jacket Park, memorializing the former site of Naval Training Center Orlando.28°34′30.1″N 81°20′16.3″W[11]
• Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. Dedicated on October 13, 2017.[12][13]
• Washington, D.C., in the West Wing of the White House, a 24-inch replica is stationed at the entrance to the White House Mess. Presented to President Reagan in 1987 by the Navy Memorial Dedication Committee.[14]
• Waterloo, Iowa, Grout Museum. 42°29′35.5″N 92°20′37.0″W The statue in Waterloo, IA is a tribute to the Sullivan Brothers.[15][16]
• West Haven, Connecticut, in Old Grove Park.41°15′28.0″N 72°56′54.7″W The statue in West Haven, CT was donated by residents and Navy veteran, Marty DeGrand.[17]

There is only one copy of The Lone Sailor in a memorial outside the United States.

• Utah Beach, Normandy, on a plaza at the Utah Beach Museum overlooking the Atlantic Ocean from where the U.S. invasion force appeared on D-Day.[18]

See also

• List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 6

References

1. Thompson, William (2010). Gumption: My Life – My Words. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. pp. 458–9. ISBN 978-1-4538-5357-3.
2. Hileman, Maria (5 April 1987). "Memorial will showcase Weston artist". The Day. New London, CT.
3. Bleifeld, Stanley (9 June 1987). Letter from sculptor Stanley Bleifeld to William Thompson, President, United States Navy Memorial (Correspondence).
4. Moore, Kevan (4 September 2012). "Here's looking at you kid". Kitsap Daily News. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
5. Blair, Bryan (16 October 2012). "NSA Bahrain holds 237th Navy ball" (Press release). United States Navy. Navy News Service. NNS121016-04. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
6. Maloney, Daniel K. (5 March 2001). "A turn of his collar, and history was made". Navy Times.
7. McAllister, Bill (31 December 1986). "Navy memorial sculptor chips at Washington's art bureaucracy". The Washington Post. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
8. Friedrich, Ed. "'Lone Sailor' bound for Bremerton Marina". Kitsap Sun. Archived from the original on 8 March 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2008.
9. "Statues Around the Country". United States Navy Memorial. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
10. "The Lone Sailor has come home to Puget Sound". www.lonesailor-bremerton.org. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
11. "The Lone Sailor – Orlando, Florida". United States Navy Memorial. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
12. "Lone Sailor's steely gaze now looks out over Pearl Harbor". Stars and Stripes. October 15, 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
13. Fort, Brian (13 July 2017). "Lone Sailor takes a stand in Hawaii". Navy Live. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
14. "White House Television Office (WHTV) videotape collection, 1987" (PDF). Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. p. 267. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
15. Emerick, Charles (3 November 2003). "Lone Sailor statue unveiled". The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
16. "The Lone Sailor – Waterloo, Iowa". United States Navy Memorial. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
17. "The Lone Sailor – West Haven, Connecticut". United States Navy Memorial. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
18. "Lone Sailor Statue in Normandy". United States Navy Memorial. Retrieved 7 June 2019.

External links

• Media related to The Lone Sailor at Wikimedia Commons