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
ArtistStanley Bleifeld
Year1987
TypeBronze
LocationUnited States Navy Memorial, Washington, D.C., United States
Coordinates38°53′39″N 77°1′23″W / 38.89417°N 77.02306°W / 38.89417; -77.02306 (The Lone Sailor, Washington)
OwnerNational Park Service

History

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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][unreliable source?][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

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The Lone Sailor keeps watch over USS Wisconsin.
 
The Lone Sailor statue at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial in Honolulu, Hawaii.

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

There is also a 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.[19]

See also

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References

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  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. ^ Lopez, Christian (December 19, 2018). "Navy's newest Lone Sailor statue now stands watch on Guam". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  19. ^ "Lone Sailor Statue in Normandy". United States Navy Memorial. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
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