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First Naval District

The boundaries of the First Naval District, to be headquartered at Portsmouth Navy Yard in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, (and later in Boston) were established on 7 May 1903 in accordance with General Order No. 128, signed by Acting Secretary of the Navy Charles H. Darling. Until late 1915 no personnel were assigned to the district staff. In 1945 the district was headquartered at Boston, Massachusetts, and consisted of the following geographic areas: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island (including Block Island). The First Naval District was disestablished on 7 October 1976 and control passed to the Fourth Naval District.

  1915-1921 RADM Albert Gleaves November 1915
  1921-1923 RADM Henry A. Wiley December 1921
  1923-1925 RADM Louis R. de Steiguer June 1923
  1925-1930 RADM Phillip Andrews October 1925
  1930-1933 RADM Louis McCoy Nulton June 1930
  1933-1935 RADM Henry H. Hough June 1933
  1935-1938 RADM Walter R. Gherardi June 1935
  1938-1946 RADM William T. Tarrant July 1938
  1946-1949 RADM Morton L. Deyo April 1946
  1949-1952 RADM Leo H. Thebaud February 1949
  1952-1953 VADM John L. McCrea February 1952
  1953-1954 RADM Charles B. Momsen July 1953
  1954-1958 RADM John A. Snackenberg August 1954
  1958-1962 RADM Carl F. Espe May 1958
  1962-1963 RADM Joseph H. Wellings April 1962
  1963-1964 RADM Wallace M. Beakley September 1963
  1964-1967 RADM William B. Sieglaff January 1964
  1967-1968 RADM Roy Benson April 1967
  1968-1972 RADM Joseph C. Wylie, Jr. December 1968
  1972-1976 RADM Richard E. Rumble November 1972

Notes: RADM = Rear Admiral.

The administrative records of the First Naval District are located in Record Group (RG) 181.2.1 at the National Archives and Records Administration’s Northeast Region, Boston, facility at the Frederick C. Murphy Federal Center, 380 Trapelo Road, Waltham, Massachusetts 02452-6399, telephone 781-663-0130.

An unpublished 9-volume administrative history of the First Naval District during World War II, known as “World War II Naval Administrative History # 109,” is located in the Navy Department Library. It is unavailable for loan and must be consulted in the library. Photocopying of this manuscript is generally prohibited; the use of digital cameras by researchers is encouraged. Permission to photocopy a limited number of pages may be granted by the reference staff, contingent upon the physical state of the item. Any photocopying of this manuscript shall be done under the close supervision of the reference staff.  The use of personal scanners by non-library staff personnel must be approved by the reference staff on a document-by-document basis (Reference: Naval Historical Center Instruction [NAVHISTCENTINST] 5070.1C.). When requesting the administrative history, please specify its number. For example: "I'd like to examine World War Two Admin. History #109."

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Published: Wed Jun 01 10:25:28 EDT 2022