The Office of Naval Inspector General for the

United States Department of the Navy The United States Department of the Navy (DoN) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. It was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, at the urging of Secretary ...

was established during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

to make investigations as directed by the

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

and the Chief of Naval Operations. The current mission of the Naval

Inspector General An inspector general is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is "inspectors general". Australia The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (Australia) (IGIS) is an independent statutory o ...

is "to inspect, investigate, or inquire into matters of importance to the Department of the Navy and maintain the highest level of public confidence".

History

In February 1942, while undergoing conversion in New York harbor, USS '' Lafayette'' caught fire and subsequently capsized. In addition to one person being killed in the disaster, the loss of such a prestigious and well-known ship was a tremendous embarrassment to the Navy. Congress launched an investigation into the disaster to determine if the ship's loss was an act of foreign sabotage or merely negligence. In its report, Congress expressed frustration with the multiple investigative agencies within the Navy. The committee felt that the Navy Department needed an office of Inspector General to "be charged with the duty of keeping Congress and the Secretary of the Navy informed as to the conditions of the naval service. Secretary of the Navy

Frank Knox William Franklin Knox (January 1, 1874 – April 28, 1944) was an American politician, newspaper editor and publisher. He was also the Republican vice presidential candidate in 1936, and Secretary of the Navy under Franklin D. Roosevelt duri ...

established the Office of Naval Inspector General (NIG) on 18 May 1942 with General Order 173. Initially, the Naval Inspector General was part of the staff of the Commander in Chief,

United States Fleet The United States Fleet was an organization in the United States Navy from 1922 until after World War II. The acronym CINCUS, pronounced "sink us", was used for Commander in Chief, United States Fleet. This was replaced by COMINCH in December 1941 ...

. The initial staff included one deputy and three assistant inspectors. The office served throughout World War II as a 'troubleshooting' unit for the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) by conducting inquiries and reporting on all matters which affected the efficiency and economy of the Navy; and by conducting inspections and investigations into any naval matter as required by the Secretary of the Navy, CNO, Congress, or by law. The Goldwater-Nichols Act in 1986 transferred the NIG from the

Office of the Chief of Naval Operations An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific du ...

to the

Office of the Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

List of Naval Inspectors General

#Admiral Charles P. Snyder, 18 May 1942–April 1946 #Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, April 1946–July 1947 #Rear Admiral

Leo Hewlett Thebaud Leo Hewlett Thebaud (February 15, 1890 – April 18, 1980) was an admiral of the United States Navy. Early life Thebaud was born in Madison, New Jersey, on February 15, 1890, to Edward Vincent (1824-1900) and Elizabeth Hewlett Scudder (1869-1952 ...

, July 1947-June 1949 #Rear Admiral

Allan Rockwell McCann Vice Admiral Allan Rockwell McCann, (September 20, 1896 – February 22, 1978) was a United States Navy officer who served in World War I and World War II. Education to World War I Admiral McCann attended Mark Hopkins Grammar School and Drury Hi ...

, June 1949-February 1950 #Rear Admiral H. S. Kendall, February 1950-June 1952 #Rear Admiral

James C. Jones James ChamberlainJones's middle name is sometimes spelled "Chamberlayne." Jones (April 20, 1809 – October 29, 1859) was an American politician who served as the tenth governor of Tennessee from 1841 to 1845, and as a United States Senator from ...

, September 1952-March 1954 #Vice Admiral Stuart S. Murray, April 1954-August 1956 #Vice Admiral

Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter Roscoe Henry Hillenkoetter (May 8, 1897 – June 18, 1982) was the third director of the post–World War II United States Central Intelligence Group (CIG), the third Director of Central Intelligence (DCI), and the first director of the Central ...

, August 1956-April 1957 #Rear Admiral Burton B. Biggs, May 1957- September 1958 #Rear Admiral

John W. Ailes III John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, October 1958-November 1961 #Rear Admiral Alfred R. Matter, November 1961-September 1962 #Rear Admiral Glynn R. Donaho, September 1962-August 1963 #Captain J. C. Kelly, September 1963-November 1963 #Rear Admiral

G. S. Patrick Goldsborough Serpell Patrick (26 April 1907 – 21 March 1999) was a Rear admiral (United States), rear admiral in the United States Navy. Biography Patrick was born Goldsborough Serpell Patrick on Yerba Buena Island, Goat Island in San Franci ...

, November 1963-June 1964 #Captain J. C. Kelly, June 1964-September 1964 #Rear Admiral

Frederick J. Becton Rear Admiral Frederick Julian Becton (May 15, 1908 – December 25, 1995) was a decorated United States Navy officer. He is probably best remembered for commanding the destroyer in World War II during an intense Japanese '' kamikaze'' attack. ...

, September 1964-September 1965 #Vice Admiral Ray Cannon Needham, September 1965-May 1969 #Vice Admiral Arthur R. Gralla, May 1969-February 1970 #Vice Admiral John A. Tyree, Jr., February 1970-November 1971 #Vice Admiral

Means Johnston, Jr. Means Johnston Jr. (December 5, 1916 – July 14, 1989) was an admiral in the United States Navy. A native of Mississippi, Johnston graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1939. During World War II, Johnston commanded a naval base at R ...

, November 1971-November 1973 #Rear Admiral

B. H. Shepherd B is the second letter of the Latin alphabet. B may also refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Astronomy * Astronomical objects in the Barnard list of dark nebulae (abbreviation B) * Latitude (''b'') in the galactic coordinate syste ...

, November 1973-July 1975 #Rear Admiral Martin D. Carmody, July 1975-July 1977 #Rear Admiral Stanley J. Anderson, July 1977-July 1980 #Rear Admiral Daniel G. McCormick III, August 1980-October 1981 #Rear Admiral Edward W. Carter III, November 1981-August 1982 #Rear Admiral Henry C. Mustin, September 1982-August 1984 #Rear Admiral

Jerry O. Tuttle Jerry Owen Tuttle (December 18, 1934 – October 30, 2018) was a Vice admiral (United States), vice admiral in the United States Navy. He was the second Captain of and commanded the ; Naval Inspector General; Deputy and Chief of Staff for the Com ...

, September 1984-October 1985 #Rear Admiral John H. Fetterman, Jr., November 1985-June 1987 #Rear Admiral Ming Chang, July 1987-September 1990 #Rear Admiral

George W. Davis VI George Washington Davis VI (born 20 August 1938) was a rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admi ...

, September 1990-November 1992 #Vice Admiral David M. Bennett, November 1992-August 1995 #Vice Admira
James R. Fitzgerald
, September 1995-July 1997 #Vice Admiral

Lee F. Gunn Lee Fredric Gunn (born 1942 in Michigan) is a retired Vice Admiral and former Naval Inspector General of the United States Department of the Navy. Education and Family Gunn earned a Bachelor’s degree in Experimental and Physiological Psychology ...

, July 1997-August 2000 #Vice Admiral Michael D. Haskins, August 2000-January 2003 #Vice Admiral Albert T. Church III, March 2003-August 2004 #Vice Admiral

Ronald A. Route Ronald A. Route (born October 24, 1949) is a retired Vice Admiral and former Naval Inspector General of the United States Navy and a former President of the Naval War College. On July 16, 2013, Vice Admiral Route was named President of the Naval ...

, August 2004- November 2007 #Vice Admiral Anthony L. Winns November 2007- 18 April 2011 #Vice Admiral

James P. Wisecup James P. "Phil" Wisecup (born 1954 in Piqua, Ohio) is a retired United States Navy vice admiral, who last served as the 38th Naval Inspector General. Prior to that, he served as the president of the Naval War College. Since October 2013, he h ...

, 18 April 2011 - 5 September 2013 #Vice Admiral

James F. Caldwell, Jr. James Franklin "Frank" Caldwell Jr. (born March 24, 1959) is an admiral in the United States Navy who currently serves as director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, a job once held by the program's creator, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover. He pr ...

, 5 September 2013 – 15 May 2015 #Vice Admiral

Herman A. Shelanski Herman may refer to: People * Herman (name), list of people with this name * Saint Herman (disambiguation) * Peter Noone (born 1947), known by the mononym Herman Places in the United States * Herman, Arkansas * Herman, Michigan * Herman, Min ...

, 15 May 2015 – 1 August 2018 #Vice Admiral Richard P. Snyder, 1 August 2018 – 11 June 2021 #Vice Admiral

John V. Fuller John Vincent Fuller (born 1965) is a United States Navy vice admiral who serves as the 42nd Naval Inspector General since June 11, 2021. Prior to that, Fuller served as deputy director for force protection of the Joint Staff and before that ...

, 11 June 2021 – present

References

External links

* {{official website, https://www.secnav.navy.mil/ig/
10 U.S. Code § 5020 - Naval Inspector General: detail; duties
United States Inspectors General *Inspector Office of the Secretary of the Navy 1942 establishments in the United States

History

List of Naval Inspectors General

See also

References

External links