U.S. Naval Academy
The History Department at Annapolis hosts this world-renowned event biennially to highlight the latest research on naval and maritime history from academics and practitioners all over the globe. Held since 1973, the symposium has been described as the U.S. Navy’s “largest regular meeting of naval historians in the world.”
Academic Paper Presentation by Petty Officer Tompkins, Ph.D.
PO Tompkins, Ph.D., is the Curatorial Historian for the National Coast Guard Museum. In addition to preparing academic presentations and publications for the museum, he also acts as the institution’s primary narrative contributor and as one of its public outreach representatives.
PO Tompkins’s presentation will explore the hand-operated decryption practices employed by the Coast Guard’s World War II-era cryptologic team known simply as “Unit #387.”
“I view historical research as the ultimate scavenger hunt. When you’re going through boxes looking for this one document or that one photograph, if you finally find it, you know you can use it to help make a new addition to the vast wealth of human knowledge.” –PO Tompkins
Museum Connections
Historic Highlights, Featured Figures, Artifacts, and Exhibits that relate to this event.
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Historic Highlight
Enforcers of the Seas
Rum War ExhibitCurtailing illegal alcohol smuggling during Prohibition would become the largest law enforcement mission in the Coast Guard's long and storied history.
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Featured Figure
Elizebeth Smith Friedman
"Cryptologist-in-Charge"During Prohibition, Elizebeth Friedman led a small Coast Guard cryptologic team that cracked codes sent from rumrunners operating off U.S. shores.
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Artifact
Enigma Machine
CG Heritage Asset CollectionDuring Prohibition, Coast Guard cryptographers cracked codes sent by rumrunners who used this sophisticated cipher machine.
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Interactive Exhibit
Codebreaking
Problem-SolvingFind a message embedded within a virtual panel. Once found, visitors will be able to unravel an historic cipher once cracked by Elizebeth Friedman.
So little was known in this country of codes and ciphers when the United States entered World War I, that we ourselves had to be the learners, the workers and the teachers all at one and the same time.
– Elizebeth Friedman, Coast Guard Codebreaker