Thomas B. Allen is well known for his writing on the subjects of espionage and military history. His books include Declassified: 50 Top-Secret Documents That Changed Military History (National Geographic, 2008). He is also the coauthor with Norman Polmar of Spy Book: The Encyclopedia of Espionage (Greenhill Books, 1997) and An Encyclopedia of World War II: America at War 1941–1945 (Random House, 1991).
Tim McGrath is the author of John Barry: An American Hero in the Age of Sail (Westholme Publishing, 2011) and Give Me a Fast Ship: The Continental Navy and America’s Revolution at Sea (NAL, 2014), winner of the Maryland Historical Society’s Marion Brewington Award for Naval Literature. He has given presentations on Commodore Barry at the Independence Seaport Museum Library and at the Bayshore Discovery Project.
Senior Chief Dennis L. Noble entered the enlisted force of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1957, retiring in 1978 as a senior chief petty officer. After retirement, he earned a PhD in U.S. history from Purdue University. He is the author of 15 books, including The Sailor’s Homer: The Life and Times of Richard McKenna, Author of The Sand Pebbles (Naval Institute Press), due out in November. He lives in Sequim, Washington, with his wife, Loren.
Norman Polmar is an internationally known analyst, consultant, and award-winning author specializing in the naval, aviation, and intelligence areas. He is the author or coauthor of more than 50 published books, including nine editions of Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet and four editions of Guide to the Soviet Navy, as well as U.S. Nuclear Arsenal (2009) and Ship Killer (2010), both published by the Naval Institute Press.
David Sears, a New Jersey–based military historian and former U.S. Navy destroyer officer, is the author of four books, including Pacific Air: How Fearless Flyboys, Peerless Aircraft, and Fast Flattops Conquered the Skies in the War with Japan (2011) and Such Men as These: The Story of Navy Pilots Who Flew the Deadly Skies Over Korea (2010), both published by DaCapo.
William H. Thiesen is the Atlantic-area historian for the U.S. Coast Guard. Previously he served as curator and assistant director of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. His books include Industrializing American Shipbuilding: The Transformation of Ship Design and Construction, 1820–1920 (2006) and Cruise of the Dashing Wave: Rounding Cape Horn in 1860 (2010), both published by University Press of Florida.
Barrett Tillman is a widely regarded authority on air warfare in World War II and the author of numerous books and articles on military aviation topics, including Enterprise: America’s Fightingest Ship and the Men Who Helped Win World War II (Simon & Schuster, 2012) and Clash of the Carriers: The True Story of the Marianas Turkey Shoot of World War II (NAL, 2006). He lives in Mesa, Arizona.
Charles G. Westwater became a Catholic priest following World War II, joining the Dominican Friars. After leaving the priesthood, he earned a degree from MIT and worked for Pennsylvania Power and Light Company. Later he taught at Westchester (New York) Community College. Part of his article was originally published in Tom Brokaw’s book An Album of Memories: Personal Histories from the Greatest Generation (Random House, 2001).