William J. Prom has been named the 2022 Naval History Author of the Year. The award was presented at the historic 150th Annual Meeting of the U.S. Naval Institute in Annapolis, Maryland, on 10 May.
Prom received the award based on two articles. “The Brothers Brown” (February 2022) looks behind the scenes of U.S. naval glory in the War of 1812 to shine the light on a pair of immensely talented and remarkably prolific shipbuilding siblings. “When the War Against the Slave Trade Picked Up Steam” (August 2022) details how the U.S. fleet’s slave-traffic interdiction efforts had been fighting an uphill battle for years—until a new ship type came to the rescue.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Kyle Cregge, U.S. Navy, has been named the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings 2022 Author of the Year. A surface warfare officer, Lieutenant Cregge has been a consistent writer for Proceedings for the past few years, and 2022 was a banner year for him. He published two feature articles, a commentary, a “Nobody Asked Me, But. . .” column, and a couple of book reviews. He had been nominated for 2021 Author of the Year as well—and he won Third Prize in the 2022 CNO Naval History Essay Contest for “Avoiding ABDACOM’s Annihilation: Lessons for Today from 1942.”
On the book front, the Naval Institute Press Author of the Year Award went to Porter Alexander Halyburton for his acclaimed Reflections on Captivity: A Tapestry of Stories by a Vietnam War POW.
Essay Contest winners also were announced at the Institute’s Annual Meeting. General Prize Essay Contest winners were: First Prize—Mike Sweeney, for “Submarines Will Reign in a War with China.” Second Prize—Lieutenant Commander Aaron Marchant, U.S. Navy, for “Strategy by Other Means.” Third Prize—Captain Sam Tangredi, U.S. Navy (Retired), for “Fighting When the Network Dies.”
Information Warfare Essay Contest winners were: First Prize—Lieutenant Commander Adam Reiffen, U.S. Navy, for “Navy Information Warfare Needs Requirements Officers.” Second Prize—Lieutenant Commander Eric P. Seligman, U.S. Navy Reserve, for “Changing the Cyber Warfare Leadership Paradigm.” Third Prize—Lieutenant Commander Greg Porter, U.S. Navy, for “Run Silent, Not Deep.”
Midshipmen and Cadets Essay Contest winners were: First Prize—Midshipman Third Class Quentin Zimmer, U.S. Navy, for “Flexible Frigates: The Oliver Hazard Perry’s Lessons for the Constellation.” Second Prize—Cadet First Class Mark Colvin, U.S.Coast Guard, for “PARATUS?” Third Prize—Midshipman Second Class Jack Montgomery, U.S. Navy Reserve, for “Build Missiles Now.”