Yeomanettes Posed in Front of their Barracks at Mare Island Naval Yard, California, ca. 1918
“While the boys were away, we worked for Victory!”
A precursor to the better known WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), Yeomanettes were the first women to enlist in the U.S. Navy after the Naval Reserve Act of 1916 omitted gender as a condition of service. The majority of Yeomanettes served in clerical positions and stayed stateside during World War I, supporting the mass of paperwork behind the war effort. Upwards of 150 Yeomanettes were stationed at Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY) in Vallejo, CA, the first Navy base established on the west coast. These posed and candid photographs show these trailblazing women at work and rest in full uniform. Although all Yeomenettes were released from active duty in July 1919, many continued to work in civil service positions at installations throughout the Navy.
Supply Department Yeomanettes Posed in Front of their Barracks at Mare Island Naval Yard, CA, ca. 1918. National Archives Identifier: 296899.
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