A lone mystery sailor may have nudged US naval strategy toward a multibillion-dollar U-turn—and no one can prove he exists. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Marcus Weisgerber traces how President Trump's fixation on "Bill Jones," a supposed sailor who preferred old-school steam catapults on aircraft carriers over modern electromagnetic launchers, has led to an order for the Navy to study putting 20th-century tech on a not-yet-built 21st-century warship. Trump says Jones convinced him during a 2017 tour of the USS Gerald R. Ford that steam was simpler and more reliable than the new Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS).
Navy brass never found the man, but they've been tasked with planning for steam catapults and hydraulic elevators on the USS Doris Miller (aka CVN 81), the fourth Ford-class carrier that is due in the 2030s—despite experts warning that steam parts aren't made anymore and EMALS having recently outperformed steam in testing. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao has told subordinates the debate is over, and that "our task now is to provide the plan on how to implement." The about-face amounts to "a multibillion-dollar change that was resulting from largely this one sailor's interaction with the president," says Hudson Institute naval expert Bryan Clark. "Which is kind of crazy when you think about the level of impact a single person had." For the full account of the search for "Bill Jones" and what's at stake for the fleet, read Weisgerber's piece in the Wall Street Journal.
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