This March marks the 102nd anniversary of a proud milestone in our Silent Service: the approval for wear of the Submarine Warfare Insignia, forever known to every qualified submariner as the “Dolphins”.

On 24 March 1924, Acting Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., gave final approval to the design that would identify those who had earned the right to serve beneath the waves. What began as a suggestion in June 1923 from Captain Ernest J. King (later Fleet Admiral and Chief of Naval Operations during World War II) became our enduring symbol of qualification, sacrifice, and brotherhood.

The design – a bow view of a surfaced O-class submarine flanked by two dolphins (actually the powerful dolphinfish, or mahi-mahi) resting on the bow planes – was crafted by the Philadelphia firm Bailey, Banks & Biddle. It was no accident that dolphins were chosen; these swift, intelligent creatures of the deep have long symbolized the sea and the unbreakable bond of those who dare to challenge it.

From that day forward, every officer and enlisted man who qualified in submarines wore the Dolphins with honor – gold for officers, silver for enlisted – on the left breast, a visible mark that they had mastered the most demanding duty in the Navy. Enlisted versions first appeared embroidered on sleeves before transitioning to the metal pin we know today.

Whether gold or silver, the Dolphins still mark the same truth they did in 1924: only those who have qualified know the true weight of the watch, the depth of the commitment, and the unbreakable bond of the Silent Service.

To all who wear them – past, present, and future – fair winds and following seas. May we continue to honor those who earned them first and those who still earn them today.

With Perpetual Remembrance and Eternal Vigilance!