The Force Behind The Fleet > Media

An official website of the United States government

Here's how you know

Official websites use .mil

A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.

Secure .mil websites use HTTPS

A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

The Force Behind The Fleet

Search the NAVSEA site:

Tag: William “Deak” Parsons

Forged in war: How Dahlgren’s work shaped victory in 1945
August 18, 2025 — Capt. William “Deak” Parsons lowered himself into the bomb bay of the “Enola Gay” in the early morning hours of Aug. 6, 1945. Minutes before, the B-29 Superfortress had departed from the North Field of Tinian Island. Parsons worked by flashlight, inserting a powder charge and detonator into a weapon unlike anything the world had ever seen.It was a... MORE

DAHLGREN, Va. – Rear Adm. William “Deak” Parsons served at the Naval Proving Grounds in Dahlgren, Virginia and as the leader of the Ordnance Division of the Manhattan Project during World War II.

Headquarters

Media Queries

Phone: 202-781-4123
Email: NAVSEA_public_affairs@us.navy.mil