An "old salt" is an old sailor or mariner who tells oral history and sea stories. Sometimes deemed a sage within their domain, and while sometimes a raconteur, much of the history and traditions of mariners are passed from generation to generation as told and retold by old salts. Their factual oral histories and fictional sea stories often intermingle and thus may overall be truthful, half-true, or fiction. Each narrative told by an old salt tends to have the aim of enhancing the reputation of the old salt, the old salt's companions, or the old salt's forebears, although they may also tell instructive tales of tragedy.
United States military title
In the United States Navy, the "Old Salt" is a title passed to the longest serving Surface Warfare Officer on active duty. The award was most recently held by Admiral James W. Kilby, honors the officer with the earliest standing SWO qualification.
List of titleholders
Portrait Name Tenure as titleholder Positions held Ref Date received Date relinquished Time as titleholder 1 AdmiralLee Baggett Jr. December 9, 1988 Commander-in-Chief,United States Atlantic Command (1985-1988) 2 Rear AdmiralLawrence Layman December 9, 1988 February 28, 1989 Director of Space, Command and Control (1986-1989) 3 Vice AdmiralAlbert J. Herberger March 21, 1990 Deputy Commander-in-Chief,United States Transportation Command (1987-1990) 4 Vice AdmiralJoseph S. Donnell III March 21, 1990 January 31, 1991 Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet (????-1991) 5 AdmiralDavid E. Jeremiah February 1, 1991 February 28, 1994 Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1990-1994) 6 Vice AdmiralDavid M. Bennett March 1, 1994 August 25, 1995 Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet (1990-1992)Naval Inspector General (1992-1995) 7 Vice AdmiralPhilip M. Quast February 14, 1997 Commander, Military Sealift Command (1995-1997) 8 Rear AdmiralGeorge F.A. Wagner April 30, 1998 Commander,Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (1995-1998) 9 Rear AdmiralGeorge A. Huchting January 14, 1999 Program Executive Officer for Surface Combatants (1991-1998) 10 Rear AdmiralDennis R. Conley January 14, 1999 March 31, 1999 Commander, Mine Warfare Command (1996-1999) 11 Rear AdmiralJames B. Ferguson III April 1, 1999 June 1, 1999 Commander, Western Hemisphere Group (????-1999) 12 Vice AdmiralJames F. Amerault June 2, 1999 July 24, 2001 Deputy Chief of Naval Operations(Fleet Readiness and Logistics) (1998-2001) 13 Vice AdmiralRodney P. Rempt July 25, 2001 May 21, 2007 President of the Naval War College (2001-2003)Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy (2003-2007) 14 AdmiralMichael Mullen December 16, 2011 Chief of Naval Operations (2005-2007)Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2007-2011) 15 AdmiralJohn C. Harvey Jr. September 14, 2012 Commander,United States Fleet Forces Command (2009-2012) 16 Vice AdmiralJohn Terence Blake December 17, 2012 Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Integrationof Capabilities and Resources (2012) 17 Vice AdmiralMichael A. Lefever May 7, 2014 Director, Strategic Operational Planning,National Counterterrorism Center (2011-2014) 18 AdmiralSamuel J. Locklear June 22, 2015 Commander,United States Pacific Command (2012-2015) 19 AdmiralKurt W. Tidd October 22, 2018 Assistant to theChairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2013-2016)Commander,United States Southern Command (2016-2018) 20 AdmiralPhilip S. Davidson April 30, 2021 Commander,United States Indo-Pacific Command (2018-2021) 21 AdmiralChristopher W. Grady September 30, 2025 Commander,United States Fleet Forces Command (2018-2021)Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2021–2025)
References