The WAVES were a World War II-era division of the U.S. Navy that consisted entirely of women. The name of this group is an acronym for "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service" (as well as an allusion to ocean waves); the word "emergency" implied that the acceptance of women was due to the unusual circumstances of the war and that at the end of the war the women would not be allowed to continue in Navy careers.
Within their first year the WAVES were 27,000 strong and with the passage of the Women's Armed Services Integration Act (Public Law 625) on June 12, 1948, women gained permanent status in the armed services.
Although the WAVES officially ceased to exist, the acronym was in common use well into the 1970s.
If you are/were an active duty female in the US NAVY, please join us!