Northrop Grumman Presents Navigation Award to Graduating Midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) recently presented the first annual Elmer A. Sperry Junior Navigator of the Year Award to Midshipman First Class Kyle Szatkowski in ceremonies at the U.S. Naval Academy.

The Elmer A. Sperry Junior Navigator of the Year Award was established by Northrop Grumman’s Sperry Marine business unit, to honor the midshipman who demonstrated outstanding navigation skills and knowledge during the four years of professional development at the academy. The award honors the company’s founder, Elmer A. Sperry, who invented the first marine gyrocompass in 1908 and earned over 350 patents.

Jeff Holloway, director of U.S. defense business development and marketing/sales for Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine, a retired career naval officer and himself a 1977 academy graduate, presented Szatkowski a Weems and Plath brass gimbal clock in a wooden case with Szatkowski’s name inscribed, and a plaque with a personal letter signed by Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine’s vice president and general manager, J. Nolasco DaCunha, during a ceremony held at the Robert Crown Sailing Center at the Naval Academy on May 13.

“Midshipman Szatkowski was chosen for this important honor by a selection committee after being recommended by key faculty members,” said Capt. (sel) Chris Bushnell, chairman of the Seamanship and Navigation Department, U.S. Naval Academy. “He was the top student in the seamanship and navigation curricula over the past four years, demonstrating superior performance in the classroom during laboratory periods, as well as underway training sessions in the academy’s yard patrol craft.”

“The Elmer A. Sperry Junior Navigator of the Year Award is a natural extension of the company’s longstanding relationship with the U.S. Naval Academy,” said Holloway. “Midshipman Szatkowski is a most deserving recipient from his 1,036-member graduating class.”