Navy never found 'Bill Jones', the sailor Trump says inspired his steam catapult order
The Wall Street Journal reports that Navy leaders searched for the sailor Trump calls "Bill Jones", whom he credits with convincing him to return to steam catapults, and never found him. A Navy spokesman said it cannot locate him in its records without more identifying details.
1 / 1
The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2The Wall Street Journal reported that Navy leaders searched for a sailor named "Bill Jones", whom President Donald Trump credits with convincing him to bring back steam catapults on aircraft carriers, and "never found him", according to defense officials. Hindustan TimesN “They never found him, according to defense officials.” Read at Hindustan Times ↗ Raw StoryL “Citing unnamed defense officials, the Journal reported that Navy leaders had actually conducted a search for the mysterious Jones but turned up empty-handed.” Read at Raw Story ↗ Centre · 1Trump has described Jones as a "catapulter" who served in the Navy for 25 years and loves the smell of steam, and says Jones told him steam launch technology was superior to the electromagnetic system. Hindustan TimesN “Trump has described the man as a “catapulter” who served in the Navy for 25 years and loves the smell of steam.” Read at Hindustan Times ↗ Centre · 1In August, Trump signed a national security memorandum directing the Navy to work out the cost and timeline for installing steam catapults and hydraulic elevators on the carrier now known as CVN 81, which is expected to join the fleet in 2034. Hindustan TimesN “In August, Trump signed a national security memorandum directing the Navy to figure out the cost and timeline for installing steam catapults and hydraulic elevators in the ship currently known as CVN 81, expected to join the fleet in 2034.” Read at Hindustan Times ↗
Centre · 1The encounter dates to Trump's first term, when he toured the USS Gerald R. Ford in Virginia and, by his account, asked to see "the catapult people"; he says a sailor told him the Navy was making a mistake by dropping steam. Hindustan TimesN “It all started just months into Trump’s first term when he was in Virginia touring the USS Gerald R. Ford, the newest aircraft carrier in the Navy’s fleet.”“The president said a sailor told him the Navy was making a mistake by ditching the tried-and-true method of using steam catapults.” Read at Hindustan Times ↗ Centre · 1Trump has said the sailor told him electric catapults need "geniuses from MIT" to repair while steam ones can be fixed with a hammer and blowtorch; industry officials told the Journal both descriptions vastly oversimplify things. Hindustan TimesN “Industry officials said both descriptions vastly oversimplify things.” Read at Hindustan Times ↗ Centre · 1He raised the issue again in a November 2018 Thanksgiving call to the USS Ronald Reagan, where the commanding officer, then-Capt. Patrick Hannifin, said he preferred electromagnetic catapults, and later mentioned Jones by name at a January 2024 rally in Mason City, Iowa. Hindustan TimesN “Then-Capt. Patrick Hannifin, now a three-star admiral in charge of naval forces in the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans, told Trump that while steam is reliable now, he preferred electromagnetic catapults.”“He mentioned Jones by name during a January 2024 rally in Mason City, Iowa.” Read at Hindustan Times ↗
Mixed · 2The Journal contacted current and former Navy officials, lawmakers, White House aides and industry executives, and none knew the sailor's identity; a Navy spokesman said that without a date of birth or other identifying information, the Navy "cannot accurately locate this Sailor in our records". Hindustan TimesN “No one who was contacted knows the sailor’s identity.” Read at Hindustan Times ↗ Raw StoryL “A Navy spokesperson later confirmed to the Journal that it could not “accurately locate” Jones in its records.” Read at Raw Story ↗ Centre · 1An administration official said the Navy is not getting its Ford-class carriers fast enough and must simplify their design with time-tested technology, while Hunter Stires, a maritime strategist to former Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, said steam catapults have been out of production for decades. Hindustan TimesN ““Steam catapults have been out of production for decades—no one makes them anymore,” said Hunter Stires, the maritime strategist to former Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro.” Read at Hindustan Times ↗ Centre · 1Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said a return to steam would be a significant design change and that a February stress test showed the Ford's electromagnetic launchers outperformed steam ones, while Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao wrote in an Aug. 28 memo that "the debate on whether we do this has ended". Hindustan TimesN “He said a February stress test of the Ford’s electromagnetic launchers showed they outperformed their steam peers.”““To be clear, the debate on whether we do this has ended,” he wrote in an Aug. 28 memo” Read at Hindustan Times ↗
Left · 1Bryan Clark of the Hudson Institute said the change could be worth billions of dollars and result largely from one sailor's interaction with the president, calling that "kind of crazy". Raw StoryL ““This could ultimately be a multibillion-dollar change that was resulting from largely this one sailor’s interaction with the president,” Clark said.” Read at Raw Story ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Short rewrite of the WSJ report that treats the missing sailor as evidence of an odd presidential fixation and questions whether he existed.
- Emphasis
- The failed search, the cost of the demand and Clark's 'kind of crazy' quote.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Leaves out the Navy's explanation that it lacks identifying details, the technical and cost objections, the Navy leaders' public caution, and the history of the encounter.
- Charged language
- “bizarre obsession”“mystery sailor”
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Hindustan Times runs the WSJ feature in full (byline WSJ), as a detailed account of procurement, the origins of the idea and the Navy's search.
- Emphasis
- Background of the encounter, technical and cost objections, Navy leaders' caution and the Aug. 28 memo.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not suggest that Jones may not exist; it says only that he could not be identified.
- Charged language
- “mysterious Bill Jones”
- For example
-
“A chance encounter pushed the president to revamp the carrier fleet—and sent the Pentagon on a hunt for the elusive “Bill Jones.”” — Hindustan Times
“cannot accurately locate this Sailor in our records” — Hindustan Times
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Navy leaders searched for the sailor Trump calls Bill Jones and did not find him, according to defense officials cited by the WSJ.
- A Navy spokesperson said the Navy could not accurately locate him in its records.
- In August Trump directed the Navy to look at returning to steam catapults.
- Bryan Clark of the Hudson Institute called it 'kind of crazy' that one sailor's encounter could drive a multibillion-dollar change.
Where accounts differ
-
Whether the sailor exists
- Left
- Raw Story says the Navy could not verify that he ever existed and that records suggest he 'may not even exist'.
- Centre
- The WSJ text carried by Hindustan Times says only that he was never found and that the Navy cannot locate him without a date of birth or other identifying information.
Donald Trump person
Trump says a sailor named Bill Jones, a 25-year Navy 'catapulter', convinced him steam catapults are better than electromagnetic ones, and he ordered the Navy to study a return to steam. The coverage reports no comment from Trump on the failed search.
“Jones convinced Trump the old technology was superior to modern methods of launching jets, the president said.” — Hindustan Times
US Navy organisation
The Navy says it cannot accurately locate the sailor in its records without identifying details. Its leaders have been cautious publicly about cost, while the acting Navy secretary has said the debate is over and the task is to plan implementation.
“A Navy spokesman said that without his date of birth or other identifying information, it “cannot accurately locate this Sailor in our records.”” — Hindustan Times
““Our task now is to provide the plan on how to implement.”” — Hindustan Times
Left1 article
-
Mystery sailor behind Trump’s bizarre obsession 'never found' after US Navy scramble: WSJ
Critical Raw Story condenses the WSJ report, presenting Trump's demand as an obsession and suggesting the sailor may not exist.
Centre1 article
-
The Mystery of the Unknown Sailor Who Inspired Trump to Shake Up the Navy
Mixed WSJ feature carried by Hindustan Times: wry and detailed, treating the hunt as a mystery while setting out technical and cost objections.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 13 Oct 05:03 First Hindustan TimesN The Mystery of the Unknown Sailor Who Inspired Trump to Shake Up the Navy
- 13 Oct 19:12 +14h 8m Raw StoryL Mystery sailor behind Trump’s bizarre obsession 'never found' after US Navy scramble: WSJ
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
Ask about this story
Loading…