United States Navy
There is a long, proud tradition of United States Navy involvement in the exploration and governance of both Westarctica and the entire continent of Antarctica. Without the influence of the Navy, it's quite possible Westarctica would not exist at all.
From the 1920s to the 1960s, the United States Navy led the world in exploration of Marie Byrd Land, the most remote part of Antarctica, which remained largely unexplored and had not been claimed by any nation.
Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd was the driving force behind the Navy's penetration into the Great White Continent and his teams largely consisted of Navy personnel with some civilian scientists to support their operations. As a result of this heavy involvement of U.S. sailors and naval officers, most features in Westarctica were consequently named after them. A few examples include:
- Dorrel Rock: Leo E. Dorrel - Hospital corpsman at Byrd Station.
- McDonald Heights: Captain Edwin A. McDonald - Deputy Commander of the U.S. Naval Support Force, Antarctica.
- Breeding Nunatak: George H. Breeding - Storekeeper of Byrd Station.
- Cape Burks: Lieutenant Commander Ernest Burks - Senior helicopter pilot on the USS Glacier.
- Dotson Ice Shelf: Lieutenant William A. Dotson - formerly Officer in Charge of the Ice Reconnaissance Unit of the Naval Oceanographic Office.
From the early days of the Achaean Territory, active duty U.S. Navy sailors have always held prominent positions in the government and nobility of Westarctica.
- Grand Duke Travis: The Grand Duke was onboard the USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) when he discovered the existence of Marie Byrd Land. Much of the Achaean Civil Code and Achaean Royal Charter were written onboard the same ship. During his late nights while standing 24-hour duty onboard the Kearsarge, Travis discovered and researched other micronations through the MicroFreedom Index. In particular, he once spent an entire watch shift reading every single page on Molossia's website.
- Prince Daniel Nicholas: Second in line to the throne of Westarctica, the son of Grand Duke Travis enlisted in the U.S. Navy in November 2024.
- Count of Ellsworth: James Truett was a Photographer's Mate 1st Class onboard the Kearsage and was given a title after he expressed interest in joining the nobility of Westarctica. He designed some stamps that were ultimately not used, and provided some photographic services to the Crown.
- Marquise of Walgreen: The former Grand Duchess Cathryn, Royal Consort of Grand Duke Travis, was an Intelligence Specialist stationed on the USS Kearsarge and later served at the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia.
- Consular-Consort: The former Consular-Consort, Rebecca St. Ann, was a Cryptologic Tech stationed onboard the USS Kearsarge with the Grand Duke during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
- Baron Stogner: Westarctica's Minister of Immigration for two months in early 2018, was a submariner on the USS Sunfish fast attack submarine.