query: military_branch george w. melville
supports: The United States Navy's Bureau of Ships (BuShips) was established by Congress on 20 June 1940, by a law which consolidated the functions of the Bureau of Construction and Repair (BuC&R) and the Bureau of Engineering (BuEng). The new bureau was to be headed by a chief and deputy-chief, one selected from the Engineering Corps (Marine Engineer) and the other from the Construction Corps (Naval Architect). The chief of the former Bureau of Engineering, Rear Admiral Samuel M. "Mike" Robinson, was named BuShips' first chief, while the former chief of the Bureau of Construction & Repair, Rear Admiral Alexander H. Van Keuren, was named as BuShips' first Deputy-Chief. The bureau's responsibilities included supervising the design, construction, conversion, procurement, maintenance, and repair of ships and other craft for the Navy; managing shipyards, repair facilities, laboratories, and shore stations; developing specifications for fuels and lubricants; and conducting salvage operations.  The Bureau of Steam Engineering was a bureau of the United States Navy, created by the act of 5 July 1862, receiving some of the duties of the former Bureau of Construction, Equipment and Repair. It became, by the Naval Appropriation Act of 4 June 1920, the Bureau of Engineering (BuEng). In 1940 it combined with the Bureau of Construction and Repair (BuC&R) and became the Bureau of Ships (BuShips). Rear Admiral George Wallace Melville , USN ( 10 January 1841 -- 17 March 1912 ) was an engineer , Arctic explorer and author . As chief of the Bureau of Steam Engineering , he headed a time of great expansion , technological progress and change , often in defiance of the conservative element of the Navy hierarchy . He superintended the design of 120 ships and introduced the water - tube boiler , the triple - screw propulsion system , vertical engines , the floating repair ship , and the `` distilling ship . '' Appointed Engineer in Chief of the Navy , Melville reformed the service entirely , putting Navy engineers on a professional rather than an artisan footing . Melville also established the Engineering Experiment Station ( EES ) near the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis . As Engineer - in - Chief of the Navy , he fought hard to get an appropriation of $ 400,000 for an experiment and testing laboratory to be located at Annapolis . He argued that such a facility would be a dependable means for testing machinery and equipment before its installation in Navy ships and aid training engineering officers . Both , he surmised , would increase the efficiency of the Navy . When the Navy offered to have this facility named after him , Melville refused with characteristic modesty . Melville made his first trip to the Arctic in 1873 , when he volunteered to help rescue 19 survivors of the Polaris expedition . Six years later , he volunteered to accompany Lieutenant Commander George W. DeLong on board the USS Jeannette to the Bering Strait in search of a quick way to the North Pole . Jeannette became icebound and was eventually crushed ; Melville , the 10 others in his small boat , and two from DeLong 's boat , were the only survivors . Despite the extreme length and hardships of the trip , he returned in search of DeLong and others who might possibly still be alive . He found none but retrieved all records of the expedition . The United States Congress awarded Melville the Congressional Gold Medal for his gallantry and resourcefulness ; the Navy advanced him 15 numbers on the promotion list . He wrote of the DeLong expedition in his book , In the Lena Delta , published in 1884 . The Bureau of Construction and Repair (BuC&R) was the part of the United States Navy which from 1862 to 1940 was responsible for supervising the design, construction, conversion, procurement, maintenance, and repair of ships and other craft for the Navy. The bureau also managed shipyards, repair facilities, laboratories, and shore stations.
candidates: navy united states navy
answer: united states navy