Nathan Sonenshein

Background

Sonenshein, Nathan was born on August 2, 1915 in Lodi, New Jersey, United States. Son of H. W. and Sarah Sonenshein.

Education

Bachelor of Science, United States Naval Academy, 1938. Master of Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1944. Graduate Advanced Management Program, Harvard University, 1964.

Career

A native of Lodi, New Jersey, Sonenshein began his four-decade naval career by attending and receiving a commission from the United States. Naval Academy. In 1970, he was head of the Navy"s Bureau of Ships, just before it became the Naval Ship Systems Command. After his retirement in 1974, Sonenshein lived in Fairfax, Virginia.

He moved to Moraga, California less than a decade later and became assistant to the president of Global Marine Development, Incorporated., in Newport Beach, California.

During his tenure, the board produced a report, "Criteria for the Depths of Dredged Navigational Channels". The Reagan Administration"s choices for the panel membership drew criticism from environmentalists, who noted that it included no atmospheric scientists.

One of the committee"s more controversial reports during his tenure suggested that United States. shipyards be allowed to go out of business rather than be propped up by government subsidy. The report, released July 16, 1985, concluded that the country"s shipyard capacity is "considerably greater" than would be required in a major conventional war.

Using classified Pentagon studies, the report concluded that shipyards could expand production by 3½ to six times, providing all the new ships that would be needed.

"Look at England in the Falklands", Sonenshein told the Washington Post. "In less than two months, they were able to modify and convert some 50 of their merchant ships that were then used for naval operations..Sure, it"s always better to have more shipyards and more merchant ships to give you a margin of safety. But the hard question is, are you going to pay for it? I wouldn"t pay for any more than we now have."

Sonenshein died at Kaiser Permanente in San Rafael, California, aged 85.

He was buried at Oakmont Cemetery in Lafayette, California.

Achievements

• Nathan Sonenshein has been listed as a noteworthy company executive, naval officer by Marquis Who's Who.

Membership

Member American Society Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (vice president), American Society Naval Engineers (past president, Higher Education Saunders medal 1982), Sigma Xi.

Connections

Married Ila Nina Maria Baker, May 11, 1941. Children: Carol Dale Manashil, William Baker.

Father:

H. W.

Mother:

Sarah Sonenshein

Spouse:

Ila Nina Maria Baker

child:

William Baker Sonenshein

child:

Carol Dale Manashil Sonenshein