Caleb Barrett Laning
Born(1906-03-27)March 27, 1906
Kansas City, Missouri, US
DiedMay 31, 1991(1991-05-31) (aged 85)
Falls Church, Virginia, US
OccupationNaval officer

Rear Admiral Caleb Barrett Laning (born 27 March 1906, Kansas City, Missouri; died 31 May 1991, Falls Church, Virginia) was a highly decorated naval officer, writer, and technical adviser.[1][2] Laning is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.[3]

He was the nephew of four star Admiral Harris Laning.

Combat Information Center role

Laning was involved in the development of the U.S. naval Combat Information Center (CIC) during World War II. The idea was taken "specifically, consciously, and directly" from the spaceship Directrix in the Lensman novels of E. E. Smith, Ph.D.,[4] and influenced by the works of his friend, collaborator, and Naval Academy classmate, fellow Missourian Robert Heinlein,[5][6] but for bureaucratic reasons the source of the idea was not disclosed.

See also

References

  1. ^ Levy, Claudia (June 8, 1991). "Decorated Rear Adm. Caleb B. Laning Dies". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  2. ^ "Valor awards for Caleb Barrett Laning | Military Times Hall of Valor". Militarytimes.com. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  3. ^ ANC Explorer
  4. ^ Unpublished letter from John W. Campbell to E. E. Smith, pages 1–2, Dated 11 June 1947 in the collection of Verna Smith Trestrail
  5. ^ Robert A. Heinlein by William H. Patterson, Jr., volume 1, chapter 24.
  6. ^ Wysocki Jr., Edward M, “A Flight of Speculation” Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine, The Heinlein Journal 1998, Retrieved July 2011


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