The WAVES were a World War II era division of the U.S. Navy that consisted entirely of women. The name of this group is an acronym for "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service"; the word 'emergency' implied that the acceptance of women was due to the unusual circumstances of WWII and that at the end of the war the women would not be allowed to continue in Navy careers.

The WAVES began in August 1942, when Mildred McAfee was sworn in as a Naval Reserve Lieutenant Commander, the first female commissioned officer in U.S. Navy history, and the first Director of the WAVES. Within a year the WAVES were 27,000 strong. A large proportion of the WAVES did clerical work but some took positions in the aviation community, Judge Advocate General Corps, medical professions, communications, intelligence, science and technology.

Compare to Women's Auxiliary Air Force