It is with a heavy heart that I share the news that Grant Walker passed away on May 6, 2025, after a battle with cancer. He was 73 years old.
Grant was, in every sense, a man who found his calling. A West Point graduate, Army Ranger, and veteran Foreign Area Officer, he retired from the Army in 1993 after a final posting as an instructor of history at the United States Naval Academy — and it was there, walking the halls of the Museum in Preble Hall, that he encountered the Rogers Collection of dockyard ship models. What began as a spark of curiosity grew into more than thirty years of devoted scholarship. Grant didn’t just study these models — he came to know them with an intimacy that few people in the world could claim. He could walk you through a room of centuries-old objects and make each one come alive with history, context, and quiet wonder. I was fortunate enough to receive a personal tour of the collection from Grant on more than one occasion, and I can tell you that his love for those models — and for the Naval Academy Museum and its team — was unmistakable in every word he spoke.
The result of that lifelong devotion is the four-volume series The Rogers Collection of Dockyard Models at the U.S. Naval Academy, published by SeaWatch Books. It is a monumental work — one of the most authoritative and beautifully produced maritime reference series we have ever had the privilege to publish. Volume IV — the final installment in the series — was completed by Grant before his passing and will be published soon as a tribute to his life’s work. We are committed to seeing it into print with all the care it deserves.
Grant is survived by his beloved wife Annick, who was his constant champion and, in his own words, the person without whom none of this would have been possible. Our deepest sympathies go to her.
Working with Grant over these past several years was one of the genuine privileges of running SeaWatch Books. He was gracious, meticulous, and deeply generous with his knowledge. The maritime community has lost one of its finest scholars — and I have lost a friend.
