PLANET OCEAN ✦ THE VETERAN STORY
Video VII — The Foundation
This Was Never
Just a Business.
Planet Ocean Underwater Hotels was not built in a boardroom. It was built from a bloodline — a family of service, sacrifice, and an unwavering belief that America's greatest resource is the men and women who chose to defend her.
Tony's Family · Mother's Side — World War II
USN Commander Haffenden.
Operation Underworld.
Sicily — The Decision That Saved Thousands
On his mother's side, Tony Webb's family includes USN Commander Charles Radcliffe Haffenden — the Naval Intelligence officer who made one of the most unconventional decisions in American military history. Commander Haffenden arranged the release of Lucky Luciano to leverage his network in securing the Allied invasion of Sicily.
The intelligence that followed protected the Allied landing. Thousands of American lives were saved. His work in Europe was done. Most men would have gone home.
Commander Haffenden requested Pacific action.
Tony's Family · Mother's Side — Iwo Jima
Beach Master.
Iwo Jima.
February 1945. One of the most ferocious battles in the history of the United States Marine Corps. 70,000 American troops. Five weeks of combat. Nearly 7,000 Americans killed.
First USN Officer Across the Beach — Under Fire
According to USN history, Commander Haffenden was the first United States Naval officer to fully cross the beach under intense gunfire as Beach Master at Iwo Jima. The Beach Master stands exposed on the shore — directing men, vehicles, and supplies through withering fire so the invasion can succeed.
He didn't have to be there. He requested it. From the streets of New York to the sands of Iwo Jima — unconventional courage, twice over.
The Formation of a Naval Mind
Admiral Farragut Academy,
St. Petersburg
At an age when most boys were discovering high school, Tony Webb was already living the naval life — training, studying, and earning distinctions that most officers never achieve.
- ★Admiral Farragut Academy — 9th and 10th grade. One of America's most prestigious naval preparatory academies.
- ★Flying Solo on Jets — At that young age, already flying alone.
- ★Scuba Certified — 1968 — The ocean entered Tony Webb's life not as a destination — but as a calling.
- ★Oceanography & Celestial Navigation — Navigated by the stars. This skill would define his entire naval career.
- ★All Honors — Academic and naval training. No shortcuts. No exceptions.
The Decision to Serve
He Didn't Have To.
He Chose To.
Because of my prior naval training, I volunteered four years to serve my country. I worked on the bridge and navigated before there was GPS. Our ship was testing GPS in 1978.
— Tony Webb, Founder · Planet Ocean Underwater Hotels
On the Bridge
Navigating by Stars
Before GPS Existed
Tony Webb navigated United States Navy warships using celestial navigation — reading the stars the way sailors had for centuries. And then, in 1978, his ship became one of the first in the fleet to test the technology that would change navigation forever.
4Years Volunteered
1978GPS Testing — First Fleet
★★★Bridge Navigator
Celestial Trained
USNUnited States Navy Veteran
The Mission They Couldn't Announce
Orders Revealed
After Departure.
We were told our orders after we left Norfolk Naval Station. Shanghaied to believe it was a navigational journey around the world — that ended that night. We loaded the intelligence operatives in Rota, Spain, and headed to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
— Tony Webb · Norfolk Naval Station Departure
The Red Sea · Gulf of Aden
58 Days.
No Land. No Return.
The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden — some of the most strategically volatile waters on Earth. No shore leave. No contact. Just the mission, the crew, and the sea. If the crew had known in advance, most would never have shipped out. They volunteered for something else entirely — and became part of history.
58Days at Sea Without Land
RotaSpain — Intelligence Operatives
Red SeaGulf of Aden Deployment
The Veteran Foundation
He Chose Veterans
Because He Is One.
Planet Ocean Underwater Hotels is 100% employee-owned by United States Veterans. This was not a marketing decision. It was a personal one. Tony Webb knows what it means to serve — and he built his life's work to honor that service in every crew member, every weld, every night beneath the sea.
- ⚓Ex-USN & USCG Veterans — Every crew member a qualified naval or coast guard veteran. Every state represented.
- ⚓18 Crew Per Property — 3 teams. All-male, all-female, husband and wife. Employee-owners.
- ⚓Captain Elected as CEO — Democratic leadership that governs the finest vessels in the fleet.
★ 100% Employee-Owned Veterans Company ★
PLANET OCEAN ✦ UNDERWATER HOTELS
Built on Service. Guided by Faith. Given to the World.
The Webb Family
Still Serves.
From the docks of New York Harbor to the depths of the Red Sea — from the stars that guided my ship to the ocean floor where guests will sleep — this has always been a mission. It still is.
— Tony Webb, Founder · Planet Ocean Underwater Hotels, LLC · Key West, Florida