Captain Arthur F. Wardwell Jr. “Sonny”, age 88, of San Diego, California and Castine, Maine, passed away peacefully at his home on July 10th, 2025 keeping his last watch over San Diego Harbor. Art was born on March 13th, 1937 in Bangor Maine, the youngest child of Arthur F. Wardwell and Mildred “McMahone” Wardwell. He attended Bangor High school graduating in 1955. He attended the Maine Maritime Academy and was recognized as a gifted Battalion Executive Officer. When not in the Engine room or on Liberty excursions, “Sonny” spent his weekends at the camp in Castine and traveling to and from Bangor via the “Hilltop”.

After Graduating from MMA in 1958, he was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy where he went on to have a remarkable career. He served on the USS General William Mitchell and later on the Charles F. Adams, a missile guided destroyer. He rose steadily through the ranks with his strong work ethic and people skills, becoming a Captain at a young age. After spending his first few years serving in Maine and in Seattle, he was moved to the West Coast where he started his family. His constant promotions took him from San Diego Shipyard to Long Beach Naval Shipyard and ultimately to San Francisco’s Hunter Point Shipyard where he ran the repair operations over the 1980’s rebuild of the President Ronald Reagan’s 300 ship Navy under Admiral Zumwalt. He graduated from Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, CA and received an executive MBA at the University of Southern California. He finished his Naval career as the Commanding Officer of Mare Island Engineering Duty Officer School.

After he retired from his 25 year Naval Career, he went to work in Commercial Ship Repair as an executive at San Diego Iron and Steel later named Continental Maritime. Sonny had extensive family roots in Castine, Maine where his ancestors had been for over 300 years. As a boy, he worked summers at Wardwell market on Water Street visiting his grandfather a few houses away. He was very active socially and popular in town. Across the street his future wife Judith E. (Sawyer) Sandven was working at the Village drugstore (Castine Variety Store). They were married in Seattle in 1959 while Judith attended the University of Washington for a Nursing degree. They had 3 boys in 27 months, Brian G. Wardwell, Arthur F. Wardwell, 3rd, and Scott A. Wardwell. He is predeceased by his sister Jacqueline Wardwell (Lee) and his son Brian G. Wardwell.

Art was an avid hunter and enjoyed spending his weekends shooting clays and making his own ammo. He enjoyed running in the morning and following it up with a beer. He was a gentleman farmer, off Neck, where he rebuilt a 120 year old family farm house where Sawyers, Wardwells, friends and neighbors have gathered for four generations.

As the final eight bells ring, we bid farewell to Art, wishing him fair winds and following seas on his journey to see our Almighty Father, whose way is in the sea and whose paths are in the great waters.

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