c. Two sources state that Callaghan was promoted to the rank of vice admiral soon after his appointment to command the MSTS. Historian Salvatore Mercogliano (c. 2000) states that the initial commander of the MSTS was "Rear Admiral William M. Callaghan (subsequently promoted to Vice Admiral)" and a 1962 ship directory states that "[MSTS's] first commander, Rear-Admiral William Callaghan, was soon promoted to vice-admiral, and the M.S.T.S. has been a ' three-star' command ever since" (p. 41). Another article by Mercogliano (2000) states that Callaghan was still ranked a rear admiral in early July 1950. Two other sources, a later article by Mercogliano (2009) and Military Sealift Command's timeline, state that MSTS's first commander was Vice Admiral William M. Callaghan. It is not clear whether these last two sources were simply reporting Callaghan's rank at the time of writing, well after 1949, or whether they were implying that Callaghan was already a vice admiral before taking command of the MSTS.