Charles Dwight Sigsbee (January 16, 1845July 13, 1923) was a

rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. In his earlier career, he was a pioneering oceanographer and hydrographer. He is best remembered as the captain of , which exploded in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, in 1898 and set off the events that led up to the start of the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

. He was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

in 1899.

Early life

PSM V44 D349 The sigsbee deep sea sounding machine

Sigsbee was born in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

, and educated at The Albany Academy. He was appointed acting midshipman on 16 July 1862.

Military career

Sigsbee fought in numerous engagements during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, mostly against Confederate forts and batteries. Sigsbee served aboard , , and from 1863 to 1869, when he was assigned to duty at the

Naval Academy A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. List of naval academies See also

* Military academy {{Authority control Naval academies, Naval lists ...

. In 1871, he was assigned to the Hydrographic Office. He was first posted to the Hydrographic Office in 1873. He was assigned to the Coast Survey in 1874 and commanded the Coast Survey steamer '' Blake'' from 1875 to 1878. He returned to the Navy Hydrographic Office from 1878 to 1882 and served as

hydrographer Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primary ...

in the

Bureau of Navigation The Bureau of Navigation, later the Bureau of Navigation and Steamboat Inspection and finally the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation — not to be confused with the United States Navys Bureau of Navigation — was an agency of the Unite ...

from 1893 to 1897. During his period on ''Blake'', he developed the Sigsbee sounding machine, which became a standard item of deep-water oceanographic equipment for the next 50 years. Sigsbee served at the Naval Academy from 1869 to 1871, from 1882 to 1885, and from 1887 to 1890. He served on the Board of Control for the

United States Naval Institute The United States Naval Institute (USNI) is a private non-profit military association that offers independent, nonpartisan forums for debate of national security issues. In addition to publishing magazines and books, the Naval Institute holds s ...

. He commanded on the European station from 1885 to 1886 and the training ship ''Portsmouth'' from 1891 to 1892. Sigsbee took command of the armored cruiser ''Maine'' in April 1897. After ''Maine'' was destroyed in February 1898, Sigsbee and his officers were exonerated by a court of inquiry. He then commanded in 1898 at the Second Battle of San Juan and until 1900. In February, he was appointed Chief Intelligence Officer of the

Office of Naval Intelligence The Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) is the military intelligence agency of the United States Navy. Established in 1882 primarily to advance the Navy's modernization efforts, it is the oldest member of the U.S. Intelligence Community and serv ...

, succeeding Commander Richardson Clover. He held that post until April 1903 when he was succeeded by Commander

Seaton Schroeder Seaton Schroeder (August 17, 1849 – October 19, 1922) was an admiral of the United States Navy. He contributed to the development of the Driggs-Schroeder rapid-fire gun. Biography Schroeder was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Francis Sc ...

. He was promoted to

on 10 August 1903. He assumed command of the

South Atlantic Squadron The Brazil Squadron, the Brazil Station, or the South Atlantic Squadron was an overseas military station established by the United States in 1826 to protect American commerce in the South Atlantic during a war between Brazil and Argentina. When t ...

in 1904 and the Second Division,

North Atlantic Squadron The North Atlantic Squadron was a section of the United States Navy operating in the North Atlantic. It was renamed as the North Atlantic Fleet in 1902. In 1905 the European and South Atlantic squadrons were abolished and absorbed into the No ...

, in 1905. He commanded as his

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

on June 7, 1905, which sailed for

Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. There, the remains of the late

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...

were taken aboard and brought home for his interment at the United States Naval Academy.

Death and legacy

Sigsbee retired from the Navy in 1907 and died in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, 1923. He is buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

.Burial Detail: Sigsbee, Charles D
– ANC Explorer His grandson, Charles Dwight Sigsbee III, First Lieutenant, US Army, was buried near to him on July 10, 1956. Conscious of his legacy, Sigsbee penned a book giving the history of the ''Maine'' and his experiences aboard her. The book was entitled ''The MAINE - An Account of Her Destruction in Havana Harbor'' and was published by the Century Company of New York in 1899. His daughter Mary Ellen Sigsbee (1877–1960) was an artist, socialist and feminist. He has several namesakes: * The destroyer was named for him. *

Sigsbee Park Sigsbee Park, also known as ''Dredgers Key'', is an island about half a mile (800 m) north of Key West island in the lower Florida Keys; administratively it is within the City of Key West, Florida, United States. It is connected to the isl ...

, the primary military family housing area for

Naval Air Station Key West Naval Air Station Key West , is a naval air station and military airport located on Boca Chica Key, four miles (6 km) east of the central business district of Key West, Florida, United States., effective 2007-10-25 NAS Key West is an ai ...

, and the collocated Sigsbee Elementary School are named in his honor. * Sigsbee Deep, the deepest part of the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

, was discovered by ships under his command and was named in his honor. * On May 25, 1898, Daniel Bevill was appointed postmaster of a new post office in Shelby County, Missouri, but needed a name for the office. Bevill had so admired Sigsbee, a naval officer in command of the battleship ''Maine'', which blew up in Havana Harbor in 1898, that he named the post office site as Sigsbee (Shelby County Historical Society records).

Ranks held

Midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

– September 27, 1859 * Passed Midshipman – 1863 * Master – May 10, 1866 * Commodore - Jan 4, 1867

References

: * *

External links

Finding Aid to Charles D. Sigsbee Papers, 1858–1923
at the

New York State Library The New York State Library is a research library in Albany, New York, United States. It was established in 1818 to serve the state government of New York and is part of the New York State Education Department. The library is one of the large ...

, accessed May 18, 2016. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sigsbee, Charles Dwight 1845 births 1923 deaths American cartographers American hydrographers American oceanographers United States Navy personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Navy admirals Military personnel from Albany, New York Union Navy officers Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Directors of the Office of Naval Intelligence The Albany Academy alumni Members of the American Philosophical Society