Theodore Delavan Wilson (also Theodore Delevan Wilson) (11 May 1840 – 29 June 1896) was an American naval ship designer, constructor and instructor of

naval architecture Naval architecture, or naval engineering, is an engineering discipline incorporating elements of mechanical, electrical, electronic, software and safety engineering as applied to the engineering design process, shipbuilding, maintenance, and op ...

and

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...

. As chief constructor for the

Bureau of Construction and Repair The Bureau of Construction and Repair (BuC&R) was the part of the United States Navy which from 1862 to 1940 was responsible for supervising the design, construction, conversion, procurement, maintenance, and repair of ships and other craft for the ...

from 1882 to 1892, he was in charge of all new warship design for the United States Navy. Through his efforts, the Navy began its transition out of a post–Civil War slump to become a modern naval power. Warships he designed include the

pre-dreadnought battleship Pre-dreadnought battleships were sea-going battleships built from the mid- to late- 1880s to the early 1900s. Their designs were conceived before the appearance of in 1906 and their classification as "pre-dreadnought" is retrospectively appli ...

, whose destruction in

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, in 1898 precipitated 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 ...

Life and career

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, Wilson apprenticed at the

Brooklyn Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York (state), New York, U.S. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a se ...

under Naval Constructor B.F. Delano. At the outbreak of 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 ...

, he volunteered for U.S. Army service and served as a non–commissioned officer in the 13th New York Regiment. Upon his return from the front in August 1861, he was transferred to the U.S. Navy and was appointed as a carpenter in the construction department. He served on the between 1861 and 1863. On the ''Cambridge'' he participated in the first day of the

Battle of Hampton Roads The Battle of Hampton Roads, also referred to as the Battle of the ''Monitor'' and ''Merrimack'' or the Battle of Ironclads, was a naval battle during the American Civil War. The battle was fought over two days, March 8 and 9, 1862, in Hampton ...

against the ironclad CSS ''Virginia''.''NY Times'' Obit. In 1863, Wilson was ordered on special duty to the Brooklyn Navy Yard to help direct the construction, repair and alteration of various vessels. Three years later, he passed the required examination and was commissioned an assistant naval constructor; he eventually served at naval facilities in

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and

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. Between 1869 and 1873, he taught

and

at the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

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.''Encyclopedia Americana'' In 1870, Wilson was sent on special duty to

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and

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 ...

. In Britain, he viewed vessels recently completed and under construction and toured shipbuilding and armor

rolling mill In metalworking, rolling is a metal forming process in which metal stock is passed through one or more pairs of rolls to reduce the thickness, to make the thickness uniform, and/or to impart a desired mechanical property. The concept is simi ...

s. In 1873, he was promoted to naval constructor. After Annapolis, Wilson served at the

Portsmouth Navy Yard The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS), often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard on Seavey's Island in Kittery, Maine, bordering Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The naval yard lies along the southern boundary of Maine on ...

and in 1881 was appointed onto the first

Naval Advisory Board The Naval Consulting Board, also known as the Naval Advisory Board (a name used in the 1880s for two previous committees), was a US Navy organization established in 1915 by Josephus Daniels, the Secretary of the Navy at the suggestion of Thomas ...

for rehabilitating and modernizing the Navy. However, he, the two other naval constructors on the panel and Chief Engineer Benjamin Isherwood, dissented with the majority on its recommendations. Those were for a renewed construction of warships that would allow the Navy to take advantage of technological advances such as steel construction, help resuscitate the national economy and develop a large domestic industrial base that could support a large fleet. His dissent may have been due to limitations of domestic industry at the time, without taking into account that domestic industrial modernization had become a major goal of the Navy.Friedman, ''Cruisers'', 16–17, ''Desroyers'', 7–8. Promoted to chief constructor of the

in 1882, Wilson was placed in charge of naval design for all new warships. Among the ships he planned during his service were the pre-dreadnought battleship ''USS Maine'', the

protected cruiser Protected cruisers, a type of cruiser of the late 19th century, took their name from the armored deck, which protected vital machine-spaces from fragments released by explosive shells. Protected cruisers notably lacked a belt of armour alon ...

s , and and the

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...

s USS ''Bennington'', and . Wilson's reputation in foreign naval circles was considerable. Wilson tendered his resignation from the Navy in 1893 due to failing health and was instead granted two years' leave; he resumed his duties at the

Boston Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...

in 1895. He died of

heat stroke Heat stroke or heatstroke, also known as sun-stroke, is a severe heat illness that results in a body temperature greater than , along with red skin, headache, dizziness, and confusion. Sweating is generally present in exertional heatstro ...

the following year while supervising the undocking of the

monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, Wes ...

Honors

Wilson was an honorary member of the

Royal Institution of Naval Architects The Royal Institution of Naval Architects (also known as RINA) is a professional institution and global governing body for naval architecture and maritime engineering. Members work in industry, academia, and maritime organisations worldwide, par ...

in Great Britain. He was the first American to be elected to this organization. He was also a member of several scientific societies, the Loyal Legion, the Grand Army of the Republic and the Naval Order of the United States.

Patents

In 1870, Wilson patented a marine "air port," which became standard use in naval and merchant marine ships. Ten years later, he patented a bolt extractor which also went into general use.

Ships designed by Wilson (partial list)

File:USS Maine c1897 LOC det 4a25824.jpg, USS ''Maine'' (ACR-1) File:USS Chicago (1885).jpg, USS ''Chicago'' (CA-14) File:Newark (Cruiser 1). Port side, 1891 - NARA - 512904.jpg, USS ''Newark'' (C-1) File:USS San Francisco LOC det 4a14708.jpg, USS ''San Francisco'' (C-5) File:Petrel1.jpg, USS ''Petrel'' (PG-2) File:Concord.jpg, USS ''Concord'' (PG-3) File:USS-Bennington-1890.jpg, USS ''Bennington'' (PG-4) File:Uss boston ca.jpg,

Books by Wilson

* ''Shipbuilding, Theoretical and Practical'' (New York: John Wiley & Son, 1873). This book was adopted as a textbook by the Naval Academy. * ''Steel Ships of the U.S. Navy'' (Deutsch Litho. & Prtg. Co., 1893)

References

Bibliography

Author not listed, "Wilson, Theodore Develan." In ''The Encyclopedia Americana, Volume 16'' (1904). Retrieved 4 Apr 2012.

"Obituary Record, Theodore Delevan Wilson." In ''The New York Times'', 30 Jun 1896. Retrieved 4 Apr 2012.
* Friedman, Norman, ''U.S. Cruisers: An Illustrated Design History'' (Naval Institute Press, 1984). .
Friedman, Norman, ''U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History''
(Naval Institute Press, 2003). . Retrieved 5 Apr 2012.

External links

* ttps://books.google.com/books?id=q8BGvRlCZ8cC&q=Theodore+D.+Wilson Text for ''Shipbuilding, Theoretical and Practical'' at Google Books. Retrieved 4 Apr 2012.
Obituary for Theodore D. Wilson
in ''

American Machinist The ''American Machinist'' is an American trade magazine of the international machine industry, machinery industries and most especially their machining aspects. Published since 1877, it was a McGraw-Hill title for over a century before becoming ...

, Volume 19'' at Google Books. Retrieved 4 Apr 2012. {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Theodore Delavan 1840 births 1896 deaths American naval architects United States Navy officers United States Naval Academy faculty