Charles Dwight Sigsbee

He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1899.

• Name — Charles Dwight Sigsbee • Born — 16 January 1845 • Died — 13 July 1923 • Birthplace — Albany, New York, U.S. • Place of death — New York City, New York, U.S. • Burial Place — Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, U.S. • Burial Label — Place of burial • Allegiance — United States • Branch — United States Navy • Service Years — 1862–1907 • Rank — Rear admiral • Commands — Maine Texas South Atlantic Squadron • Battles — American Civil War • Operations in Mobile Bay • Battle of Mobile Bay • Wilmington campaigns • First Battle of Fort Fisher • Second Battle of Fort Fisher Formosan Expedition Spanish–American War • Sinking of Maine • Puerto Rico campaign • Second Battle of San Juan • Education — The Albany Academy

• Illustration — The Sigsbee sounding machine Sigsbee was born in Albany, New York, and educated at The Albany Academy. He was appointed acting midshipman on 16 July 1862.

Sigsbee fought in numerous engagements during the American Civil War, mostly against Confederate forts and batteries. Sigsbee served aboard Monongahela, Wyoming, and Shenandoah from 1863 to 1869, when he was assigned to duty at the Naval Academy. 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 in the Bureau of Navigation 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. He commanded Kearsarge on the European station from 1885 to 1886 and the training ship Portsmouth from 1891 to 1892. • Illustration — A telegram from Sigsbee to Secretary of the Navy John Davis Long on the destruction of USS Maine 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 St. Paul in 1898 at the Second Battle of San Juan and Texas until 1900. In February, he was appointed Chief Intelligence Officer of the Office of Naval Intelligence, succeeding Commander Richardson Clover. He held that post until April 1903 when he was succeeded by Commander Seaton Schroeder. He was promoted to rear admiral on 10 August 1903. He assumed command of the South Atlantic Squadron in 1904 and the Second Division, North Atlantic Squadron, in 1905. He commanded Brooklyn as his flagship on June 7, 1905, which sailed for Cherbourg, France. There, the remains of the late John Paul Jones were taken aboard and brought home for his interment at the United States Naval Academy.

• Midshipman – September 27, 1859 • Passed Midshipman – 1863 • Master – May 10, 1866 • Commodore - Jan 4, 1867 • Ensign — Lieutenant junior grade — Lieutenant — Lieutenant commander — Commander — Captain — Commodore — Rear admiral • O-1 — O-2 — O-3 — O-4 — O-5 — O-6 — O-7 — O-8 • — — — — — — — • October 3, 1863 — Never Held — April 21, 1867 — March 12, 1868 — May 11, 1882 — March 21, 1897 — Unknown — August 10, 1903