Albert Gleaves (January 1, 1858 – January 6, 1937) was a decorated

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, also notable as a

naval historian Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Even in the interior of large la ...

Biography

Born in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, Gleaves graduated from the

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

in 1877. After serving on board and , he was appointed an

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in 1881. Assigned to many ships and stations, he commanded during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

and later the battleship . Promoted to rear admiral in 1915, in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he commanded the

Cruiser and Transport Force The Cruiser and Transport Service was a unit of the United States Navy's Atlantic Fleet during World War I that was responsible for transporting American men and materiel to France. Composition On 1 July 1918, the Cruiser and Transport Force was ...

. For his outstanding contribution he was awarded the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

and Navy Distinguished Service Medals. In 1919 he was promoted to Admiral and commanded the

Asiatic Fleet The United States Asiatic Fleet was a fleet of the United States Navy during much of the first half of the 20th century. Before World War II, the fleet patrolled the Philippine Islands. Much of the fleet was destroyed by the Japanese by Februar ...

. While serving at the

Naval Ordnance Proving Ground A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includ ...

, Admiral Gleaves made outstanding contributions in the field of gunnery and torpedoes. While carrying out some tests on torpedo steering devices he changed these weapons from instruments of luck into instruments of precision. The gear which he tested in ''Cushing'' provided the imprints which made the torpedo the "terrible weapon" of World War I. In spite of a life of constant action in war and peace, he found time to write a biography of Captain

James Lawrence James Lawrence (October 1, 1781 – June 4, 1813) was an officer of the United States Navy. During the War of 1812, he commanded in a single-ship action against , commanded by Philip Broke. He is probably best known today for his last words, ...

; ''A History of the Transport Service'', and ''The Life of an American Sailor: Rear Admiral William Hemsley Emory, United States Navy, from His Letters and Memoirs''. After a most distinguished career, he retired on January 1, 1922. He was a companion of the Naval Order of the United States and was assigned insignia number 756. Admiral Gleaves died at

Haverford, Pennsylvania Haverford is an unincorporated community located in both Haverford Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, and Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County, approximately west of Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) open ...

, January 6, 1937, a few days after his 79th birthday. He has been quoted as saying, "To seamen a ship becomes endowed with human virtues and faults; she ceases to be a mere inanimate thing." There was a statue of Admiral Gleaves at the State Capitol in Nashville, Tennessee. The statue was moved to the Tennessee State Museum to be included in a military exhibit.

Decorations

Here is Admiral Albert Gleaves's ribbon bar:

Namesake

, a , was the

lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very complex and may ...

of her class and named for Admiral Gleaves.

Gallery

File:Fourteen Retired Flag Officers.jpg, Gleaves is fourth from the left in the middle row in this photograph of 13 retired U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps flag officers taken ca. 1923. File:Flag officers Rear Admiral George C. Remey birthday 1926.jpg, Gleaves is standing fourth from right in this photo of retired flag officers taken at the 85th birthday party of Rear Admiral George C. Remey on 10 August 1926. File:Officers and Crew of the USS Mayflower (PY-1) in 1903.jpg, Lieutenant Commander Gleaves and Other Officers of the USS Mayflower (PY-1) in 1903

References

: His memoirs, titled ''The Admiral: the Memoirs of Albert Gleaves, Admiral, USN'', was published in 1985 by Hope Publishing House, Pasadena, California (HOPE ).

External links