Benjamin Maurice Chiswell (March 7, 1875 – July 26, 1942) was a

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

in the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

who served as the first vice commandant from 1929 to 1931.Retired Admiral Dies In Hospital, Newspapers.com Chiswell was born at

Dickerson, Maryland Dickerson is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is on Maryland Route 28, between Sugarloaf Mountain and the Potomac River. It is a community near the town of Poolesville, Maryland. Dickerson is . History Dickerson was ...

on March 7, 1875 and entered the Revenue Cutter Service School of Instruction as a cadet on April 10, 1894.Rear Admiral Benjamin M. Chiswell, Notable People, U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office He was commissioned as a

third lieutenant Junior lieutenant is a junior officer rank in several countries, equivalent to Sub-lieutenant. Germany In the National People's Army, the rank of () was introduced in 1956. Eastern Europe In many Eastern European countries, the rank of junior l ...

in the

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on April 27, 1896. On August 11, 1897 Chiswell was promoted to second lieutenant.Register of the officers, vessels and stations of the United States Coast Guard, 1915, pp 8–9 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 ...

, he served as navigator aboard . Chiswell was promoted to first lieutenant on June 20, 1904 and captain on July 6, 1911. On September 20, 1913 he assumed command of which was homeported at

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

. While commander, Chiswell discussed the possibility of using aircraft to aid search and rescue missions with junior officers

Elmer F. Stone Elmer "Archie" Fowler Stone (January 22, 1887 – May 20, 1936) was a United States naval aviator and a commander in the United States Coast Guard. Biography Stone was born in Livonia, New York and grew up in Norfolk, Virginia. He joined the U.S. ...

and

Norman B. Hall Norman Brierley Hall (1 September 1886 – 26 April 1962) was an engineering officer in the United States Coast Guard who became the first aviation engineer in the Coast Guard in 1916. Hall was born at New York City on 1 September 1886 and gradu ...

. He later helped Stone attend naval flight training at

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

. During

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 ...

, Chiswell commanded USS ''Algonquin'' based at

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

, for which he was subsequently awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

. Before the end of the war, he also commanded USS ''Gresham'' along the U.S. Atlantic Coast. In 1921 when U.S. Coast Guard officer ranks were aligned with

U.S. 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 of ...

ranks, Chiswell was redesignated a lieutenant commander. He was subsequently promoted to commander on January 12, 1923 and then to captain on July 1, 1926. After serving as Assistant Commandant from 1929 to 1931, Chiswell was given command of the Norfolk Division of the Coast Guard. In October 1932, he assumed command of the New York Division. In early 1933, Chiswell became head of the newly created Eastern Area comprising the Boston, New York and Norfolk Divisions. At the time of his retirement in October 1934, Chiswell was promoted to rear admiral based on his wartime service record.

Citations

References

* * * 1875 births 1942 deaths Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) United States Coast Guard admirals Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Vice Commandants of the United States Coast Guard {{USCG-bio-stub