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

US 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 ...

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

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

Harbor,

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

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

Early life

PSM V44 D349 The sigsbee deep sea sounding machine

Sigsbee was born in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

, and educated at

The Albany Academy The Albany Academy is an independent college preparatory day school for boys in Albany, New York, USA, enrolling students from Preschool (age 3) to Grade 12. It was established in 1813 by a charter signed by Mayor Philip Schuyler Van Rensselae ...

. 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, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, 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. See also * Military academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally pro ...

. 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 Blake is a surname which originated from Old English. Its derivation is uncertain; it could come from "blac", a nickname for someone who had dark hair or skin, or from "blaac", a nickname for someone with pale hair or skin. Another theory, presuma ...

'' 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 p ...

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 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 se ...

. 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 serves ...

, succeeding Commander

Richardson Clover Richardson Clover (July 11, 1846 – October 14, 1919) was an officer of the United States Navy. An 1867 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, he was a noted hydrographer, served as Director of Naval Intelligence, and commanded the gunb ...

. He held that post until April 1903 when he was succeeded by Commander Seaton Schroeder. He was promoted to

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 as his

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of 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 the fi ...

on June 7, 1905, which sailed for

Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. There, the remains of the late John Paul Jones 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 City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, 1923. He is buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

. His grandson, Charles Dwight Sigsbee III, First Lieutenant, US Army, was buried next 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 Mary Ellen Sigsbee (1876–1960) was an American artist and magazine illustrator. Early life Sigsby was born in New Orleans, on February 26, 1876, one of four daughters of Charles D. Sigsbee, captain of the USS ''Maine'' during the Span ...

(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 is ...

, the primary military family housing area for Naval Air Station Key West, and the collocated Sigsbee Elementary School are named in his honor. *

Sigsbee Deep The Sigsbee DeepThe name "Sigsbee Deep" has sometimes been applied to Sigsbee Basin, a U. S. Board on Geographic Names approved name for a feature nominally a42° 58' 00" N 069° 13' 00" Win the Gulf of Maine. See multiple features named for Sigsbe ...

, the deepest part of the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

, 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 rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

– 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 largest ...

, 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