Charles Flint Putnam (1 December 1854 – ) was an officer 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 ...

Biography

Born in

Freeport, Illinois Freeport is the county seat and largest city of Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 23,973 at the 2020 census, and the mayor of Freeport is Jodi Miller, elected in 2017. Freeport is known for hosting the second Linc ...

, Putnam entered 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 ...

at the age of 14. Upon his request at graduation in 1873, he was ordered to the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

on , serving in that vessel with the

Asiatic Squadron The Asiatic Squadron was a squadron of United States Navy warships stationed in East Asia during the latter half of the 19th century. It was created in 1868 when the East India Squadron was disbanded. Vessels of the squadron were primarily invo ...

until 1875. Master Putnam was stationed at

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, in 1876 and was attached to schoolship from 1877 to 1878. In 1879, he joined the Coast Survey steamer in the North Pacific. Putnam volunteered in 1881 for service in , fitted out to search for , which had been lost in the

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...

on an expedition to reach the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Mag ...

. When ''Rodgers'' burned at

Saint Lawrence Bay, Chukotka The Saint Lawrence Bay (russian: Залив Лаврентия; ''Zaliv Lavrentiya'') is a bay in the Bering Sea on the eastern coast of the Chukotka Peninsula, Russian Federation. Geography This bay is located very close to the Bering Strait, w ...

, on 30 November 1881, Putnam took supplies to the survivors on dog sledges. On his return to his depot at Cape Serdze, he missed his way in a blinding snow storm 10 January 1882, drifted out to sea on an ice-floe and was never heard from again.

Namesakes

Three ships have been named for him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Putnam, Charles Flint 1854 births 1882 deaths People from Freeport, Illinois United States Naval Academy alumni Military personnel from Illinois United States Navy officers Jeannette expedition