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 ...
George Henry Wadleigh (September 28, 1842 – July 11, 1927) served in the
United States Navy during the
American Civil War and the
Spanish–American War.
Biography
Wadleigh was born in
Dover, New Hampshire,
and entered the
United States Naval Academy on September 26, 1860,
with the rank of
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 ...
. He graduated on May 28, 1863, with the rank of
ensign.
He then served during the Civil War in the
Gulf of Mexico on the steam
sloops and ,
seeing action at the
battle of Mobile Bay, August 5, 1864, and receiving promotion to
master on November 10, 1865.
After the Civil War he became a companion of the Massachusetts Commandery of the
Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.
In 1866–1869 Wadleigh was in European,
Mediterranean and African waters as an officer of ,
and received promotion to the rank of
lieutenant on November 10, 1866, and to
lieutenant commander on March 12, 1868.
During the following decade he had shore duty at the Naval Academy and several other facilities and was
executive officer
An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...
of the
gunboat ,
monitor , schoolship and sloop .
Promoted to
commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain.
...
on March 13, 1880,
in 1881 he commanded during an arduous
Arctic cruise searching for survivors of the ill-fated
''Jeannette'' expedition.
Commander Wadleigh spend most of the 1880s in shore positions. He returned to duty afloat in 1889–1891 as Commanding Officer of the
Great Lakes gunboat .
Promoted to
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
on July 10, 1894,
he commanded the
receiving ship
A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. Hulk may be used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, an abandoned wreck or shell, or to refer to an old ship that has had its rigging or internal equipmen ...
until late in that year, then took command of the new
cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles.
The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...
, in which he cruised in U.S.,
West Indian and European waters into 1897.
Captain Wadleigh served at the
Boston Navy Yard until June 1898, including some very busy months near the end of that tour as the Navy prepared ships for Spanish–American War operations. From July 1898 until December 1901 he was Commanding Officer of the cruiser , in the Pacific, and the receiving ship at Boston.
He achieved the rank of
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 February 1902 and was briefly Commandant of the
Philadelphia Navy Yard and President of the
Board of Inspection and Survey before retiring from active duty in June of that year. In retirement, Rear Admiral Wadleigh made his home at Dover, New Hampshire. He died on July 11, 1927.
Namesake
The
destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
was named in honor of Rear Admiral Wadleigh.
Gallery
File:Fourteen Retired Flag Officers.jpg, Wadleigh is third from left in the front 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, Wadleigh is seated in the center in this photo of retired flag officers taken at the 85th birthday party of Rear Admiral George C. Remey
George Collier Remey (August 10, 1841 – February 10, 1928) was a rear admiral of the United States Navy, serving in the Civil War and the Spanish–American War.
Early life
George Collier Remey was born at Burlington, Iowa on August 10, 184 ...
on 10 August 1926.
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wadleigh, George H.
1842 births
1927 deaths
Union Navy officers
American military personnel of the Spanish–American War
United States Navy admirals
People of New Hampshire in the American Civil War
People from Dover, New Hampshire