Harry Handly Caldwell (February 5, 1873 – April 27, 1939) was America's first

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

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 ...

. He became the first naval submarine commanding officer, of any nation, when he assumed command of on October 12, 1900.

Early life and naval academy

Harry Handly Caldwell was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

in on February 5, 1873. He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy from

Quincy, Illinois Quincy ( ), known as Illinois's "Gem City", is a city in and the county seat of Adams County, Illinois, United States, located on the Mississippi River. The 2020 census counted a population of 39,463 in the city itself, down from 40,633 in 2010. ...

in 1887 and graduated in 1891.

Naval career

Following graduation, during his mandatory two-year midshipman deployment, he served aboard the . After promotion to

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 ...

, he saw service on the , and . Other sea duty assignments involved protecting missionaries during the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the po ...

. Spanish-American War Prior to 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 ...

, Caldwell was serving on board the cruiser as flag secretary to Admiral

George Dewey George Dewey (December 26, 1837January 16, 1917) was Admiral of the Navy, the only person in United States history to have attained that rank. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War, with ...

. As war with Spain grew imminent, Dewey moved the fleet from Hong Kong to

Mirs Bay Mirs Bay (also known as Tai Pang Wan, Dapeng Wan, Dapeng Bay, or Mers Bay; ) is a bay in the northeast of Kat O and Sai Kung Peninsula of Hong Kong. The north and east shores are surrounded by Yantian and Dapeng New District of Shenzhen. Ping ...

. Ensign Caldwell remained behind, awaiting official word of war from the United States. When he received the declaration, Caldwell made a daring journey through hostile and undeveloped parts of China, by open boat and on horseback, to deliver the news to Dewey. During the

Battle of Manila Bay The Battle of Manila Bay ( fil, Labanan sa Look ng Maynila; es, Batalla de Bahía de Manila), also known as the Battle of Cavite, took place on 1 May 1898, during the Spanish–American War. The American Asiatic Squadron under Commodore ...

, Caldwell took charge of dispatches and commanded a

secondary battery A rechargeable battery, storage battery, or secondary cell (formally a type of energy accumulator), is a type of electrical battery which can be charged, discharged into a load, and recharged many times, as opposed to a disposable or prima ...

aboard the ''Olympia'', which made him eligible for the Manila Bay Medal. He was cited for his bravery and advanced in rank. Upon his return home to Quincy, its citizens presented him with a silver

loving cup A loving cup is a shared drinking container traditionally used at weddings and banquets. It usually has two handles and is often made of silver. Loving cups are often given as trophies to winners of games or competitions. Background Loving cups ...

, an imitation of the gold one presented to Dewey in New York. After the war, Caldwell remained with Dewey as his aide and secretary. He was promoted to

Lieutenant (junior grade) Lieutenant junior grade is a junior commissioned officer rank used in a number of navies. United States Lieutenant (junior grade), commonly abbreviated as LTJG or, historically, Lt. (j.g.) (as well as variants of both abbreviations), is ...

on March 3, 1899. On November 9, 1899, he was best man at Admiral Dewey's wedding to Mrs. Mildred McLean Hazen. USS Holland In March 1900, Admiral Dewey was invited to ride aboard the ''Holland'' when it was undergoing exhibition on the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...

. When the Admiral politely declined, Caldwell was offered the opportunity and accepted. Caldwell was highly impressed by the new craft and requested to serve aboard her when she became a commissioned warship. Caldwell commanded ''Holland'' during its pre commissioning trials off

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

in August to September 1900. During the trials, Caldwell closed to within torpedo range of the , flagship of the U.S. Navy's

North Atlantic Squadron The North Atlantic Squadron was a section of the United States Navy operating in the North Atlantic. It was renamed as the North Atlantic Fleet in 1902. In 1905 the European and South Atlantic squadrons were abolished and absorbed into the Nort ...

, without being detected. While in command, he also trained crews to man submarines under construction for the Navy by the

Electric Boat Company Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...

. Following his submarine experience, he served on the . Next he conducted inspection duty at the

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and Camden Shipyards, overseeing construction at Cramp's and

Neafie & Levy Neafie, Levy & Co., commonly known as Neafie & Levy, was a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania shipbuilding and engineering firm that existed from the middle of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century. Described as United States, America's "first spe ...

's shipyards. This was followed by service as

navigator A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation.Grierson, MikeAviation History—Demise of the Flight Navigator FrancoFlyers.org website, October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2014. The navigator's primar ...

aboard the . He was promoted to lieutenant commander on 1 January 1906. Court martial In May 1909, he was found guilty by

court martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

of "conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline" due to overindulgence in alcohol. One month later, on June 15, 1909, he retired after almost 22 years in uniform. After his retirement, he entered the

motion picture industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post pr ...

. In 1916, he became the vice president of the C. L. Chester Company, producing travel documentaries. Return to duty On May 10, 1917, at the beginning of

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 returned to duty in the Fleet Naval Reserve. He commanded the , the guard ship of New York Harbor. He was in charge of the submarine net protecting New York harbor, and all entering vessels had to report to him. He was 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 November 14, 1919.

Post-naval career

After the war, he resumed his position at the C. L. Chester Pictures Corporation where he met and, in 1921, married Katherine Hilliker (née Clark). Together they collaborated to write plays and movie scenarios for leading companies like

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

, and

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

. They also worked as production editors on many well-known silent and talking pictures, including '' Ben Hur'' and '' 7th Heaven''. They were the parents of

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 ...

Harry H. Caldwell Jr. (1922–2008), whose early career was also as a submarine officer in the U.S. Navy.

Death

Caldwell died in the Brooklyn Naval Hospital on April 27, 1939 and is buried with his wife 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 ...

Selected filmography

* '' The Right of the Strongest'' (1924) * '' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ'' (1925) * ''

The Prairie Wife ''The Prairie Wife'' is a 1925 American silent Western film directed by Hugo Ballin and featuring Boris Karloff, and based on a story by Arthur Stringer. The film is considered to be lost. Plot As described in a film magazine review, a teleg ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Devil's Circus ''The Devil's Circus'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Danish director Benjamin Christensen, based upon his screenplay. The film stars Norma Shearer and Charles Emmett Mack. It was the first of seven films directed by Christens ...

'' (1926) * '' 7th Heaven'' (1927) * ''

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology Al ...

'' (1927) * '' The Loves of Carmen'' (1927) * '' Street Angel'' (1928) * ''

Mother Machree ''Mother Machree'' is a 1928 American silent drama film, directed by John Ford, based on the 1924 work ''The Story of Mother Machree'' by Rida Johnson Young about a poor Irish immigrant in America. Rida Johnson Young had invented Mother Machre ...

(1928) * '' The Awakening'' (1928) * ''

Four Sons ''Four Sons'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed and produced by John Ford and written for the screen by Philip Klein from a story by I. A. R. Wylie first published in the ''Saturday Evening Post'' as "Grandmother Bernle Learns Her ...

'' (1928) * ''

The Gateway of the Moon ''The Gateway of the Moon'' is a lost American 1928 silent film directed by John Griffith Wray and starring Dolores del Río, Walter Pidgeon and Anders Randolf. Plot Arthur Wyatt, an American railroad conductor, is lost in the jungle of the Amaz ...

'' (1928) * ''

No Other Woman ''No Other Woman'' is a 2011 Filipino romantic drama film starring Anne Curtis, Derek Ramsay, and Cristine Reyes. The film is notable for breaking box office records in the Philippines. It currently holds the title of third highest grossing Fil ...

'' (1928) * '' Eternal Love'' (1929) * '' Lucky Star'' (1929) * '' The Rescue'' (1929) * '' Christina'' (1929) * ''

The Far Call ''The Far Call'' is a 1929 American lost film directed by Allan Dwan and starring Charles Morton and Leila Hyams. Produced and distributed by the Fox Film Corporation. It is a late silent film with Fox's Movietone sound on film system containing ...

'' (1929) * ''

The Exalted Flapper ''The Exalted Flapper'' is a 1929 American comedy film directed by James Tinling and written by H. H. Caldwell, Ray Harris and Matt Taylor. The film stars Sue Carol, Barry Norton, Irene Rich, Albert Conti, Sylvia Field and Stuart Erwin. The f ...

'' (1929) * '' City Girl'' (1930)

References

Attribution

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Caldwell, Harry H. 1873 births 1939 deaths United States Navy officers American military personnel of World War I Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Naval Academy alumni Military personnel from St. Louis American male screenwriters Screenwriters from Missouri 20th-century American screenwriters Women film pioneers