Rear Admiral James Hoban Sands (July 12, 1845 – October 26, 1911) was an officer in the

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during the

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and eventually became Superintendent of the

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Naval career

Son of Rear Admiral

Benjamin F. Sands Rear admiral (United States), Rear Admiral Benjamin Franklin Sands (February 11, 1811 – June 30, 1883) was an officer in the United States Navy during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. U.S. Navy career Born in Baltimore, ...

, he was born in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, in 1845. Sands was appointed acting

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in the United States Naval Academy on November 25, 1859, and graduated in 1863 while the academy was still in Newport. During the

, he served in ''Tuscarora'', ''Juniata'', and ''Shenandoah'' and, in the years that followed, in and ''Richmond''. He was part of the blockading fleet during the Civil War, which for a time was commanded by his father, and was present at the evacuation of Charleston; he also participated in both attacks on Fort Fisher, for which he was cited for gallantry in action, and twice recommended for promotion. Ordered to the

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in 1869, he returned to sea duty on the Asiatic Station, a year and a half later. From October 1873 to April 1875, he served in the

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. Duty in ''Minnesota'' and ''Iroquois'' followed; and, in 1884, he returned to Washington, D.C., for duty at the

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. During the 1890s, he commanded ''Monongahela''; served as equipment officer at the Boston Navy Yard; commanded ''Columbia'' and ''Minneapolis''; and served as Governor of the Naval

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. Detached from the latter in 1901, he became a member of the retirement board and assumed its presidency in 1902. Commissioned rear admiral the same year, he served as commandant of the

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, Philadelphia, from May 1902 to April 1903; commanded the Coast Squadron until 1905; then assumed duty as the nineteenth superintendent of the

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. Further duty on the retirement board and as president, Naval Examining Board, followed; and, in July 1907, he transferred to the retired list.

Death

Sands died in Washington, D.C., on October 26, 1911, and is buried at

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 ...

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Family

Sands was a devout

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, and his influence was effective in creating a tolerance for Catholics and others of various faiths at the Naval Academy and within the military services. Sands was married to Mary Elizabeth Meade, who came from a famous Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, family. She also converted to Catholicism. They had three sons and four daughters. One of the sons, William Franklin Sands, became United States Minister to

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, and two of the daughters, Clara and Hilda, became Religious of the Sacred Heart.

Namesakes

Two ships were named USS ''Sands'' for Sands and his father,

: * ''Sands'' (DD-243/APD-13), a , commissioned in 1920 * ''Sands'' (T-AGOR-6), an oceanographic research ship, placed in service in 1965 * Grandson, James Sands (father William F. Sands); great grandson, James H. Sands (father James Sands, Grandfather William F. Sands); and a great-great grandsons: James H. Sands-Berking (parents Adele G. Sands and Carter Berking, Grandfather James Sands, great-grandfather William F. Sands).

References

External links

James H. Sands
at ArlingtonCemetery.net, an unofficial website {{DEFAULTSORT:Sands, James H. 1845 births 1911 deaths United States Navy admirals United States Naval Academy alumni Union Navy officers People from Washington, D.C. Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Superintendents of the United States Naval Academy