John Adams Howell (March 16, 1840 – January 10, 1918) 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 rega ...

of 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 ...

, who served during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

and 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 ...

. He was also a noted inventor.

Biography

Howell was born in

Bath, New York Bath is a town in Steuben County, New York, United States, with an area of 96.3 square miles (249 km2) and a population of 11,426 in 2020. Its largest settlement is the Village of Bath, which has an area of 2.9 sq mi (7.5 km2) and a populati ...

, on March 16, 1840 to William and Adelphia Frances Howell. He had four brothers; Edward Augustus Howell, William Howell, Jr. and twin brothers Robert and William Adams that died before their first birthdays. He graduated from 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 ...

in 1858, and was promoted to lieutenant in April 1861. He married Arabelle E. Krause on May 11, 1867, and they had three children: William, Arabella, and Frances. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

, Howell served as executive officer of the steam sloop at the

Battle of Mobile Bay The Battle of Mobile Bay of August 5, 1864, was a naval and land engagement of the American Civil War in which a Union fleet commanded by Rear Admiral David G. Farragut, assisted by a contingent of soldiers, attacked a smaller Confederate fle ...

on August 5, 1864, and was honorably mentioned by his commanding officer in his despatches. Howell was promoted to lieutenant-commander in March 1865, and commander on March 6, 1872. Howell was an Assistant in the

U.S. Coast Survey The United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (abbreviated USC&GS), known from 1807 to 1836 as the Survey of the Coast and from 1836 until 1878 as the United States Coast Survey, was the first scientific agency of the United States Government. It ...

, and the commanding officer of the Coast Survey steamer '' A. D. Bache'' in the early 1870s. The "Howell Basin", in the Atlantic Ocean, east of

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

, and the "Howell Hook", a submerged reef off the coast of southern Florida, are named in his honor. Howell was promoted to captain on March 1, 1884, and in 1887 was a member of the Naval Advisory Board. He was promoted to rear admiral in 1898. During the

he commanded a division of the

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 ...

. Rear Admiral Howell died in

Warrenton, Virginia Warrenton is a town in Fauquier County, Virginia, of which it is the seat of government. The population was 9,611 at the 2010 census, up from 6,670 at the 2000 census. The estimated population in 2019 was 10,027. It is at the junction of U.S. R ...

on January 10, 1918.

Inventions

Howell is remembered less for his wartime achievements than for his innovations in ordnance. He invented the self-steering torpedo—the " Howell torpedo"—and also patented torpedo launchers, gyroscopes for the guidance of torpedoes, explosive shells, a disappearing gun carriage for shore defense emplacement, and an amphibious lifeboat.

References

External links

* 1840 births 1918 deaths Union Navy officers 19th-century American inventors United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy admirals People from Bath, New York {{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub

Biography

Inventions

References

Further reading

External links