Admiral Philip Hichborn (March 4, 1839 – May 1, 1910) was Chief Constructor and Chief of the U. S. Navy's

Bureau of Construction and Repair The Bureau of Construction and Repair (BuC&R) was the part of the United States Navy which from 1862 to 1940 was responsible for supervising the design, construction, conversion, procurement, maintenance, and repair of ships and other craft for the ...

from 1893 to 1901. He prepared the United States Fleet for the

Spanish American War Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

Career

Hichborn was trained as a shipwright at the

Boston Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...

. He took a sea voyage to California via

Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramírez ...

in 1860. He worked for

Pacific Mail Steamship Company The Pacific Mail Steamship Company was founded April 18, 1848, as a joint stock company under the laws of the State of New York by a group of New York City merchants. Incorporators included William H. Aspinwall, Edwin Bartlett (American consul ...

. He joined the U. S. Navy in 1869 as a naval constructor. In 1884 he was sent to Europe and returned to the United States to report on the dock yards of Europe. He started work with the Bureau of Construction and Repair in 1869, becoming Chief Constructor in 1893.

Personal life

Hichborn was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts to Philip and Martha (Gould) Hichborn on March 4, 1839. He married Jennie Mary Franklin on November 29, 1875. They had four children, two of whom, Martha and Philip, survived until adulthood. His son Philip was the first husband of poet Elinor Morton Hoyt. Philip Hichborn died at his home in

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on May 1, 1910, and was buried at

Mount Auburn Cemetery Mount Auburn Cemetery is the first rural cemetery, rural, or garden, cemetery in the United States, located on the line between Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, Watertown in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middl ...

Publications

* Report on European dock-yards (1886) * Chronology of the Hichborn family, 1673-1891 (1891) * Standard designs for boats of the United States Navy. Specifications, schedule of material, weights and cost (1900) * Standard designs for boats of the U.S. Navy (1900) * Cruise of the Dashing Wave : rounding Cape Horn in 1860 (written 1800s, published 2009)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hichborn, Philip 1839 births American naval historians American male non-fiction writers People from Boston United States Navy admirals 1910 deaths Military personnel from Massachusetts Burials at Mount Auburn Cemetery