Robert Brooke Dashiell (July 29, 1860 – March 8, 1899) was an officer in 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 ...

noted for his naval ordnance technical expertise.

Biography

Dashiell was born in 1860 near

Woodville, Virginia Woodville is an unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Rappahannock County, Virginia, Rappahannock County, Virginia, United States. It is located in the southern part of the county. Notable residents *Eugene McCarthy, politician (1916� ...

. 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 1881, ranked seventh in his class. One of his classmates was

John W. Weeks John Wingate Weeks (April 11, 1860July 12, 1926) was an American banker and politician from Massachusetts. A Republican, he served as Mayor of Newton from 1902 to 1903, a United States representative from 1905 to 1913, United States Senator fr ...

, who later served in

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

and was Secretary of War from 1921 to 1925. Following his graduation, Dashiell served for 16 months on the USS ''Essex''. Dashiell was commissioned as an ensign on July 1, 1883. First assigned to the naval ordnance department, he was transferred in 1885 to the USS ''Pensacola'', under the command of then-Captain George Dewey. He served on the ''Pensacola'' until early 1888, when he was again assigned to naval ordnance. In 1889, Dashiell received an honorary

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree from St. John's College in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

. He was dispatched by the

Bureau of Ordnance The Bureau of Ordnance (BuOrd) was a United States Navy organization, which was responsible for the procurement, storage, and deployment of all naval weapons, between the years 1862 and 1959. History Congress established the Bureau in the Departmen ...

to construct a naval ordnance center in Indian Head, Maryland, where he served as Inspector in Charge of Ordnance from 1890 to 1893. The resulting facility, Naval Support Facility Indian Head, has played a significant role in ordnance development and testing for the United States. In May 1893, Dashiell was assigned to the armored cruiser USS ''New York''. In December of that year, he was promoted to lieutenant junior grade. In 1895, while still serving on the ''New York'', he resigned as a line officer and was appointed a staff corps officer in the Naval Construction Corps. An inventor of important ordnance mechanisms and an authority on dock construction, he was commissioned Assistant Naval Constructor on February 7, 1895. Dashiell served in his specialty until his death due to

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...

in 1899 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, ...

He was survived by his wife and three children. A brother,

Paul Dashiell Paul Joseph "Skinny" Dashiell (July 16, 1867 – July 6, 1937) was an American football player, coach, and university professor. He served as the head football coach at the United States Naval Academy from 1904 to 1906, compiling a record of 25� ...

, was a professor and football coach at the Naval Academy. One of his daughters, Eleanor, married future Army major general

Julian Hatcher Julian Sommerville Hatcher (June 26, 1888 – December 4, 1963), was a U.S. Army major general, noted firearms expert and author of the early twentieth century. He is credited with several technical books and articles relating to military ...

in October 1910. Another daughter, Nancy, married future Navy vice admiral

Thomas Leigh Gatch Thomas Leigh Gatch (August 9, 1891 – December 16, 1954) was an American naval officer and attorney in the 20th century. A native of Oregon, and grandson of educator Thomas Milton Gatch, he served in the United States Navy as a ship commander du ...

in June 1917. In 1943, 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 ...

USS ''Dashiell'' (DD-659) was named in his honor. The ''Dashiell'' was commissioned 20 March 1943 and decommissioned 29 April 1960.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dashiell, Robert Brooke 1860 births 1899 deaths United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy officers American marine engineers People from Woodville, Virginia Engineers from Virginia Deaths from meningitis Burials at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery