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 regarde ...

Royal Rodney Ingersoll (4 December 1847 – 21 April 1931) was a

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 ...

officer whose career extended from the late 1860s through

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 ...

Biography

Ingersoll was born in

Niles, Michigan Niles is a city in Berrien and Cass counties in the U.S. state of Michigan, near the Indiana border city of South Bend. In 2010, the population was 11,600 according to the 2010 census. It is the larger, by population, of the two principal cities ...

on 4 December 1847 and 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 1868. He served in various ships of the fleet on the European and

Asiatic Squadron The Asiatic Squadron was a squadron of United States Navy warships stationed in East Asia during the latter half of the 19th century. It was created in 1868 when the East India Squadron was disbanded. Vessels of the squadron were primarily invo ...

s until 1876 when he was assigned to the Naval Academy. He taught and wrote about ordnance subjects during several tours at the Academy, and in the early years of the 20th century commanded such ships as ''Bennington'' (PG-4), ''New Orleans'' (CL-22), and ''Maryland'' (ACR-8). He graduated from the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associat ...

as a captain in 1903 and as a rear admiral in 1908. Ingersoll was Chief of Staff of the Atlantic Fleet during the first part of the

Great White Fleet The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the group of United States Navy battleships which completed a journey around the globe from December 16, 1907 to February 22, 1909 by order of President Theodore Roosevelt. Its mission was t ...

's famous cruise around the world, and served in 1908 as a member of the

General Board The General Board of the United States Navy was an advisory body of the United States Navy, somewhat akin to a naval general staff and somewhat not. The General Board was established by general order 544, issued on March 13, 1900 by Secretary ...

. Rear Admiral Ingersoll retired in 1909, but was recalled up to duty during

as President of the Naval Ordnance Board. In 1919 he returned to his home in

La Porte, Indiana La Porte (French for "The Door") is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States, of which it is the county seat. Its population was estimated to be 21,341 in 2022. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, India ...

, where he was active in public affairs until his death on 21 April 1931 at age 83. His son,

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

Royal Eason Ingersoll (1883–1976), commanded the US Atlantic Fleet during World War II.

Namesake

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 ''Ingersoll'' (DD-652) was named in honor of R. Adm. Ingersoll and his grandson, Lieutenant Royal R. Ingersoll II (1913–1942), who had died in the

Battle of Midway The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea. The U.S. Navy under Adm ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ingersoll, Royal R. 1847 births 1931 deaths People from Niles, Michigan United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy admirals Naval War College alumni United States Navy personnel of World War I Military personnel from Michigan