Thomas Oliver Selfridge Jr. (February 6, 1836 – February 4, 1924), son of Rear Admiral

Thomas O. Selfridge Rear Admiral Thomas Oliver Selfridge (24 April 1804 – 15 October 1902) was an officer in the United States Navy during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War and was the father of another rear admiral, Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr ...

, 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 ...

Early life

Born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, Selfridge 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 1854. He was the first officer to receive a diploma from the Academy.

Civil War

At the beginning of the

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

, he helped with efforts to destroy the untenable

Norfolk Navy Yard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility tha ...

; and he then escaped from that burning and beleaguered base in the USS ''Cumberland'', helping to save the sloop of war for the Union Navy. He participated in the capture of the Hatteras forts and was on board ''Cumberland'' on 8 March 1862 when she was sunk by

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

ironclad, CSS ''Virginia''. He then briefly commanded USS ''Monitor'', after Lieutenant

John L. Worden John Lorimer Worden (March 12, 1818 – October 19, 1897) was a U.S. Navy officer in the American Civil War, who took part in the Battle of Hampton Roads, the first-ever engagement between Ironclad warship, ironclad steamships at Hampton Roads, V ...

was wounded; and then commanded the USS ''Alligator'', an experimental submarine, in testing operations based at the

Washington Navy Yard The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is the former shipyard and Weapon, ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast, Washington, D.C., Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy. The Yard currently serv ...

. In August, he joined the Mississippi Squadron, and subsequently commanded the USS ''Cairo'' and the USS ''Conestoga'' when those ships were sunk in action. Late in the war, he returned to the Atlantic where he commanded the USS ''Huron'' in the attacks on

Fort Fisher Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865. The fort was located on one of Cape Fear Rive ...

; and he participated in the ensuing bombardment of Fort Anderson and the capture of

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is t ...

Postwar

His postwar service included command of USS ''Nipsic'', USS ''Enterprise'', and USS ''Omaha'' – the last two on the

Asiatic Station 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 inv ...

. He was promoted to captain in 1881. While in command of the ''Omaha'' in 1887, Selfridge conducted target practice off the coast of the Japanese island of Ikeshima which resulted in the deaths of four Japanese and the wounding of seven others. This created an international incident, but Selfridge was acquitted at a court martial in 1888. In 1885, Captain Selfridge, of the U. S. man-of-war ''Omaha'', delegated a lieutenant to present his compliments to Captain De Saune, the French commander of the ''Isère'', laden with the Statue of Liberty, and suggest that

Gravesend Bay Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Rochester, it is the ...

would be a safer anchorage than the

Sandy Hook Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The barrier spit, approximately in length and varying from wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern ...

Horseshoe. He was promoted to

commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...

in 1894 and then had duty as Commander in Chief of the

European Squadron The European Squadron, also known as the European Station, was a part of the United States Navy in the late 19th century and the early 1900s. The squadron was originally named the Mediterranean Squadron and renamed following the American Civil Wa ...

from 1895 to 1898. While commanding the European Squadron his flagship was the cruiser USS ''San Francisco''. He was promoted to rear admiral in 1896, which made him and his father the first father and son to be admirals in the United States Navy. His nephew, Thomas Etholen Selfridge, a US Army Field Artillery officer and one of the first pilots in the nascent Army Air Service, became the first person ever to die in the crash of a powered airplane in 1908. Rear Admiral Selfridge retired on February 6, 1898. He died from heart disease 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, ...

, on February 4, 1924. Like his father, he was a Veteran Companion of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...

and an Honorary Hereditary Companion of the

Military Order of Foreign Wars The Military Order of Foreign Wars of the United States (MOFW) is one of the oldest veterans' and hereditary associations in the nation with a membership that includes officers and their hereditary descendants from all of the Armed Services. Memb ...

. He was also a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor.

Namesake ships

USS ''Selfridge'' (DD-320) was named for the elder Rear Admiral Selfridge, while USS ''Selfridge'' (DD-357) was named for both officers.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Selfridge, Thomas O. Jr. 1836 births 1924 deaths People of Massachusetts in the American Civil War United States Naval Academy alumni Union Navy officers United States Navy admirals