Thomas Tingey Craven (December 30, 1808 – August 23, 1887) was a 19th-century United States Navy officer who rose to prominence during the Civil War.

Origins and education

He was the oldest son of Tunis Craven, a navy purser, and Hannah (Tingey) Craven, the daughter of Commodore Thomas Tingey, a longtime commandant of the Washington Navy Yard. He was born in the commandant's residence at the Washington Navy Yard on December 30, 1808. His brother

Tunis Craven Tunis Augustus Macdonough Craven (11 January 1813 – 5 August 1864) was an officer in the United States Navy. His career included service in the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. Early life Tunis Augustus Macdonough Craven was b ...

also joined the navy, and perished with at the Battle of Mobile Bay. Another brother, Alfred Wingate, was a noted civil engineer who constructed railroads. Their father was reassigned to

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsmou ...

from 1813 to 1823 and Thomas and Alfred attended the nearby

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

. Thomas, like his brothers, was a graduate of the American Literary, Scientific, and Military Academy, the forerunner of

Norwich University Norwich University – The Military College of Vermont is a private senior military college in Northfield, Vermont. It is the oldest private and senior military college in the United States and offers bachelor's and master's degrees on-campus ...

, entering in 1822 and graduating in December 1823.

Naval career

Already a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

as of May 1, 1822, from 1823 until 1828, he served in the

Pacific Squadron The Pacific Squadron was part of the United States Navy squadron stationed in the Pacific Ocean in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Initially with no United States ports in the Pacific, they operated out of storeships which provided naval s ...

on and on . Becoming a Passed Midshipman on May 24, 1828, in 1828 he joined , of the West India Squadron, as sailing master, and took part in the capture of the pirate ''Federal''. After being commissioned lieutenant on May 27, 1830, he spent three years in cruising on USS ''Boxer'', and in 1835/36 was attached to the receiving ship at New York, after which he joined . In 1838 he commanded , Captain Charles Wilkes'

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

in the Antarctic exploring expedition. He then served on , , USS ''Monroe'', USS ''Macedonia'', and , principally in the

African Squadron The Africa Squadron was a unit of the United States Navy that operated from 1819 to 1861 in the Blockade of Africa to suppress the slave trade along the coast of West Africa. However, the term was often ascribed generally to anti-slavery oper ...

, after which, during 1846, he was attached to the naval rendezvous in New York. He then served on , in the Pacific Squadron, and on in the Mediterranean Squadron, returning home in January 1850. In the following July he was made commandant of midshipmen in the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, becoming commander on December 16, 1852, and remaining at the academy until June 1855. After commanding of the Mediterranean Squadron for several years, he was ordered to resume his post at Annapolis. In October 1860, he was detached from this place, and, after a short time spent in recruiting service in Portland, Maine, was commissioned captain on June 7, 1861, and assigned to the command of the

Potomac Flotilla The Potomac Flotilla, also called the Potomac Squadron, was a unit of the United States Navy created in the early days of the American Civil War to secure Union communications in the Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac River and their tributaries, and to ...

. In the autumn of 1861 he was placed in command of , participating in the capture of New Orleans and subsequent operations on the Mississippi River. He was made commodore on July 16, 1862, and during the subsequent years of the American Civil War commanded off the coasts of England and France. In September 1866, he was placed in command of the navy yard at Mare Island, California, where he received, on October 10 of the same year, his commission as rear admiral, and continued there until August 1868, when he assumed command of the

North Pacific Squadron The Pacific Squadron was part of the United States Navy squadron stationed in the Pacific Ocean in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Initially with no United States ports in the Pacific, they operated out of storeships which provided naval s ...

. In June 1869, Tingey was relieved by Rear Adm. Thomas Turner and returned to his command of the Mare Island Navy Yard. On December 30, 1869, he was retired, but continued on duty in San Francisco until that office was dispensed with.

Family

He married Virginia Wingate, and later Emily Henderson. He had eight children, and four of his sons attended the naval academy or were connected with the U.S. Navy: Charles Henderson (1843–1898), Henry Smith (1845–1889), Alfred (1846–1926) and Macdonough (1858–1919). His grandson (Henry's son) Thomas Tingey Craven served in the U.S. Navy in the early 20th century and played a prominent role in the development of naval aviation. His daughter Ida married

Frank W. Hackett Frank Warren Hackett (April 11, 1841 – August 10, 1926) was a civilian administrator and lawyer who served as an Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President William McKinley. Biography Frank W. Hackett was born in Portsmouth, New Ham ...

, who would go on to become Assistant Secretary of the Navy. He died at the Boston Navy Yard on August 23, 1887 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.Burial Detail: Craven Thomas T.
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Craven, Thomas Tingey (Union Navy admiral) 1808 births 1887 deaths People from Portsmouth, New Hampshire Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Norwich University alumni Military personnel from Washington, D.C. United States Naval Academy faculty People of New Hampshire in the American Civil War Union Navy officers United States Navy rear admirals Burials at Arlington National Cemetery