William Rees Rush (1857–1940) was an officer in the United States Navy during the Spanish–American War, the 1914 United States occupation of Veracruz, and World War I, and was a recipient of the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross.

Biography

Early career

William Rees Rush was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 19, 1857. He took the

oath of office An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before assuming the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations. Such ...

as 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 ...

on June 6, 1872, graduated from the United States Naval Academy on June 20, 1877, and was commissioned ensign on October 15, 1881. Between that time and the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in April 1898, Rush served in the gunboats and , the protected cruiser , and the

research ship A research vessel (RV or R/V) is a ship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicated ...

. He also received instruction in

ordnance Ordnance may refer to: Military and defense *Materiel in military logistics, including weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment. **The military branch responsible for supplying and developing these items, e.g., the Unite ...

at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., worked in the Navy Hydrographic Office, completed the course of instruction at the Naval Torpedo Station at

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...

, Rhode Island, and attended the Naval War College at Newport.

Spanish–American War

During the Spanish–American War in 1898, Rush served as a

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope * Mi ...

division commander in the armored cruiser , the

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 ...

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 ...

Winfield S. Schley Winfield Scott Schley (9 October 1839 – 2 October 1911) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy and the hero of the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish–American War. Biography Early life Born at "Richfields" (his father's fa ...

's Flying Squadron during blockade operations off

Cienfuegos Cienfuegos (), capital of Cienfuegos Province, is a city on the southern coast of Cuba. It is located about from Havana and has a population of 150,000. Since the late 1960s, Cienfuegos has become one of Cuba's main industrial centers, especial ...

, Cuba, and participated in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba on July 3, 1898.

Service, 1899–1914

Detached from ''Brooklyn'' in October 1899, Rush went to sea in the

battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...

. He later commanded the gunboat and served as executive officer in the protected cruiser . In the ensuing years, Rush again alternated tours of duty afloat with assignments ashore. He served at the Boston Navy Yard in Boston, Massachusetts, in the equipment department and at the Naval War College and travelled to the Philippines where he became

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of Cavite Navy Yard in February 1906. In June 1907, he assumed command of the gunboat , the first of a series of successive sea commands that included ''Ranger'',

s and ,

troop transport A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...

, armored cruiser , and battleship , and the First Division of the United States Fleet.

Medal of Honor at Veracruz

While commanding ''Florida'', Rush was given command of the landing party at Veracruz, Mexico. The

landings Landing is the last part of a flight, where a flying animal, aircraft, or spacecraft returns to the ground. When the flying object returns to water, the process is called alighting, although it is commonly called "landing", "touchdown" or ...

there on 21 April 1914, were at the height of a diplomatic crisis between Mexico and the United States. Rush and his men met heavy resistance, Rush was wounded in the early fighting, but continued to direct the efforts of his brigade. For his conduct during the Veracruz landings,

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Rush received the Medal of Honor. His citation took note of the fact that he was required to be at points of great danger in directing the officers and men of the brigade and that in doing so he exhibited "conspicuous courage, coolness, and skill." "His responsibilities were great," the citation continued, "and he met them in a manner worthy of commendation."

Boston Navy Yard and World War I service

Rush took command of the Boston Navy Yard on November 6, 1914, a post he held until he requested retirement on October 9, 1916. With the onset of World War I in April 1917, however, Rush was recalled to active duty and was awarded the Navy Cross for "exceptionally meritorious services in a duty of great responsibility" as commandant of the Boston Navy Yard during World War I.

Retirement and later life

Relieved of all active duty on July 25, 1919, Rush subsequently lived in retirement in Italy. He died at Pallanza, Italy, on October 2, 1940.

Namesakes

During World War II, the U.S. Navy destroyer escort was named for Captain Rush. Her construction was cancelled in March 1944. The destroyer escort then was named for Rush. Her construction was cancelled in June 1944. 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 ...

, in commission from 1945 to 1978, was named in his honor.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Navy. Born: September 19, 1857, Philadelphia, Pa. Accredited to: Pennsylvania. G.O. No.: 177, December 4, 1915. Other Navy award:

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

. Citation:

For distinguished conduct in battle, engagements of Vera Cruz, 21 and April 22, 1914. In command of the naval brigade, Capt. Rush was in both days' fighting and almost continually under fire from soon after landing, about noon on the 21st, until we were in possession of the city, about noon of the 22d. His duties required him to be at points of great danger in directing his officers and men, and he exhibited conspicuous courage, coolness and skill in his conduct of the fighting. Upon his courage and skill depended in great measure success or failure. His responsibilities were great, and he met them in a manner worthy of commendation.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rush, William R. United States Navy officers United States Naval Academy alumni 1857 births 1940 deaths United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) United States Navy personnel of World War I Military personnel from Philadelphia Battle of Veracruz (1914) recipients of the Medal of Honor Burials at Arlington National Cemetery