William Branford Shubrick (October 31, 1790 – May 27, 1874) 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 ...

. His active-duty career extended from 1806 to 1861, including service in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It ...

and the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Second Federal Republic of Mexico, Mexico f ...

; he was placed on the retired list in the early months of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

Early life

Born at "Belvedere Plantation," Bull's Island, South Carolina (now an undeveloped barrier island within the

Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge The Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge is a 66,287 acre (267 km²) National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern South Carolina near Awendaw, South Carolina. The refuge lands and waters encompass water impoundments, creeks and bays, emer ...

), to Mary Branford and Colonel Thomas Shubrick, William was the sixth son and ninth child of the family of sixteen. His father served in the Continental Army under Generals

Nathanael Greene Nathanael Greene (June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington's most talented and dependa ...

and

Benjamin Lincoln Benjamin Lincoln (January 24, 1733 ( O.S. January 13, 1733) – May 9, 1810) was an American army officer. He served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Lincoln was involved in three major surrender ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...

. Two of his sons joined the army and four sons including William chose naval career. He briefly studied at Harvard College in 1805-1806 before being commissioned 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 Af ...

on June 20, 1806 at the age of sixteen joining his older brother, John Templer Shubrick.

Naval career

He started his active service on the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...

Squadron in USS ''Wasp'' in May 1807. It was aboard this ship where he met his lifelong friend

James Fenimore Cooper James Fenimore Cooper (September 15, 1789 – September 14, 1851) was an American writer of the first half of the 19th century, whose historical romances depicting colonist and Indigenous characters from the 17th to the 19th centuries brought h ...

, who was assigned to the ''Wasp'' in November 1809. At the end of 1809, Shubrick transferred to the Atlantic Squadron to ''Argus'' and sailed along the Atlantic coast of the United States. Shubrick was promoted to lieutenant on January 5, 1812, on the eve of the

. After duty in ''Hornet'', he was assigned to ''Constellation''. While that frigate was at

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 cen ...

, on June 22, 1813 he led a party of bluejackets in beating off a British attack against Craney Island. He subsequently was awarded the

Congressional medal The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...

for service in ''Constitution'' during her capture of HMS ''Cyane'' and ''Levant''. During the subsequent decades before the

, Shubrick commanded, in turn, ''Lexington'' and ''Natchez''; directed operation of the West Indies Squadron from 1838 to 1840; and headed the Bureau of Provisions and Clothing from 1845 to 1846. At the outbreak of the war with

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

, Shubrick requested sea duty and, in ''Independence'', sailed for the

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

coast to relieve Commodore John D. Sloat in command of American Naval forces there. However, Commodore

James Biddle James Biddle (February 18, 1783 – October 1, 1848), of the Biddle family, brother of financier Nicholas Biddle and nephew of Capt. Nicholas Biddle, was an American commodore. His flagship was . Education and early career Biddle was born in ...

brought his

East India Squadron The East India Squadron, or East Indies Squadron, was a squadron of American ships which existed in the nineteenth century, it focused on protecting American interests in the Far East while the Pacific Squadron concentrated on the western coast ...

Monterey, California Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bo ...

, on 2 January 1847 only a week after Shubrick's arrival, and assumed command. In April, Shubrick sailed for the coast of Mexico to head the blockade of

Guaymas Guaymas () is a city in Guaymas Municipality, in the southwest part of the state of Sonora, in northwestern Mexico. The city is south of the state capital of Hermosillo, and from the U.S. border. The municipality is located on the Gulf of Califor ...

and

Mazatlán Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding '' municipio'', known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip ...

. Early in June, Shubrick was recalled to California where Biddle restored him to overall command on 19 July and sailed for the East Coast. Under Shubrick, the Navy successfully conducted the closing operations of the war on the Pacific coast. Highlights were the capture of Guaymas in October and

occupation of Mazatlán Occupation commonly refers to: * Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment *Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, t ...

in November. San Blas fell in January 1848. The following spring, Shubrick headed home and took command of the

Philadelphia Navy Yard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries. Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the ci ...

in 1849. Beginning in 1853, he headed the

Bureau of Construction and Repair The Bureau of Construction and Repair (BuC&R) was the part of the United States Navy which from 1862 to 1940 was responsible for supervising the design, construction, conversion, procurement, maintenance, and repair of ships and other craft for the ...

, and between 1854 and 1858, he chaired the Lighthouse Board. In October 1858, Shubrick sailed in command of the fleet sent to

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

n waters to support diplomatic efforts to resolve differences with

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

resulting from the firing upon USS ''Water Witch''. When the Civil War struck, Shubrick was the navy's most senior active service officer hailing from the South. He remained loyal to the Union. In December 1861, a law was passed by Congress according to which all navy officers were to retire after reaching sixty-two years or accumulating forty five years of service; Shubrick was placed on the retired list. He was promoted to rear admiral on the retired list on 16 July 1862 and for ten years served as chairman of the United States Lighthouse Board where he was a member since 1852. He died in Washington, D.C., on May 27, 1874. He was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

Family

Portrait of William Branford Shubrick circa 1828

In September, 1815, Shubrick married Harriet Cordelia Wethered; they had one child. Three of his brothers were also officers in the United States Navy: John Templar Shubrick (1788–1815), Edward Rutledge Shubrick (1794–1844), and Irvine Shubrick (1798–1849).

Namesakes

Several ships in the U.S. Navy have been named USS ''Shubrick'' for him.

Bibliography

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Notes

References

External links

history.navy.mil: USS ''Shubrick''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shubrick, William Bradford 1790 births 1874 deaths Harvard University alumni Congressional Gold Medal recipients United States Navy admirals United States Navy personnel of the War of 1812 United States Navy personnel of the Mexican–American War People from Charleston County, South Carolina Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)