Admiral Samuel Shelburne Robison CB, USN (May 10, 1867 – November 20, 1952) 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 service extended from the 1890s through the early 1930s. He held several major commands during

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 ...

, and from 1928 to 1931 served as Superintendent of 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 1933, Admiral Robison also founded a Naval Preparatory Academy in Pine Beach, New Jersey called

Admiral Farragut Academy Admiral Farragut Academy, established in 1933, is a private, college-prep school serving students in grades K-12. Farragut is located in St. Petersburg, Florida in Pinellas County and is surrounded by the communities of Treasure Island, Gulf ...

Early life and career

Robison was born on May 10, 1867, in

Juniata County, Pennsylvania Juniata County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,509. Its county seat is Mifflintown. The county was created on March 2, 1831, from part of Mifflin County and named for the Juniata R ...

. He entered the

on September 4, 1884. After finishing his academic studies at Annapolis he served the two years at sea as a passed naval cadet in 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 ...

and was commissioned ensign July 1, 1890. In 1891 he was transferred to , still on the Asiatic Station; and, from 1893, he served in USS ''Thetis'' until ordered to the

Mare Island Navy Yard The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates t ...

in 1895. In 1896 he returned to the Asiatic Station in ''Boston''. In August 1899 he was assigned to the

League Island 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 cit ...

, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He joined ''

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'' (BB-8) September 15, 1900, and two years later was transferred to '' Hull'' (DD-7), a torpedo boat destroyer. From September 1904 to July 1906, he served with the Bureau of Equipment at Washington, D.C., then he returned to sea, serving first in ''

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

'' (CA-10) and later in ''

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

'' (ACR-4). After a tour of duty in the

Bureau of Engineering The Bureau of Steam Engineering was a bureau of the United States Navy, created by the act of 5 July 1862, receiving some of the duties of the former Bureau of Construction, Equipment and Repair. It became, by the Naval Appropriation Act of 4 June ...

, he assumed command of ''

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

'' (C-7), a unit of the Asiatic Fleet, on October 25, 1911. Upon his return to the United States in April 1914, he became commanding officer of . He held the rank of captain from July 1, 1914, and he remained with ''Jupiter'' until August 8.

World War I service

On October 12, 1915, he assumed command of and held that post until after the United States entered World War I. From July 1917 until September 1918, he commanded the Atlantic Submarine Force with additional duty as General Supervisor of all commissioned submarines in the Navy. For this duty he was awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

. He was also made an Honorary Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

for service to the British during the war. In October 1918 he assumed command of Squadron 3, Patrol Force, and during the next month had additional duty as District Commander,

Brest, France Brest (; ) is a port city in the Finistère department, Brittany. Located in a sheltered bay not far from the western tip of the peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French m ...

. In November, he was appointed U.S. Naval Representative on the Commission for executing the Naval Terms of the Armistice with Germany. After his return to the United States in March 1919, he commanded the

Boston Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...

. In May 1921, he was sent to

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

as Military Governor, serving until October 1922, when Santo Domingo was turned back over to civilian control.

Post-war service and retirement

A member of the General Board of the Navy from December 1922 until June 1923, he was appointed Commander in Chief,

Battle Fleet The United States Battle Fleet or Battle Force was part of the organization of the United States Navy from 1922 to 1941. The General Order of 6 December 1922 organized the United States Fleet, with the Battle Fleet as the Pacific presence. This f ...

, with the rank of admiral, from June 30, 1923. With USS ''Seattle'' (ACR-11) as his flagship, he commanded the

United States Fleet The United States Fleet was an organization in the United States Navy from 1922 until after World War II. The acronym CINCUS, pronounced "sink us", was used for Commander in Chief, United States Fleet. This was replaced by COMINCH in December 1941 ...

during the year commencing August 1925. He then became Commandant of the 13th Naval District with the permanent rank of rear admiral. From June 1928 until his retirement in June 1931, he served as Superintendent of the Naval Academy. For a number of years after his retirement, Admiral Robison was Superintendent of the

, Toms River. He died in Glendale, California, on November 20, 1952.

Publications

*''A History of naval tactics from 1530-1930 : the evolution of tactical maxims'', by Samuel Shelburne Robison and Mary Louise Robison, pub U.S. Naval Institute, 1942. *''Manual of wireless telegraphy for the use of naval electricians'', by Samuel Shelburne Robison et al, pub United States Navy Department, Bureau of Equipment, 1906, 1909, 1911, 1915.

Early life and career

World War I service

Post-war service and retirement

Publications

See also