William Henry Hudson Southerland (July 10, 1852 – January 30, 1933) was a rear admiral 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 ...

. He commanded several ships in Cuban waters during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

, and later served as Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet.

Biography

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, Southerland first joined the

Union Navy ), (official) , colors = Blue and gold , colors_label = Colors , march = , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label ...

as a volunteer towards the end of the Civil War, despite being only twelve years old, serving for only a brief time. He re-enlisted in early 1867 as a naval apprentice, finally entered 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 June 1868, shortly before his sixteenth birthday. After graduating from the Academy in June 1872 he served aboard the sloop . After a year at sea, he was commissioned as an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

. Over the next 37 years, he served in varied positions at sea and ashore, including duty with the

Hydrographic Office A hydrographic office is an organization which is devoted to acquiring and publishing hydrographic information. Historically, the main tasks of hydrographic offices were the conduction of hydrographic surveys and the publication of nautical cha ...

, the Bureau of Equipment, and the

Board of Inspection and Survey The Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) is a United States Navy organization whose purpose is to inspect and assess the material condition of U.S. Navy vessels. The Board is currently headquartered at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virgin ...

. During the

, he commanded the gunboat in the blockade of

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

n ports; and, in 1905, he returned to the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

to command and to act as Senior Officer, Naval Forces in

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) , websi ...

. Promoted to captain in 1906, he commanded the battleship of the Great White Fleet in 1907–09. Appointed rear admiral on May 4, 1910, he served as President of the Board of Inspection and Survey for Shore Stations until becoming Commander, 2d Division, Pacific Fleet in March 1911, and commanded naval forces in the Nicaragua Expedition. A year later, he became Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet; and, in March 1913, he left the fleet to take up duties on the

General Board The General Board of the United States Navy was an advisory body of the United States Navy, somewhat akin to a naval general staff and somewhat not. The General Board was established by general order 544, issued on March 13, 1900 by Secretary ...

. On his retirement on July 10, 1914 Southerland was the last Civil War naval veteran still in active service, and one of very few to rise from enlisted man to admiral in the course of his career. Rear Admiral Southerland died 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 January 30, 1933.

Namesake

The destroyer (1944–1981) was named in his honor.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Southerland, William Henry Hudson 1852 births 1933 deaths Union Navy sailors United States Navy admirals United States Naval Academy alumni American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Military personnel from New York City People of New York (state) in the American Civil War