Charles Dwight Sigsbee

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Charles Dwight Sigsbee (January 16, 1845 - July 13, 1923) was an admiral in the United States Navy. He is well known as captain of USS Maine, which exploded in Havana harbor, Cuba, in 1898. The explosion set off the Spanish American War.

Sigsbee, born at Albany, New York,and educated in The Albany Academy, was appointed acting midshipman on 16 July 1862. He was commissioned rear admiral on 10 August 1903.

Sigsbee served aboard Monongahela, Wyoming, and Shenandoah from 1863 to 1869 when he was assigned to duty at the Naval Academy and, in 1871, to the Hydrographic Office. He was in command of various ships from 1873 to 1891 and served as a hydrographer in the Bureau of Navigation from 1893 to 1897. Sigsbee commanded St. Paul in 1898 and Texas until 1900.

In February of that year he was appointed Chief Intelligence Officer of the Office of Naval Intelligence, succeeding Cmdr. Richardson Clover; he held this post until April 1903 when he was succeeded by Cmdr. Seaton Schroeder. He assumed command of the South Atlantic Squadron in 1904 and the Second Division, North Atlantic Squadron in 1905.

Admiral Sigsbee retired from the Navy in 1907 and died in New York.

USS Sigsbee (DD-502) was named for him.

This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

Preceded by Richardson Clover

Head of the Office of Naval Intelligence (Chief Intelligence Officer) February 1900–April 1903

Succeeded by Seaton Schroeder