William Herndon (naval officer)
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Commander William Lewis Herndon (15 October 1813 – 7 September 1857) was one of the United States Navy's outstanding explorers and seamen. He died while in command of the steamer Central America, which sank in a gale off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
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[edit] Naval service
William Lewis Herndon was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Herndon was appointed Midshipman 1 November 1828. He cruised in Pacific, South American, Mediterranean, and Gulf waters from then until 1842.
[edit] Service in the Depot of Charts and Instruments
From 1842 to 1846 Herndon served in the Depot of Charts and Instruments (later to become the United States Naval Observatory) with his cousin and brother-in-law, Matthew Fontaine Maury, preparing oceanographic charts and performing other scientific work invaluable to the safe and accurate navigation of the seas.
[edit] Mexican-American War
During the Mexican-American War, Herndon commanded the brig Iris with distinction.
[edit] Exploring the Valley of the Amazon
In 1851 Herndon headed an expedition exploring the Valley of the Amazon, a vast uncharted area. Departing Lima, Peru, 21 May 1851, Herndon and his small party of six men pressed into the wild and treacherously beautiful jungles. After a remarkable journey of 4,366 dangerous miles, which took him through wilderness from sea level to heights of 16,199 feet, Herndon reached the city of Para 11 April 1852. On 26 January 1853 Herndon submitted an encyclopedic and profusely illustrated 414-page report to Secretary of the Navy John P. Kennedy. The report was later published as Exploration of the Valley of the Amazon.
[edit] Wreck of the steamer SS Central America
After two years of active service in Potomac and San Jacinto, Herndon, now a commander, was given leave in 1855 to command the Pacific Mail steamer George Law, renamed Central America, 20 June 1857, on the New York to Aspinwall run.
Making his way up the coast from Aspinwall with $2,000,000 in gold and 474 passengers, as well as 101 crew members, Herndon encountered a heavy gale off Cape Hatteras 7 September 1857. The gale steadily increased in savagery until the 12th, and Central America was shipping water through several leaks. As the ship pitched and rolled through the pounding seas, water in her hold put out her boiler fires.
Commander Herndon reluctantly admitted that, despite the valiant efforts of crew and passengers alike, his ship was doomed and summoned aid by firing the ship's minute guns. At 2 p.m., West Indian brig Marine arrived to aid the stricken steamer. Disregarding his own life, Commander Herndon supervised the loading of women and children into lifeboats and watched them pull to safety in Marine. Herndon's bravery and his concern for his passengers and crew helped save 152 of the 575 people on board.
Commander Herndon was last seen in full uniform, standing by the wheelhouse with his hand on the rail, as the ship gave a lurch and went down. The loss of so much gold contributed in part to the Panic of 1857.
[edit] Legacy
Herndon's memory has been honored in various ways both by the U.S. Navy and his native Virginia.
- A monument at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland commemorates this intrepid explorer and gallant seaman.
- The Navy has named two ships USS Herndon in his honor.
- The town of Herndon, Virginia is also named for him.
[edit] Further reading
- Kinder, Gary, Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea. An account of the last days of Central America and the search for her wreck.
- Ship of Gold web site
- Klare, Normand - Historian The Final Voyage of the Central America. Exhaustive research documentation of the tragedy from actual accounts by the survivors of the Central America. A further indepth biography of William Lewis Herndon' s life and US naval career.
- Final Voyage of the SS Central America
- Klare, Normand - Historian Herndon and Gibbon. The First North American Explorers of the Amazon Valley. Lieutenant William Lewis Herndon's and Lieutenant Lardner Gibbon's expedition to map the Amazon river from its source to the Atlantic Ocean. Stories from their actual reports to Secretary of the Navy John P. Kennedy, President Millard Fillmore and the House of Representatives of the United States.
- Herndon and Gibbon, Lieutenants, United States Navy
[edit] References
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
