Uriel Sebree

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Uriel Sebree
February 20, 1848-August 6, 1922
Rear Admiral Uriel Sebree
Place of birth	Fayette, Missouri
Place of death	Coronado, California
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1863-1910
Rank	Rear Admiral
Commands held	USC&GS Silliman USC&GS Thomas R. Gedney USS Pinta USS Wheeling USS Thetis USS Abarenda USS Wisconsin Commandant U.S. Naval Station Tutuila Pathfinder Squadron 2nd Division, U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander-in-Chief U.S. Pacific Fleet
Other work	Acting-Governor (Commandant) of Tutuila

Uriel Sebree (February 20, 1848 – August 6, 1922) was a career officer in the United States Navy who entered the Naval Academy during the Civil War and served until 1910, retiring as a rear admiral. He is best remembered for his two expeditions into the Arctic Ocean, and for being the second Acting Governor of American Samoa as well as, later, Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet.

After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1867, Sebree served in a number of postings before being assigned to a rescue mission to find the remaining crew of the missing Polaris, in what was the United States Navy's first ever mission to the Arctic Ocean. Though his search for the Polaris was unsuccessful, several years later, Sebree was sent to the Arctic again, this time to rescue Adolphus Greely and the survivors of the Lady Franklin Bay expedition. The mission was a success. Sebree was subsequently appointed as the second Acting-governor of American Samoa. He served in this position only a year before returning to the United States. In 1907, he was promoted to rear admiral and given command of the Pathfinder Expedition around the South American coast before being appointed commander of the 2nd Division of the Pacific Fleet and then Commander-in-Chief of the entire fleet. He retired in 1910 and died in Coronado, California in 1922. Two geographical features in Alaska, Sebree Peak and Sebree Island, are named for the admiral.

[edit] Early life and career

Uriel Sebree was born in Fayette, Missouri on February 20, 1848, the son of a local judge. He entered the United States Naval Academy on July 3, 1863, during the American Civil War. He graduated in 1867 and his first assignment was on board the USS Canandaigua . Sebree was promoted several times over the following years: to ensign in 1868, master in 1870, and he won a commission as lieutenant in 1871. In 1873, he was transferred to the ironclad USS Dictator.^[1]

[edit] Second Polaris rescue expedition

After the Polaris expedition's failure to return from an expedition to the North Pole, 19 survivors were discovered and rescued by the civilian whaler Tigress. Because of the Tigress's success, the Navy chartered the ship, temporarily rechristened her as the USS Tigress, and used her to launch a second rescue attempt, to bring back the remainder of the Polaris crew.

For this attempt, the ship would be commanded by a group of eight navy officers, though much of the original civilian crew remained on board. Lieutenant Sebree was one of the officers chosen for the mission, under Captain James A. Greer.^[2] It was noted at the time that this was the first official United States military expedition to the Arctic; previous expeditions, including the Polaris itself, had been led by civilians.^[3] The ship sailed from New York on July 14, 1873, traveling first to St. John's, Newfoundland and then to Godhavn and Upernavik in Greenland before following the coast further north. The crew searched North Star Bay, Northumberland Island, and Hartstene Bay before discovering the first sign of the Polaris crew: a camp on Littleton Island where the crew had wintered, now occupied by Inuits. The missing crewmen, they were told, had constructed makeshift boats salvaged from their destroyed ship and traveled south. Acting on this clue, the Tigress searched the Baffin Island coast to Cumberland Sound, and then the Greenland coast from Ivigtut to Fiskenæsset and the Davis Strait, before returning to St John's for fuel. Once there, they were told that the remaining Polaris crew had been rescued by a Scottish ship and that the search was over.^[4] After returning to New York, the Tigress was transferred back to civilian use.

Following this expedition, Sebree was assigned to the screw frigate USS Franklin where he remained for three years.^[1] In 1878, Sebree was assigned to work with the United States Coast Survey on board the A. D. Bache. The following year, he was given his first commands: the Silliman and then the Thomas R. Gedney, both ships of the Coast Survey. He remained on the latter ship for nearly three years before being assigned to the USS Brooklyn in 1882.^[1] Shortly afterward, Sebree was made an instructor of navigation at the United States Naval Academy.^[5] In 1883, he was given his first command of a Navy ship, the USS Pinta, with orders to sail to Alaska.^[6]

[edit] Court martial

On October 3, 1883, prior to leaving for Alaska, the Pinta collided with the civilian brig Tally Ho off the coast of Nantucket.^[7] Sebree was below deck at the time of the collision, but allegedly did not do enough to determine whether the other ship was damaged before sailing away. Charges were brought up against him in November and in December he was found guilty of "culpable negligence and inefficiency in the performance of his duty". His sentence was to be suspended from rank and duty for three years and to be given an official reprimand from the Secretary of the Navy.^[8] Believing the sentence to be too harsh, Secretary William E. Chandler mitigated it to a public reprimand only.^[9] Sebree was subsequently transferred to the USS Powhatan, though not under his own command.^[1]

[edit] Greely Relief Expedition

One month after joining the Powhatan, Sebree was transferred again, this time to serve as the executive officer of the USS Thetis for another trip into the Arctic. In 1881, Army Lieutenant Adolphus Greely had left on an expedition to establish a base at Lady Franklin Bay on northern Ellesmere Island (now part of the Canadian territory of Nunavut). Greely was left with provisions for three years, but was to expect supply ships in 1882 and 1883. Both attempts to resupply the expedition failed and with his expected provisions running low, the United States Navy prepared an expedition in early 1884 to attempt a resupply or rescue. The expedition was led by Captain Winfield Scott Schley and consisted of the USS Thetis as the lead ship, with Sebree as the executive officer and navigator, the USS Bear, and the borrowed HMS Alert. Many of the officers, including Sebree, were selected for their previous Arctic experience.^[10] The Thetis left New York on May 1, 1884 and the group slowly progressed through the ice of Melville Bay, chasing clues and records left by the expedition, to finally discover Greely's surviving camp off Cape Sabine on June 22, 1884. Of the 25 members of the expedition, only 6 had survived.^[11] The expedition sailed first for Upernavik, Greenland, arriving July 2, 1884, and then made their way back to the United States, landing at Portsmouth, New Hampshire on August 1, 1884. Schley later reported that a delay of just two more days would have been fatal to the remaining six members of the expedition.^[12]

Sebree and the other members of the relief expedition gained fame from the voyage. Even ten years later, in 1895, a report by the New York Times celebrating the 50th anniversary of the United States Naval Academy listed Sebree as one of the most "famous" graduates, despite his relatively low rank. The report specifically cited his time as an "arctic explorer" as the cause of this fame.^[13]

After his return from the expedition, Sebree taught at the Naval Academy for a year before being transferred as the lighthouse inspector for the Oregon and Washington Territory, where he remained until 1887. In that year, he was made the executive officer of the USS Buffalo, again under Captain Schley. He was promoted to lieutenant commander in 1889.^[1]

[edit] Valparaíso riots

On October 16, 1891, while the crew of the Buffalo was on leave at Valparaíso, Chile, a riot broke out which resulted in the death of two officers and injuring several crewmen. An inquiry was made by the Chilean authorities, and charges were made against several locals, but they were ultimately acquitted. Because of the legal issues, the Buffalo was unable to leave until December and then proceeded immediately to Mare Island Naval Shipyard where the United States Navy would begin its own investigation, also finding the crew of the Baltimore not responsible for the riot. Several months later, the government of Chile admitted responsibility for the deaths and provided reparations of $75,000 to the United States.^[14]

Following his time on the Buffalo, Sebree was transferred back to the Academy for three years, from 1893 to 1896.^[1] In that year, he was briefly given command of the USS Wheeling before being put in command of the Thetis, doing survey work off the coast of California.^[15] In 1897, he was promoted to commander.^[16] During the Spanish-American War, Sebree again commanded the Wheeling in the Pacific for the duration of the war.^[17] His assignment was to patrol the coast of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, far from either the Caribbean or Pacific theaters of the war, and saw no significant action.^[18] Two years after the war, he was transferred back to the Twelfth Lighthouse District as an inspector.^[19]

[edit] American Samoa

Map of American Samoa. Swains Island was not added to the territory until 1925.

On October 9, 1901, Sebree received orders travel to American Samoa, to take command of the USS Abarenda and to be commandant of the United States Naval Station Tutuila. He was simultaneously promoted to captain.^[20] At this time, the commandant of the naval station was considered the acting-governor of the territory as Congress had not yet formalized the U.S. Navy's role there. Sebree was the replacement for Commandant Benjamin Franklin Tilley who had recently had charges brought against him for immorality and drunkenness. While Sebree was in transit to the islands, Tilley was tried and acquitted of the charges against him but the decision to replace him was not changed.^[21] Captain Sebree arrived in Samoa and took up his new post on November 27, 1901.^[22]

[edit] Acting-governor

Unlike Tilley, who had been the first acting-Governor of the territory, Sebree was very concerned about his legal status. Officially, he was only commandant of the under-construction naval station, though the deed of cession of the territory acknowledged his theoretical authority to govern the people. He was concerned that lawsuits could be brought against him or future acting-governors until the situation was clarified and made official by the United States government. To this end, he made a recommendation to the United States Congress to assemble a panel to consider the territory's status and requested that an Assistant Secretary of the Navy come to the territory to meet with him. Both requests were turned down.^[23] In a sign of this ambiguity, Sebree was detached from command of the Abarenda in March 1902 to give him additional time as commandant and "governor".^[24] To these orders, he responded that he still had not been officially made "governor" and that if he were to act as a governor he should be given the proper credentials and legal authority to do so.^[23] Although the Navy did not respond directly to this request, Sebree was given command of the USS Wheeling three months later.^[25]

Despite his protests, Sebree did act as the acting-governor of the territory. During his administration, the United States Congress approved $35,000 to pay off debts related to construction costs for the naval station and planning began for the construction of a lighthouse on Aunu'u. The local militia, the Fita Fita Guard, that Tilley had organized continued its training, and Sebree arranged to train some members of the force as a military-style brass band. Sebree also attempted to improve local agriculture and even petitioned the Department of Agriculture for assistance, but was turned down.^[26]

[edit] Petition for civilian government

Tensions escalated between foreign traders on Samoa and the local populace, due in part to controls which Tilley had put into place to protect Samoan farmers from exploitation. Dr. David Starr Jordan, a prominent American biologist doing research in the territory, was so concerned by these tensions that he sent a letter to President Theodore Roosevelt asking that if a civil administration were to be created in the territory that the government not give a trader the position. Shortly afterwards, many traders and locals, including a Samoan tax collector, circulated a petition requesting a change in the way the copra crop was taxed and asking for the Navy to cease governing the territory. The petition was sent to members of Congress and the cause was picked up by California representative Julius Kahn and gathered significant press coverage. This movement eventually reached President Roosevelt; his decision was not to act on the petition.^[26]

On December 16, 1902, Sebree was granted a leave of absence to return to the United States and care for his wife who had been badly hurt in a fall.^[27] In his place, Lieutenant Commander Henry Minett, Sebree's executive officer, was made acting-commandant of the station and therefore acting-governor of the territory. He was also given command of the Wheeling. Captain Edmund Beardsley Underwood was selected as Sebree's replacement, but that decision was not made official immediately and Underwood remained in Washington to consult with Sebree and President Roosevelt on the governance of the territory. Underwood's selection was not announced until May 1903.^[28]

[edit] Later career

USS Wisconsin

Following his wife's recovery, Sebree returned to service and was given command of the USS Wisconsin on February 11, 1903. The Wisconsin was the flagship of the North Squadron of the Pacific fleet under Robley D. Evans.^[29] Under Sebree's leadership, the Wisconsin and her crew were given a commendation by Secretary Moody for having among the most accurate guns in the Navy according to annual practice exercises.^[30]

[edit] Nicholson court-martial

In the late summer of 1903, Paymaster Rishworth Nicholson of the USS Don Juan de Austria assaulted a German Consul at a ball in Yantai, China. He was promptly brought up on charges of "drunkenness", "scandalous conduct tending to the destruction of good morales", and "falsehood" and taken to the Wisconsin for his court martial. There, Sebree and a group of six other officers found him guilty of the first charge, guilty of a lesser offense for the second charge, and innocent on the third. His sentence was determined to be a reduction in grade equivalent to one year of seniority. Three of the officers, not including Sebree, wrote a supplementary opinion requesting clemency for Nicholson.^[31]

However, Rear Admiral Evans, the commander of the Asiatic Squadron, rejected the verdict as inadequate and requested that the court reconsider the decision. The court reconvened and returned the same judgment and sentence. In response, Evans wrote a scathing critique of the process, calling it a "travesty of justice" and stating that the Nicholson's actions were "less reprehensible than his judges". This critical essay was required to be posted at every naval base and on every ship in the Pacific and was reprinted in full by the New York Times and other civilian newspapers. Evans banned the three officers who had publicly requested clemency from participating in future courts martial. Press reports questioned whether Evans had that authority as the military justice system was intended to be impartial.^[32] In late September 1903, the three officers who had been named in the critique filed a protest to Secretary of the Navy William Henry Moody stating that Admiral Evans had overstepped his authority by publicly reprimanding them without a court martial and that charges should be brought against him. On November 18, 1903, Moody denied the petition and the sentences were left to stand.^[33]

During this controversy, Sebree himself remained silent on the issue and it is unknown whether he was a member of the majority opinion or not. Evans commented as much in his critique that he was unsure who the other supporters of the majority decision were. As criticism swirled around the trial itself, the editors of the magazine United Service defended Sebree and stated that he had "universal esteem throughout the Navy service" and that he had a "large experience, sound judgment, even temper and most excellent record".^[34] Following this announcement, Sebree was transferred to the Naval War College in Rhode Island to work as an instructor and as a member of the Lighthouse Board.^[35]

[edit] Lightship No. 58 incident

In December 1905, a storm and mechanical failures caused major problems for the crew of the lightvessel Lightship No. 58 anchored off of Nantucket. Her crew, led by Captain James Jorgensen, fought for two days to prevent the vessel from foundering, but were ultimately unsuccessful. They were rescued by Captain Gibbs of the Azalea.^[36]

The fallout of this incident caused a small public uproar. Under Navy rules, the eleven officers and crew members of the No. 58 were denied pay while they were recovering from their injuries and until they were posted to new vessels, under a regulation that prohibited pay to sailors whose ships had sunk. This situation was appealed to Sebree, as Secretary of the Lighthouse Board, but he did not or could not accommodate the situation. Instead, the officers would be given commendations by Secretary Victor H. Metcalf and "preference in future appointments" only.^[36] Admiral Dewey and Captain Sebree made a second recommendation, which was approved, that Captain Gibbs receive a commendation and a pay increase for his service.^[37]

[edit] Pathfinder Squadron

Sebree was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1907 and was given command of a squadron of two ships: his flag-ship the USS Tennessee and the USS Washington.^[38] This so-called "Pathfinder Squadron" would travel from New York to California via Cape Horn. This mission allowed the United States Navy to show off two of its newest cruisers to South American governments, as well as transfer ships to the Pacific Fleet, in what was seen as an example of American gunboat diplomacy. Along the way, Sebree had formal meetings with Brazilian President Afonso Pena and Peruvian President José Pardo y Barreda, as with United States diplomatic staff in both countries.^[39] He also met with representatives in Chile and other countries.^[40] When the squadron finally arrived in California, it was joined by the USS California and participated in public-relations events at west coast ports.^[41] The diplomatic mission over, the Pathfinder Squadron, with the California and others, became the 2nd division of the United States Pacific Fleet, with Sebree remaining in command. Rear Admiral William T. Swinburne was placed in command of the full fleet.

On June 5, 1908, Sebree was nearly killed during a speed trial of the Tennessee, off the coast of California. He had just completed a tour of the starboard boiler room when a steam pipe burst, instantly killing two officers and wounding ten others, three fatally. Witnesses reported that Sebree and other officers had left the boiler room only fifty seconds earlier.^[42]

In August 1908, the full Pacific Fleet was dispatched to numerous ports in the Pacific Ocean, on a diplomatic mission similar to the one undertaken by Sebree in South America the previous year.^[43] On this voyage, Sebree and Swinburne met with leaders and representatives from the Kingdom of Hawaii, the Philippines, Western Samoa, and Panama.^[44] While visiting the Western Samoan capital of Apia, Sebree was presented with a souvenir album of Samoan scenery in honor of his time as governor of neighboring American Samoa.^[45]

[edit] Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet

Rear Admiral Sebree and Pacific Fleet officers

On April 15, 1909, the Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Swinburne announced his retirement, and Sebree was appointed to replace him, from May 17.^[46] Good public relations remained a major goal of the fleet and in June, the fleet was displayed at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. The exposition's opening ceremony was led by President Taft and many American dignitaries were in attendance.^[47]

Sebree's final mission before his retirement saw him lead the Pacific Fleet on a tour of ports in east Asia. The fleet left San Francisco September 5, 1909, sailing west to the Philippines, with only brief stops en route.^[48] Speed testing was a major goal of the early part of the voyage and he and his fleet of eight ships broke speed records by sailing to Honolulu in just over four days. Six of the eight ships were able to make the voyage in that time; the Colorado and West Virginia had mechanical failures which prevented them from completing the voyage on time. On the Colorado, those failures led to the deaths of two crewmen due to a steam pipe explosion.^[49] From Hawaii, the fleet moved on to Manila where the ships performed target practices and exercises, as well as being cleaned and repainted, before resuming their primary mission by sailing to Yokohama, Japan. In Japan, the fleet dispersed and small groups of cruisers were dispatched to the ports of British-controlled Hong Kong, Wusong in China, and Kobe, Japan. Afterwards, the fleet returned home.^[48] Just prior to Sebree's retirement, the Pacific Fleet was split into two: a smaller Pacific Fleet, and a Asiatic Fleet commanded by Rear Admiral John Hubbard.^[50] On February 19, 1910, Sebree officially retired and was replaced as head of the Pacific Fleet by Rear Admiral Giles B. Harber.^[51]

Shortly after retiring, Sebree was given a farewell banquet, which featured British Field Marshal Herbert Kitchener, then called the "world's greatest general", as one notable guest, as well as California Governor James Gillett as toastmaster.^[52] In retirement, Sebree continued to attend Navy functions. In 1916, Sebree reported that the United States Navy was behind the world's other major navies. A single dreadnought, he claimed, could ravage the entire Pacific Fleet.^[53] Sebree died August 5, 1922. Sebree Peak and Sebree Island, both in Alaska, are named for the admiral. Admiral Sebree was survived by his wife and one son, John B. Sebree, a member of the United States Marine Corps.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Gray, J. A. C. [1960]. Amerika Samoa: History Of American Samoa And Its United States Naval Administration. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. 
• Schley, Winfield Scott; J. R. Soley (1885). The Rescue of Greely (PDF), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Retrieved on 2006-04-08. 

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