Bradley Fiske
Encyclopedia
Rear Admiral Bradley Allen Fiske (13 June 1854 - 6 April 1942) was an officer in the United States Navy
who was noted as a technical innovator. During his long career, Fiske invented more than a hundred and thirty electrical and mechanical devices, with both Naval and civilian uses, and wrote extensively on technical and professional issues; The New Yorker
called him "one of the notable naval inventors of all time." One of the earliest to understand the revolutionary possibilities of naval aviation, he wrote a number of books of important effect in gaining a wider understanding of the modern Navy by the public. For inventing the rangefinder
, he was awarded the Elliott Cresson Medal
of The Franklin Institute in 1891.
on 13 June 1854. He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy
from the State of Ohio in 1870, graduating four years later and receiving his commission as an Ensign in July 1875.
His early service years included duty as an officer on board the steam sloops-of-war and , both on the Pacific Station
, and the paddle steamer in the Atlantic. He also received instruction in the then-young field of torpedo
warfare.
Promoted to Master in 1881 and Lieutenant in 1887, during much of that decade he had training ship duty in and , served in the South Atlantic Squadron on the steam sloop , and was twice assigned to the Bureau of Ordnance
in Washington, D.C.
As one of the Navy's most technically astute officers, in 1886-1888 he supervised the installation of ordnance on , one of the first of the Navy's modern steel warships. In 1888-1890 he was involved in the trials of the , whose large caliber compressed-air guns were then considered a promising experiment, and was in charge of installing electric lighting in the new cruiser .
Following the Spanish-American War, Fiske continued his service in Philippine waters on board the monitor .
and was a member of the Navy's General Board
(1911) and the Army-Navy Joint Board, among other assignments.
. As Aide for Operations, Fiske forcefully advocated the creation of a Naval general staff and the elevation of the nation's preparedness for war.
On November 9, 1914, Fiske sent a memorandum to then Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels
that the U.S. Navy was not organized for warfare: "If this country avoids war during the next five years it will be accomplished only by a happy combination of high diplomatic skill and rare good fortune," the memo said, stating the Navy was short 19,600 men from its stated table or organization. Though individual ships were well-maintained and controlled, naval administration was lacking.
Fiske resigned as Aide for Operations on April 1, 1915, and was replaced by Admiral William Shepherd Benson as the first Chief of Naval Operations.
In 1910, while considering the problem of defending the Philippine islands, Fiske conceived of the idea of equipping aircraft with lightweight torpedoes. Fiske worked out the mechanics of carrying and releasing an aerial torpedo
from a bomber
, and defined tactics that included a night-time approach so that the target ship would be less able to defend itself. Airplanes large enough to suit his purpose were not available until 1912, at which point Fiske was able to implement his design. Fiske reported in 1915 that, using this method, enemy fleets could be attacked within their own harbors, and remarked that he had invented not just a new weapon but an entirely new method of warfare.
and several sessions of temporary duty with the Navy Department.
In 1924, Rear Admiral Bradley A. Fiske was quoted in the New York Times stating that "the Japanese and the Americans have taken attitudes that are irreconcilable [regarding the Immigration Act] and such attitudes have usually preceded wars... We are prepared for war if it does come."
Among Fiske's improvements were an improved stadimeter
, helm-angle indicator, engine-room telegraphs, speed and direction indicators, a turret range finder, a gun director system, and steering telegraphs.
Rear Admiral Bradley A. Fiske died in New York City
on 6 April 1942, aged 87.
General
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
who was noted as a technical innovator. During his long career, Fiske invented more than a hundred and thirty electrical and mechanical devices, with both Naval and civilian uses, and wrote extensively on technical and professional issues; The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
called him "one of the notable naval inventors of all time." One of the earliest to understand the revolutionary possibilities of naval aviation, he wrote a number of books of important effect in gaining a wider understanding of the modern Navy by the public. For inventing the rangefinder
Rangefinder
A rangefinder is a device that measures distance from the observer to a target, for the purposes of surveying, determining focus in photography, or accurately aiming a weapon. Some devices use active methods to measure ; others measure distance using trigonometry...
, he was awarded the Elliott Cresson Medal
Elliott Cresson Medal
The Elliott Cresson Medal, also known as the Elliott Cresson Gold Medal, was the highest award given by the Franklin Institute. The award was established by Elliott Cresson, life member of the Franklin Institute, with $1,000 granted in 1848...
of The Franklin Institute in 1891.
Early life and career
Fiske was born in Lyons, New YorkLyons, New York
Lyons, New York may refer to either of two places in Wayne County, New York, USA:* Lyons , New York* Lyons , New York...
on 13 June 1854. He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
from the State of Ohio in 1870, graduating four years later and receiving his commission as an Ensign in July 1875.
His early service years included duty as an officer on board the steam sloops-of-war and , both on the Pacific Station
Pacific Squadron
The Pacific Squadron was part of the United States Navy squadron stationed in the Pacific Ocean in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Initially with no United States ports in the Pacific, they operated out of storeships which provided naval supplies and purchased food and obtained water from local...
, and the paddle steamer in the Atlantic. He also received instruction in the then-young field of torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
warfare.
Promoted to Master in 1881 and Lieutenant in 1887, during much of that decade he had training ship duty in and , served in the South Atlantic Squadron on the steam sloop , and was twice assigned to the Bureau of Ordnance
Bureau of Ordnance
The Bureau of Ordnance was the U.S. Navy's organization responsible for the procurement, storage, and deployment of all naval ordnance, between the years 1862 and 1959.-History:...
in Washington, D.C.
As one of the Navy's most technically astute officers, in 1886-1888 he supervised the installation of ordnance on , one of the first of the Navy's modern steel warships. In 1888-1890 he was involved in the trials of the , whose large caliber compressed-air guns were then considered a promising experiment, and was in charge of installing electric lighting in the new cruiser .
Spanish-American War and afterward
During the rest of the 1890s, Lieutenant Fiske was mainly employed at the Bureau of Ordnance and at sea, where he was an officer of the cruiser , and the gunboats and . While serving in the latter, he took part in the Battle of Manila Bay on 1 May 1898.Following the Spanish-American War, Fiske continued his service in Philippine waters on board the monitor .
Command assignments
During the years between the Spanish-American War and World War I, Fiske advanced rapidly in rank: to Lieutenant Commander in 1899, Commander in 1903, and Captain in 1907. He held many responsible positions on shore and at sea, serving as an Inspector of Ordnance, Executive Officer of and the battleship , Commanding Officer of the monitor and cruisers and , had recruiting duty, served as Captain of the Yard at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, attended the Naval War CollegeNaval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
and was a member of the Navy's General Board
General Board of the United States Navy
The General Board of the United States Navy was an advisory body of the United States Navy, effectively a naval general staff. The General Board was established by general order 544, issued on March 13, 1900 by John Davis Long. The order was officially recognized by Congress in 1916...
(1911) and the Army-Navy Joint Board, among other assignments.
Flag assignments
Bradley Fiske became a Rear Admiral in August 1911, subsequently commanding three different divisions of the Atlantic Fleet as well as serving as the Secretary of the Navy's Aide for Inspections. In February 1913 he was appointed Aide for Operations, a post that later became that of Chief of Naval OperationsChief of Naval Operations
The Chief of Naval Operations is a statutory office held by a four-star admiral in the United States Navy, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Navy. The office is a military adviser and deputy to the Secretary of the Navy...
. As Aide for Operations, Fiske forcefully advocated the creation of a Naval general staff and the elevation of the nation's preparedness for war.
On November 9, 1914, Fiske sent a memorandum to then Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels
Josephus Daniels
Josephus Daniels was a newspaper editor and publisher from North Carolina who was appointed by United States President Woodrow Wilson to serve as Secretary of the Navy during World War I...
that the U.S. Navy was not organized for warfare: "If this country avoids war during the next five years it will be accomplished only by a happy combination of high diplomatic skill and rare good fortune," the memo said, stating the Navy was short 19,600 men from its stated table or organization. Though individual ships were well-maintained and controlled, naval administration was lacking.
Fiske resigned as Aide for Operations on April 1, 1915, and was replaced by Admiral William Shepherd Benson as the first Chief of Naval Operations.
Naval innovations
In the late 1800s, ships' guns were equipped only with open sights. Fiske, then a lieutenant on a gunboat, developed the idea of augmenting his ship's guns with a telescopic sight to improve accuracy. By 1890, he had taken out the first of several patents on his telescopic sights, which in time would be developed into the modern range finder.In 1910, while considering the problem of defending the Philippine islands, Fiske conceived of the idea of equipping aircraft with lightweight torpedoes. Fiske worked out the mechanics of carrying and releasing an aerial torpedo
Aerial torpedo
The aerial torpedo, airborne torpedo or air-dropped torpedo is a naval weapon, the torpedo, designed to be dropped into water from an aircraft after which it propels itself to the target. First used in World War I, air-dropped torpedoes were used extensively in World War II, and remain in limited...
from a bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
, and defined tactics that included a night-time approach so that the target ship would be less able to defend itself. Airplanes large enough to suit his purpose were not available until 1912, at which point Fiske was able to implement his design. Fiske reported in 1915 that, using this method, enemy fleets could be attacked within their own harbors, and remarked that he had invented not just a new weapon but an entirely new method of warfare.
Retirement and later years
Following a year at the Naval War College, Rear Admiral Fiske was retired upon reaching the age of 62 in June 1916. His professional activities continued into the mid-1920s, however, with service as President of the U.S. Naval InstituteUnited States Naval Institute
The United States Naval Institute , based at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, is a private, non-profit, professional military association that seeks to offer independent, nonpartisan forums for debate of national defense issues...
and several sessions of temporary duty with the Navy Department.
In 1924, Rear Admiral Bradley A. Fiske was quoted in the New York Times stating that "the Japanese and the Americans have taken attitudes that are irreconcilable [regarding the Immigration Act] and such attitudes have usually preceded wars... We are prepared for war if it does come."
Among Fiske's improvements were an improved stadimeter
Stadimeter
-Overview:A stadimeter is an optical device for estimating the range to an object of known height by measuring the angle between the top and bottom of the object as observed at the device. It is similar to a sextant, in that the device is using mirrors to measure an angle between two objects but...
, helm-angle indicator, engine-room telegraphs, speed and direction indicators, a turret range finder, a gun director system, and steering telegraphs.
Rear Admiral Bradley A. Fiske died in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 6 April 1942, aged 87.
Namesake
The Navy has named two warships, , 1943–1944, and , 1945–1980, in his honor.Books
- Electricity in Theory and Practice (1883) [written while Fiske was a lieutenant]
- American Naval Policy (1905) [written while Fiske was a commander]
- War Time in Manila (1913)
- Preparedness of the Navy (1916)
- The Navy as a Fighting Machine (1916)
- From Midshipman To Rear-Admiral (1919) [Autobiography]
- The Art of Fighting (1920)
- Invention, the Master-Key to Progress (1921)
Articles, Essays, and Introductions
- "The Naval Profession," United States Naval Institute Proceedings, June 1907, pp. 570–73
- Introduction to Textbook of Aeronautics, by Henry Woodhose (1917).
- "France", in For France, by Charles Hanson Towne (1918)
- Introduction to Togo and the Rise of Japanese Sea Power by Edwin A. Falk (1936)
See also
Percy Scott (contemporary innovator for the Royal Navy)Percy Scott
Admiral Sir Percy Moreton Scott, 1st Baronet GCB KCVO was a British Royal Navy officer and a pioneer in modern naval gunnery.-Early years:...
External links
Patents, Means for regulating and controlling electric motorsGeneral