John Hood (naval officer)
Encyclopedia
John Hood was an rear admiral
of the United States Navy
during World War I
. He was also a veteran of the Spanish-American War
.
, on 3 December 1859. He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy
in 1875, and graduated from the Naval Academy, second in his class. His first cruise after graduation took him to the South Atlantic in the sloop-of-war
, and he later sailed in the , , , , , , and . Hood was wrecked with Kearsarge on 21 February 1894 near Roncador Cay
off Central America
in the Pacific. He was a lieutenant in the battleship when she was blown up at Havana
on 15 February 1898.
Hood commanded the gunboat
during the Spanish-American War
, and carried information of the arrival of the Spanish
Caribbean Squadron off Santiago
, Cuba
, to Commodore Winfield S. Schley
, the commander of the Flying Squadron at Cienfuegos
, and delivered orders for him to proceed to Santiago on 23 May 1898. He also served in the collier
during the war. Hood surveyed the Pacific in 1899–1900 to prepare data and charts by which the Pacific telegraph cable
was laid.
Hood commanded the gunboat in Chinese
waters during the Russo-Japanese War
from 1903 to 1905, and the protected cruiser
from 1907 to 1909, during Haiti
an and Central American revolutions and elections. He was in charge of the ships at the Naval Academy in 1909 and 1910. He commanded the battleship of the Atlantic Fleet in 1910–11. Under him in 1911–12, won the battle efficiency pennant
. From 1912 to 1915 he was a member of the General Board of the Navy. In 1915–16 he commanded the battleship which won the "Red E" for excellence in engineering efficiency.
He was promoted to Rear Admiral on 29 August 1916, and retired on 18 March 1918. Admiral Hood died at the Naval Hospital, Annapolis, Maryland
, on 11 February 1919.
Rear admiral (United States)
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. The uniformed services of the United States are unique in having two grades of rear admirals.- Rear admiral :...
of the United States Navy
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...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He was also a veteran of the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
.
Biography
Hood was born in Florence, AlabamaFlorence, Alabama
Florence is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the northwestern corner of the state.According to the 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the city's population was 36,721....
, on 3 December 1859. 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...
in 1875, and graduated from the Naval Academy, second in his class. His first cruise after graduation took him to the South Atlantic in the sloop-of-war
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
, and he later sailed in the , , , , , , and . Hood was wrecked with Kearsarge on 21 February 1894 near Roncador Cay
Roncador Cay
Roncador Cay is a small island of the Roncador Bank, located in the west Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Central America, 150 km East-northwest of Providencia Island....
off Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
in the Pacific. He was a lieutenant in the battleship when she was blown up at Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
on 15 February 1898.
Hood commanded the gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
during the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
, and carried information of the arrival of the Spanish
Spanish Navy
The Spanish Navy is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such as the discovery of Americas, the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path...
Caribbean Squadron off Santiago
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, to Commodore Winfield S. Schley
Winfield Scott Schley
Winfield Scott Schley was a rear admiral in the United States Navy and the hero of the Battle of Santiago Bay during the Spanish-American War.-Civil War:...
, the commander of the Flying Squadron at Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos is a city on the southern coast of Cuba, capital of Cienfuegos Province. It is located about from Havana, and has a population of 150,000. The city is dubbed La Perla del Sur...
, and delivered orders for him to proceed to Santiago on 23 May 1898. He also served in the collier
Collier (ship type)
Collier is a historical term used to describe a bulk cargo ship designed to carry coal, especially for naval use by coal-fired warships. In the late 18th century a number of wooden-hulled sailing colliers gained fame after being adapted for use in voyages of exploration in the South Pacific, for...
during the war. Hood surveyed the Pacific in 1899–1900 to prepare data and charts by which the Pacific telegraph cable
Submarine communications cable
A submarine communications cable is a cable laid on the sea bed between land-based stations to carry telecommunication signals across stretches of ocean....
was laid.
Hood commanded the gunboat in Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
waters during the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
from 1903 to 1905, and the protected cruiser
Protected cruiser
The protected cruiser is a type of naval cruiser of the late 19th century, so known because its armoured deck offered protection for vital machine spaces from shrapnel caused by exploding shells above...
from 1907 to 1909, during Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an and Central American revolutions and elections. He was in charge of the ships at the Naval Academy in 1909 and 1910. He commanded the battleship of the Atlantic Fleet in 1910–11. Under him in 1911–12, won the battle efficiency pennant
Battle Effectiveness Award
The Battle Effectiveness Award , commonly known as the Battle "E", is awarded annually to the small number of U.S...
. From 1912 to 1915 he was a member of the General Board of the Navy. In 1915–16 he commanded the battleship which won the "Red E" for excellence in engineering efficiency.
He was promoted to Rear Admiral on 29 August 1916, and retired on 18 March 1918. Admiral Hood died at the Naval Hospital, Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
, on 11 February 1919.