John Wilson Danenhower
Encyclopedia
John Wilson Danenhower was a United States Navy
officer and explorer.
in 1866. After his 1870 graduation he served in the European Squadron
aboard both the Plymouth and the Juniata.
Following this he was assigned to the Portsmouth surveying party in the North Pacific. In 1875 he was assigned to the U.S. Naval Observatory where he attained the rank of master and then lieutenant
in 1879. A year prior to this he was committed to an asylum
for two months for signs of an unbalanced mind, but sufficiently recovered to return to active duty aboard the Vandalia in the Mediterranean Sea
, attached to General Ulysses S. Grant
's cruise.
From Smyrna
his petitioned services in the U.S.S. Jeannette
Arctic expedition were accepted and he soon joined (as executive officer) Captain George W. DeLong
at Le Havre, France, just prior to sailing on to the Mare Island Navy Yard, near San Francisco. Here the ship was prepared and provisioned for the Arctic by Danenhower and Lieutenant Charles W. Chipp
. The ship set sail for the Bering Strait
on July 8, 1879. En route, Captain DeLong, in a letter to his wife, Emma, praised Danenhower's work ethics.
Danenhower began a school of navigation for the crew while the Jeannette was wedged in an ice pack. Unfortunately, though brave, he was ineffective to the expedition and rendered unfit for duty on December 22, 1879 due to a months-long and ever increasingly treatment-resistant eye inflammation.
Then on June 12, 1881, the ship was crushed by ice. The team was forced to drag their boats and provisions over the ice towards the Asian coastline. Danenhower, with one eye bandaged and one covered by a dark goggle, kept pace.
They finally found open water and set a course for the Lena River delta of Russia
in three separate boats which became separated by gale winds on September 12, 1881. Danenhower's boat, under command of Engineer George W. Melville
, reached the eastern Lena River Delta five days later. The crew was rescued by friendly natives. Danenhower set sail for the United States and arrived on May 28, 1882. His published book, Lieutenant Danenhower's Narrative of the Jeannette, graphically described his experiences.
For a few years, in ill health, he served as the assistant commander for midshipman
training at Annapolis, Maryland
. His health problems centered around his failing eyesight. He assumed command of the USS Constellation
on April 11, 1887 at Norfolk, Virginia
, but upon the ship's grounding while leaving Hampton Roads
harbor
, he returned to the academy, disturbed. There on April 20, 1887, brooding over this incident, he committed suicide. He was survived by his wife and two children.
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...
officer and explorer.
Biography
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Danenhower attended local public schools, then accepted appointment to the United States Naval AcademyUnited States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in 1866. After his 1870 graduation he served in the European Squadron
European Squadron
The European Squadron, also known as the European Station, was a part of the United States Navy in the late 19th century and the early 1900s. The squadron was originally named the Mediterranean Squadron and renamed following the American Civil War...
aboard both the Plymouth and the Juniata.
Following this he was assigned to the Portsmouth surveying party in the North Pacific. In 1875 he was assigned to the U.S. Naval Observatory where he attained the rank of master and then lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1879. A year prior to this he was committed to an asylum
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
for two months for signs of an unbalanced mind, but sufficiently recovered to return to active duty aboard the Vandalia in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, attached to General Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
's cruise.
From Smyrna
Smyrna
Smyrna was an ancient city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Thanks to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. The ancient city is located at two sites within modern İzmir, Turkey...
his petitioned services in the U.S.S. Jeannette
USS Jeannette (1878)
The first USS Jeannette was originally HMS Pandora, a Philomel-class gunvessel of the Royal Navy, and was purchased in 1875 by Sir Allen Young for his arctic voyages in 1875-1876. The ship was purchased in 1878 by James Gordon Bennett, Jr., owner of the New York Herald; and renamed Jeannette...
Arctic expedition were accepted and he soon joined (as executive officer) Captain George W. DeLong
George W. DeLong
George Washington DeLong was a United States Navy officer and explorer.- Biography :Born in New York City, he was educated at the United States Naval Academy in Newport, Rhode Island...
at Le Havre, France, just prior to sailing on to the Mare Island Navy Yard, near San Francisco. Here the ship was prepared and provisioned for the Arctic by Danenhower and Lieutenant Charles W. Chipp
Charles W. Chipp
Charles Winans Chipp was a United States Navy officer and explorer.-Biography:Born in Kingston, New York, he was educated at the United States Naval Academy in Newport, Rhode Island and Annapolis, Maryland. After graduating in 1868, he served in the steam frigate USS Franklin, flagship of the...
. The ship set sail for the Bering Strait
Bering Strait
The Bering Strait , known to natives as Imakpik, is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, the easternmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, USA, the westernmost point of the North American continent, with latitude of about 65°40'N,...
on July 8, 1879. En route, Captain DeLong, in a letter to his wife, Emma, praised Danenhower's work ethics.
Danenhower began a school of navigation for the crew while the Jeannette was wedged in an ice pack. Unfortunately, though brave, he was ineffective to the expedition and rendered unfit for duty on December 22, 1879 due to a months-long and ever increasingly treatment-resistant eye inflammation.
Then on June 12, 1881, the ship was crushed by ice. The team was forced to drag their boats and provisions over the ice towards the Asian coastline. Danenhower, with one eye bandaged and one covered by a dark goggle, kept pace.
They finally found open water and set a course for the Lena River delta of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in three separate boats which became separated by gale winds on September 12, 1881. Danenhower's boat, under command of Engineer George W. Melville
George W. Melville
George Wallace Melville was an engineer of the United States Navy who became a rear admiral.-Civil War:Melville was born in New York City on 10 January 1841. After graduating from Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute, he entered the U.S...
, reached the eastern Lena River Delta five days later. The crew was rescued by friendly natives. Danenhower set sail for the United States and arrived on May 28, 1882. His published book, Lieutenant Danenhower's Narrative of the Jeannette, graphically described his experiences.
For a few years, in ill health, he served as the assistant commander for midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
training at 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...
. His health problems centered around his failing eyesight. He assumed command of the USS Constellation
USS Constellation (1854)
USS Constellation constructed in 1854 is a sloop-of-war and the second United States Navy ship to carry this famous name. According to the US Naval Registry the original frigate was disassembled on 25 June 1853 in Gosport Navy Yard in Norfolk, Virginia, and the sloop-of-war was constructed in the...
on April 11, 1887 at Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, but upon the ship's grounding while leaving Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
harbor
Harbor
A harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships, boats, and barges can seek shelter from stormy weather, or else are stored for future use. Harbors can be natural or artificial...
, he returned to the academy, disturbed. There on April 20, 1887, brooding over this incident, he committed suicide. He was survived by his wife and two children.