Naval Historical Center Photograph. All images; Print Cancel + o-^ Scrollwheel Zoom. To use a botanical phrase, the Puritan was a seedling of the English race, which had been unknown to it before. During the Mexican War, he commanded the … It overlooks the entrance to the Bankhead Tunnel. x Print Current image. [38] He then served as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations from October 1970 to July 1971, receiving a gold star in lieu of a second award of the Legion of Merit for the tour,[39] the citation reading in part: ...Vice Admiral Semmes maintained the surface fleet in a high state of readiness, combining all available units to obtain the most flexible and effective surface forces possible. His deep concern for their morale and welfare has been manifested in programs he has vigorously sponsored to increase compensation eligibility, educational opportunity, and career attractiveness. He ran her through the Federal blockade in June 1861 and began a career of commerce raiding that is without equal in American naval history. Semmes is depicted wearing the belt buckle of a Confederate States Navy Admiral. [28] In 1953, Semmes took command of Destroyer Division 302[25][29] — consisting of USS Daly (DD-519), USS Smalley (DD-565), USS Clarence K. Bronson (DD-668), and USS Cotten (DD-669)[30] — in the United States Seventh Fleet, and the division saw combat service off Korea during the last three weeks of the Korean War before the 27 July 1953 armistice brought the conflict to an end. His career included service in World War II and the Cold War, command of destroyers, a lengthy tour as Chief of Naval Personnel, command of the United States Second Fleet, duty as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, and a tour as President of the Naval War College. [11] She then redeployed to the Pacific, where she supported U.S. forces in the Guadalcanal Campaign in August and September 1942 before the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-19 torpedoed her in the Coral Sea southeast of the Solomon Islands on 15 September 1942. During the Mexican War, he commanded the brig USS Somers in the Gulf of Mexico. Later Semmes used this knowledge to elude the guns of his former fellow midshipmen. Semmes was a member of the Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C. The Admiral Semmes Hotel, a landmark of Mobile’s LoDa landscape since 1940 and one of the triumvirate of locally renowned historic edifices downtown, per USA Today (Battle House, Malaga Inn being the others), has been purchased by Alabama Hotels LLC. History The professional character of Semmes, Bowen & Semmes is evident in its strong business and litigation practice, its history, which spans more than a century, and its deep Maryland roots. Description: 6-inch, 19.3 gram, dainty coctail/pickle/seafood fork of Oneida Hotel Plate silver (thicker layer of silver than He entered the Navy as a midshipman in 1826. [17] He took command of the destroyer USS Picking (DD-685) on 12 August 1944 and remained her commanding officer until August 1945. Rear Admiral Raphael Semmes, CSN Halftone of a photograph taken in 1861, just before he entered the Confederate States Navy. [11][6] Semmes, Wasp′s assistant gunnery officer at the time, reached the ship′s forecastle, where he found about 150 men. The ship was lost in a storm off Veracru… He monitored the modernization of surface ships while striving to keep operational commitments within force capabilities. Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson has directed that a statue of Confederate Admiral Raphael Semmes be permanently moved to the History Museum of Mobile. After serving in the navy, he studied law and was admitted to the bar. His forthright presentation of facts and authoritative opinions before Congress and other leaders of the Government has provided a better understanding of the Navy's objectives...[35][36]. Rescued by the British yacht Dearhound, he went to England, recovered and made his way back to the Confederacy. [50], For the 19th-century American politician, see, Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation, Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal. [6][15], Detaching from Sigsbee, Semmes was advanced to the temporary rank of commander on 1 February 1944. During the war he, and his Liverpool-built ship the CSS Alabama, took more prizes at sea than any other vessel on either side … From August 1862 until June 1864, Semmes took his ship through the Atlantic, into the Gulf of Mexico, around the Cape of Good Hope and into the East Indies, capturing some sixty merchantmen and sinking one Federal warship, USS Hatteras. Despite the pressure of increasing personnel requirements, Vice Admiral Semmes has remained steadfast as the champion of the Navy's men and women. The division, which he took command of off Korea after it had steamed westward from Newport, Rhode Island, for its Korea deployment, continued westward in November 1953 under his command after the conclusion of its Korea service, completing a circumnavigation of the world when it arrived at Newport in January 1954. Admiral Semmes' battle ensign . [25] On 18 July 1958,[6] during his tour aboard Shenandoah,[29] President Dwight Eisenhower approved his promotion to rear admiral,[6] making him the first member of his Naval Academy graduating class to be selected for flag rank. He died of respiratory failure in a hospital there on 4 June 1994 after undergoing intestinal surgery. Born in Charles County, MD on September 27, 1809, Raphael Semmes was the fourth child of Richard and Catherine Middleton Semmes. [11], In December 1942, Semmes reported to the new destroyer USS Sigsbee (DD-502),[6] then fitting out at the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Kearny, New Jersey. During his presidency, he shifted the college's emphasis from foreign and international affairs to management concepts.[41]. … During the war, he captained the CSS Alabama, a highly successful commerce raider. [46][47], Semmes was a resident of Wonalancet, New Hampshire, but also lived frequently in the Washington, D.C., area from 1952 until his death.[48]. She was lost in a storm off Vera Cruz in December 1846, but Semmes was commended for his actions in that incident. Once known as the “nursery capital of the world”, Semmes is best known for it’s large nurseries that produce ornamental shrubs, the … [5][6], After graduating, Semmes′s first assignment was duty aboard the battleship USS Mississippi (BB-41) on 30 June 1934,[5][6] and he was aboard her in October 1934 when she transferred from the Scouting Force in the Atlantic Ocean to the Battle Force in the Pacific Ocean. Portrait by Maliby Sykes. Vice Admiral Semmes exercised the finest managerial skill by remaining within severe budgetary limitations while extracting the greatest possible value for each dollar spent....[40], On 17 August 1971, Semmes became the 36th President of the Naval War College at Newport, Rhode Island. Semmes was promoted to vice admiral on 1 April 1964,[6][33] and he became Chief of Naval Personnel the same day,[6] serving in the position until March 1968; he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit for the tour. Semmes was born in Charles County, Maryland, a cousin of future Confederate general Paul Jones Semmes and Union Navy Captain Alexander Alderman Semmes. In the early morning of June 5, the mayor of Mobile, Alabama removed the statue of my ancestor Admiral Raphael Semmes after its base was defaced in a recent protest. Raphael Semmes, American Confederate naval officer whose daring raids in command of the man-of-war “Alabama” interfered with Union merchant shipping during the middle two years of the American Civil War (1861–65). During Sumter's six months' operations in the West Indies and the Atlantic, he captured eighteen merchant vessels and skillfully eluded pursuing Union warships. U.S. Brig Somers (1842-1846) [25][29], From 1955 to 1957, Semmes was chief of staff to the Commander, Destroyer Force, Atlantic Fleet, based at Newport, Rhode Island,[25][29] followed by a year of study at the National War College in Washington, D.C., from which he graduated in 1958. This is possibly the first of several … [29], After detaching from Shenandoah, Semmes took command of Destroyer Flotilla Three at Long Beach, California, on 30 September 1958. Semmes then studied law and was admitted to the bar. Vice Admiral Semmes provided the blueprint for many of the Navy's most critical programs of the future including LAMPS, Anti-Ship Missile Defense, and the new PF Class ship [later the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate]. In retirement, he was director of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge and president of the Wonalancet Preservation Society. The Admiral Semmes renovation will fall along the lines of a number of hotels in the southeast -- The Chancellor Hotel in Fayetteville, Ark. It cuts right to the chase. U.S. Admiral Raphael Semmes statue in downtown Mobile is shown here June 2, 2020, the morning after it was vandalized overnight. Rear Admiral Raphael Semmes, Confederate States Navy, (1809-1877) Raphael Semmes was born in Charles County, Maryland, on 27 September 1809. previous next. Save big with Reservations.com exclusive deals and discounts. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.00014630132, Service Afloat – The Ships of Raphael Semmes, Shipwrecks of Mobile Bay and Alabama 1861-1865, This Day in the History of the War Between the States, Mobilians during the War Between the States. [16] While Semmes was aboard,Sigsbee supported U.S. aircraft carrier raids against Marcus Island in August 1943, took part in a bombardment of Wake Island on 5 October 1943, and bombarded Betio, at Tarawa Atoll, on 22–23 November 1943 during the Battle of Tarawa. Anonymous, "Benedict Semmes, Vice Admiral, Dies at 81,", Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Van Stockum, Ron, "The death throes of an aircraft carrier,", Ceasar, Ed, "The Epic Hunt for a Lost World War II Aircraft Carrier,", Anonymous, "Admiral Semmes Jr. to Head Destroyer,", Anonymous, "Rear Admiral Semmes Takes Command: To Head CruDesLant,", Anonymous, "4 Destroyers returning to Newport from Korea,", Military Times Hall of Valor: Benedict Joseph Semmes, Jr. Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Anonymous, "New Chief of Naval Personnel,", Military Times Hall of Valor: Benedict Joseph Semmes, Jr. Legion of Merit, Past Presidents page at the Naval War College official Web site, Katherine Ainsworth Semmes (1918–2007) Find-A-Grave Memorial, Anonymous, "Raphaelle Semmes, 46; Headed Panel For Bush,", Anonymous, "Obituaries," washingtonpost.com, April 7, 1993 Retrieved January 4, 2020, Obituary: "Benedict Semmes, Vice Admiral, Dies at 81,", Portrait of Benedict J. Semmes, Jr., at Naval War College official Web site. Orphaned at an early age, he moved to Georgetown, DC to live with his uncle and later attended Charlotte Hall Military Academy. The statue of Confederate Admiral Raphael Semmes before it was removed from its defaced pedestal on June 5 by the city of Mobile, Alabama. [18] During his time in command, Picking escorted troop transports during the Leyte campaign in October 1944[19] – narrowly missing action in the Battle of Leyte Gulf[20] – and escorted amphibious forces and rendered gunfire support to troops ashore during the Luzon campaign in January 1945.[21]. [13] Semmes went over the side[13] and at one point saw an 8-foot (2.4 m) shark circling his group of survivors as they swam toward the destroyer USS Duncan (DD-485) for rescue but decided not to tell the other men he had seen it. [44] They had a son, Benedict Joseph III, and three daughters, Walden, Raphaelle, and Amy. Formal portrait of Semmes Although a Marylander, Semmes would become more famous in his adopted home of Mobile, Alabama (the city which removed his statue earlier this summer). When the fall of Richmond, Virginia, forced the destruction of his ships, he was made a Brigadier General and led his sailors as an infantry force. [37] His flagship was the guided-missile light cruiser USS Springfield (CLG-7). [11] Operating in the Atlantic and the Caribbean during 1940 and into through the first half of 1941, Wasp conducted sea trials, shakedown, training, and maneuvers, carried out the first experiment with flying United States Army Air Corps aircraft off an aircraft carrier for delivery to a airbase on shore, and took part in the Neutrality Patrol. [citation needed] During the Mexican-American War, he comma… Benedict Joseph Semmes Jr. (8 April 1913[1] – 4 June 1994[2]) was a vice admiral of the United States Navy. [4] He graduated on 31 May 1934 and was commissioned as an ensign the same day. Promoted to the rank of Commander in 1855, Semmes was assigned to Lighthouse duties until 1861, when Alabama's secession from the Union prompted him to resign from the U.S. Navy and adhere to the Confederacy. By his insight and perceptiveness as a result of long experience in manpower and personnel matters, he has provided an authoritative voice in manpower decision in the executive levels of the Navy, Department of Defense and before the Congress. Raphael Semmes was an officer in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War. Award citations for Benedict Joseph Semmes, Jr. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benedict_J._Semmes_Jr.&oldid=995613516, United States Navy personnel of World War II, United States Navy personnel of the Korean War, Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States), Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. [3] He entered the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, with an appointment from Tennessee on 19 June 1930. based out of Hattiesburg, Miss. [13] He took charge of the group and with other officers ordered the men to make life rafts ready to launch, get mattresses from the ship′s living spaces, and rig lines over the bow, all in preparation to abandon ship. By the middle of 1939 he had transferred the destroyer USS Badger (DD-126)[6][9] and was qualified as a translator or interpreter of French. Again closing the helpless vessel, he daringly stood by, continuing his fierce and relentless bombardment of opposing shore emplacements and rendering heroic service in the rescue of personnel...[23], Semmes also received the Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V" for heroism in command of Picking. With his ship badly in need of overhaul, he brought her to Gibraltar in January 1862 and laid her up when the arrival of Federal cruisers made a return to sea impossible. [27], Semmes was promoted to the temporary rank of captain on 1 July 1953. [30] Semmes detached from command of the division in 1954. 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