Frank E. Beatty
Encyclopedia
Rear Admiral Frank Edmund Beatty (26 November 1853 – 16 March 1926) was an officer in the United States Navy
.
, Beatty graduated with the United States Naval Academy
Class of 1875, and then served at sea in the wooden screw-sloop Tuscarora
before receiving his ensign
's commission in 1876. After service at sea in a succession of ships — Minnesota
, Richmond
, Despatch
, and Tallapoosa
— between 1878 and 1889, he completed two tours of duty on shore, first in the Library and War Records Office (among the predecessor offices of the present Naval Historical Center
) and then participating in the deliberation of the International Marine Conference.
In the spring of 1892, Beatty returned to duty afloat, serving briefly in Ranger before being ordered to the monitor
Miantonomoh. After torpedo instruction, the young officer — by then a lieutenant — served in the dynamite cruiser Vesuvius
; and spent the next few years alternating between duty ashore at the Naval Academy and afloat, in Monongahela
. Reporting to the gunboat Adams
in the summer of 1897, he became that ship's executive officer in October and served in that capacity until transferred to the monitor Monterey
in March 1898. The following spring, Beatty became the executive officer of gunboat
Wheeling.
Shore duty at the Washington Navy Yard
preceded a tour in charge of the Department of Yards and Docks in the Navy Department from 13 February 1901 to 21 January 1902. Two commands followed in succession: first, the nautical school ship Saratoga
and then Gloucester
, before he became Commander, Naval Base, Culebra
, Puerto Rico
, in February 1904, with additional duty commanding Gloucester.
After a brief tour first as assistant inspector and later as the inspector of the 9th Light House District, headquartered at Chicago, Illinois, Beatty spent the next decade alternating between ordnance duty ashore and service afloat, commanding in turn the cruiser
s and and the battleship
. His shore duty included a tour as Assistant Superintendent of the Naval Gun Factory, Washington Navy Yard; one in the Bureau of Ordnance as a member of the board on sights; and, ultimately, a stint as Commandant
of the Washington Navy Yard and Superintendent of the Naval Gun Factory. While holding the latter post from 1905 to 1907, Beatty was instrumental in the development of an electric range finder.
Upon attaining flag rank in the spring of 1912, Beatty became a fleet division commander. Rear Admiral Beatty commanded a succession of Atlantic Fleet divisions — 4th, 1st, and 3d — in 1913 and 1914. The outbreak of war in Europe
in the summer of 1914 found him in command of Division 3, with his flag in . Detached from that duty in December 1914, he took up new duties as Commandant of the Norfolk Navy Yard and of the Norfolk Naval Station on 4 January 1915. Temporary duty in command of forces engaged in a war game in the spring of 1915 interrupted his tour at Norfolk; but, he soon returned to his duties there and carried them out until June 1916.
Reporting to the Chief of Naval Operations
for "temporary duty in connection with naval districts" in October 1916, Beatty served briefly as the Commandant, 5th Naval District, before being switched to the 6th Naval District, at Charleston, South Carolina
, in February 1917. He served in that post for the rest of World War I and into 1919.
Detached from all active duty in September 1919, he retired on 6 October 1919. Rear Admiral Beatty died at Charleston on 16 March 1926. He was buried in Section 2 of Arlington National Cemetery, where he rests among other family members. His son, Frank Edmund Beatty, Jr.
, Vice Admiral, United States Navy, is also buried nearby in the same section.
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...
.
Biography
Born in Aztalan, WisconsinAztalan, Wisconsin
Aztalan is a town in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,447 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Aztalan and Jefferson Junction are located in the town.-Aztalan State Park:...
, Beatty graduated with 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...
Class of 1875, and then served at sea in the wooden screw-sloop Tuscarora
USS Tuscarora (1861)
The first USS Tuscarora was a sloop of war in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.Tuscarora was laid down on 27 June 1861 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by Merrick & Sons; launched on 24 August 1861; sponsored by Miss Margaret Lardner; and commissioned on 5 December 1861, Commander...
before receiving his ensign
Ensign
An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...
's commission in 1876. After service at sea in a succession of ships — Minnesota
USS Minnesota (1855)
USS Minnesota was a wooden steam frigate in the United States Navy. Launched in 1855 and commissioned eighteen months later, the ship served in east Asia for two years before being decommissioned...
, Richmond
USS Richmond (1860)
The USS Richmond was a wooden steam sloop in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.-Service in the Caribbean :Richmond was launched on 26 January 1860 by the Norfolk Navy Yard; sponsored by a Miss Robb. Richmond, commanded by Captain D. N. Ingraham, departed Norfolk, Virginia 13...
, Despatch
USS Despatch (1873)
The third USS Despatch was a United States Navy steamer in commission from 1873-1891.-Acquisition and commissioning:Despatch was the commercial steamer America when the U.S. Navy purchased her in November 1873 at New York City. She was commissioned on 23 November 1873, Lieutenant Commander F...
, and Tallapoosa
USS Tallapoosa (1863)
USS Tallapoosa was a wooden-hulled, double-ended steamer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was outfitted with heavy guns for intercepting blockade runners and howitzers for shore bombardment....
— between 1878 and 1889, he completed two tours of duty on shore, first in the Library and War Records Office (among the predecessor offices of the present Naval Historical Center
Naval Historical Center
The Naval History & Heritage Command is the official history program of the United States Navy and is located at the historic Washington Navy Yard in the District of Columbia.-Mission :...
) and then participating in the deliberation of the International Marine Conference.
In the spring of 1892, Beatty returned to duty afloat, serving briefly in Ranger before being ordered to the monitor
Monitor (warship)
A monitor was a class of relatively small warship which was neither fast nor strongly armoured but carried disproportionately large guns. They were used by some navies from the 1860s until the end of World War II, and saw their final use by the United States Navy during the Vietnam War.The monitors...
Miantonomoh. After torpedo instruction, the young officer — by then a lieutenant — served in the dynamite cruiser Vesuvius
USS Vesuvius (1888)
USS Vesuvius, the third ship of the United States Navy named for the Italian volcano, was a unique vessel in the Navy inventory which marked a departure from more conventional forms of main battery armament...
; and spent the next few years alternating between duty ashore at the Naval Academy and afloat, in Monongahela
USS Monongahela (1862)
USS Monongahela was a barkentine–rigged screw sloop-of-war that served in the Union Navy during the American Civil War. Her task was to participate in the Union blockade of the Confederate States of America...
. Reporting to the gunboat Adams
USS Adams (1874)
USS Adams was a screw gunboat and the lead ship of the Adams class.Adams was built as a single screw, wooden-hull, bark-rigged steamer. The ship was laid down in February 1874 at Boston, Massachusetts, by Donald MacKay; and was launched on 24 October 1874. The new ship was commissioned on 21 July...
in the summer of 1897, he became that ship's executive officer in October and served in that capacity until transferred to the monitor Monterey
USS Monterey (BM-6)
The second USS Monterey was a Monterey-class monitor. Laid down by Union Iron Works, San Francisco, California, 20 December 1889; launched 28 April 1891; sponsored by Miss Kate C...
in March 1898. The following spring, Beatty became the executive officer of 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:...
Wheeling.
Shore duty at the Washington Navy Yard
Washington Navy Yard
The Washington Navy Yard is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy...
preceded a tour in charge of the Department of Yards and Docks in the Navy Department from 13 February 1901 to 21 January 1902. Two commands followed in succession: first, the nautical school ship Saratoga
USS Saratoga (1842)
USS Saratoga, a sloop-of-war, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the Battle of Saratoga of the American Revolutionary War. Her keel was laid down in the summer of 1841 by the Portsmouth Navy Yard...
and then Gloucester
USS Gloucester (1891)
USS Gloucester was a gunboat in the United States Navy. Formerly J. P. Morgan's yacht Corsair, Gloucester was built in 1891 by Neafie & Levy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and acquired by the Navy on 23 April 1898...
, before he became Commander, Naval Base, Culebra
Culebra
Culebra may refer to:* Culebra, Puerto Rico, an island* Isla Culebra, the Spanish name of Sedge Island, part of the Falkland archipelago* Culebra Peak, the southernmost fourteener in Colorado, United States...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, in February 1904, with additional duty commanding Gloucester.
After a brief tour first as assistant inspector and later as the inspector of the 9th Light House District, headquartered at Chicago, Illinois, Beatty spent the next decade alternating between ordnance duty ashore and service afloat, commanding in turn the cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
s and and the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
. His shore duty included a tour as Assistant Superintendent of the Naval Gun Factory, Washington Navy Yard; one in the Bureau of Ordnance as a member of the board on sights; and, ultimately, a stint as Commandant
Commandant
Commandant is a senior title often given to the officer in charge of a large training establishment or academy. This usage is common in anglophone nations...
of the Washington Navy Yard and Superintendent of the Naval Gun Factory. While holding the latter post from 1905 to 1907, Beatty was instrumental in the development of an electric range finder.
Upon attaining flag rank in the spring of 1912, Beatty became a fleet division commander. Rear Admiral Beatty commanded a succession of Atlantic Fleet divisions — 4th, 1st, and 3d — in 1913 and 1914. The outbreak of war in Europe
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...
in the summer of 1914 found him in command of Division 3, with his flag in . Detached from that duty in December 1914, he took up new duties as Commandant of the Norfolk Navy Yard and of the Norfolk Naval Station on 4 January 1915. Temporary duty in command of forces engaged in a war game in the spring of 1915 interrupted his tour at Norfolk; but, he soon returned to his duties there and carried them out until June 1916.
Reporting to the Chief of Naval Operations
Chief 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...
for "temporary duty in connection with naval districts" in October 1916, Beatty served briefly as the Commandant, 5th Naval District, before being switched to the 6th Naval District, at Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, in February 1917. He served in that post for the rest of World War I and into 1919.
Detached from all active duty in September 1919, he retired on 6 October 1919. Rear Admiral Beatty died at Charleston on 16 March 1926. He was buried in Section 2 of Arlington National Cemetery, where he rests among other family members. His son, Frank Edmund Beatty, Jr.
Frank Edmund Beatty, Jr.
Frank Edmund Beatty, Jr. was a Vice Admiral in the United States Navy.-Biography:Beatty was born on June 17, 1894 in Washington, D.C. to Frank E. Beatty, a Rear Admiral, and Anne Beatty. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1916, and would later attend the Massachusetts Institute of...
, Vice Admiral, United States Navy, is also buried nearby in the same section.