Gilbert Jonathan Rowcliff
Encyclopedia
Rear Admiral Gilbert Jonathan Rowcliff (July 22, 1881 – July 15, 1963) was an officer of the United States Navy
during the First World War and the Second World War. After early service in the Far East he specialised in gunnery, serving in that capacity on many US Navy capital ships. During World War I he served with the US Naval Force sent to join the British Grand Fleet
.
After the war he took command of multiple heavy units of the US fleet, before being appointed Judge Advocate General
of the Navy in 1936. Thereafter he commanded various cruiser squadrons of the Atlantic Fleet
before his retirement at the end of World War II
.
. He attended public school in Peoria before his appointment to the United States Naval Academy
from Illinois in 1896. While a Midshipman he took an active part in fencing and intercollegiate tournaments which were being developed at that time. Graduated in May, 1902, he served the two years at sea which were then required by law before commissioning and was commissioned Ensign in May 1904. Rowcliff was subsequently promoted as follows: Lieutenant (both grades) May 2, 1907; Lieutenant Commander, March 22, 1915; Commander, July 1, 1919; Captain, February 23, 1925; and Rear Admiral, January 1, 1936. He was transferred to the Retired List of the Navy in that rank on August 1, 1945.
After graduation in May, 1902, he was ordered to the Asiatic Station, where he joined the gunboat , a unit of the Asiatic Fleet on patrol duty in Chinese waters. When the Wilmington was placed out of commission on June 30, 1904, at Cavite
in the Philippines
, he was transferred to the , a coast battleship on duty in Pacific and Asiatic waters, and served in that vessel until her decommissioning in May 1906.
reviewed the Battleship Squadron
on its return from a round-the-world cruise in 1909. He had additional duty from November 1908 until October 1910 as Naval Aide at the White House
, serving both Presidents Roosevelt and William Howard Taft
. In October 1910 he joined the , and served as Ordnance Officer of that battleship from May to July 1911. He was then assigned duty as Division Ordinance Officer, still attached to the Virginia, Flagship of the Fourth Division, later with the Third Division, Atlantic Fleet.
Detached from the Virginia In January 1914, he assisted in fitting out the , and served as Ordinance Officer of that battleship from her commissioning, April 15, 1914, until June 1916. He was next assigned duty as Aide on the staff of Commander, Second in Command, Atlantic Fleet, and to such gunnery duties as assigned and in that capacity served on the staff of Vice Admiral DeWitt Coffman, USN, Commander, Battleship Force, Atlantic Fleet flagship , later . In December 1916 he had additional duty as a member of the board which conducted battery tests of the .
In January 1917 he was assigned temporary duty as senior member of the board appointed for the purpose of studying torpedo policy for the Navy, and in April of that year was a member of the board conducting experimental firing of the 3-gun turrets on the Arizona. He then returned to the Wyoming, to continue duty on the staff of Commander Battleship Force, Atlantic Fleet, and in July 1917, when Vice Admiral Coffman was designated Commander, Battleship Force 2, he (then a Lieutenant Commander) continued to serve as Aide on his staff. In April 1918 he had temporary additional duty in Rosyth, Scotland, in connection with the storing of reserve ammunition for Battleship Division 9. For World War I service he was awarded the Navy Cross
with the following citation:
In September and October 1918, shortly before the Armistice, he reported to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Navy Department, Washington, D.C. On October 27, 1918, he became Executive Officer in the New York, and served in that capacity until April 1919, and was present when the German High Seas Fleet surrendered to the British Fleet at the Firth of Forth, on November 21, 1918. He was also on board when the New York was host to King George V of Great Britain and the Prince of Wales
on November 3; and Crown Prince Hirohito
, later Emperor of Japan and his staff on November 20, all of whom were official guests of the ship.
From May 1919 until May 1920, he was a student at the Naval War College
, Newport, Rhode Island. Completing the senior course, he served in the Division of War Plans, and later the Budget Section of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations
, Navy Department, Washington, D.C., with additional duty in May 1921 as a member of the board for the Development of the Navy Yard P1ans. In December 1922 he returned to sea as Division Commander, with Destroyer Squadrons, Atlantic Fleet, with additional duty as Commander of the Division flagship, the later the .
, USN, Commander in Chief, U. S. Fleet, as Fleet Material Officer and Fleet Tactical Officer. Detached from that assignment in June 1925 he was an instructor in the Department of Engineering and Aeronautics, at the Naval Academy, the three succeeding years. Returning to sea in July 1928, Rear Admiral Rowcliff commanded the for two years, and from July 1930 until May 1933 had command of the Naval Training Station, Newport, Rhode Island, with additional duty in command of the , famous frigate attached to that training station.
In June 1933 he assumed command of Destroyer Squadron Four, Battle Force, U. S. Fleet, and a year later returned to the Navy Department, to serve as Director of Naval Communications
. In June 1936 he was appointed Judge Advocate General
of the Navy, a position he held for two years,.
Again at sea, from July 1938 until February 1941, he served as Commander Cruisers, Scouting Force, with additional duty a Commander, Cruiser Division Five, , Flagship, and as Commander, Cruiser Division Four, , Flagship. In March 1941 he was designated a member of the Navy General Board
. He served in that capacity throughout the World War II period, until his retirement on August 1, 1945. He continued active duty as Senior Member of the Board of Inspection and Survey, Pacific Coast Section, San Francisco, California, until December 8, 1945, at which time he was relieved of all active duty.
, the Spanish Campaign Medal
, the World War I Victory Medal, and was entitled to wear the American Defense Service Medal
, the American Campaign Medal
, and the World War II Victory Medal
.
used Rowcliff, under whom he had at one time served and came to greatly dislike, as the model for Lieutenant George Rowcliff in the Nero Wolfe
series of novels.
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 the First World War and the Second World War. After early service in the Far East he specialised in gunnery, serving in that capacity on many US Navy capital ships. During World War I he served with the US Naval Force sent to join the British Grand Fleet
British Grand Fleet
The Grand Fleet was the main fleet of the British Royal Navy during the First World War.-History:It was formed in 1914 by the British Atlantic Fleet combined with the Home Fleet and it included 35-40 state-of-the-art capital ships. It was initially commanded by Admiral Sir John Jellicoe...
.
After the war he took command of multiple heavy units of the US fleet, before being appointed Judge Advocate General
Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy
The Judge Advocate General's Corps also known as the "JAG Corps" or "JAG" is the legal arm of the United States Navy. Today, the corps consists of a worldwide organization of more than 730 Judge Advocates, 30 limited duty officers , 500 enlisted members and nearly 275 civilian personnel, serving...
of the Navy in 1936. Thereafter he commanded various cruiser squadrons of the Atlantic Fleet
United States Fleet Forces Command
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
before his retirement at the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Early life and career
Rowcliff was born in Peoria, IllinoisPeoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
. He attended public school in Peoria before his appointment 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 Illinois in 1896. While a Midshipman he took an active part in fencing and intercollegiate tournaments which were being developed at that time. Graduated in May, 1902, he served the two years at sea which were then required by law before commissioning and was commissioned Ensign in May 1904. Rowcliff was subsequently promoted as follows: Lieutenant (both grades) May 2, 1907; Lieutenant Commander, March 22, 1915; Commander, July 1, 1919; Captain, February 23, 1925; and Rear Admiral, January 1, 1936. He was transferred to the Retired List of the Navy in that rank on August 1, 1945.
After graduation in May, 1902, he was ordered to the Asiatic Station, where he joined the gunboat , a unit of the Asiatic Fleet on patrol duty in Chinese waters. When the Wilmington was placed out of commission on June 30, 1904, at Cavite
Cavite
Cavite is a province of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the CALABARZON region in Luzon, just 30 kilometers south of Manila. Cavite is surrounded by Laguna to the east, Metro Manila to the northeast, and Batangas to the south...
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, he was transferred to the , a coast battleship on duty in Pacific and Asiatic waters, and served in that vessel until her decommissioning in May 1906.
Atlantic Fleet
He returned to the United States in June 1906 for duty in the Presidential yacht , and was aboard when President Theodore RooseveltTheodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
reviewed the Battleship Squadron
Great White Fleet
The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the United States Navy battle fleet that completed a circumnavigation of the globe from 16 December 1907 to 22 February 1909 by order of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. It consisted of 16 battleships divided into two squadrons, along with...
on its return from a round-the-world cruise in 1909. He had additional duty from November 1908 until October 1910 as Naval Aide at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, serving both Presidents Roosevelt and William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
. In October 1910 he joined the , and served as Ordnance Officer of that battleship from May to July 1911. He was then assigned duty as Division Ordinance Officer, still attached to the Virginia, Flagship of the Fourth Division, later with the Third Division, Atlantic Fleet.
Detached from the Virginia In January 1914, he assisted in fitting out the , and served as Ordinance Officer of that battleship from her commissioning, April 15, 1914, until June 1916. He was next assigned duty as Aide on the staff of Commander, Second in Command, Atlantic Fleet, and to such gunnery duties as assigned and in that capacity served on the staff of Vice Admiral DeWitt Coffman, USN, Commander, Battleship Force, Atlantic Fleet flagship , later . In December 1916 he had additional duty as a member of the board which conducted battery tests of the .
In January 1917 he was assigned temporary duty as senior member of the board appointed for the purpose of studying torpedo policy for the Navy, and in April of that year was a member of the board conducting experimental firing of the 3-gun turrets on the Arizona. He then returned to the Wyoming, to continue duty on the staff of Commander Battleship Force, Atlantic Fleet, and in July 1917, when Vice Admiral Coffman was designated Commander, Battleship Force 2, he (then a Lieutenant Commander) continued to serve as Aide on his staff. In April 1918 he had temporary additional duty in Rosyth, Scotland, in connection with the storing of reserve ammunition for Battleship Division 9. For World War I service he was awarded the Navy Cross
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...
with the following citation:
- For exceptionally meritorious service in a duty of great responsibility as Gunnery Officer on the Staff of the Commander, Battleship Force Two of the Atlantic Fleet, in which capacity, during a trip aboard he acquired valuable information as to foreign methods of fire control, which later were applied by him with excellent results in improving target practice in the Atlantic Fleet.
In September and October 1918, shortly before the Armistice, he reported to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Navy Department, Washington, D.C. On October 27, 1918, he became Executive Officer in the New York, and served in that capacity until April 1919, and was present when the German High Seas Fleet surrendered to the British Fleet at the Firth of Forth, on November 21, 1918. He was also on board when the New York was host to King George V of Great Britain and the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
on November 3; and Crown Prince Hirohito
Hirohito
, posthumously in Japan officially called Emperor Shōwa or , was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to...
, later Emperor of Japan and his staff on November 20, all of whom were official guests of the ship.
From May 1919 until May 1920, he was a student at the Naval War College
Naval 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...
, Newport, Rhode Island. Completing the senior course, he served in the Division of War Plans, and later the Budget Section of the Office of 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...
, Navy Department, Washington, D.C., with additional duty in May 1921 as a member of the board for the Development of the Navy Yard P1ans. In December 1922 he returned to sea as Division Commander, with Destroyer Squadrons, Atlantic Fleet, with additional duty as Commander of the Division flagship, the later the .
Higher Command
In November 1923 he returned to the Navy Department for duty on the Staff of Vice Admiral Robert E. CoontzRobert Coontz
Robert Edward Coontz was an admiral in the United States Navy, who sailed with the Great White Fleet and served as the second Chief of Naval Operations.-Background:Born in Hannibal, Missouri, Coontz graduated from the U.S...
, USN, Commander in Chief, U. S. Fleet, as Fleet Material Officer and Fleet Tactical Officer. Detached from that assignment in June 1925 he was an instructor in the Department of Engineering and Aeronautics, at the Naval Academy, the three succeeding years. Returning to sea in July 1928, Rear Admiral Rowcliff commanded the for two years, and from July 1930 until May 1933 had command of the Naval Training Station, Newport, Rhode Island, with additional duty in command of the , famous frigate attached to that training station.
In June 1933 he assumed command of Destroyer Squadron Four, Battle Force, U. S. Fleet, and a year later returned to the Navy Department, to serve as Director of Naval Communications
Director of Naval Communications
Director of Naval Communications was a post on the staff of the United States Navy's Chief of Naval Operations responsible for organizing, administering and operating the Naval Communications Service. In Navy parlance, this was Op-20. Created in 1916, the position replaced that of the...
. In June 1936 he was appointed Judge Advocate General
Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy
The Judge Advocate General's Corps also known as the "JAG Corps" or "JAG" is the legal arm of the United States Navy. Today, the corps consists of a worldwide organization of more than 730 Judge Advocates, 30 limited duty officers , 500 enlisted members and nearly 275 civilian personnel, serving...
of the Navy, a position he held for two years,.
Again at sea, from July 1938 until February 1941, he served as Commander Cruisers, Scouting Force, with additional duty a Commander, Cruiser Division Five, , Flagship, and as Commander, Cruiser Division Four, , Flagship. In March 1941 he was designated a member of the Navy 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...
. He served in that capacity throughout the World War II period, until his retirement on August 1, 1945. He continued active duty as Senior Member of the Board of Inspection and Survey, Pacific Coast Section, San Francisco, California, until December 8, 1945, at which time he was relieved of all active duty.
Awards
In addition to the Navy Cross, Rear Admiral Rowcliff was awarded the Mexican Service MedalMexican Service Medal
The Mexican Service Medal is an award of the United States military which was established by General Orders of the United States War Department on December 12, 1917...
, the Spanish Campaign Medal
Spanish Campaign Medal
The Spanish Campaign Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which recognized those members of the U.S. military who had served in the Spanish-American War. Although a single decoration, there were two versions of the Spanish Campaign Medal, one for members of the United...
, the World War I Victory Medal, and was entitled to wear the American Defense Service Medal
American Defense Service Medal
The American Defense Service Medal is a decoration of the United States military, recognizing service before America’s entry into the Second World War but during the initial years of the European conflict.-Criteria:...
, the American Campaign Medal
American Campaign Medal
The American Campaign Medal was a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt...
, and the World War II Victory Medal
World War II Victory Medal
The World War II Victory Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created by an act of Congress in July 1945. The decoration commemorates military service during World War II and is awarded to any member of the United States military, including members of the armed forces of...
.
Navy CrossNavy CrossThe Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...
Spanish Campaign MedalSpanish Campaign MedalThe Spanish Campaign Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which recognized those members of the U.S. military who had served in the Spanish-American War. Although a single decoration, there were two versions of the Spanish Campaign Medal, one for members of the United...
Mexican Service MedalMexican Service MedalThe Mexican Service Medal is an award of the United States military which was established by General Orders of the United States War Department on December 12, 1917...
World War I Victory Medal
American Defense Service MedalAmerican Defense Service MedalThe American Defense Service Medal is a decoration of the United States military, recognizing service before America’s entry into the Second World War but during the initial years of the European conflict.-Criteria:...
American Campaign MedalAmerican Campaign MedalThe American Campaign Medal was a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt...
World War II Victory Medal
Mentions in popular culture
Rex StoutRex Stout
Rex Todhunter Stout was an American writer noted for his detective fiction. Stout is best known as the creator of the larger-than-life fictional detective Nero Wolfe, described by reviewer Will Cuppy as "that Falstaff of detectives." Wolfe's assistant Archie Goodwin recorded the cases of the...
used Rowcliff, under whom he had at one time served and came to greatly dislike, as the model for Lieutenant George Rowcliff in the Nero Wolfe
Nero Wolfe
Nero Wolfe is a fictional detective, created in 1934 by the American mystery writer Rex Stout. Wolfe's confidential assistant Archie Goodwin narrates the cases of the detective genius. Stout wrote 33 novels and 39 short stories from 1934 to 1974, with most of them set in New York City. Wolfe's...
series of novels.