Thomas S. Rodgers
Encyclopedia
Rear Admiral
Thomas Slidell Rodgers (18 August 1858 – 28 February 1931) was an officer in the United States Navy
who served during the Spanish-American War
and World War I
.
, Rodgers was a scion
of one of the most famous naval families in American history. His great-uncle, Commodore John Rodgers
, had commanded American forces during the First Barbary War
and was the senior officer in the United States Navy
at the outbreak of the War of 1812
. His maternal great-grandfather was Captain Christopher Raymond Perry
, who fought in the Quasi-War
with France
and was the father of naval heroes Oliver Hazard Perry
and Matthew Calbraith Perry. Thomas Rodgers's father was Rear Admiral
Christopher Raymond Perry Rodgers
, and his older brother, Raymond Perry Rodgers, would also reach the rank of Rear Admiral. At one point or another during the first 25 years of the 20th century, five members of the Rodgers family were active flag officer
s in the U.S. Navy.
Following in the family footsteps, therefore, Rodgers attended the United States Naval Academy
, from which he graduated in 1878. Details of his service during the first twenty years of his career are slim. It is known from sources, however, that he had achieved the rank of Lieutenant no later than 1894, when he served aboard . During and after the Spanish-American War
, Rodgers served aboard . It is likely that this service included participation in the annexation of Wake Island
on January 17, 1899. Promoted rapidly through the ranks following the end of the War, Rodgers served as executive officer of the battleship , with the rank of Commander
, from 1902 to 1905. Varied service ashore and afloat led to promotion to the rank of Captain, and in 1910, Rodgers was given command of the battleship , the last pre-dreadnought
built for the U.S. Navy. In 1911, he was appointed to the post of Supervisor of New York Harbor
, and in 1912, Rodgers succeeded Captain Templin M. Potts to become Director of Naval Intelligence
, a position largely developed by his older brother Raymond Perry Rodgers, the second holder of that office.
In 1913, Rodgers was given command of the U.S. Navy's newest and most powerful dreadnought
battleship, . Shortly after bringing her into commission on April 15, 1914, Rodgers took the New York south to the Gulf of Mexico
, where she served as the flagship for Rear Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher
's squadron blockading Veracruz, Mexico. In 1915, Rodgers served as flag captain
of Battleship Division One of the Atlantic Fleet, commanded by Rear Admiral Henry T. Mayo
. On June 13, 1916, Rodgers was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral and served briefly with the Atlantic Fleet before going ashore to study at the Naval War College
, where he would remain through 1917.
On April 6, 1917, the United States declared war on Germany, entering World War I
on the side of the Allies
. As more and more American troops began to cross the Atlantic in 1918 for service on the Western Front
, the Navy Department became increasingly worried about the threat posed by large German surface raiders breaking out into the Atlantic. Chief of Naval Operations
Admiral William S. Benson
, in particular, worried that if one or more of the German battlecruisers were to catch a weakly protected troop convoy
, potentially thousands of American doughboy
s would be slaughtered.
In response to this threat, the Navy Department decided to send a division of battleships to Berehaven, Ireland
, to act as a guard force against the possibility of a battlecruiser raid. Rear Admiral Rodgers, then in command of Battleship Division Six of the Atlantic Fleet
, was selected for this assignment. The division departed for Ireland on August 12, 1918. On October 14, 1918, Rodgers received word that German cruisers might have escaped into the Atlantic. At the time, two troop convoys were approaching European waters. Battleship Division Six put to sea without delay and escorted both convoys out of the danger zone. Despite the prompt action of Admiral Rodgers and the ships under his command, no German warships had been in the Atlantic, and the convoys were never in any danger. This false-alarm was the only raider-warning issued during Battleship Division Six's service in the warzone.
At the end of the war, Admiral Rodgers returned to service in the Atlantic Fleet, commanding Battleship Division Seven. He retired from the Navy in July, 1919, after 41 years of service.
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Thomas Slidell Rodgers (18 August 1858 – 28 February 1931) was an officer in 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...
who served 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 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...
.
Biography
Born at Morristown, New JerseyMorristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
, Rodgers was a scion
Kinship
Kinship is a relationship between any entities that share a genealogical origin, through either biological, cultural, or historical descent. And descent groups, lineages, etc. are treated in their own subsections....
of one of the most famous naval families in American history. His great-uncle, Commodore John Rodgers
John Rodgers (naval officer, War of 1812)
John Rodgers was a senior naval officer in the United States Navy who served under six Presidents for nearly four decades during its formative years in the 1790s through the late 1830s, committing the greater bulk of his adult life to his country...
, had commanded American forces during the First Barbary War
First Barbary War
The First Barbary War , also known as the Barbary Coast War or the Tripolitan War, was the first of two wars fought between the United States and the North African Berber Muslim states known collectively as the Barbary States...
and was the senior officer in 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...
at the outbreak of the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. His maternal great-grandfather was Captain Christopher Raymond Perry
Christopher Raymond Perry
Christopher Raymond Perry was an officer in the United States Navy. He was the father of Oliver Hazard Perry and Matthew Calbraith Perry.-Early life:...
, who fought in the Quasi-War
Quasi-War
The Quasi-War was an undeclared war fought mostly at sea between the United States and French Republic from 1798 to 1800. In the United States, the conflict was sometimes also referred to as the Franco-American War, the Pirate Wars, or the Half-War.-Background:The Kingdom of France had been a...
with France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and was the father of naval heroes Oliver Hazard Perry
Oliver Hazard Perry
United States Navy Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry was born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island , the son of USN Captain Christopher Raymond Perry and Sarah Wallace Alexander, a direct descendant of William Wallace...
and Matthew Calbraith Perry. Thomas Rodgers's father was Rear Admiral
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 :...
Christopher Raymond Perry Rodgers
Christopher Raymond Perry Rodgers
Christopher Raymond Perry Rodgers was an officer in the United States Navy. He served in the Mexican-American War, the American Civil War, as Superintendent of the Naval Academy, and Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Squadron.-Early career:Rodgers was born in Brooklyn, New York, into a naval family...
, and his older brother, Raymond Perry Rodgers, would also reach the rank of Rear Admiral. At one point or another during the first 25 years of the 20th century, five members of the Rodgers family were active flag officer
Flag Officer
A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark where the officer exercises command. The term usually refers to the senior officers in an English-speaking nation's navy, specifically those who hold any of the admiral ranks; in...
s in the U.S. Navy.
Following in the family footsteps, therefore, Rodgers attended 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 which he graduated in 1878. Details of his service during the first twenty years of his career are slim. It is known from sources, however, that he had achieved the rank of Lieutenant no later than 1894, when he served aboard . During and after 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...
, Rodgers served aboard . It is likely that this service included participation in the annexation of Wake Island
Wake Island
Wake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior...
on January 17, 1899. Promoted rapidly through the ranks following the end of the War, Rodgers served as executive officer of the battleship , with the rank of Commander
Commander (United States)
In the United States, commander is a military rank that is also sometimes used as a military title, depending on the branch of service. It is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the military, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Naval rank:In the United States...
, from 1902 to 1905. Varied service ashore and afloat led to promotion to the rank of Captain, and in 1910, Rodgers was given command of the battleship , the last pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought battleship is the general term for all of the types of sea-going battleships built between the mid-1890s and 1905. Pre-dreadnoughts replaced the ironclad warships of the 1870s and 1880s...
built for the U.S. Navy. In 1911, he was appointed to the post of Supervisor of New York Harbor
New York Harbor
New York Harbor refers to the waterways of the estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River that empty into New York Bay. It is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not use the term, New York Harbor has important historical, governmental,...
, and in 1912, Rodgers succeeded Captain Templin M. Potts to become Director of Naval Intelligence
Office of Naval Intelligence
The Office of Naval Intelligence was established in the United States Navy in 1882. ONI was established to "seek out and report" on the advancements in other nations' navies. Its headquarters are at the National Maritime Intelligence Center in Suitland, Maryland...
, a position largely developed by his older brother Raymond Perry Rodgers, the second holder of that office.
In 1913, Rodgers was given command of the U.S. Navy's newest and most powerful dreadnought
Dreadnought
The dreadnought was the predominant type of 20th-century battleship. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her were referred to as "dreadnoughts", and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts...
battleship, . Shortly after bringing her into commission on April 15, 1914, Rodgers took the New York south to the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, where she served as the flagship for Rear Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher
Frank Friday Fletcher
Frank Friday Fletcher was an United States Navy admiral who served in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was awarded the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions as commander of Navy forces at the Battle of Veracruz, Mexico.-Biography:Fletcher was born on...
's squadron blockading Veracruz, Mexico. In 1915, Rodgers served as flag captain
Flag captain
In the Royal Navy, a flag captain was the captain of an admiral's flagship. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this ship might also have a "captain of the fleet", who would be ranked between the admiral and the "flag captain" as the ship's "First Captain", with the "flag captain" as the ship's...
of Battleship Division One of the Atlantic Fleet, commanded by Rear Admiral Henry T. Mayo
Henry T. Mayo
Henry Thomas Mayo was an admiral of the United States Navy.Mayo was born in Burlington, Vermont, 8 December 1856. Upon graduation from the United States Naval Academy in 1876 he experienced a variety of naval duties including coastal survey...
. On June 13, 1916, Rodgers was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral and served briefly with the Atlantic Fleet before going ashore to study 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...
, where he would remain through 1917.
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...
on the side of the Allies
Triple Entente
The Triple Entente was the name given to the alliance among Britain, France and Russia after the signing of the Anglo-Russian Entente in 1907....
. As more and more American troops began to cross the Atlantic in 1918 for service on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
, the Navy Department became increasingly worried about the threat posed by large German surface raiders breaking out into the Atlantic. 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...
Admiral William S. Benson
William S. Benson
William Shepherd Benson was an Admiral in the United States Navy and the first Chief of Naval Operations , holding the post throughout World War I.-Biography:...
, in particular, worried that if one or more of the German battlecruisers were to catch a weakly protected troop convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
, potentially thousands of American doughboy
Doughboy
Doughboy is an informal term for an American soldier, especially members of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. The term dates back to the Mexican–American War of 1846–48....
s would be slaughtered.
In response to this threat, the Navy Department decided to send a division of battleships to Berehaven, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, to act as a guard force against the possibility of a battlecruiser raid. Rear Admiral Rodgers, then in command of Battleship Division Six 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...
, was selected for this assignment. The division departed for Ireland on August 12, 1918. On October 14, 1918, Rodgers received word that German cruisers might have escaped into the Atlantic. At the time, two troop convoys were approaching European waters. Battleship Division Six put to sea without delay and escorted both convoys out of the danger zone. Despite the prompt action of Admiral Rodgers and the ships under his command, no German warships had been in the Atlantic, and the convoys were never in any danger. This false-alarm was the only raider-warning issued during Battleship Division Six's service in the warzone.
At the end of the war, Admiral Rodgers returned to service in the Atlantic Fleet, commanding Battleship Division Seven. He retired from the Navy in July, 1919, after 41 years of service.