Roger Welles

Roger Welles (1862–1932) was a U. S. naval officer, the first commander of USS Oklahoma[1] and appointed the first "Navy Mayor" of San Diego.[2]

Roger Welles
Roger Wells, Director of Naval Intelligence
Born(1862-12-07)December 7, 1862
Newington, Connecticut
DiedApril 26, 1932(1932-04-26) (aged 69)
Buried
Newington Cemetery
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branchUnited States Navy
Rank Rear Admiral
AwardsNavy Cross

Welles gave 33 years service to the navy in a variety of placements, eventually being promoted to Rear-Admiral. As an ensign he was engaged in surveys in Alaska, where he made a study of native peoples culture and language in his spare time.[2] He served two years in the post of Special Counsel to the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and was awarded by its board for research on Orinoco River Indians.[2] A former commander of the Naval Training Center in Newport, his command of the Oklahoma was a short period of time mainly involving the command as a training ship. This was because the oil-fired boilers that she used were not able to be fueled in England, as German U-boats had drained their supply.[3] After he gave command over to Rear Admiral Spencer K. Wood,[4] he was appointed Director of the Office of Naval Intelligence (April 1917 – January 1919).[2]

He then became Commandant of the 11th Naval District, during which period he took the final measures to establish the San Diego Naval Base.

Welles married Harriet Deen Gardner on 17 October 1908, who followed her husband's ship to Asia and later published accounts of journeys in Scribner's Magazine and the popular book Anchors Aweigh. He was entered on the Navy's Retired List on 7 December 1926, upon attaining the age of 64, and died in New York on 26 April 1932.[2]

References
  1. Phister, Jeff; Hone, Thomas; Goodyear, Paul (2008). Battleship Oklahoma, BB-37 (2008 ed.). University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-3917-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Linder, Bruce (Spring 2003). "Rear Admiral Roger Welles—San Diego's First "Navy Mayor"". The Journal of San Diego History. 49 (2).
  3. Phister-Hone-Goodyear p. 31
  4. Persico, Joseph E. (2002). Roosevelt's Secret War: FDR and World War II Espionage (2002 ed.). Random House. ISBN 978-0-375-76126-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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