Robert B. Dashiell

Robert B. Dashiell
Born(1860-07-29)July 29, 1860
Woodville, Virginia, U.S.
DiedMarch 8, 1899(1899-03-08) (aged 38)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Buried
United States Naval Academy Cemetery, Annapolis, Maryland, U.S.[1]
Allegiance United States of America
Service / branch United States Navy
Years of service1883–1899
RankAssistant Naval Constructor
UnitNaval Construction Corps (1895–1899)

Robert Brooke Dashiell (July 29, 1860 – March 8, 1899) was an officer in the United States Navy noted for his naval ordnance technical expertise.

Biography

Dashiell was born in 1860 near Woodville, Virginia.[2] He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1881, ranked seventh in his class.[3] One of his classmates was John W. Weeks,[3] who later served in Congress and was Secretary of War from 1921 to 1925. Following his graduation, Dashiell served for 16 months on the USS Essex.[2]

Dashiell was commissioned as an ensign on July 1, 1883.[2][4] First assigned to the naval ordnance department,[5] he was transferred in 1885 to the USS Pensacola,[6] under the command of then-Captain George Dewey.[7] He served on the Pensacola until early 1888, when he was again assigned to naval ordnance.[2]

In 1889, Dashiell received an honorary Master of Arts degree from St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland.[8] He was dispatched by the Bureau of Ordnance to construct a naval ordnance center in Indian Head, Maryland,[9] where he served as Inspector in Charge of Ordnance from 1890 to 1893.[10] The resulting facility, Naval Support Facility Indian Head, has played a significant role in ordnance development and testing for the United States.[9]

In May 1893, Dashiell was assigned to the armored cruiser USS New York.[11] In December of that year, he was promoted to lieutenant junior grade.[11] In 1895, while still serving on the New York,[12] he resigned as a line officer and was appointed a staff corps officer in the Naval Construction Corps.[13] An inventor of important ordnance mechanisms and an authority on dock construction, he was commissioned Assistant Naval Constructor on February 7, 1895.[14]

Dashiell served in his specialty until his death due to meningitis in 1899 in Washington, D.C.[15] He was survived by his wife and three children.[15] A brother, Paul Dashiell, was a professor and football coach at the Naval Academy.[16] One of his daughters, Eleanor, married future Army major general Julian Hatcher in October 1910.[17] Another daughter, Nancy, married future Navy vice admiral Thomas Leigh Gatch in June 1917.[18]

In 1943, the destroyer USS Dashiell (DD-659) was named in his honor.[19] The Dashiell was commissioned 20 March 1943 and decommissioned 29 April 1960.

References

Public Domain This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

  1. ^ "The Late Robert Dashiell". The Washington Times. March 11, 1899. p. 2. Retrieved April 1, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c d "Record of Officers: Robert B. Dashiell". Naval Officers Service Records. United States Navy. p. 217. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via fold3.com.
  3. ^ a b "Uncle Sam's Cadets". National Republican. Washington, D.C. June 10, 1881. p. 1. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Scraps and facts". Yorkville Enquirer. York, South Carolina. June 28, 1883. p. 2. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Anne Arundel Affairs". The Baltimore Sun. August 21, 1883. p. 4. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "To be transferred". Evening Capital. Annapolis, Maryland. March 27, 1885. p. 1. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "The Navy-Yard". The Virginian-Pilot. Norfolk, Virginia. April 22, 1885. p. 4. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Honorary Degrees". Bulletin of St. John's College in Annapolis. Maryland Republican Steam Press: 68. 1898 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ a b Hoyer, Steny H. (September 25, 2015). "Hoyer celebrates 125th anniversary of Naval Support Facility Indian Head". Archived from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2016 – via Wayback Machine.
  10. ^ Carlisle, Rodney (2002). Powder and propellants : energetic materials at Indian Head, Maryland, 1890-2001 (2nd ed.). Denton, Tex.: University of North Texas Press. p. 121. ISBN 9781574411492. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  11. ^ a b "Record of Officers: Robert B. Dashiell". Naval Officers Service Records. United States Navy. p. 218. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via fold3.com.
  12. ^ "Personals". Pittsburgh Daily Post. February 12, 1895. p. 4. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "The Mare Island Vacancy". Norfolk Virginian. Norfolk, Virginia. January 31, 1895. p. 5. Retrieved April 1, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Washington Notes". Chicago Tribune. February 8, 1895. p. 3. Retrieved April 1, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  15. ^ a b "Obituary: Robert B. Dashiell". Standard Union. Brooklyn. March 9, 1899. p. 8. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Constructor Dashiell Dead". The Baltimore Sun. March 9, 1899. p. 6. Retrieved April 1, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "An Army-Navy Wedding". Evening Capital. Annapolis, Maryland. October 19, 1910. p. 1. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Marriage Announced". San Francisco Chronicle. June 15, 1917. p. 5. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Ship Launches as Jap Nemesis". Courier-Post. Camden, New Jersey. February 6, 1943. p. 2. Retrieved April 1, 2023 – via newspapers.com.