Edwin Taylor Pollock (October 25, 1870 – June 4, 1943) was a career officer in the United States Navy , serving in the Spanish–American War and in World War I . He was later promoted to the rank of captain .
86-623: As a young ensign , Pollock served aboard USS New York during the Spanish–American War. After the war, he rose through the ranks, served on several ships, and did important research into wireless communication. In 1917, less than a week before the United States entered World War I, he won a race against a fellow officer to receive the U.S. Virgin Islands from Denmark, and served as the territory's first acting governor. During
172-534: A superposed arrangement of the main and some of the secondary guns, which proved to be a significant disappointment in service, as firing either set of guns interfered with the others, slowing the rate of fire . Virginia was 441 feet 3 inches (134.49 m) long overall and had a beam of 76 ft 3 in (23.24 m) and a draft of 23 ft 9 in (7.24 m). She displaced 14,948 long tons (15,188 t ) as designed and up to 16,094 long tons (16,352 t) at full load . The ship
258-487: A "Poulsen Apparatus", based on principles by Valdemar Poulsen . Experiments were also conducted to determine wireless characteristics during inclement weather and during both the day and night. In 1916, he was put in command of USS Alabama , the ship on which he had been the navigator. In the final days before the entrance of the United States into World War I , the U.S. military was concerned that Germany
344-530: A group of petty officers and enlisted men in one of the ship's, squadrons, team's or other organization's branches and divisions (for example, engineering, navigation, communications, sensors or weapons aboard a warship, or similar functions in the operations, aircraft maintenance, administrative or safety/NATOPS departments in a flying squadron) while at the same time receiving on-the-job training in leadership, naval systems, programs, and policies from higher-ranking officers and from senior enlisted men and women in
430-584: A half years as part of the Asiatic Squadron , then transferring to USS Detroit before returning home in 1897. On his return home, the Spanish–American War was heating up and he was reassigned to New York , to see service in Cuba and Puerto Rico , eventually taking part in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba . In January 1900, he was promoted to lieutenant and assigned to USS Alliance . Over
516-611: A host of other specialties. Still others may become staff corps officers in the Supply Corps, Civil Engineering Corps, Nurse Corps, Medical Service Corps, or be law school students or medical or dental school students in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, Medical Corps or Dental Corps, respectively. While the Coast Guard does not categorize its officers as unrestricted line, restricted line or staff corps,
602-562: A legitimate successor government to pre-1899 Samoa. Evans also met with the high chiefs and secured their assent to continued Naval government. Ripley, who had traveled to Washington to meet with Secretary of the Navy Edwin C. Denby , was not permitted by Evans to enter the port at American Samoa and returned to exile in California, where he later became the mayor of Richmond . After being appointed as governor, Pollock's continued
688-501: A midshipman, was assigned to USS Lancaster and USS Monocacy . He graduated with a rank of ensign in 1893. After graduation, Pollock returned to Ohio and married Beatrice E. Law Hale on December 5. Two weeks later, he was assigned to the cruiser USS New York during its initial shake-down. He was subsequently assigned to the gunboat USS Machias for an expedition to China . He remained in China for two and
774-650: A position he held for more than one year. He was transferred to USS Cincinnati , serving for another year, and then to Cavite Naval Base . At Cavite, he was promoted to lieutenant commander in February 1906. His first duty as a lieutenant commander was on USS Alabama , as the navigator . In 1910, Pollock was reassigned to USS Massachusetts , where he was promoted to commander in March 1911. On his promotion, Pollock commanded USS Virginia and USS Kearsarge , before being transferred to
860-492: A similar career sorting and training process also takes place, ranging from those in operational fields such as cuttermen aboard Coast Guard cutters, Naval Aviators in Coast Guard Aviation, specialists in maritime safety and inspections, and a host of other Coast Guard officer career fields. All ensigns will become branch officers or division officers in their first operational assignments, responsible for leading
946-472: A six to nine-month training track in a Fleet Replacement Squadron before being assigned to fly combat aircraft in a deployable Fleet aviation squadron. Sea-Air-Land (SEAL) Special Warfare Officers attend a 6-month Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) course followed by a 4-month SEAL Qualification Training (SQT) course before assignment to a SEAL Team. Finally, Special Operations Officers, primarily Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) / Diver officers will have
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#17327903273221032-543: A term for a flag. The Spanish alférez and Portuguese alferes is a junior officer rank below lieutenant associated with carrying the flag, and so is often translated as "ensign". Unlike the rank in other languages, its etymology has nothing to do with flags, but instead comes from the Arabic for "cavalier" or "knight". Fähnrich in German comes from an older German military title, Fahnenträger (flag bearer); however, it
1118-656: A top speed of 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph). For the duration of her career, Virginia served in the Atlantic Fleet , much of it spent conducting peacetime training exercises to maintain fleet readiness. In 1907–1909, she took part in the cruise of the Great White Fleet around the world. She was involved in the American intervention in the Mexican Revolution in 1913–1914, including
1204-528: A training track similar in length to that of SEAL officers, to include schools for EOD, SCUBA, hard hat diving, airborne (parachutists) and combat arms skills training before assignment to their first operational assignment. Restricted Line officers, depending on designator, may train, qualify and be assigned as naval intelligence officers, naval cryptographic officers, aircraft maintenance duty officers, meteorologists/oceanographers, information professionals, human resources professionals, public affairs officers, or
1290-418: A warship for qualification as a SWO. Prospective Submarine Warfare Officers will attend Naval Nuclear Power School for 26 weeks, followed by Nuclear Power Training Unit (Prototype) for 24 weeks and Submarine Officer Basic Course for 12 weeks before reporting to their first submarine. Prospective Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers have a 12 to 18 month flight training track to earn their wings, followed by
1376-545: A week after securing the islands. Oliver was confirmed by Congress on April 20 and relieved Pollock as governor. During the war, Pollock was appointed as captain on USS George Washington , a German cruise liner which was seized by the United States government for use as a military transport ship. She was rechristened George Washington in September 1917 and Pollock was given her command on October 1, 1917. That December, she set out with her first load of troops. During
1462-923: A welcoming ceremony was held in Yokohama . Three weeks of exercises followed in Subic Bay in the Philippines in November. The ships passed Singapore on 6 December and entered the Indian Ocean; they coaled in Colombo before proceeding to the Suez Canal and coaling again at Port Said , Egypt. The fleet called in several Mediterranean ports before stopping in Gibraltar , where an international fleet of British, Russian, French, and Dutch warships greeted
1548-569: Is an officer cadet rank, not a junior officer – the same applies to the Dutch vaandrig , which has a parallel etymology. The Finnish vänrikki is derived from the same Germanic root word through Swedish fänrik' , but denotes the lowest rank of reserve officer in the Finnish ground forces, and is distinct from cadet ranks. In the Swedish armed forces, fänrik is the lowest commissioned rank. In
1634-598: The 369th Infantry Regiment ) home to the United States "on the grounds that no blacks had ever traveled on an American battleship." Her last voyage ended on 4 July 1919 in Boston, and in the course of the five trips, she carried 6,037 soldiers back to the United States. Virginia christened the Commonwealth dry dock at Boston in January 1920 by gliding through a string of flowers draped across its entrance and "cutting
1720-736: The Armistice that ended the fighting in Europe the day before. With the war over, Virginia was equipped to transport American soldiers back from France; the modifications included extra bunks and mess facilities. On 17 December, she steamed out of Norfolk on her first of five trips to Brest, France. This trip was made in company with her sister ship Rhode Island , and the two ships arrived in Brest on 30 December. They took on 2,043 soldiers before departing three days later. The ship's captain, Henry Joseph Ziegemeier, refused to ferry Black units (such as
1806-658: The Canadian Army , Ensign (Enseigne) is the distinctive rank for Second-Lieutenant in the Guards Regiments. In Estonian Defence Forces the equivalent of “ensign” is lipnik . It is used mainly as a rank for reserve officers. During the Ancien Régime in France, as in other countries, the ensign ( enseigne ) was the banner of an infantry regiment. As in other countries, the name began to be used for
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#17327903273221892-595: The German and then New Zealand colonial powers. Some of the initial grievances of the movement included the quality of roads in the territory, a marriage law which largely forbade natives from marrying non-natives, and a justice system which discriminated against locals in part because laws were not often available in Samoan. In addition, the United States Navy also prohibited an assembly of Samoan chiefs, whom
1978-807: The Jamestown Exposition to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Jamestown colony . An international fleet that included British, French, German, Japanese, and Austro-Hungarian warships joined the US Navy at the event. In mid-May, when she went into the Norfolk Navy Yard for repairs, which lasted into early June. From 7 to 13 June, she took part in a naval review for Roosevelt in Hampton Roads. Target practice followed off Cape Cod Bay from mid-June to mid-July. Virginia and
2064-532: The Martin NBS-1 bombers of the 2nd Bombardment Group . Observers were aboard the Army transport ship St. Mihiel . The bombing runs began just before 9:00, and on the third attack seven NBS-1s dropped a pair of 1,100-pound (500 kg) bombs each, scoring two hits that caused extensive damage. The blast destroyed the bridge and knocked down both masts and all three funnels. The rest of the bombs landed close to
2150-927: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps . This rank is also used in the U.S. Maritime Service and the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps . Ensign ranks below lieutenant junior grade , and it is equivalent to a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army , the Marine Corps , and the Air Force . Where a newly commissioned ensign is assigned in the Navy is dependent on status as either an unrestricted line, restricted line, or staff corps officer. For unrestricted line officers, depending on assignment to which warfare community , prospective Surface Warfare Officers (SWO) will spend 22 weeks at Surface Warfare Officer School followed by assignment to
2236-890: The Norfolk Navy Yard for repairs that lasted from 3 November 1906 to 18 February 1907, following a collision with the steamship Monroe in the Norfolk-Cape Henry Channel. The accident caused significant damage to both vessels and it was alleged that Virginia ' s steering systems had malfunctioned, contributing to the accident. A fire control device was installed between 19 February and 23 March. Virginia then returned to Cuba, arriving in Guantánamo Bay on 28 March. She conducted gunnery training off Cuba until 10 April, when she departed for Hampton Roads , Virginia, where she remained from 15 April to 15 May. During this period, she participated in
2322-533: The United States Naval Observatory . During his command of Kearsarge , Pollock briefly commanded USS Salem for a world-record setting wireless experiment. For this feat, Salem was outfitted with 16 different wireless telegraph technologies and sailed to Gibraltar , with Pollock commanding. On arrival, they tested these technologies and set a world-record for longest wireless telegraph distance, 2,400 miles (3,900 km), using
2408-468: The broadside . Virginia ' s main armored belt was 11 in (279 mm) thick over the magazines and the machinery spaces and 6 in (152 mm) elsewhere. The faces of the main battery gun turrets (and the secondary turrets on top of them) were 12-inch (305 mm) thick. Each turret rested on a supporting barbettes that had 10 in (254 mm) of armor plating. The conning tower had 9 in (229 mm) thick sides. Virginia
2494-465: The infantry or navy . As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the regimental colours , the rank acquired the name. This rank has generally been replaced in army ranks by second lieutenant . Ensigns were generally the lowest-ranking commissioned officer, except where the rank of subaltern existed. In contrast, the Arab rank of ensign, لواء, liwa' , derives from
2580-651: The lead ship of her class . She was the fifth ship to carry her name. Virginia was laid down in May 1902 at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia , was launched in April 1904, and was commissioned into the fleet in May 1906. The ship was armed with an offensive battery of four 12-inch (305 mm) guns and eight 8-inch (203 mm) guns, and she was capable of
2666-434: The occupation of Veracruz . After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, she was used first to train gunners for the expanding wartime fleet, and later to escort convoys to Europe. During this period, she served briefly as the flagship of the 1st and 3rd Divisions, Battleship Force. After the war ended in November 1918, she was assigned to the operation to transport American soldiers back from France. Virginia
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2752-526: The 1930s. He died on June 4, 1943, after a long illness and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery on June 7, 1943. Ensign (rank) Ensign ( / ˈ ɛ n s ən / ; Late Middle English , from Old French enseigne ( transl. mark, symbol, signal; flag, standard, pennant ), from Latin insignia (plural)) is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in
2838-645: The 1st Division flagship under Rear Admiral John A. Hoogewerff , and the second for the 3rd Division commander, Rear Admiral Thomas Snowden . In late 1918, Virginia was overhauled at the Boston Navy Yard, after which she was tasked with escorting convoys halfway across the Atlantic, to rendezvous points where other escorts would take them to France. Her first convoy—a troopship convoy with 12,176 soldiers aboard—left New York on 14 October. She escorted another convoy on 12 November, though Germany signed
2924-520: The Americans. The ships then crossed the Atlantic to return to Hampton Roads on 22 February 1909, having traveled 46,729 nautical miles (86,542 km; 53,775 mi). There, they conducted a naval review for Roosevelt. Starting on 26 February, Virginia went into drydock at the Norfolk Navy Yard for repairs after the two-year voyage. The ship required extensive maintenance, which lasted until 26 June. The following fifteen months were spent conducting
3010-684: The Chief Petty Officer rates. Navy and Coast Guard ensigns wear collar insignia of a single gold bar and because of this share the nickname "butterbars" with Army, Air Force, Space Force, and Marine Corps second lieutenants, who wear the same insignia. In the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps – a uniformed service in the United States Public Health Service — those wearing
3096-719: The German Landsknecht armies (c. 1480), the equivalent rank of cornet existed for those men who carried the troop standard (known as a "cornet"). It is still used in the artillery and cavalry units of the Netherlands ( kornet ). In the Royal Canadian Navy , as explained below, the ranks Enseigne de vaisseau de 1re classe and Enseigne de vaisseau de 2e classe are the French translation for Sub-Lieutenant and Acting Sub-Lieutenant, respectively. In
3182-519: The Islands in a race. The commander of the ship that arrived first would officiate at the transfer ceremony and be acting governor. Pollock arrived first and the transfer ceremony took place on March 31, 1917, on Saint Thomas. Blerer officiated at a smaller ceremony on Saint Croix . Present for the handover was the crew of the Danish station cruiser Valkyrien and the former island legislature. The United States declared war on Germany on April 6, less than
3268-527: The Mau, becoming the first governor to do so. Shortly afterwards, some members of the Mau disbanded, though the movement would continue in some form for another 13 years. Pollock's remaining time as governor was less eventful. While exploring Tonga in May 1923, he discovered a turtle which had been branded by Captain Cook on his expedition there in 1773. The turtle was thus known to have lived more than 150 years. He
3354-417: The Mau, which eventually led to the dissolution of opposition groups. He firmly denied entry to C.S. Hannum and Samuel S. Ripley , believing their presence would cause even greater trouble than in 1920, and vowed to jail Hannum if he ever returned to American Samoa. Pollock also prohibited the use of Samoan bush medicine and instituted a special tax of $ 3 per taxpayer. Additionally, he is remembered for giving
3440-595: The New Zealand Army grade of second lieutenant . It ranks above the grade of midshipman . Like the grade of pilot officer, it uses a single thin strip of braid. The fact that the Royal Navy has no real equivalent to the lowest commissioned Royal Air Force and British Army grades was one of the driving factors behind the RNZN's decision to create the ensign grade. Another was that, at the time, New Zealand
3526-810: The United States and Japan after the latter's victory in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, particularly over racist opposition to Japanese immigration to the United States. The press in both countries began to call for war, and Roosevelt hoped to use the demonstration of naval might to deter Japanese aggression. On 17 December, the fleet steamed out of Hampton Roads, and cruised south to the Caribbean and then to South America, making stops in Port of Spain , Rio de Janeiro , Punta Arenas , and Valparaíso , among other cities. After arriving in Mexico in March 1908,
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3612-532: The Virginia Capes for more exercises. She and her sister ship Georgia left on 11 April, bound for the Boston Navy Yard , arriving on the 13th for another round of periodic maintenance. Repairs to Virginia lasted until 24 May, when the ship steamed to Provincetown. There, she experimented with equipment to coal while underway with the collier Vestal and conducted torpedo training. She
3698-633: The air. Pollock retired from service in 1927 and was replaced as superintendent by Captain Charles F. Freeman. In 1930, Pollock and his wife purchased a summer home in Jamestown, Rhode Island , while continuing to maintain their main residence in Washington, D.C. In 1932, he was made a director of the Jamestown Historical Society. He also became interested in genealogy and published several works on his family's history through
3784-434: The appointment of Governor Waldo A. Evans to conduct a court of inquiry into the situation and to restore order. Pollock succeeded Evans, who had successfully restored the government and productivity of the islands after a period of unrest. At this time, American Samoa was administered by a team of twelve officers and a governor, with a total population of approximately 8,000 people. The islands were primarily important due to
3870-531: The battleship USS Oklahoma , to serve in the Pacific fleet. On November 10, 1920, Pollock was awarded a Navy Cross for his services during the war. On November 30, 1921, Pollock was transferred from command of Oklahoma to become the Military Governor of American Samoa . Events both personal and political had led to a previous governor, Warren Terhune 's, suicide on November 3, 1920, and
3956-501: The colonization work started by his predecessor. Prior to traveling to the territory, he met with Ripley in San Francisco, California . Although Ripley maintained that American "occupation" of Samoa was usurpation, he agreed to allow Pollock to govern unfettered and to provide him with copies of his letters. Almost immediately after arriving on the island, Pollock and Secretary of Native Affairs S. D. Hall met with representatives of
4042-570: The command of units with an ensign, not the carrier of such a unit's ensign, and is today the equivalent of a major general . In Thomas Venn's 1672 Military and Maritime Discipline in Three Books , the duties of ensigns are to include not only carrying the colour but assisting the captain and lieutenant of a company and in their absence, have their authority. "Ensign" is enseigne in French, and chorąży in Polish, each of which derives from
4128-697: The companies of dragoons. The ranks of ensign and cornet were abolished in the United States Army in the Army Organization Act of 1815. In the United States Navy , the rank of ensign superseded passed midshipman in 1862. Ensign is the junior commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy , the United States Coast Guard , the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps , and
4214-405: The conflict. Virginia ' s crew went aboard several German vessels in Boston, including Amerika , Cincinnati , Wittekind , Köln , and Ockenfels . Repair work to Virginia was finally completed by 27 August, allowing the ship to steam to Port Jefferson , New York, where she joined the 3rd Division, Battleship Force of the Atlantic Fleet. She served as a gunnery training ship for
4300-487: The east coast of the United States for more training. In May, she participated in a ceremony to dedicate the USS Maine National Monument . Virginia was back in Mexican waters by 4 November, when she arrived in Veracruz; she cruised Mexican waters until January 1914, when she departed for Cuba. There, she conducted fleet maneuvers until mid-March, followed by additional training exercises off the Virginia Capes and gunnery training in Chesapeake Bay. The latter included firing on
4386-407: The east coast of the United States, where she remained through early 1916. On 20 March, she was placed in reserve at the Boston Navy Yard for a major overhaul ; she was still undergoing repairs in April 1917 when the United States declared war on Germany, entering World War I . Upon the United States' entry into the war, the US Navy seized all German merchant ships that had been interned earlier in
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#17327903273224472-464: The excellent harbor at Pago Pago . Beginning in 1920, a Mau movement , from the Samoan word for "opposition", was forming in American Samoa in protest of several Naval government policies, some of which had been implemented by Terhune but which were not revoked following his death, which natives (and some non-natives) found heavy-handed. The movement itself may have been inspired by a different and older Mau movement in nearby Western Samoa , against
4558-427: The final approval for the hanging of Toeupu following his murder conviction. In 1923, Governor Pollock made the first proposal for a museum in American Samoa. This was included in his 1923 report to the Secretary of the Navy. However, work on the museum was not started until the arrival of First Lady Jean P. Haydon in 1969. Originally from Mount Gilead, Ohio , Pollock attended the United States Naval Academy and, as
4644-430: The first military governor. The United States announced plans to build a naval base in the territory to aid in the protection of the Panama Canal . Oliver was unable to travel immediately to the Islands and the honor of being the first Acting Governor of the United States Virgin Islands was decided in an unusual way. Both Pollock, commanding USS Hancock , and B. B. Blerer's USS Olympia were dispatched to
4730-449: The fleet spent three weeks conducting gunnery practice. The fleet then resumed its voyage up the Pacific coast of the Americas, stopping in San Francisco and Seattle before crossing the Pacific to Australia, stopping in Hawaii on the way. Stops in the South Pacific included Melbourne , Sydney , and Auckland . After leaving Australia, the fleet turned north for the Philippines, stopping in Manila , before continuing on to Japan where
4816-403: The following year he served on USS Dolphin and USS Buffalo . On board Buffalo , he returned to the Asiatic Squadron near China and was finally transferred to USS Brooklyn , the squadron's flagship . He remained on board Brooklyn , until its return home in May 1902. After a brief leave, Pollock was assigned to the USS Chesapeake (as the watch and division officer ),
4902-419: The moons Phobos and Deimos with his original 17-inch (430 mm) telescope . They also made observations to calculate the masses of the two moons. On January 24, 1925, Pollock commanded the dirigible USS Los Angeles on a flight from Lakehurst, New Jersey , to photograph a solar eclipse from an altitude of 8,000 feet (2,400 m). This was the first time an eclipse had been photographed from
4988-402: The movement considered the real government of the territory. Surprisingly, the movement had grown to include several prominent officers of former Governor Terhune's staff, including his executive officer . It culminated in a proclamation by Samuel S. Ripley , an American Samoan from an afakasi or mixed-blood Samoan family, with large communal property in the islands, that he was the leader of
5074-405: The name of a banner. The rank of ensign was established in the U.S. Army by the act of September 29, 1789, (the first act of legislation after the adoption of the U.S. Constitution ); each of the eight companies in the Regiment of Infantry was authorized one captain, one lieutenant and one ensign. With the passage of the act of April 30, 1790, the number of companies in the regiment of infantry
5160-406: The next year. Admiral Albert W. Grant , the commander of the Battleship Force, complained that the men under his command were very poorly trained. He reported that 87 percent of the enlisted men from Virginia had never served aboard a warship, and most of the officers were themselves insufficiently trained. During this period, she had two brief stints as a flagship , the first in December as
5246-457: The normal peacetime training routine, with various maneuvers off the Virginia Capes and Newport. In late 1909, Virginia and other ships from the Atlantic Fleet crossed the Atlantic to visit Brest, France , and Gravesend , England; the visits lasted from 15 November to 7 December in Brest and 8 to 29 December in Gravesend. The fleet returned to Guantánamo Bay for maneuvers, which lasted from 13 January to 13 March 1910. Virginia then returned to
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#17327903273225332-429: The officers who carried the ensign. It was renamed sub-lieutenant ( sous-lieutenant ) at the end of the 18th century. The Navy used a rank of ship-of-the-line ensign ( enseigne de vaisseau ), which was the first officer rank. It was briefly renamed ship-of-the-line sub-lieutenant ( sous-lieutenant de vaisseau ) in the end of the 18th century, but its original name was soon restored. Within many French speaking countries,
5418-428: The other two turrets abreast the forward funnel . The 6-inch guns were placed in casemates in the hull . For close-range defense against torpedo boats , she carried twelve 3-inch (76 mm)/50 caliber guns mounted in casemates along the side of the hull and twelve 3-pounder guns. As was standard for capital ships of the period, Virginia carried four 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes , submerged in her hull on
5504-408: The rank is still used in the naval forces. The ranks are usually split into a first and second class ( Enseigne de vaisseau de 1 classe and Enseigne de vaisseau de 2 classe respectively). The Royal New Zealand Navy , unlike the Royal Navy – whose uniforms, insignia, and traditions it inherited – created the ensign grade to equal the lowest commissioned RNZAF grade of pilot officer and
5590-411: The rank of ensign are part of a commissioned officer student training, and extern program (COSTEP), either junior, for those with more than a year remaining of education in a commissionable degree (JRCOSTEP), or senior, for those within one year of graduating with a commissionable degree (SRCOSTEP). Some officers may hold a permanent rank of ensign based on their experience and education, but then can hold
5676-413: The rest of her division then cruised the east coast, stopping in Newport, New York City, and Provincetown , followed by night battle training in Cape Cod Bay. In September 1907, Virginia returned to the Norfolk Navy Yard for maintenance, which lasted from 24 September to 24 November. It was here that she was equipped with some of the first ship-borne short-range radio equipment, intended for use during
5762-447: The ribbon" for the important new facility, and then remained there for a year, being reclassified as BB-13 on 17 July 1920 and decommissioned on 13 August. According to the terms of the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty , which mandated significant cuts in naval strength, Virginia was to be discarded; she was initially put up for sale on 12 July 1922, but the Navy instead transferred the ship to the War Department on 6 August 1923. Virginia
5848-425: The ship recorded an official speed of 19.734 knots (36.547 km/h; 22.709 mph)., before proceeding to Oyster Bay, Long Island , where she was reviewed by President Theodore Roosevelt from 2 to 4 September. The ship returned to her shakedown cruise. In the meantime, a revolution had begun in Cuba against President T. Estrada Palma , who requested United States intervention to protect his government. Virginia
5934-443: The temporary rank of lieutenant, junior grade. In the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps) – a uniformed service in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — ensign is the most junior rank. All NOAA Corps officers become ensigns via direct commissions . USS Virginia (BB-13) USS Virginia (BB-13) was a United States Navy pre-dreadnought battleship ,
6020-453: The upcoming circumnavigation of the globe., She thereafter moved to the New York Navy Yard for additional repair work before returning to Hampton Roads on 6 December. Over the following ten days, the ship's crew made preparations for a circumnavigation of the globe by the Great White Fleet . The cruise of the Great White Fleet was conceived as a way to demonstrate American military power, particularly to Japan. Tensions had begun to rise between
6106-405: The war, Pollock successfully transported 60,000 American soldiers to France in 18 round trips. In 1918, George Washington was tasked to deliver President Woodrow Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference , though Pollock would not make the trip. He was reassigned on September 29, 1918. While on board George Washington , Pollock and Chaplain Paul F. Bloomhardt edited a daily newspaper . After
6192-402: The war, he was promoted to captain and a vessel under his command transported 60,000 American soldiers to France, for which he was awarded a Navy Cross . Afterward, he was made the eighth Naval Governor of American Samoa and then the superintendent of the United States Naval Observatory , before retiring in 1927. As Governor of American Samoa, Pollock is notable for establishing dialogue with
6278-483: The war, stories from the paper were assembled and published in 1919 by J. J. Little & Ives co. as Hatchet of the United States Ship "George Washington" . A short review of the work by Outlook magazine called the book "readable" and "admirably illustrated". It "abounds in clever bits of fun, queer and notable incidents, and sound and patriotic editorials." After the war, he was eventually reassigned to
6364-697: The wreck of San Marcos (formerly the battleship Texas ). Most of April was spent at the Boston Navy Yard for repairs. In the meantime, the United States had occupied Veracruz in the aftermath of the Tampico incident . Virginia was sent there to support operations against Mexico after emerging from the shipyard, arriving on 1 May. She remained there into early October, interrupted only by gunnery practice from 18 September to 3 October in Guantánamo Bay. After departing Veracruz in October, she returned to
6450-644: Was laid down at the Newport News Shipbuilding on 21 May 1902 and was launched on 5 April 1904. She was commissioned for active service on 7 May 1906. Captain Seaton Schroeder was the ship's first commander. Virginia began a shakedown cruise in Chesapeake Bay , Virginia, to Newport, Rhode Island , then to Long Island , New York, before arriving in Bradford, Rhode Island on 9 August. Sea trials followed off Rockland, Maine , in which
6536-601: Was actively involved with the United States Armed Forces, so it made sense to balance the rank system out with that used by the United States Navy . Until 1871, when it was replaced by second lieutenant , ensign was the lowest rank of commissioned officer in infantry regiments of the British Army (except fusilier and rifle regiments, and the Marines, which always used second lieutenant ). It
6622-416: Was armed with a main battery of four 12 in (305 mm) /40 caliber Mark 4 guns in two twin gun turrets on the centerline , one forward and aft. The secondary battery consisted of eight 8 in (203 mm) /45 caliber guns and twelve 6 in (152 mm) /50 caliber guns. The 8-inch guns were mounted in four twin turrets; two of these were superposed atop the main battery turrets, with
6708-429: Was back in Boston by 18 June. For the next three years, Virginia adhered to the peacetime training routine with few interruptions. By 1913, conditions in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution began to worsen, and the US Navy began to deploy warships to the country to protect American nationals in the country. Virginia operated there out of Tampico and Veracruz from 15 February 1913 to 15 March before returning to
6794-683: Was decommissioned in 1920 and eventually expended as a target ship in 1923 under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty . Design work on the Virginia class began in 1899, after the United States' victory in the Spanish–American War , which had demonstrated the need for sea-going battleships suitable for operations abroad, finally resolving the debate between proponents of that type and those who favored low- freeboard types useful for coastal defense. The designers included
6880-514: Was increased to 12 and each of the companies was authorized the same number of officers. The act of March 3, 1791 added a second regiment to the Army strength, doubling the total number of ensigns. With the organization of the Legion of the United States authorized by the act of March 5, 1792, ensigns were retained in the companies of infantry and were included in the authorized strength of companies of rifles; in addition, cornets were added to
6966-565: Was instead to be expended as a target ship for bombing tests, along with her sister New Jersey and the battleship Alabama . These tests would be held in cooperation with the US Army Air Service , under the supervision of General Billy Mitchell . On 5 September, Virginia and New Jersey were anchored off the Diamond Shoals lightship , off Cape Hatteras , North Carolina for the tests, which were conducted by
7052-542: Was ordered home on July 26, 1923. Immediately on leaving Samoa, Pollock was appointed superintendent of the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. , replacing outgoing Rear Admiral William D. MacDougal. On August 22, 1924, Mars came within 34,630,000 miles (55,730,000 km) of Earth. The U.S. Naval Observatory made no formal observations of the planet, but Pollock and the son of astronomer Asaph Hall ceremonially re-enacted Hall's 1877 discoveries of
7138-601: Was planning to purchase or seize the Danish West Indies for use as a submarine or zeppelin base. At the time, Charlotte Amalie on Saint Thomas was considered the best port in the Caribbean outside of Cuba , and Coral Bay on Saint John was considered the safest harbor in the area. Although the United States was not yet at war with Germany, the U.S. signed a treaty to purchase the territory from Denmark for 25 million dollars on March 28, 1917. President Woodrow Wilson nominated James Harrison Oliver to be
7224-447: Was powered by two-shaft triple-expansion steam engines rated at 19,000 indicated horsepower (14,000 kW), with steam provided by twenty-four coal-fired Niclausse boilers . The propulsion system generated a top speed of 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph). As built, she was fitted with heavy military masts , but these were quickly replaced by cage masts in 1909. She had a crew of 812 officers and enlisted men. The ship
7310-476: Was sent on 15 September to protect Havana from attack; she remained there from 21 September to 13 October, when she returned to Sewell's Point , Virginia. Virginia then proceeded to Norfolk , where she coaled before continuing on to Tompkinsville, Staten Island . She then steamed to the New York Navy Yard and went into the drydock to have the bottom of her hull painted. The ship returned to
7396-466: Was the duty of officers of this rank to carry the colours of the regiment . In the 16th century, "ensign" was corrupted into "ancient", and was used in the two senses of a banner and the bearer of the banner. Today, the term "ensign" is still used by the Foot Guards regiments, for instance during the ceremony of trooping the colour . The equivalent cavalry rank was cornet , also being derived from
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