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58-686: Samuel Francis Du Pont (September 27, 1803 – June 23, 1865) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy , and a member of the prominent Du Pont family . In the Mexican–American War , Du Pont captured San Diego , and was made commander of the California naval blockade. Through the 1850s, he promoted engineering studies at the United States Naval Academy , to enable more mobile and aggressive operations. In

116-444: A besieged squadron, despite heavy resistance. He was given command of the California naval blockade in the last months of the war and, after taking part in further land maneuvers, was ordered home. Du Pont served most of the next decade on shore assignment, and his efforts during this time are credited with helping to modernize the U.S. Navy. He studied the possibilities of steam power , and emphasized engineering and mathematics in

174-465: A blistering crossfire, and he withdrew them before nightfall. Five of his nine ironclads were disabled in the failed attack, and one more subsequently sank. The Secretary of the Navy , Gideon Welles , blamed Du Pont for the highly publicized failure at Charleston. Du Pont himself anguished over it and, despite an engagement in which vessels under his command defeated and captured a Confederate ironclad,

232-467: A commissioned officer, he was promoted to sailing master during his service aboard the 74-gun North Carolina in 1825, which sailed on a mission to display American influence and power in the Mediterranean . Soon after his promotion to Lieutenant in 1826, he was ordered aboard the 12-gun schooner Porpoise , returned home for two years after his father's death in 1827, and then served aboard

290-491: A design by Henry Eckford . Her 73 ft (22 m) keel was laid down in 1820. She was launched in early August 1821. The need to suppress piracy and to maintain ships to catch slavers led to the building of five such schooners, the largest of which was Grampus . This was the first building program undertaken by the Navy since the War of 1812 . Lieutenant Francis Gregory commanded Grampus on her first cruise as part of

348-598: A list of officers it recommends for promotion to flag rank. This list is then sent to the service secretary and the joint chiefs for review before it can be sent to the President , through the defense secretary, for consideration. The president nominates officers to be promoted from this list with the advice of the Secretary of Defense , the service secretary, and if applicable, the service's chief of staff or commandant. The President may nominate any eligible officer who

406-698: A naval combat commander, taking or destroying thirty enemy ships and clearing the Gulf of California in the process. Du Pont transported Major John Fremont 's troops to San Diego, where they captured the city. Du Pont then continued operations along the Baja coast, including the capture of La Paz , and burnt two enemy gunboats in the harbor of Guaymas under heavy fire. He led the main line of ships that took Mazatlán on November 11, 1847, and on February 15, 1848, launched an amphibious assault on San José del Cabo that managed to strike three miles (5 km) inland and relieve

464-635: A small part in the Amistad trials: in November–December 1839, the U.S. government had Grampus standing by in New Haven Harbor , so that if the court ruled in favor of the slaves' Spanish "owners," they could deport the Africans to Cuba before they could file an appeal. However, the district judge ruled that the Africans had been illegally enslaved and must be returned to Africa. It was

522-446: A source of consternation to the other services. At the same time, the Navy also bestowed the title of commodore on selected U.S. Navy captains who commanded multiple subordinate units, such as destroyer squadrons , submarine squadrons and air wings and air groups not designated as carrier air wings or carrier air groups. Although not flag officers , these officers were entitled to a personal blue and white command pennant containing

580-616: A successful attack on the fortifications at Port Royal harbor in South Carolina . This victory enabled Union naval forces to secure the southern waters of Georgia and the entire eastern coast of Florida, and an effective blockade was established. On January 3, 1862, he was promoted to the newly created rank of Flag Officer (equivalent to the rank of Commodore, which would be created in July 1862). Du Pont received commendations from U.S. Congress for his brilliant tactical success, and

638-555: Is later, unless appointed for promotion or reappointed to grade to serve longer. Otherwise all flag officers must retire the month after their 64th birthday. However, the Secretary of Defense can defer a flag officer's retirement until the officer's 66th birthday and the President can defer it until the officer's 68th birthday. Flag officers typically retire well in advance of the statutory age and service limits, so as not to impede

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696-461: Is not on the recommended list if it serves in the interest of the nation, but this is uncommon. The Senate must then confirm the nominee by a majority vote before the officer can be promoted. Once confirmed, a nominee is promoted by assuming an office that requires or allows an officer to hold that rank. For one-star or two-star positions of office that are reserved by statute, the President nominates an officer for appointment to fill that position. For

754-576: The American Civil War , he played a major role in making the Union blockade effective, but was controversially blamed for the failed attack on Charleston, South Carolina in April 1863. Du Pont was born at Goodstay, his family home at Bergen Point (now Bayonne ), New Jersey , the fourth child and second son of Victor Marie du Pont and Gabrielle Joséphine de la Fite de Pelleport. His uncle

812-554: The U.S. Code of law . However, the four uniformed services will sometimes list the rank as rear admiral (upper half) to help the general public distinguish between the two grades. Although it exists largely as a maritime training organization, the United States Maritime Service does use the ranks of rear admiral (upper half) and rear admiral (lower half). By law, the Service has the same rank structure as

870-756: The United States Coast Guard , the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps , and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps . Rear admiral (lower half) ranks above captain and below rear admiral . Rear admiral (lower half) is equivalent to the rank of brigadier general in the United States Army , Air Force , Marine Corps , and Space Force and equivalent to

928-559: The West Indies Squadron , which took her to the Antilles in pursuit of pirates . In the company of Hornet , Enterprise , Spark , Porpoise , and Shark , Grampus engaged in convoying merchant vessels throughout 1821, the presence of the squadron having a marked effect on piratical activity among the islands. On 16 August 1822, Grampus fought a brig flying Spanish colors, but which Lt. Gregory suspected

986-538: The brig Perry , but was forced to return home and give up his command because of severe illness. He returned to service in 1845 as commander of the Congress , the flagship of Commodore Robert Stockton , reaching California by way of a cruise of the Hawaiian Islands by the time the Mexican–American War had begun. Du Pont was given command of the sloop Cyane in 1846 and quickly showed his skill as

1044-646: The 16-gun sloop Ontario in 1829. Despite the short period in which he had been an officer by this time, Du Pont had begun to openly criticize many of his senior officers, who he believed were incompetent and had only received their commands through political influence. After returning from the Ontario in June 1833, Du Pont married Sophie Madeleine du Pont (1810–88), his first cousin as the daughter of his uncle, Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. As he never kept an officer's journal, his voluminous correspondence with Sophie serves as

1102-538: The 74-gun ship of the line Franklin out of Delaware in December 1815. As there was no naval academy at the time, Du Pont learned mathematics and navigation at sea and became an accomplished navigator by the time he took his next assignment aboard the frigate Constitution in 1821. He then served aboard the frigate Congress in the West Indies and off the coast of Brazil . Though still not yet

1160-794: The Assistant Surgeons General are one-star rear admirals and no more than half are two-star rear admirals. The Coast Guard's chief medical officer is also a commissioned corps two-star rear admiral, on assignment to the Coast Guard. Officers serving in certain intelligence positions are not counted against the statutory limit. For the Navy and the Coast Guard, to be promoted to the permanent grade of rear admiral (lower half) or rear admiral, officers who are eligible for promotion to these ranks are screened by an in-service promotion board composed of other flag officers from their branch of service. This promotion board then generates

1218-651: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps and the United States Maritime Service . Rear admiral ranks above rear admiral (lower half) and below vice admiral . Rear admiral is equivalent to the rank of major general in the U.S. Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force. It is the highest permanent rank during peacetime in the uniformed services. All higher ranks are temporary ranks and linked to their specific commands or office and expire with

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1276-643: The Navy and the Coast Guard, because the one-star and two-star grades are permanent ranks, the nominee may still be screened by an in-service promotion board to add their input on the nominee before the nomination can be sent to the Senate for approval. For the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, one-star and two-star rank are achieved by appointment from

1334-751: The President, or from their department secretary, and do not require senatorial approval. The standard tour length for most rear admiral positions is three years, but some are set at four or more years by statute. For the Navy, Coast Guard, and NOAA Corps, both grades of rear admiral are permanent ranks and do not expire when the officer vacates a one-star or two-star position. The Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, however, employs permanent promotions in both grades of rear admiral as well as position-linked temporary appointments in both grades (e.g., Assistant Surgeons General). Their temporary ranks expires when those officers vacate certain temporary positions of office designated to bear those ranks. By tradition in

1392-676: The Reserve Active Status List as part-time drilling reservists. Some of these billets are reserved or set by statute. For example, the Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Navy is a two-star rear admiral in the Navy. A newer statute enacted in 2016 lowers the cap on the total number of active duty flag officers in the Department of Defense to 151, effective December 31, 2022. In the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, at least half of

1450-563: The U.S. Navy's "Grampus" seems to be intended, nor is it even remotely implied, it is still interesting to note that the real "Grampus" disappeared while Melville was serving in the Navy aboard the USS ; United States , the topic of its loss possibly a subject among Melville's shipmates. The enigmatic character of Bulkington disappears from the Spouter Inn in the midst of the "Grampus" crew's revelries, his shipmates pursuing him into

1508-721: The United States Coast Guard, but its uniforms are more similar to the United States Navy. By statute, Congress has expressly limited the total number of flag officers that may be on active duty at any given time. The total number of active duty flag officers is capped at 162 for the Regular Navy, augmented by a smaller number of additional flag officers in the Navy Reserve who are either on full-time active duty, temporary active duty, or on

1566-584: The United States Navy, when an officer is selected or appointed to flag rank, all current Navy flag officers write the selectee a letter congratulating him or her for attaining flag officer status. Other than voluntary retirement, federal statutes set a number of mandates for retirement. All one-star officers must retire after five years in grade or 30 years of service, whichever is later, unless they are selected or appointed for promotion or reappointed to grade to serve longer. All two-star officers must retire after five years in grade or 35 years of service, whichever

1624-699: The board of the United States Lighthouse Service , his recommendations for upgrading the antiquated system were largely adopted by Congress in a lighthouse bill. In 1853, Du Pont was made general superintendent over what is typically considered the first World's Fair in the United States—the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations , held in New York City. Despite international praise, low attendance caused

1682-662: The capture of Chinese forts on the Peiho River by the French and English on April 28, 1858. He then sailed to Japan, India, and Arabia , finally returning to Boston in May 1859. He played a major role in the receiving of the Japanese ambassador that year, accompanying him on his three-month visit to Washington , Baltimore , and Philadelphia ; the trip was a breakthrough for opening Japan to American trade and investment. Du Pont

1740-410: The current grade of rear admiral (lower half) effective on November 8, 1985. Up until 1981 all rear admirals wore two stars on their shoulder boards and rank insignia. Since then, rear admirals (lower half) wear one star while rear admirals wear two; verbal address remains "rear admiral" for both ranks. On correspondence, where the rear admiral's rank is spelled out, the acronym (LH) and (UH) follows

1798-513: The curriculum that he established for the new United States Naval Academy . He was appointed superintendent of the Academy, but resigned after four months because he believed it was a post more appropriate for someone closer to retirement age. He was an advocate for a more mobile and offensive Navy, rather than the harbor defense function that much of it was then relegated to, and worked on revising naval rules and regulations. After being appointed to

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1856-560: The dismissals resulted in the reinstatement of nearly half of those removed. Du Pont was promoted to captain in 1855. In 1857 he was given command of the steam frigate Minnesota and ordered to transport William Reed, the U.S. Minister to China, to his post in Beijing. Du Pont's Minnesota was one of seventeen warships parading Western force in China, and after China failed to satisfy demands for greater access to its ports, he witnessed

1914-530: The expiration of their term of command or office. Before the American Civil War , the U.S. Navy had resisted creating the rank of admiral. Instead, they preferred the term " flag officer ", in order to distinguish the rank from the traditions of the European navies. During the American Civil War, the U.S. Congress honored David Farragut 's successful assault on the city of New Orleans by creating

1972-470: The flags flown for rear admirals of the unrestricted line of the U.S. Navy have one or two white, single-point-up stars on blue fields for the lower half or upper half, respectively. The flags of restricted line officers and staff corps officers have blue stars on a white field. All services officially list the two-star grade as rear admiral and not rear admiral (upper half) as stated by 10 U.S.C.   § 8111 and 37 U.S.C.   § 201 of

2030-402: The former being paid at the same rate as a one-star brigadier general in the U.S. Army , U.S. Marine Corps and the newly independent U.S. Air Force . Lower-half rear admirals were eventually advanced to full rear admirals, or upper half status, where they would receive pay equivalent to a two-star major general. However, both categories of rear admiral wore two-star insignia, an issue that was

2088-660: The government that appealed on behalf of the slaveholders, and Grampus was not needed. Grampus continued her duties in the protection of shipping in the Caribbean Sea and in the South Atlantic Ocean until August 1841, when she was detached from the Africa Squadron while lying at Boston Navy Yard and attached to the Home Squadron at Norfolk, Virginia on 23 January 1843. Grampus

2146-586: The initials, acronym abbreviation or numerical designation of their command. In 1981, Pub. L.   97–86 expanded commodore from a title to an official permanent grade by creating the one-star rank of commodore admiral . After only 11 months, the rank was reverted to just commodore but kept the one-star insignia. However, this caused issues with the Navy due to the difficulty in differentiating those commodores who were flag officers from commodores who were senior captains in certain command positions. Then in 1985, Pub. L.   99–145 renamed commodore to

2204-714: The invasion of General Sherman 's army in 1865. Du Pont died on June 23, 1865, while on a trip to Philadelphia and is buried in the du Pont family cemetery. The cemetery is located near the Hagley Museum in Greenville, Delaware . In 1882, 17 years after Du Pont's death, the U.S. Congress finally moved to recognize his service and commissioned a sculpture of him to be placed in Pacific Circle in Washington . A bronze sculpture of Du Pont by Launt Thompson

2262-658: The landing of Union troops at Annapolis, Maryland . In June 1861 he was made president of a board in Washington formed to develop a plan of naval operations against the Confederacy . He was appointed flag officer serving aboard the steam frigate Wabash as commander of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron , leading from Norfolk, Virginia , the largest fleet ever commanded by an American officer at that time. On November 7, Du Pont led

2320-503: The main documentation of his operations and observations throughout the rest of his naval career. From 1835 until 1838, he was the executive officer of the frigate Constellation and the sloop Warren , commanding both the latter and the schooner Grampus in the Gulf of Mexico . In 1838 he joined the ship Ohio in the Mediterranean until 1841. The following year he was promoted to commander and set sail for China aboard

2378-639: The privateer as Panchetta , of 18 guns and 92 men. The privateer had suffered 11 men killed. In 1825, Captain John D. Sloat — commander of Grampus — engaged another Puerto Rican pirate, Roberto Cofresí , in battle . Cofresí was captured along with eleven members of his crew, and they were turned over to the Spanish government. Cofresí was jailed in El Castillo del Morro in San Juan . Grampus had

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2436-626: The rank of commodore in most other navies. In the United States uniformed services, rear admiral (lower half) replaced the rank of commodore in 1985. Rear admiral (abbreviated as RADM ), also sometimes referred to informally as " rear admiral (upper half) ", is a two-star flag officer, with the pay grade of O-8 in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps,

2494-477: The rank of rear admiral on July 16, 1862. During World War II , the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard both had a temporary appointment, one-star rank of commodore, that was used in limited circumstances. By the end of the war, all incumbents had been advanced to the rank of two-star rear admiral and the commodore rank was abolished in both services. Both the Navy and the Coast Guard divided their rear admirals into "lower half" and full rear admirals, or "upper half",

2552-590: The rear admiral's rank title to distinguish between one and two stars. Beginning around 2001, the Navy, Coast Guard, and NOAA Corps started using the separate rank abbreviations RDML (one star) and RADM (two stars), while the Public Health Service continued to use the abbreviation RADM for both. The Public Health Service formally adopted the RDML abbreviation for the O-7 pay grade in 2022. As flag officers,

2610-420: The support of President Abraham Lincoln was ignored, and he returned home to Delaware. He returned to Washington to serve briefly on a board reviewing naval promotions. However, subsequent events arguably vindicated Du Pont's judgment and capabilities. A subsequent U.S. naval attack on the city failed, despite being launched with a significantly larger fleet of armored ships. Charleston was finally taken only by

2668-584: The upward career mobility of their juniors. [REDACTED] Media related to Rear Admirals of the United States at Wikimedia Commons USS Grampus (1821) USS Grampus was a schooner in the United States Navy . She was the first U.S. Navy ship to be named for the Grampus griseus , also known as Risso's dolphin . Grampus was built at the Washington Navy Yard under the supervision of naval constructor William Doughty , based on

2726-625: The venture to go into heavy debt, and Du Pont resigned. Du Pont became an enthusiastic supporter of naval reform, writing in support of the 1855 congressional act to "Promote the Efficiency of the Navy." He was appointed to the Naval Efficiency Board and oversaw the removal of 201 naval officers. When those under fire called upon friends in Congress, Du Pont himself became the subject of heavy criticism, and subsequent review of

2784-502: Was Eleuthère Irénée du Pont , the founder of E.I. du Pont de Nemours Company , which began as a gunpowder factory and today is a multinational chemical corporation. (Samuel was the only member of his generation to use a capital D .) Du Pont spent his childhood at his father's home, Louviers , across the Brandywine Creek from his uncle's estate and gunpowder factory, Eleutherian Mills, just north of Wilmington, Delaware . He

2842-403: Was a pirate. When he called upon her commander to surrender, he was met with cannon and small arms fire. Grampus answered in turn, and reduced the bogus Spaniard to a floating wreck in 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 minutes. The brig struck her colors and Lt. Gregory discovered that she was Palmyra , a Puerto Rico -based pirate carrying the papers of a privateer as a subterfuge. Lloyd's List named

2900-626: Was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. Fort du Pont near Delaware City , Delaware, and three U.S. Navy ships; the torpedo boat TB-7 , and the destroyers DD-152 and DD-941 were all named in honor of Samuel Du Pont. Public School 31 in the Greenpoint neighborhood of New York City, is named after him, as is Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. Grant Avenue in San Francisco, California, at one time

2958-537: Was appointed rear admiral on July 16, 1862. Towards the end of 1862, Du Pont became the first U.S. naval officer to be assigned command over armored " ironclad " ships. Though he commanded them ably in engagements with other ships, they performed poorly in an attack on Fort McAllister , due to their small number of guns and slow rate of fire. Du Pont was then given direct orders from the Navy Department to launch an attack on Charleston , South Carolina which

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3016-512: Was dedicated on December 20, 1884, and the traffic circle was renamed Dupont Circle . In attendance were U.S. President Chester A. Arthur and Delaware senator Thomas F. Bayard . Though the circle still bears his name, the statue was moved to Rockford Park (part of Wilmington State Parks ) in Wilmington, Delaware , by the du Pont family in 1920, and replaced by a fountain designed by Daniel Chester French , dedicated in 1921. Louviers

3074-472: Was enrolled at Mount Airy Academy in Germantown, Pennsylvania , at age 9. However, his father was unable to fund his education because of his failing wool mill, and he was encouraged to instead enlist in the U.S. Navy . His family's close connections with President Thomas Jefferson helped secure him an appointment as a midshipman by President James Madison at the age of 12, and he first set sail aboard

3132-464: Was last spoken to by Madison off St. Augustine, Florida on 15 March 1843. She is presumed to have foundered in a gale off Charleston, South Carolina with all hands. Author Herman Melville created a fictional whaling ship in his novel Moby-Dick by the name of "Grampus", its crew briefly mentioned in Chapter 3 as they enter the Spouter Inn after a three years voyage. Although no connection to

3190-532: Was named Dupont Street following the Mexican–American War of 1846–1848. While it was renamed after President Ulysses S. Grant in 1906, Grant Avenue is still written and said in Chinese as "Dupont Gai" (都板街, Gai 街 means street). Rear admiral (United States) Rear admiral (lower half) (abbreviated as RDML ) is a one-star flag officer , with the pay grade of O-7 in the United States Navy ,

3248-477: Was relieved of command on July 5, 1863, at his own request and was replaced in this Office by Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren . Though he enlisted the help of Maryland U.S. Representative Henry Winter Davis to get his official report of the incident published by the Navy, an ultimately inconclusive congressional investigation into the failure essentially turned into a trial of whether Du Pont had misused his ships and misled his superiors. Du Pont's attempt to garner

3306-421: Was the site of the first shots fired in the Civil War with the fall of Fort Sumter and the main area in which the Union blockade had been unsuccessful. Though Du Pont believed that Charleston could not be taken without significant land troop support, he nevertheless attacked with nine ironclads on April 7, 1863. Unable to navigate properly in the obstructed channels leading to the harbor, his ships were caught in

3364-411: Was then made commandant of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in 1860. He expected to retire in this post, but the outbreak of the Civil War returned him to active duty. He was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society in 1862. When communication was cut off with Washington at the start of the Civil War, Du Pont took the initiative of sending a fleet to the Chesapeake Bay to protect

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