William Wirt Kimball

William Wirt Kimball (January 9, 1848 – January 26, 1930) was a U.S. naval officer and an early pioneer in the development of submarines.

William Wirt Kimball
Born	(1848-01-09)January 9, 1848 Paris, Maine
Died	January 26, 1930(1930-01-26) (aged 82) Washington, D.C.
Allegiance	United States of America
Service / branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1869–1910
Rank	Rear Admiral
Battles / wars	Spanish–American War

Kimball at top left and with other officers on U.S. Navy ship to Nicaragua in this newspaper compilation, 1909

Biography

Kimball was born in Paris, Maine, and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis in 1869.

After serving on early navy torpedo boats, Kimball designed machine guns and armored cars, later shifting his focus to the development of submarines in the 1890s.

He commanded the Atlantic torpedo-boat fleet during the Spanish–American War.

In May 1906, he became the first commander of the battleship New Jersey. Kimball was promoted to rear admiralin 1908 and led expeditionary forces to Nicaragua in 1909. He retired from active duty in 1910.

Kimball died in Washington, D.C., on January 26, 1930, at the age of 82.

References

• "Biographies". Submarine Pioneers. Submarine Warfare Division, United States Navy. Archived from the original on July 14, 2001. Retrieved 2007-04-12.

External links

• "Submarine Pioneers". Submarine Warfare Division, United States Navy. Archived from the original on July 14, 2001. Retrieved 2007-04-12.
• John Baker. "Effects of the Press on Spanish-American Relations in 1898". Archived from the original on 2001-11-17. Retrieved 2007-04-12.