William Price Williamson
Encyclopedia
William Price Williamson (August 1884 – 17 August 1918) was an officer in the United States Navy
.
, Williamson was appointed midshipman
on 29 June 1903 and graduated from the Naval Academy
with the class of 1907, in the advanced section of that class, on 12 September 1906. Assigned to Indiana (Battleship No. 1)
, he landed from that ship at Kingston, Jamaica
, in January 1907 and was cited by his commanding officer for his efficient work in a rescue party during fires resulting from an earthquake there
.
Williamson later joined Kansas (Battleship No. 21)
and made the globe-girdling cruise of the Great White Fleet
(1907–1908) in her before he was ordered to Washington, D.C.
, in March 1909 for "ordnance instruction." From there, he went to Utah (Battleship No. 31)
in October 1911. While in that dreadnought, he commanded the gun battery of Utah's landing force during the landings at Veracruz
, Mexico
, in April 1914.
Wiliamson inspected ordnance at the E. W. Bliss and Co., Brooklyn, New York, from 1914 to 1916 before he joined Galveston (Cruiser No. 17) on 13 May 1916 for a brief tour of duty. He then journeyed to the Asiatic Station to become the Inspector of Ordnance and Powder at the Naval Magazine and Chemical Laboratory, Olongapo, Philippines
(later called the Naval Ammunition Depot, Olongapo) on 7 July 1916.
Returning to the United States in the spring of 1918, he was assigned duty assisting in the fitting out of Orizaba (Id. No. 1536) and became the ship's first executive officer when that transport was commissioned. Williamson then worked closely with the ship's commanding officer, Captain R. Drace White—another ordnance expert—in developing a workable depth charge thrower for use on board transports, in the hope of providing them with some measure of protection of their own. Wiliamson's invention was a modified Lyle gun (one used for line-throwing in rescue operations). In the first test on 16 August 1918, the crude depth charge projector hurled a 50-pound charge approximately 150 feet.
However, before using their creation in actual operations against submarines trailing her convoy, the two officers wanted at least one more test with a larger propellant charge. Accordingly, on 17 August 1918, they commenced another experiment—one that proved to be a disaster.
Williamson fired the gun, but a defective fuse caused the depth charge to explode prematurely, killing him instantly. The blast knocked Capt. White to the deck (with a broken jaw, broken knee, and flesh wounds), and killed three sailors. In addition, four other officers and 22 other enlisted men were wounded in the tragic explosion. For his work, however, Williamson was awarded the Navy Cross
posthumously.
William Price Williamson was the grandson of Confederate Chief Engineer William Price Williamson of North Carolina. Confederate Chief Engineer Williamson has been credited with first suggesting that the hull of the U.S.S. Merrimack could be used to build the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia
(Davis, William C., Duel Between The First Ironclads). Another descendant of Confederate Chief Engineer William Price Williamson is Admiral Dennis Cutler Blair, United States Navy (Ret.), nominated for the post of Director of National Intelligence in the Obama administration.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
.
Biography
Born in Norfolk, VirginiaNorfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, Williamson was appointed midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
on 29 June 1903 and graduated from the Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
with the class of 1907, in the advanced section of that class, on 12 September 1906. Assigned to Indiana (Battleship No. 1)
USS Indiana (BB-1)
USS Indiana was the lead ship of her class and the first battleship in the United States Navy comparable to foreign battleships of the time. Authorized in 1890 and commissioned five years later, she was a small battleship, though with heavy armor and ordnance. The ship also pioneered the use of an...
, he landed from that ship at Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, in January 1907 and was cited by his commanding officer for his efficient work in a rescue party during fires resulting from an earthquake there
1907 Kingston earthquake
The 1907 Kingston earthquake which shook the capital of the island of Jamaica with a magnitude of 6.5 on the moment magnitude scale on Monday January 14th, at about 3:30 pm local time , was considered by many writers of that time one of the world's deadliest earthquakes recorded in history...
.
Williamson later joined Kansas (Battleship No. 21)
USS Kansas (BB-21)
USS Kansas was a US commissioned in 1907 and decommissioned in 1921. She was the second ship of the United States Navy named in honor of Kansas.-Pre-World War I:...
and made the globe-girdling cruise of the Great White Fleet
Great White Fleet
The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the United States Navy battle fleet that completed a circumnavigation of the globe from 16 December 1907 to 22 February 1909 by order of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. It consisted of 16 battleships divided into two squadrons, along with...
(1907–1908) in her before he was ordered to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, in March 1909 for "ordnance instruction." From there, he went to Utah (Battleship No. 31)
USS Utah (BB-31)
USS Utah was a battleship that was attacked and sunk in Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. A Florida-class battleship, she was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the U.S. state of Utah...
in October 1911. While in that dreadnought, he commanded the gun battery of Utah's landing force during the landings at Veracruz
Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, in April 1914.
Wiliamson inspected ordnance at the E. W. Bliss and Co., Brooklyn, New York, from 1914 to 1916 before he joined Galveston (Cruiser No. 17) on 13 May 1916 for a brief tour of duty. He then journeyed to the Asiatic Station to become the Inspector of Ordnance and Powder at the Naval Magazine and Chemical Laboratory, Olongapo, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
(later called the Naval Ammunition Depot, Olongapo) on 7 July 1916.
Returning to the United States in the spring of 1918, he was assigned duty assisting in the fitting out of Orizaba (Id. No. 1536) and became the ship's first executive officer when that transport was commissioned. Williamson then worked closely with the ship's commanding officer, Captain R. Drace White—another ordnance expert—in developing a workable depth charge thrower for use on board transports, in the hope of providing them with some measure of protection of their own. Wiliamson's invention was a modified Lyle gun (one used for line-throwing in rescue operations). In the first test on 16 August 1918, the crude depth charge projector hurled a 50-pound charge approximately 150 feet.
However, before using their creation in actual operations against submarines trailing her convoy, the two officers wanted at least one more test with a larger propellant charge. Accordingly, on 17 August 1918, they commenced another experiment—one that proved to be a disaster.
Williamson fired the gun, but a defective fuse caused the depth charge to explode prematurely, killing him instantly. The blast knocked Capt. White to the deck (with a broken jaw, broken knee, and flesh wounds), and killed three sailors. In addition, four other officers and 22 other enlisted men were wounded in the tragic explosion. For his work, however, Williamson was awarded the Navy Cross
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...
posthumously.
William Price Williamson was the grandson of Confederate Chief Engineer William Price Williamson of North Carolina. Confederate Chief Engineer Williamson has been credited with first suggesting that the hull of the U.S.S. Merrimack could be used to build the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia
CSS Virginia
CSS Virginia was the first steam-powered ironclad warship of the Confederate States Navy, built during the first year of the American Civil War; she was constructed as a casemate ironclad using the raised and cut down original lower hull and steam engines of the scuttled . Virginia was one of the...
(Davis, William C., Duel Between The First Ironclads). Another descendant of Confederate Chief Engineer William Price Williamson is Admiral Dennis Cutler Blair, United States Navy (Ret.), nominated for the post of Director of National Intelligence in the Obama administration.