- William Kennon Mayo
William Kennon Mayo (1824-1900) was an officer in the
United States Navy , most notably during theMexican-American War and theAmerican Civil War .Mayo, a native of
Virginia , was appointed amidshipman in the U.S. Navy onOctober 18 ,1841 . He was first active in service during the Mexican-American War. Mayo was given charge of the boats of the landing party during the surrender ofMonterrey . He also took part in the capture ofTampico and Vera Cruz.After the war, Mayo was attached to a number of ships. His duties included
surveying , other scientific work, and for a time, he was an instructor at theU.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. In 1855, Mayo received his commission aslieutenant .In January 1862, during the Civil War, he was appointed executive officer of the
corvette USS "Housatonic" during theUnion blockade ofCharleston, South Carolina . In June 1862 Mayo was promoted to the rank oflieutenant commander .Five months after his advancement in rank, Mayo was given command of the gunboat "Kanawha". This vessel operated in the Western Gulf Squadron and was successful in capturing a number of small enemy vessels.
In February 1864, Mayo was stationed in
Washington, D.C. on special duty. He returned to Charleston to participate in the blockade of that city's harbor the same July. As commander of themonitor USS "Nahant", Mayo won the commendation of theSecretary of the Navy for assisting the effectiveness of the naval blockade.After the capitulation of Charleston, Mayo became ordnance officer of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron.
Mayo stayed in the Navy following the end of the Civil War, and was assigned to various ships and posts. In 1886, he was made a commander. Afterwards, Mayo spent nearly three years on navigation duty in Boston. Following this, he led a number of ships in station service.
Mayo was commandant of the
Norfolk Naval Shipyard from 1882 to 1885. He was promoted to the rank of Commodore onJuly 2 ,1882 .He was retired upon his own application on
May 18 ,1886 . Mayo died in Washington, D.C., in April 1900.References
"Death List of A Day, Commodore William Kennon Mayo", "
New York Times ",April 11 ,1900 , Page 9.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.