Samuel Humphreys

Samuel Humphreys (23 November, 1778 – 16 August, 1846) was a noted U.S. naval architect in the early 1800s.

Naval architect

Samuel Humphreys constructed ships at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. He built the USS Franklin in 1815. He constructed the USS Philadelphia, which was laid down in 1798, and launched in 1799.

In 1824, Samuel turned down a very lucrative offer from Emperor Alexander I of Russia to create a Russian Navy, saying: "I do not know that I possess the merits attributed to me, but, be they great or small, I owe them all to the flag of my country."

Samuel Humphreys was "Chief Constructor for the Navy" from 1826 to 1846. He designed America's first first-rate ship of the line, the USS Pennsylvania, which was laid down in 1821, but not launched until 1837. He designed USS Relief, which was laid down in 1835, and launched in 1836.

Family

Samuel's father was Joshua Humphreys, the naval architect for the first six frigates of the US Navy. Samuel, and his wife Letitia, had sons Andrew and Joshua (1813-1873) who served in the Union Army and Confederate Navy, respectively, in the American Civil War. His other children were Jane Murray McCrabb (1813-1897), Mary Yonge (1823-1866), and William Humphreys (1828-1897).

Samuel Humphreys is buried at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC, with his sons Andrew and Joshua.

See also

*United States naval architect
*Naval architecture

References

*cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
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url = http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/inv/h/Humphreys_Family.html
title = Inventory of the Humphreys Family Papers, 1840-1918, Collection Number 5186
format =
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publisher = Manuscripts Department, Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
accessdate = 2006-06-18
*cite web|url=http://www.congressionalcemetery.org/PDF/Restoration/Ruedrich_Peet2002/Restore2002_HumphreysS.pdf|title=Samuel Humphreys, Marble Box Tomb|format=PDF|accessdate=2006-06-23

External links

* [http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/inv/h/Humphreys_Family.html Inventory of the Humphreys Family Papers, 1840-1918] , in the Southern Historical Collection, UNC-Chapel Hill