- William Sims
Infobox Military Person
name=William Sowden Sims
lived= birth date|1858|10|15 – Death date and age|1936|9|25|1858|10|15|
placeofbirth=Port Hope,Ontario, Canada
placeofdeath=Boston, Massachusetts
caption=Rear Admiral William Sowden Sims
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
branch=United States Navy
serviceyears=1876 – 1922
rank=Admiral
commands=Naval War College U.S. Naval Forces Operating in European Waters (WWI)
unit=
battles=World War I
awards=
laterwork=Pulitzer Prize William Sowden Sims (
October 15 ,1858 –September 25 ,1936 ) was anadmiral in theUnited States Navy , who sought during the late 19th and early 20th centuries to modernize the Navy. DuringWorld War I he commanded all United States naval forces operating in Europe. He also served twice as President of theNaval War College .Sims was born to American parents living in Port Hope, Ontario,
Canada . He graduated from theUnited States Naval Academy in 1880, the beginnings of an era of naval reform and greater professionalization. Commodore Stephen B. Luce founded the Naval War College inNewport, Rhode Island , in 1884, to be the Service's professional school. During the same era, Naval War College instructor CaptainAlfred Thayer Mahan was writing influential books on naval strategy and sea power.As a young officer, Sims sought to reform naval gunnery by improving target practice. His superiors resisted his suggestions, failing to see the necessity. He was also hindered by his low rank. Never one to let obstacles stand in his way, Sims overcame the opposition by writing directly (in 1902) to President
Theodore Roosevelt . The President, who had previously served asAssistant Secretary of the Navy , was intrigued by Sims' ideas and made him the Navy's Inspector of Target Practice.When the United States entered
World War I , then-Rear Admiral Sims was serving as President of the Naval War College. Just before the U.S. entered the war, the Wilson Administration sent him to London as a naval representative. After the U.S. entry, Sims was given command over U.S. naval forces operating from Britain. He ended the war as a vice admiral, in command of all U.S. naval forces operating in Europe.Sims served a second tour as President of the Naval War College (1919–1922), and retired in October 1922. His account of the U.S. naval effort during World War I, "The Victory at Sea", won the 1921
Pulitzer Prize for History . In 1929 Sims received an LL.D. fromBates College . He died in Boston,Massachusetts , with the rank of full admiral.Legacy
Several U.S. Navy vessels have been named for Sims. Three ships have been named USS "Sims", while a transport vessel was named USS "Admiral W. S. Sims" (AP-127).
External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/s13/sims-i.htm "Sims" (DD-409), Dictionary of American Fighting Naval Ships]
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/a3/admiral_w_s_sims.htm "Admiral W.S. Sims" (AP-127) Dictionary of American Fighting Naval Ships]
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/biblio/biblio1/biblio1o.htm Naval History Bibliography, World War I, 1917-198, Naval Historical Center]
* [http://www.nwc.navy.mil/l1/History.htm History of the Naval War College (from NWC website)]
*findagrave|9773847 Retrieved on2008-02-11 References
* Allard, Dean C. "Admiral William S. Sims and United States Naval Policy in World War I." "American Neptune" 35 (April 1975): 97–110.
* Morison, Elting E. "Admiral Sims and the Modern American Navy". Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1942.
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