Uriel Sebree

Infobox Military Person
name=Uriel Sebree
born=birth date|1848|2|20
died=death date and age|1922|8|6|1848|2|20
placeofbirth=Fayette, Missouri
placeofdeath=Coronado, California


caption=Rear Admiral Uriel Sebree
nickname=
allegiance=United States of America
serviceyears=1863–1910
rank=Rear Admiral
branch=United States Navy
commands=USC&GS "Silliman"
USC&GS "Thomas R. Gedney"
USS "Pinta"
USS "Wheeling"
USS "Thetis"
USS "Abarenda"
USS "Wisconsin"
Commandant U.S. Naval Station Tutuila
Pathfinder Squadron
2nd Division, U.S. Pacific Fleet
Commander-in-Chief U.S. Pacific Fleet
unit=
battles=
awards=
relations=
laterwork=Commandant (Acting governor) of Tutuila

Uriel Sebree (February 20, 1848 – August 6, 1922) was a career officer in the United States Navy. He entered the Naval Academy during the Civil War and served until 1910, retiring as a rear admiral. He is best remembered for his two expeditions into the Arctic and for serving as the second acting governor of American Samoa. He was also commander-in-chief of the Pacific Fleet.

After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1867, Sebree was posted to a number of vessels before being assigned to a rescue mission to find the remaining crew of the missing "Polaris" in the Navy's first mission to the Arctic. This attempt was only a partial success—the "Polaris" crew was rescued by a Scottish ship rather than the US Navy—but this led to Sebree's selection eleven years later for a second expedition to the Arctic. That mission to rescue Adolphus Greely and the survivors of the Lady Franklin Bay expedition was a success. Sebree was subsequently appointed as the second acting governor of American Samoa. He served in this position for only a year before returning to the United States. In 1907, he was promoted to rear admiral and given command of the Pathfinder Expedition around the South American coast before being appointed commander of the 2nd Division of the Pacific Fleet and then commander-in-chief of the entire fleet. He retired in 1910 and died in Coronado, California in 1922. Two geographical features in Alaska—Sebree Peak and Sebree Island—are named for Admiral Sebree.

Early life and career

Uriel Sebree was born in Fayette, Missouri, on February 20, 1848,cite book |last=Hamersly |first=Lewis Randolph |title=The Records of Living Officers of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps |url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=0waiEcVzn9_RgiLXel&id=REQUIE_aDoIC |pages=p. 109] to Judge John Sebree, called "one of the prominent citizens of old Howard County" by the "Jefferson County Tribune",cite news|title=Missourians Meet in Africa|work=The Atlanta Constitution|page=7|date=1898-04-23 (reprinted from the "Jefferson County Tribune")] and his wife. Uriel was the first of two sons. His brother, Frank P. Sebree, became a lawyer. Uriel entered the United States Naval Academy on July 3, 1863, during the American Civil War. After his graduation in 1867, his first assignment was on board the USS "Canandaigua". Over the next few years Sebree won repeated promotion: to ensign in 1868, master in 1870, and lieutenant in 1871. In 1873 he transferred to the ironclad USS "Dictator".

One episode in Sebree's early military history which influenced his later career was his participation in the second "Polaris" rescue mission. The Polaris expedition was an 1871–72 exploration of the Arctic that had aimed to reach the North Pole.cite book|title=Arctic Experience|last=Blake|first=E. Vale|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=6NQBAAAAYAAJ|page=p. 100] The expedition was troubled from the start: its leader, Charles Francis Hall, died in mysterious circumstances before the end of their first winter.cite book|title=Arctic Experience|last=Blake|first=E. Vale|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=6NQBAAAAYAAJ|page=pp. 162–165] The following year, the "Polaris" remained trapped in ice and unable to return home. During a violent storm, the crew was separated into two groups: a small group of explorers was stranded on the now-crippled "Polaris" and the remainder were marooned on an ice floe.cite book|title=Arctic Experience|last=Blake|first=E. Vale|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=6NQBAAAAYAAJ|page=p. 198] These latter 19 survivors were discovered by chance and rescued by the civilian whaler "Tigress".cite book|title=Arctic Experience|last=Blake|first=E. Vale|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=6NQBAAAAYAAJ|page=pp. 326–331] Because of the "Tigress"'s success the Navy chartered the ship, temporarily rechristened her the USS "Tigress", and used her to launch a rescue attempt to locate the remainder of the crew. For this attempt the ship would be commanded by a group of eight navy officers, led by Captain James A. Greer, although much of the original civilian crew was retained. Lieutenant Sebree was one of the officers chosen for the mission.cite news |title=Departure of the Tigress |work=The New York Times |page=8 |date=1883-07-15 ]

This rescue mission was the first official United States military expedition to the Arctic; previous expeditions, including that of the "Polaris" itself, had been led by civilians.cite journal|title=Another Arctic Expedition Begun|journal=Scientific American|volume=29|issue=5|pages=p. 64|date=1973-08-02] The "Tigress" sailed from New York on July 14, 1873,cite news |title=Departure of the Tigress |work=The New York Times |page=8 |date=1883-07-15 ] traveling first to St. John's, Newfoundland and then to Godhavn and Upernavik in Greenland before following the coast further north. The crew searched North Star Bay, Northumberland Island, and Hartstene Bay before discovering the first sign of the "Polaris" crew: a camp on Littleton Island where they had wintered, now occupied by Inuits. The missing men, the rescuers were told, had constructed makeshift boats salvaged from their destroyed ship and traveled south. Acting on this clue, the "Tigress" searched the Baffin Island coast to Cumberland Sound, and then the Greenland coast from Ivigtut to Fiskenæsset and the Davis Strait, before returning to St. John's for fuel. Once there, they learned that the "Polaris" survivors had been rescued by a Scottish ship and that their search was over.cite book |last=Dieck|first=Herman |title=The Marvellous Wonders of the Polar World |url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=0sqEVfm8F8Jj3BS4cuc9nuZ|pages=pp. 109–112] After returning to New York the "Tigress" was transferred back to civilian use.cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/t5/tigress-iii.htm |title=Tigress|work=Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships|accessdate=2008-06-21 |publisher=Naval Historical Cener ]

Infobox
name =
title = Navy Career


caption =
headerstyle = background:#ccf;
labelstyle = background:#ddf;
header1 = Midshipman – 1867
label2 = 1867–69
data2 = USS "Canandaigua"
header3 = Ensign – 1868
header4 = Master – 1870
header5 = Lieutenant – 1871
label6 = 1873
data6 = USS "Dictator"
label7 = 1873
data7 = USS "Tigress"
label8 = 1873–76
data8 = USS "Franklin"
label9 = 1878
data9 = USC&GS "A. D. Bache"
label10 = 1879
data10 = USC&GS "Silliman"
label11 = 1879–81
data11 = USC&GS "Thomas R. Gedney"
label12 = 1882
data12 = USS "Brooklyn"
label13 = 1883
data13 = USS "Pinta"
label14 = 1884
data14 = USS "Powhatan"
label15 = 1884
data14 = USS "Thetis"
label15 = 1884–86
data15 = United States Naval Academy
label16 = 1885–87
data16 = U.S. Lighthouse Board
Inspector, 12th District
label17 = 1887–93
data17 = USS "Buffalo"
header18 = Lieutenant Commander – 1889
label19 = 1893–96
data19 = United States Naval Academy
label20 = 1896–98
data20 = USS "Wheeling"
header21 = Commander – 1897
label22 = 1898–1901
data22 = U.S. Lighthouse Board
Inspector, 12th District
header23 = Captain – 1901
label24 = 1901–02
data24 = USS "Abarenda"
U.S. Naval Station Tutuila
label25 = 1902
data25 = USS "Wheeling"
label26 = 1903–04
data26 = USS "Wisconsin"
label27 = 1904–07
data27 = Naval War College
U.S. Lighthouse Board
header28 = Rear Admiral – 1907
label29 = 1907–08
data29 = Pathfinder Squadron
label30 = 1908–09
data30 = United States Pacific Fleet, 2nd Division
label31 = 1909–10
data31 = United States Pacific Fleet
belowstyle = background:#ddf;
below =After this expedition, Sebree was assigned to the screw frigate USS "Franklin" where he remained for three years. In 1878 he was assigned to work with the United States Coast Survey on board the "A. D. Bache". The following year he was given his first two commands: the "Silliman" and then the "Thomas R. Gedney", both ships of the United States Coast Survey. He remained on the latter ship for nearly three years before being assigned to the USS "Brooklyn" in 1882. In 1883 he was given his first command of a Navy ship, the USS "Pinta", with orders to sail to Alaska.cite news |title=Pinta Ordered to Sea |work=Washington Post |page=4 |date=1883-06-14 ]

Court martial

On October 3, 1883, prior to leaving for Alaska, the "Pinta" collided with the civilian brig "Tally Ho" off the coast of Nantucket.cite news |title=Inquiring Into a Collision |work=The New York Times |page=8 |date=1883-10-27 ] Sebree was not held directly responsible for the collision, as he was below deck at the time, but he did not do enough to determine whether the other ship was damaged before sailing away.cite news |title=Two Naval Officers Reprimanded |work=The New York Times |page=3 |date=1883-12-28 ] Charges were brought against him in November and in December he was found guilty of "culpable negligence and inefficiency in the performance of his duty".cite news |title=Court-Martial Sentences and Orders to Officers |work=The New York Times |page=3 |date=1883-12-15 ] He was sentenced to be suspended from rank and duty for three years with an official reprimand from the Secretary of the Navy.cite news |title=Army and Navy Matters |work=The New York Times |page=3 |date=1883-11-17 ] Believing the sentence to be too harsh, Secretary William E. Chandler reduced it to a public reprimand only.cite news|title=Army and Navy News|work=The New York Times |page=3 |date=1883-12-22 ] Sebree was subsequently transferred to the USS "Powhatan", although not as the ship's commanding officer.

Greely Relief Expedition

One month after joining the "Powhatan", Sebree was transferred again, this time to serve as the executive officer of the USS "Thetis" for another trip into the Arctic.cite book |last=Schley |first=Winfield Scott |authorlink=Winfield Scott Schley |title=The Rescue of Greely |url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=0dd2S4zZ-IxmJi3ko0|pages=p. 123] In 1881, Army Lieutenant Adolphus Greely had left on an expedition to establish a base at Lady Franklin Bay on northern Ellesmere Island (now part of the Canadian territory of Nunavut). Greely was left with provisions for three years but was to expect supply ships in 1882 and 1883.cite book |last=Schley |first=Winfield Scott |authorlink=Winfield Scott Schley |title=The Rescue of Greely |url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=0dd2S4zZ-IxmJi3ko0 |pages=p. 22] Both attempts to resupply the expedition failed and, with Greely's provisions running low, the Navy prepared an expedition in early 1884 to attempt a resupply or rescue. The expedition was led by Captain Winfield Scott Schley and consisted of lead ship USS "Thetis" (with Sebree as the executive officer and navigator), the USS "Bear", and the borrowed HMS "Alert". Many of the officers, including Sebree, were selected for their previous Arctic experience.cite book |last=Schley |first=Winfield Scott |authorlink=Winfield Scott Schley |title=The Rescue of Greely |url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=0dd2S4zZ-IxmJi3ko0 |pages=pp. 118–125] The "Thetis" left New York on May 1, 1884, and the group slowly progressed through the ice of Melville Bay, chasing clues and records left by the expedition, to finally discover the survivors of Greely's camp off Cape Sabine on June 22, 1884. Of the 25 members of the expedition, only 6 had survived.cite book |last=Schley |first=Winfield Scott |authorlink=Winfield Scott Schley |title=The Rescue of Greely |url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=0dd2S4zZ-IxmJi3ko0 |pages=p. 223] The expedition sailed first for Upernavik, Greenland, arriving on July 2, 1884, and then made its way back to the United States, landing at Portsmouth, New Hampshire on August 1, 1884. Schley later reported that a delay of just two more days would have been fatal to the remaining six members of the expedition.cite book |last=Schley |first=Winfield Scott |authorlink=Winfield Scott Schley |title=The Rescue of Greely |url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=0dd2S4zZ-IxmJi3ko0|pages=pp. 257–272] Sebree and the other members of the relief expedition gained fame from the voyage. Even ten years later, in 1895, a report by "The New York Times" celebrating the 50th anniversary of the United States Naval Academy listed Sebree as one of the most "famous" graduates, despite his relatively low rank.cite news |title=Fifty Years of the Nation's Naval Academy |work=The New York Times |page=20 |date=1895-10-06 ]

After his return from the expedition Sebree taught at the Naval Academy for a year before being transferred as the lighthouse inspector for Oregon and Washington Territory, where he remained until 1887. In that year he was made the executive officer of the USS "Buffalo", again under Captain Schley. He was promoted to lieutenant commander in 1889.

Valparaíso riots

After the Chilean Civil War, the United States granted asylum to the supporters of deposed President José Manuel Balmaceda. This action contributed to growing anti-American tensions in Chile.cite book|title=Unrivaled History of the World|volume=5|last=Clare|first=Israel Smith|pp. 1860–1861] On October 16, 1891, while the crew of the "Buffalo" was on leave at Valparaíso, Chile, this tension exploded in the form of a riot against the visiting sailors, resulting in the deaths of two officers and other casualties. An inquiry was held by the Chilean authorities, and locals were charged in the incident but ultimately acquitted. Because of the legal issues the "Buffalo" was unable to leave until December. The crew was then ordered to proceed immediately to Mare Island Naval Shipyard where the Navy held its own investigation, also finding them not responsible for the riot. The government of Chile subsequently admitted responsibility for the deaths and provided reparations of $75,000 to the United States.cite book |last=Schley |first=Winfield Scott |authorlink=Winfield Scott Schley |title=Forty-five Years Under the Flag |url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=0tu5qbgMjDxIExI_LDaKk-j |pages=pp. 223–234]

Following his time on the "Buffalo", Sebree was transferred back to the Academy and taught there from 1893 to 1896. At the end of his time there, he was briefly given command of the USS "Wheeling" before being put in command of the "Thetis", which was doing survey work off the coast of California.cite news |title=The Thetis Arrives |work=Los Angeles Times |page=29 |date=1896-10-04 ] In 1897 he was promoted to commander.cite news |title=North Carolina District Judge Named |work=Washington Post |page=4 |date=1897-02-26 ] During the Spanish–American War, Sebree again commanded the "Wheeling" in the Pacific for the duration of the war.cite book |last=Chadwick |first=French Ensor |title=The Relations of the United States and Spain: The Spanish-American War |url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=0A7C0sX5Ihsf_BVMyB2cm7&id=Ryc9xo3Bcu0C |pages=p. 398] His assignment was to patrol the coast of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, far from both the Caribbean and Pacific theaters of the war, and he saw no significant action.cite web |url=http://wheeling.weirton.lib.wv.us/history/gunboat/usswhg0.htm |title=Official history of U.S.S. Wheeling |publisher=Ohio County Public Library|last=Mooney|first=James L.|accessdate=2008-06-19 Adapted from "DANFS"] Two years after the war he was transferred back to the Twelfth Lighthouse District as an inspector.cite news |title=The United Service |work=The New York Times |page=4 |date=1898-10-21 ]

American Samoa

On October 9, 1901, Sebree was promoted to captain and received orders to travel to American Samoa to take command of the USS "Abarenda" and to be commandant of the United States Naval Station Tutuila.cite news |title=The United Service |work=The New York Times |page=5 |date=1901-10-09 ] Three days later, he was promoted to captain. [cite news |title=Orders to Naval Officers|work=Washington Post |page=3 |date=1901-12-25] At this time the commandant of the naval station was considered the acting governor of the territory as Congress had not yet formalized the U.S. Navy's role there. Sebree was the replacement for Commandant Benjamin Franklin Tilley, who had recently had charges brought against him for immorality and drunkenness. While Sebree was in transit to the islands, Tilley was tried and acquitted of the charges against him but the decision to replace him was not changed.cite book |last=Gray |first=J. A. C. |title=Amerika Samoa: History Of American Samoa And Its United States Naval Administration |page=p. 139] Captain Sebree arrived in Samoa and took up his new post on November 27, 1901.cite news |title=Sebree Takes Up Reigns of Government |work=Los Angeles Times |page=A4 |date=1901-12-17]

Acting governor

Unlike Tilley, who had been the first acting governor of the territory, Sebree was very concerned about his legal status. Officially, he was only commandant of the naval station then under construction, although the deed of cession of the territory acknowledged his theoretical authority to govern the people. He was concerned that lawsuits could be brought against him or future acting governors until the situation was clarified and made official by the United States government. To this end, he made a recommendation to the United States Congress to assemble a panel to consider the territory's status and requested that an Assistant Secretary of the Navy come to the territory to meet with him. Both requests were turned down. A further example of this ambiguity came in March 1902, when Sebree received orders to give up command of the "Abarenda" to give him additional time as commandant and "governor".cite news |title=The United Service |work=The New York Times |page=3 |date=1902-03-01] To these orders, he responded that he still had not been officially made "governor" and that, if he were to act as a governor, he should be given the proper credentials and legal authority to do so.cite book |last=Gray |first=J. A. C. |title=Amerika Samoa: History Of American Samoa And Its United States Naval Administration |page=p. 150] The Navy did not respond directly to Sebree's request, but he was given command of the USS "Wheeling" three months later.cite news |title=Public Buildings Bill |work=Los Angeles Times |page=4 |date=1902-06-07]

for assistance, but was turned down.cite book |last=Gray |first=J. A. C. |title=Amerika Samoa: History Of American Samoa And Its United States Naval Administration |pages=pp. 150–153]

Petition for civilian government

Tensions escalated between foreign traders on Samoa and the local populace, due in part to controls which Tilley had put in place to protect Samoan farmers from exploitation. Dr. David Starr Jordan, a prominent American biologist doing research in the territory, was so concerned by these tensions that he sent a letter to President Theodore Roosevelt asking that a trader not be made governor of the territory, if a civil administration were created. Shortly after, many traders and locals, including a Samoan tax collector, circulated a petition requesting a change in the way the copra crop was taxed and asking for the Navy to cease governing the territory. The petition was sent to members of Congress and the cause was picked up by California representative Julius Kahn and gathered significant press coverage. This movement eventually reached President Roosevelt; his decision was not to act on the petition.

On December 16, 1902, Sebree was granted a leave of absence to return to the United States and care for his wife who had been badly hurt in a fall.cite news |title=Sparks from the Wires |work=Atlanta Constitution |page=7 |date=1902-12-31] In his place, Lieutenant Commander Henry Minett, Sebree's executive officer, was made acting commandant of the station and therefore acting governor of the territory. He was also given command of the "Wheeling". Captain Edmund Beardsley Underwood was selected as Sebree's replacement, but that decision was not made official immediately, and Underwood remained in Washington to consult with Sebree and President Roosevelt on the governance of the territory. Underwood's selection was not announced until May 1903.cite news |title=Greetings from Samoa |work=Washington Post |page=4 |date=1903-01-22]

Later career

]

Nicholson court-martial

In the late summer of 1903, Paymaster Rishworth Nicholson of the USS "Don Juan de Austria" assaulted a German Consul at a ball in Yantai, China. He was promptly brought up on charges of "drunkenness", "scandalous conduct tending to the destruction of good morals", and "falsehood" and taken to the "Wisconsin" for his court martial.cite news |title=Naval Court Denounced |work=The New York Times |page=3 |date=1903-09-22] Sebree and a group of six other officers found him guilty of the first charge, guilty of a lesser offense for the second charge, and innocent on the third. His sentence was determined to be a reduction in grade equivalent to one year of seniority. Three of the officers, not including Sebree, wrote a supplementary opinion requesting clemency for Nicholson.cite journal |year=1903 |month=10 |title=Demoralizing the Navy |journal=The Independent |volume=55 |issue=2861 |pages=pp. 2360–2361 ]

However, Rear Admiral Evans, the commander of the Asiatic Squadron, rejected the verdict as inadequate and requested that the court reconsider the decision. The court reconvened and returned the same judgment and sentence. In response, Evans wrote a scathing critique of the process, calling it a "travesty of justice" and stating that Nicholson's actions were "less reprehensible than his judges". This critical essay was required to be posted at every naval base and on every ship in the Pacific and was reprinted in full by "The New York Times" and other civilian newspapers. Evans banned the three officers who had publicly requested clemency from participating in future courts martial. Press reports questioned whether Evans had that authority as the military justice system was intended to be impartial. In late September 1903, the three officers who had been named in the critique filed a protest with Secretary of the Navy William Henry Moody stating that Admiral Evans had overstepped his authority by publicly reprimanding them without a court martial and that charges should be brought against him. On November 18, 1903, Moody denied the petition and the sentences were left to stand.cite news |title=Admiral Evans Upheld for Censure of Court |work=The New York Times |page=1 |date=1903-11-19]

During this controversy, Sebree remained silent on the issue, and it is unknown whether he was a member of the majority or not. Evans commented in his critique that he was unsure who the other supporters of the majority decision were. As criticism swirled around the trial itself, the editors of the magazine "United Service" defended Sebree and stated that he had "universal esteem throughout the Navy service" and that he had a "large experience, sound judgment, even temper and most excellent record".cite journal |year=1903 |month=10 |title=Service Salad |journal=United Service; a Quarterly Review of Military and Naval Affairs |volume=4 |issue=4 |pages=p. 426 ] Following this announcement, Sebree was transferred to the Naval War College in Rhode Island to work as an instructor and as a member of the Lighthouse Board.cite news|title=The United Service|work=The New York Times|page=13|date=1904-05-14]

Lightship "No. 58" incident

In December 1905, a storm and mechanical failures caused major problems for the crew of the lightvessel Lightship "No. 58" anchored off of Nantucket. Her crew, led by Captain James Jorgensen, fought for two days to prevent the vessel from foundering, but were ultimately unsuccessful. They were rescued by Captain Gibbs of the "Azalea".cite news|title=Sailors Saved; Lose Jobs|work=Chicago Tribune|page=6|date=1905-12-14] The fallout over this incident caused enough of a stir that the military had to respond to it directly. Under Navy rules, the eleven officers and crew members of the "No. 58" were denied pay while they were recovering from their injuries and until they were posted to new vessels under a regulation that prohibited pay to sailors whose ships had sunk. The sailors appealed to Sebree, as Secretary of the Lighthouse Board, but he did not or could not accommodate them. Instead, the officers were given commendations by Secretary Victor H. Metcalf and "preference in future appointments". Admiral Dewey and Captain Sebree made a second recommendation, which was approved, that Captain Gibbs receive a commendation and a pay increase for his service.cite news|title=Navy Recognizes Bravery|work=The Washington Post|page=4|date=1905-12-27]

Pathfinder Squadron

Sebree was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1907 and was given command of a squadron of two ships: his flag-ship the USS "Tennessee" and the USS "Washington".cite news|title=Cruisers' Trip to the Pacific|work=Washington Post|date=1907-10-02|page=11] This so-called "Pathfinder Squadron" would travel from New York to California via Cape Horn. This mission allowed the Navy to show off two of its newest cruisers to South American governments as well as transfer ships to the Pacific Fleet in what was seen as an example of American gunboat diplomacy. Along the way, Sebree had formal meetings with Brazilian President Afonso Pena,cite news|title=Cruisers at Rio Janero|work=Washington Post|page=4|date=1907-11-06] Peruvian President José Pardo y Barreda, and United States diplomatic staff in both countries.cite news |title=Admiral Sebree Visits Callao|work=Washington Post|page=4|date=1907-12-07] He also met with representatives in Chile and other countries.cite news |title=Pathfinders of Navy Stop at Many Ports|work=Los Angeles Times|page=II14|date=1908-01-14] When the squadron finally arrived in California, it was joined by the USS "California" and participated in public-relations events at west coast ports.cite news|title=Open All Three For Vistors|work=Los Angeles Times|page=II8|date=1908-03-24] The diplomatic mission over, the Pathfinder Squadron, with the "California" and others, became the 2nd division of the United States Pacific Fleet, with Sebree remaining in command. Rear Admiral William T. Swinburne was placed in command of the full fleet.cite book|title=Thence Round Cape Horn|last=Johnson|first=Robert Erwin|page=p. 210|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=NWFB_bYfnw0C]

On June 5, 1908, Sebree was nearly killed during a speed trial of the "Tennessee", off the coast of California. He had just completed a tour of the starboard boiler room when a steam pipe burst, instantly killing two officers and wounding ten others, three fatally. Witnesses reported that Sebree and other officers had left the boiler room only 50 seconds earlier.cite news |title=Explosion Kills Four on Cruiser|work=Washington Post|page=1|date=1908-06-06]

In August 1908, the full Pacific Fleet was dispatched to numerous ports in the Pacific Ocean on a diplomatic mission similar to the one undertaken by Sebree in South America the previous year.cite news |title=Pacific Fleet Sails Away to South Seas|work=Los Angeles Times|page=I2|date=1908-08-25] On this voyage, Sebree and Swinburne met with leaders and representatives from the Kingdom of Hawaii,cite news |title=Rear-Admirals Dined|work=Los Angeles Times|page=I1|date=1908-09-07] the Philippines,cite news |title=Scare Won't Stop Fleet|work=The New York Times|page=4|date=1908-09-23] Western Samoa,cite news |title=Pacific Fleet at Apia|work=The New York Times|page=3|date=1908-09-21] and Panama.cite news |title=Cruisers at Panama|work=The New York Times|page=4|date=1908-12-14] While visiting the Western Samoan capital of Apia, Sebree was presented with a souvenir album of Samoan scenery in honor of his time as governor of neighboring American Samoa.cite news |title=Pacific Fleet at Apia|work=The New York Times|page=3|date=1908-09-21]

Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet

On April 15, 1909, Admiral Swinburne, the commander-in-chief of the Pacific Fleet, announced his retirement, and Sebree was appointed to replace him on May 17.cite news |title=Sebree for Pacific Fleet|work=Los Angeles Times|page=I5|date=1909-04-16] Good public relations remained a major goal of the fleet, and in June, the fleet was displayed at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. President William Howard Taft led the exposition's opening ceremony, and many American dignitaries were in attendance.cite news |title=Alaska-Yukon Opened By Taft|work=Atlanta Constitution|page=2|date=1909-06-02]

]

Shortly after retiring, Sebree was given a farewell banquet which included British Field Marshal Herbert Kitchener as a notable guest and California Governor James Gillett as toastmaster.cite news|title=Kitchener is Noted Guest|work=Los Angeles Times|page=I4|date=1910-04-08] In retirement, Sebree continued to attend Navy functions. In 1916, Sebree reported that the United States Navy lagged behind the world's other major navies. A single dreadnought, he claimed, could ravage the entire Pacific Fleet which was at that time relying on submarines for defense.cite news |title=One Dreadnought Could Whip Fleet|work=Los Angeles Times|page=II2|date=1916-04-06] The Atlantic Fleet already had dreadnoughts in commission.cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-m/bb27.htm |title=USS Michigan (Battleship # 27, later BB-27)|work=Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships|accessdate=2008-07-03 |publisher=Naval Historical Cener ]

Sebree died on August 5, 1922. Sebree Peak and Sebree Island, both in Alaska, are named for the admiral, who was survived by his wife, Anne B. Sebree, and one son, John B. Sebree, a member of the United States Marine Corps.

Notes

References

*cite book|title=Arctic Experience|last=Blake|first=E. Vale|publisher=Harper & Brothers|year=1874|location=New York|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=6NQBAAAAYAAJ|isbn=978-0815411895
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s-ttl|title= Naval Governor of American Samoa
years=November 27, 1901 – December 16, 1901
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Persondata
NAME = Sebree, Uriel
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = 2nd Governor of American Samoa, US Navy Rear Admiral
DATE OF BIRTH = February 20, 1848
PLACE OF BIRTH = Fayette, Missouri
DATE OF DEATH = August 6, 1922
PLACE OF DEATH = Coronado, California