David Conner

David Conner

Skirmish between the Hornet and the Peacock

David Conner (* 1792 in Harrisburg , Pennsylvania , † March 20, 1856 in Philadelphia ) was an American naval officer.

He became an ensign in the United States Navy on January 16, 1809 and served on the USS President for the next several years . During the British-American War , Conner served aboard the USS Hornet while fighting with HMS Belvedere and HMS Peacock . In March 1815 he was seriously wounded in the hip by grapeshots while the HMS Penguin was being seized. For his achievements on board the Hornet, he was awarded two Congressional Silver Medals from the Congress and a sword of honor from his state.

From 1817 to 1818 he cruised on board the Sloop Ontario in the Pacific to support the United States' claims to the Oregon Territory .

In March 1825 he was promoted to frigate captain and commanded the sloops USS Erie and USS John Adams . In 1835 he was promoted to captain . From 1841 to 1842 he was Navy Commissioner and became the first chief of the Bureau of Construction, Equipment, and Repair .

During the Mexican-American War he commanded the Home Squadron operating in the Gulf of Mexico , including during the landing at Veracruz. Conner received the rank of commodore , an honorary promotion that was not accompanied by advantages in pay or questions of rank. His leadership was viewed as too passive and so he was replaced on March 21, 1847 by Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry .

After the war he commanded the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard .

Conner died in Philadelphia on March 10, 1856.

Two United States Navy destroyers were named USS Conner in his honor .

literature

• John A. Garraty (Ed.): American National Biography. Volume 5: Clark - DaCosta. Oxford University Press, New York NY 1999, ISBN 0-19-512784-6 .