William S. Sims

William S. Sims

William Sowden Sims (born October 15, 1858 in Port Hope , Ontario , † September 28, 1936 in Boston , Massachusetts ) was an American admiral and naval reformer in the United States Navy . During the First World War he commanded the US naval forces in Europe.

Life

Sims was born to an American family living in Canada. His father was involved as an engineer in the construction of port facilities on Lake Ontario . The family moved back to the United States in 1872.

Sims studied at the United States Naval Academy from 1876 to 1880 . He then served on various ships and later as a naval attaché in Paris , Saint Petersburg and Madrid . From 1900 to 1902 he served in China on the battleship USS Kentucky and the monitor USS Monterey . Impressed by the target exercises and systems of the European navies, he turned directly to President Theodore Roosevelt in 1901 , as he saw a lot of catching up to do in this direction in the US Navy. He was recalled to the States in 1902 to serve as target practice inspector for the next six and a half years. He was also an adviser to the President on naval issues for the last two years of his service in this position.

Then Sims was captain of the pre-dreadnought battleship USS Minnesota for two years , after which he studied and taught at Naval War College until 1913 . His next position was that of commander of the destroyer flotilla of the Atlantic Fleet . In March 1916 he became captain of the newly completed dreadnought USS Nevada , which he was to stay for a year. In February 1917, Sims was named president of the Naval War College, which was closed just two months later when the United States entered World War I. Sims was sent to London to initially serve as a liaison officer in the Royal Navy , a little later he was promoted to Vice Admiral and appointed Commander of the American Naval Forces in Europe.

As such he played an important role in the introduction of the convoy system for transatlantic shipping as a means against the submarine danger. This system quickly proved itself and halved the losses of merchant ships. Sims worked harmoniously with its British partners and was also involved in the decision to lay the North Sea mine lock .

After the war ended, Sims returned to the United States to resume his post as head of the Naval War College. He headed this institution until his retirement in 1922. For his work Victory at Sea he received the Pulitzer Prize in 1921 . He also received several honorary doctorates . In 1929 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . In 1930 he was promoted to four-star admiral on the retired list . Sims died in 1936 at the age of 77 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. He left behind his wife, two sons and three daughters.

Posthumous honors

The US Navy named three destroyers and a transport ship after Sims. A Sims Hall was established in a newly acquired building at Naval War College in 1947 .

Web links

Commons : William Sims  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• William Sims in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• Register of the Papers of William S. Sims (with an introductory biography)
• William Sims on firstworldwar.com
• William S. Sims on destroyerhistory.org