Walter Rockwell Gherardi (abt. 1874 - 1939)

Born about 1874 in Honolulu, Hawaii

Ancestors

Husband of Neville Simms Taylor — married 4 Jun 1904 in Chevy Chase, Montgomery Co., MD

Descendants

Died 24 Jul 1939 at about age 65 in Bohemian Grove, Russian River, Somona Co., California, United States

Biography

• Walter Rockwell Gherardi was born about 1874 in Honolulu, Hawaii ^[1]

• Walter Gherardi graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Class of 1895. ^[2]

• Walter Gherardi married Neville Simms Taylor on Jun 4, 1904 at Chevy Chase, Montgomery Co., MD ^[3]

• Awarded for actions during the World War I
  • The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Captain Walter Rockwell Gherardi, United States Navy, for distinguished service in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. DeKALB, engaged in the important, exacting and hazardous duty of transporting and escorting troops and supplies to European ports through waters infested with enemy submarines and mines during World War I.^[4]

• Walter Gherardi died July 24, 1939 in Bohemium Grove, Russian River, Somona Co., Calif. ^[5]

• Photo of one of the Admiral's homes (in Maryland) can be found under images

• Photo of the Admiral's gravestone can be found under images

Obituary

"San Francisco, July 25 (AP) - Naval Headquarters here announced Tuesday that Rear Admiral Walter R. Ghererdi had died Monday night at a vacation resort near here. He was sixty-three years old. The Admiral, on leave from active duty, would have retired next September. He was formerly commandant of the 1st Naval District, Boston.

Admiral Gherardi, president of the General Court Martial, 12th Naval District, was a scheduled for retirement on Sept 1, on reaching the statutory retirement age.

Son of Adm. Bancroft Gherardi, who was distinguished for bravery at the Battle of Mobile Bay in the Civil War and was commandant of the New York Naval Yard in 1887, the younger Gherardi was graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1895, when he was twenty years old.

He was born at Honolulu, where his father, then a captain, was in command of the Pensacola. His service was on the Amphitrite, from June until Sept, 1895. He was mentioned officially three times for bravery by the Navy Department before he had passed the rank of ensign.

In a cyclone on Aug. 8, 1899, the schooner Conception, carrying 150 emigrants from Santo Domingo, and the steamer Vasco dragged their anchors and went aground in the harbor of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. While the storm was at its height Ensign Gherardi, fully clad, plunged into the water and with the aid of a civil engineer saved all the members of the crew and passengers of the Conception as the waves brought them within reach, except five or six persons who would not jump overboard. The ensign then led the rescue party to the Vasco, which shot a line that fell short. A human chain was formed, with Gherardi at the seaward end. He reached the line, brought it ashore and the crew were saved.

In February, 1897, while serving as a naval cadet on the battleship Maine, he volunteered to take a boat to the rescue of three sailors who had been swept overboard, while his squadron was riding out a gale off Hatteras. In July of that year, while he was attached to the battleship Texas at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, several sailors were thrown overboard while launching a boat from the ship. One of them was stunned and sank, while the others swam ashore. Gherardi plunged overboard in his uniform, brought the drowning man to the surface and kept him afloat until both were rescued.

He was naval attache of the American Embassy at Berlin in 1913-1917. A daughter was born to Mrs. Gherardi, the former Neville Simms Taylor, while he was in that post, and Kaiser Wilhelm acted as godfather. The child was christened Bancroft Gherardi, for her grandfather. Capt. von Buelow, of the Ministry of Marine, was sent to the christening at the Emperor's representative. Miss Gherardi died in 1930 at the age of sixteen.

During the World War the admiral commanded the U.S.S. De Kalb and the U.S.S. New Jersey. After the was he was attached to the American delegation to Paris to negotiate the peace. He commanded the aircraft squadrons of the Scouting Fleet from 1922 until 1934, when he was assigned as aide to Curtis D. Wilbur, Secretary of the Navy. He was hydrographer of the Navy from 1930, when he was to the rank of rear admiral, until 1935, when he assumed command of the 1st Naval District and the Navy Yard at Boston. Vice Admiral William T. Tarrant succeeded him at Boston a year ago.

Admiral Gherardi's daughter, Miss Neville Taylor Gherardi was married on Jan 28, 1933, to Christopher Robinson, of Ottawa. A note to the admiral, expressing regret that he could not accept an invitation to the wedding, was believed to have been the last letter written by President Coolidge before his death oh Jan 5, 1933. The note, dated Jan 5, 1933, written on behalf of himself and Mrs. Coolidge, probably was signed during the brief time Mr. Coolidge passed in his Northampton, Mass., office just before his death."^[6][7]

US Navy Admirals

Sources

1. ↑ US FEDERAL CENSUS: 1920 Rhode Island, Newport Co.
2. ↑ US Navy Memorial site [1]
3. ↑ New York Times, June 5, 1904, page 7.
4. ↑ US Navy Memorial site [2]
5. ↑ New York Times, July 26, 1939, page 19A
6. ↑ This note from President Coolidge still exists and is held in the family archives.
7. ↑ This obituary appeared in the New York Times, July 27, 1939