Rear Admiral Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr.
Presenter:
John V. Quarstein
Director emeritus of the USS Monitor Center
About the lecture:
Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr. was the only Civil War naval officer to serve on three ships beginning with ‘C’— Cumberland, Cairo, and Conestoga — all of which sank while he was aboard.
While on Cumberland, he aided in evacuating Gosport Navy Yard and captured blockade runners before the ship was sunk by an ironclad. He briefly commanded Monitor, then the ironclad Cairo, which was sunk by Confederate torpedoes.
His next ship, Conestoga, sank after a collision. Later, he commanded Osage in the Red River Campaign and Huron at the capture of Ft. Fisher. Postwar, he led the European Squadron and was promoted to rear admiral in 1896.
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This lecture is livestreamed
and free to watch online.
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Image credit: Photograph of Rear Admiral Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr. Courtesy National Archives.
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