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William Ledyard Rodgers (February 4, 1860–May 7, 1944) was a vice admiral of the United States Navy. His career included service in the Spanish-American War and World War I, and a tour as President of the Naval War College. Rodgers was also a noted historian on military and naval topics, particularly relating to ancient naval warfare. He was the third generation in a well-known family of able naval officers. He was the son of Rear Admiral John Rodgers (1812-1882), who fought in the Second Seminole War (1839-1842) and the American Civil War (1861-1865), and the grandson of Commodore John Rodgers (1772-1838), who fought in the War of 1812 (1812-1814). Rodgerss own son, John Rodgers, born in 1881, also served as a U.S. Navy officer and was an early aviator, reaching the rank of commander before dying in a plane crash in 1926. ==Naval career== Born on 4 February 1860 in Washington, D.C.,〔(Library of Congress: Rodgers Family Papers, 2011. )〕 the son of John Rodgers (1812-1882) and Ann Elizabeth Hodge Rodgers (1823-1897),〔(Find-a-Grave: Adm William Ledyard Rogers )〕 William Ledyard Rodgers entered the United States Naval Academy on 11 June 1874 and graduated in 1878. He served aboard the steamer from 1878 to 1879 and at the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., from 1880 to 1881, and was promoted to midshipman on 4 June 1880. He served aboard the corvette on the European Station from 1881 to 1884 and was promoted to ensign on 1 April 1882.〔(Library of Congress: Rodgers Family Papers, 2011. )〕〔Hamersly, p. 262.〕 Rodgers was on special duty at the United States Department of the Navy in Washington, D.C., from 1884 to 1885, then received instruction in torpedo service during 1886. He was assigned to the Office of Naval Intelligence from 1886 to 1888, then to special duty aboard the protected cruiser from 1889 to 1892, being promoted to lieutenant, junior grade, on 4 May 1889 while aboard ''Atlanta''. From December 1892 until 1895, he served at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., and was promoted to lieutenant in February 1894.〔Hamersly, p. 262.〕 In October 1895, Rodgers reported for duty aboard the screw gunboat , which operated as a training ship during his tour. Leaving ''Alliance'', he was assigned in May 1897 to the Columbian Iron Works and Dry Dock Company, which was engaged in ship construction for the U.S. Navy in Baltimore, Maryland.〔Hamerlsy, p. 262.〕 In January 1898, Rodgers took command of the torpedo boat ,〔(Department of the Navy Library, United States Navy Naval History and Heritage Command "Rodgers Family Collection" )〕〔Hamersly, p. 262.〕 leading her into combat when the Spanish-American War broke out in April 1898. ''Foote'' assisted in the blockade of Cuba, patrolling the coast closely, and fought the first battle of the war on 23〔(''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'', ''Foote'' I. )〕 or 25 April 1898 (sources vary), when she approached the harbor at Cárdenas, Cuba, to scout shipping and exchanged fire with the Spanish Navy gunboat ''Ligera''. Spanish sources claim that ''Foote'' was badly damaged and forced to withdraw,〔Rodríguez González, p. 317〕 but U.S. sources state that she simply withdrew.〔(''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'', ''Foote'' I. )〕 ''Foote'' also bombarded Morro Island on 29 April 1898, and during the summer carried mail, dispatches, and supplies from Key West, Florida, to the blockading squadron off Cuba until the end of the war in August 1898.〔(''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'', ''Foote'' I. )〕 Rodgers returned to duty at the Washington Navy Yard on 3 November 1898.〔Hamerlsy, p. 262.〕 On 15 May 1900, he reported aboard the screw sloop-of-war , which was in service with the Training Squadron, and was aboard her until 1901, being promoted to lieutenant commander on 19 February 1901.〔Hamersly, p. 262.〕 He was assigned to the battleship before moving on to a tour on the Naval War College staff at Newport, Rhode Island. After that, he was executive officer of the battleship in the United States Asiatic Fleet before becoming commanding officer of the Asiatic Fleet gunboat in 1906.〔(Department of the Navy Library, United States Navy Naval History and Heritage Command "Rodgers Family Collection" )〕〔(Library of Congress: Rodgers Family Papers, 2011. )〕 Relinquishing command of ''Wilmington'', Rodgers attended the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 1907-1908.〔(Library of Congress: Rodgers Family Papers, 2011 ) states that Rodgers attend the Army War College, and Miller, p. 16, discusses him having attended the Army War College around this time; (Department of the Navy Library, United States Navy Naval History and Heritage Command "Rodgers Family Collection" ) appears to be in error in stating that he was at the Naval War College at this time.〕 While there, he learned about the "applicability system" or "estimate of the situation," requiring that war planning be developed through a four-step process involving "statement of mission, assessment of enemy forces and intentions, assessment of own forces, and evaluation of possible courses of action."〔Miller, p. 16.〕 He suggested to Raymond P. Rodgers, who served as President of the Naval War College from 1909 to 1911, that the Navy adopt a similar approach. Raymond P. Rodgers introduced it into war planning at the college during his presidency, and it has remained a part of Navy war planning ever since.〔Miller, p. 16.〕 In 1909, William Ledyard Rodgers assumed command of the battleship . He then relieved Raymond P. Rodgers as President of the Naval War College on 20 November 1911, serving as president until 15 December 1913.〔(Department of the Navy Library, United States Navy Naval History and Heritage Command "Rodgers Family Collection" )〕〔(Past Presidents of the Naval War College )〕 He next took command of the new battleship , then in 1915 became a member of the General Board of the United States Navy in Washington, D.C.〔(Department of the Navy Library, United States Navy Naval History and Heritage Command "Rodgers Family Collection" )〕 In 1916, Rodgers was promoted to rear admiral and given command of the United States Atlantic Fleets Training and Service Force, the command he continued to hold after the United States entered World War I in April 1917. In this capacity, he oversaw the training of Atlantic Fleet personnel and the repair and replenishment of its ships through the end of the war in November 1918, using first the repair ship and later the store ship as his flagship. He received the Navy Cross for superior performance in this position.〔(Department of the Navy Library, United States Navy Naval History and Heritage Command "Rodgers Family Collection" )〕 In December 1918, Rodgers was promoted to vice admiral and on 7 December 1918 he took command of the United States Asiatic Fleet, a position he held until 1 September 1919. In 1920, he returned to the U.S. Navys General Board in Washington, D.C., to serve as its Senior Member, the position he held until his retirement in 1924. During this tour, he also served on the Advisory Commission to the Conference on the Limitation of Armaments in 1921-1922, and as a technical adviser to the Committee of Jurists on the Laws of War at The Hague in the Netherlands in 1923.〔(Department of the Navy Library, United States Navy Naval History and Heritage Command "Rodgers Family Collection" )〕〔(Library of Congress: Rodgers Family Papers, 2011. )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「William Ledyard Rodgers」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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