1899 Tiffany Co. Dewey Medal U.S.S. Concord
Fireman 1/c "William D. Power"
Oiler William David Power
United States Navy "Oiler" William David Power (serial #166-78-78 / C.S.C #12595) was born Nov. 8th 1871 in Watertown Wisconsin. William was a Engineer as a civilian prior to his military service.
He enlisted in the Navy for 3 years Feb. 2nd 1894 on the U.S.S. Vermont as a "coal passer" in New York, N.Y. On April 23rd 1894 Power's was transferred and served on the Protected Cruiser U.S.S. Columbia until Feb. 1895 when he was temporarily transferred to the U.S.S. Franklin on the 21st. Power's then transferred to the U.S.S. Amphitrite a twin screw Monitor on April 23rd 1895 where he served until discharged on Feb. 1st 1897.
Powers reenlisted as a Fireman 1st Class April 19th 1897 on the U.S.S. Independence in Mare Island, CA. By June 30th 1897 Power's was Station on the Yorktown Class Gunboat the U.S.S. Concord. He continued to serve as a Fireman 1st class on the U.S.S. Concord throughout the Spanish American War until Dec. 1st 1899. For his service on the U.S.S. Concord during the Battle of Manila Bay William David Powers was awarded the Dewey Medal.
From Dec. 31st 1899 through May 29th 1900 F1/C Powers was stationed on the U.S.S. Paraguay. He was Honorably Discharged from the Navy June 15th 1900 on the Gunboat U.S.S. Helena. William Power's reenlisted a third time as a Fireman 1st Class Oct. 10th 1900 on the U.S.S. Independence at Mare Island, CA. Records show Power's on the Illinois Class Dreadnaught Battleship the U.S.S. Alabama on Oct. 16th and as the rank of "Oiler" on the 17th. Power's served on the U.S.S. Alabama until May 1902 when he was recorded as a Deserter.
Around 1926 William D. Power contacted the Department of the Navy to determine his fate. His was issued a undesirable discharge from the Navy for his desertion.
William David Power passed away July 3rd 1962 at 91 years old in Los Angeles, CA. He is buried at the Los Angeles Veterans Administration Cemetery.
He enlisted in the Navy for 3 years Feb. 2nd 1894 on the U.S.S. Vermont as a "coal passer" in New York, N.Y. On April 23rd 1894 Power's was transferred and served on the Protected Cruiser U.S.S. Columbia until Feb. 1895 when he was temporarily transferred to the U.S.S. Franklin on the 21st. Power's then transferred to the U.S.S. Amphitrite a twin screw Monitor on April 23rd 1895 where he served until discharged on Feb. 1st 1897.
Powers reenlisted as a Fireman 1st Class April 19th 1897 on the U.S.S. Independence in Mare Island, CA. By June 30th 1897 Power's was Station on the Yorktown Class Gunboat the U.S.S. Concord. He continued to serve as a Fireman 1st class on the U.S.S. Concord throughout the Spanish American War until Dec. 1st 1899. For his service on the U.S.S. Concord during the Battle of Manila Bay William David Powers was awarded the Dewey Medal.
From Dec. 31st 1899 through May 29th 1900 F1/C Powers was stationed on the U.S.S. Paraguay. He was Honorably Discharged from the Navy June 15th 1900 on the Gunboat U.S.S. Helena. William Power's reenlisted a third time as a Fireman 1st Class Oct. 10th 1900 on the U.S.S. Independence at Mare Island, CA. Records show Power's on the Illinois Class Dreadnaught Battleship the U.S.S. Alabama on Oct. 16th and as the rank of "Oiler" on the 17th. Power's served on the U.S.S. Alabama until May 1902 when he was recorded as a Deserter.
Around 1926 William D. Power contacted the Department of the Navy to determine his fate. His was issued a undesirable discharge from the Navy for his desertion.
William David Power passed away July 3rd 1962 at 91 years old in Los Angeles, CA. He is buried at the Los Angeles Veterans Administration Cemetery.
U.S.S. Concord
U.S.S. CONCORD was commissioned February 14, 1891 with Commander O. A. Batcheller in command of the vessel. Initially operating off of the New England Coast, she departed on November 17, 1891 for a cruise that took her to the West Indies, South America, and then to New Orleans where she arrived on April 27, 1892. CONCORD then steamed up the Mississippi River as far as Cairo, Illinois. Afterwards, she returned to duty off New England. She made a second cruise to the West Indies later that year, returning to Norfolk on December 5, 1892.The vessel participated in international Naval reviews at Norfolk and New York in March and April, 1893, before departing to the Far East to join the Asiatic Squadron. She arrived in Hong Kong on October 30, 1893. On May 29, 1894, U.S.S. CONCORD arrived at Unalaska, where she began cruising in the North Pacific to uphold a treaty between the United States and Great Britain protecting fur seals. She also gathered hydrographic information to correct Bering Sea charts and conducted scientific observations on fur seals.
After rejoining the Asiatic Squadron in September, 1894, she returned to San Francisco, arriving May 3, 1896 where she was placed out of commission for repairs. The repairs took nearly a year, from May 27, 1896 to May 22, 1897. From July to the end of November, 1897, she steamed in Alaskan waters.
On being ordered to the command of the Asiatic Squadron, Commodore Dewey discovered that the Squadron did not even have a peacetime allotment of ammunition, and war seemed to be approaching. After being told that no merchant vessels were available to carry the dangerous cargo to the squadron, Dewey learned that CONCORD was being fitted out at Mare Island in preparation to being sent to the Asiatic Squadron. Dewey pushed to have her carry a load of the needed ammunition. He personally visited the vessel, impressing on her commander the need for carrying as much ammunition as possible. Some ship*s stores were not purchased until the vessel arrived in the Far East to make additional room for ammunition. This effort proved to be very important since, when it became obvious that war would not be avoided, it was too late to ship the ammunition. The vessel sailed for the Far East on January 8, 1898.
After reconnoitering Subic Bay with USS BOSTONin search of the Spanish fleet, CONCORD entered Manila Bay with Dewey's fleet in the early morning hours of May 1, 1898. While passing El Fraile Island at the entrance to the Bay, the battery on the island opened fire on the squadron. U.S.S. CONCORD, along with BOSTON, RALEIGH and McCULLOCH all returned fire.
At 5:05 a.m., the Spanish land battery near Manila opened on the Squadron at a range of seven miles. BOSTON and CONCORD returned their fire, not heeding Dewey's warning to conserve ammunition. During the battle, CONCORD followed U.S.S. PETREL in the line of battle, attacking the Spanish fleet, which was totally destroyed. At the conclusion of the battle, CONCORD was sent to finish off the Spanish transport MINDANAO which had been beached. The vessel was set afire and its cargo of supplies destroyed.
In the days that followed, CONCORD landed troops at Corregidor to disarm the Spanish artillery there. The landing parties returned with the breechplugs from the Spanish guns. Also, when McCULLOCH was sent to Hong Kong to file Dewey's report of the Battle of Manila Bay with Washington, CONCORD, in company with BOSTON, escorted her beyond the entrance to the harbor as there was still known to be Spanish gunboats in the area. In the middle of June, when reports of a possible torpedo attack on the squadron was circulated, the squadron set itself for defense, and CONCORD searched the waters off Manila in the early hours of the morning. No attack occurred.
In July, CONCORD and RALEIGH were dispatched to Subic Bay where the Germans were reportedly aiding the Spanish against the Insurgents. If there was any such action it ceased since the presence of the American vessels caused the German warship IRENE to leave the bay. Later, during the final attack on Manila in August, CONCORD was stationed off of the Pasig River.
Following the fall of Manila, CONCORD left to assume other duties in the Far East, but she returned in December to aid in putting down the Insurrection. Her duties included patrolling the coast, bombarding guerrilla outposts, and aiding in operations with the army. Except for a trip to Guam to deliver supplies, CONCORD stayed in the Philippines until June, 1901.
She left the Philippines and steamed for San Francisco, arriving in September 1901, after spending some time in Alaskan waters. She briefly cruised off Mexico before being placed out of commission at Mare Island on February 26, 1902.
The vessel was recommissioned on June 15, 1903, and operated as for north as Alaska, south to Panama and east to Hawaii before again being decommissioned at Bremerton, Washington, on August 4, 1904. CONCORD was again recommissioned on September 16, 1905, steaming for the Philippines, where she remained until March 1906. From there, she went to China, serving as a station ship at Shanghai and Canton, and on the Yangtze River Patrol until 1908. On January 2, 1909 she began her duties as a station ship at Guam, a position she held until September, at which time she steamed for Puget Sound, Washington, arriving October 11, 1909.
CONCORD was decommissioned on November 4, 1909, and was assigned as a barracks ship for the Naval Militia of Washington at Seattle. On June 15, 1914, she was transferred to the Department of the Treasury, serving as the quarantine station for the Coast guard at Astoria, Oregon. U.S.S. CONCORD returned to the U.S. Navy on March 19, 1929, and was sold on June 28, 1929.
Two of CONCORD's six inch guns can be seen today in a park near Seattle, Washington's Woodland Park Zoo.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:U.S.S. CONCORD, a gunboat, was meant to be used on inland waterways and rivers, as well as for blockade duty. She was not designed for use in major fleet actions, being unarmored. In spite of this, she served at Manila Bay.
Officers Of The Concord
Asa Walker, Commander
George P. Colvocoresses, Lieutenant Commander
Thomas B. Howard, Lieutenant
Patrick W. Hourigan, Lieutenant
Charles M. McCormick, Lieutenant (J.G.)
Louis A. Kaiser, Ensign
William C. Davidson, Ensign
Orlo S. Knepper, Ensign
Richard G. Broderick, Passed Assistant Surgeon
Eugene D. Ryan, Passed Assistant Paymaster
George B. Ransom, Chief Engineer
Horace W. Jones, Passed Assistant Engineer
Frederick K. Hunt, Pay Clerk
Crew Of The Concord
Alm, Edving Alfred, Quartermaster, Third Class
Anderson, Carl, Boatswain's Mate, First Class
Anderson, Charles, Quartermaster, Second Class
Anderson, John, Seaman
Anderson, Leon, Seaman
Anderson, Lorentz Andreas, Seaman
Andrews, Robert Thomas, Apprentice, Second Class
Attridge, Joseph Francis, Landsman
Aulmann, George Lawrence, Chief Yeoman
Babcock, Howard Harry, Coal Passer
Baker, George William, Landsman
Berger, August George, Apprentice, Second Class
Bethge, Charles Ludwig, Seaman
Bottoncourt, Frank, Landsman
Britton, Joseph, Quartermaster, First Class
Brotherton, John P., Oiler
Brown, Frederick William, Gunner's Mate, Third Class
Bush, Charlie, Landsman
Bush, Frank, Landsman
Chow, Ah, Mess Attendant
Chung, Ah, Mess Attendant
Clark, Harry John, Yeoman, Second Class
Clydesdale, Frederick R., Ordinary Seaman
Coan, Anthony, Apprentice, Second Class
Corvantes, Lewis Ignacio, Apprentice, Second Class
Grouse, William A., Water Tender
Crowley, Edward, Shipwright
Dame, George Horace, Chief Machinist
Davis, William, Fireman, First Class
Dees, Louis Charles, Coal Passer
Desmond, Harry, Machinist, First Class
Devine, Augustine D., Machinist, First Class
Dewson, Edwin Walker, Apprentice, Second Class
Dickerson, Charles Oliver, Landsman
Dickey, Glen Deane, Yeoman, Third Class
Dixon, William Carter, Gunner's Mate, Second Class
Dundas, Henry Gratton, Coxswain
Ehle, John Walter, Fireman, First Class
Erwin, Burt Adams, Ordinary Seaman
Evans, Ernest, Chief Machinist
Folson. Edward, Oiler
Fong, Yee, Wardroom Cook
Frazer, George, Landsman
Fuller, George Lewis, Boatswain's Mate, Second Class
Gable, Arthur, Coal Passer
Gallagher, John, Chief Master-At-Arms
Gallagher, Thomas B., Machinist, Second Class
Gignac, Archibald Jerome, Apprentice, Second Chss
Goldman, Max, Apprentice, Second Class
Grable, James Floyd, Gunner's Mate, Third Class
Green, William, Coal Passer
Griggs, Joseph Henry, Bayman
Haffke, Charles, Coal Passer
Harmon, Frank Maybury, Apprentice, Second Class
Harmon, Peter Austin, Landsman
Hartman, John George, Ordinary Seaman
Harvey, George John, Apprentice, First Class
Healey, Patrick, Fireman, Second Class
Hee, Ah, Mess Attendant
Henk, Charles William, Ordinary Seaman
Hermanson, Emil Sven, Fireman, Second Class
Hickox, George Lawman, Fireman, Second Class
Hill, Patrick, Chief Gunner's Mate
Hind, William Richard, Ordinary Seaman
Hull, James Lott, Fireman, First Class
Ikeda, Tomihiro, Cabin Steward
James, John, Seaman
Johnson, Andrew, Seaman
Jones, Frank Bartlett, Master-At-Arms, Third Class
Jorgensen, Peter C., Chief Quartermaster
Joseph, William, Coal Passer
Kabatchnick, Samuel, Fireman, Second Class
Kato, Unosuki, Landsman
Kenny, Thomas Joseph, Gunner's Mate, First Class
Kerston, George Toney, Ordinary Seaman
King, John, Gunner's Mate, Second Class
Kline, Mahlon Albert, Plumber And Fitter
Kugat, Paul, Seaman
Lagerholm, Frithiof, Coxswain
Lambert, Edward, Boilermaker
Langa, Jesse Jackson, Chief Yeoman
Lassig, Charles Edward, Apprentice, Second Class
Lawrence, Harry, Apprentice, Second Class
Leahy, Henry, Ordinary Seaman
Lem, Yee, Mess Attendant
Lerch, George Henry, Carpenter's Mate, Third Class
Leslie, James Frederick, Machinist, Second Class
Ling, Ah, Mess Attendant
Londerman, John, Chief Boatswain's MateMahoney, Patrick, Gunner's Mate, First Class
Martin, Joseph, Fireman, First Class
Martinmann, Fred, Seaman
Maruyama, Yasu, Mess Attendant
Meade, Earl, Coal Passer
Melody, Hugh Joseph, Oiler
Mengi, Peter, Seaman
Metcalf, George Robert, Machinist, First Class
Miles, William Edward, Painter
Miller, Henry, Coal Passer
Minnick, Wallace Willard, Ordinary Seaman
Moorehead, Thomas, Coal Passer
Muller, Frederick James, Sailmaker's Mate
Murphy, James Joseph, Fireman, Second Class
McCarthy, Corneils, Water Tender
McCartney, William James, Coxswain
McGuire, Daniel, Oiler
McPherson, Ewen Malcolm, Fireman, Second Class
Nelson, Daniel William, Ordinary Seaman
Nelson, Joseph, Bugler
Nikkelsen, Nikkel, Ordinary Seaman
O'Keefe, Thomas, Apprentice, Second Class
Olmstead, Henry Hall, Fireman, Second Class
Olsson, Emil Hjalmar, Seaman
One, Ah, Wardroom Steward
Osborne, Guy Raymond, Landsman
Parrish, Samuel, Gunner's Mate, Third Class
Peterson, Otto Albin, Seaman
Pfaff, Edward, Apprentice, Second Class
Phillips, Alexander Thomas, Boatswain's Mate, Second Class
Plumber, John Alexander, Boatswain's Mate, Second Class
Pollex, Max, Coxswain
Powers, William David, Fireman, First Class
Price, John Larkins, Ordinary Seaman
Props, William Edward, Oiler
Ramsperger, Frederick, Chief Carpenter's Mate
Rodney, John, Fireman, First Class
Ross, David Francis, Ordinary Seaman
Rost, Richard, Ordinary Seaman
Row, Albert George, Ordinary Seaman
Rowland, Charles E., Blacksmith
Saxton, William Eugene, Apothecary
Schlicht, John, Water Tender
Sefbom, Carl Frithiof, Seaman
Sheehan, William Bernard, Coxswain
Shute, Frank Edward, Chief Yeoman
Sibley, John Thompson, Coal Passer
Silva, Manuel, Ship's Cook, First Class
Smith, Robert Xavier, Fireman, Second Class
Smith, Thomas, Coal Passer
Speaker, Albert, Apprentice, Second Class
Stroble, Robert, Coal Passer
Summ, Herman, Gunner's Mate, Third Class
Suzuki, Toyotaro, Cabin Cook
Turner, Louis, Fireman, First Class
Wagelie, Gunval Andrius, Seaman
Welsh, John Henry, Blacksmith
Westermark, Axel, Seaman
White, Edward Thomas, Seaman
Whiteley, John Henry, Ordinary Seaman
Whitney, Albert, Coal Passer
Wiggles, Edward Manford, Coxswain
Williams, Owen John, Apprentice, Second Class
Wilson, Edward, Gunner's Mate, Second Class
Wilson, Henry Ward Beecher, Coal Passer
Wiseman, Herbert John, Chief Machinist
Young, Louis Lusin, Ordinary Seaman
Marine Guard Of The Concord
Bonhert, Charles, First Sergeant
Dahlgreen, John O., Corporal
Bauer, Charlie, Private
Catlin, Lucius H., Private
Day, John E., Private
Elkin, Eugene, Private
Grey, John, Private
Howard, Luther, Private
Landrum, Floyd L., Private
Miller, Alexander, Private
McGuire, Peter, Private
Murphy, Stephen, Private
Orndoff, Harry W., Private
Peterson, George C., Private
Robinson, Willis, Private
Sugar, Sydney D., Private
Sainsbury, Joseph, Private
Young, Frank A., Private