William C. Watts
| William Carleton Watts | |
|---|---|
| Born |
February 18, 1880 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | January 5, 1956 (aged 75) Rosemont, Pennsylvania |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Navy
|
| Years of service | 1898–1942 |
| Rank |
 Rear Admiral
|
| Commands held |
Albany Raleigh Colorado |
| Battles/wars |
Spanish–American War World War I World War II |
| Awards | Navy Cross |
| Relations | Ethelbert Watts (father) |
William Carleton Watts (February 18, 1880 – January 5, 1956) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy, who served in the Spanish–American War, World War I, and World War II.
Watts was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the youngest son of U.S. diplomat Ethelbert Watts (1846–1919) and his first wife Emily Pepper Watts. He was a direct descendant of Frederick Watts, a brigadier-general in the colonial army during the Revolutionary War. He attended the United States Naval Academy from 1894 to 1898 and graduated at age 18, ranking second in his class.
During the Spanish–American War, which began as his senior year ended, he served on the protected cruiser Columbia. He was promoted to ensign in 1900, and to lieutenant soon thereafter.
Watts served as the first navigator of the battleship New York in 1914, and as executive officer of the battleship Michigan in 1916–17. With the rank of captain, Watts served as Judge Advocate General of the Navy from January 6, 1917, to April 15, 1918, and then as the commander of the cruiser Albany. As the flagship of Squadron 6, Patrol Force, Atlantic Fleet, Albany escorted convoys of merchantmen, cargo ships, and troop transports back and forth across the Atlantic. Between July 1917 and the end of the war on 11 November 1918, she shepherded 11 such convoys safely between the United States and Europe. For this service Watts was awarded the Navy Cross, "for distinguished service in the line of his profession as commanding officer of the Albany 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".
...
Wikipedia