Robert F. Lopez
Robert Files Lopez (1859 – September 20, 1936) was an officer in the United States Navy.[1] He entered Annapolis with the Class of 1879, and he became the first Hispanic-American to graduate from the United States Naval Academy.
Lopez served as an ensign aboard the USS Thetis during a voyage of exploration around Alaska in 1888–89.[2] Lopez Point on Herschel Island was named in his honor by the commander of Thetis, Charles Stockton.[3]
The highlight of his 32-year naval career, was his service under Admiral Dewey's command at the first major engagement of the Spanish–American War, the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898.[1]
He commanded the destroyer Preble (DD-12) in 1904–1906.[4]
Captain Lopez's last posting before retirement was as senior member of a naval board which conducted a general survey of vessels on the Pacific coast. He retired as a Commodore (Rear Admiral) in 1911.[5]
Upon America's entry into World War I in 1917, Lopez was recalled to duty as acting commandant of the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, located northeast of San Francisco.[1]
Commodore Lopez died in Alameda, California after a year's illness at the age of 77.[1]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Commodore Lopez, 77, Manila Veteran, Dies; Former Commandant of Mare Island Retired in 1911; Served in World War". New York Times. October 1, 1936. p. 25.
- ↑ Swineford, Alfred P. (1888). The Cruise of the Thetis: A Cruise of Ten Thousand Miles in Alaskan Waters (PDF). Alaska State Library.
- ↑ Burn, C.R.; Hattendorf, John B. (December 2011). "Toponymy of Herschel Island (Qikiqtaryuk), Western Arctic Coast, Canada" (PDF). Arctic. 64 (4): 459–464. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
- ↑ "USS Preble DD-12". navsource.org. 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
- ↑ "Navy Board Retires Fourteen Officers; Some Well Worth Keeping in Service, but Must Make Way for Younger Men". The New York Times. July 4, 1911. p. 13.