Charles Peshall Plunkett

Charles Peshall Plunkett
Born	(1864-02-15)February 15, 1864 Washington, D.C.
Died	March 24, 1931(1931-03-24) (aged 67) Washington, D.C.
Place of burial	Arlington National Cemetery[1]
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1879–1928
Rank	Rear Admiral
Commands held	North Dakota (BB-29) South Dakota (ACR-9)
Battles/wars	Spanish–American War World War I
Awards	Distinguished Service Medal

Rear Admiral Charles Peshall Plunkett, (15 February 1864 – 24 March 1931) was an officer of the United States Navy who served in the Spanish–American War and World War I.^[2]

Biography

Plunkett was born in Washington, D.C. and was appointed to the Naval Academy in 1879. During the Spanish–American War, he served in Admiral Dewey's Squadron at the Battle of Manila Bay. He commanded both the battleship North Dakota (BB-29) and the armored cruiser South Dakota (ACR-9), and served as Director of Target Practice and Engineering Competitions for the Navy Department before the United States entered World War I.^[2]

In July 1918, he assumed command of the five Naval Railway Batteries in France. Under his direction the mobile units of 14-inch battleship guns supported the French and American armies from 6 September until the Armistice, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his service during the war. He later commanded Destroyers, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and served as Chief of Staff at the Naval War College; as President of the Board of Inspection and Survey; and as Commandant of the New York Navy Yard and the 3rd Naval District.^[2]

Retiring in 1928, Rear Admiral Plunkett died, in Washington, D.C., on 24 March 1931.^[2]

Namesake

The Gleaves-class destroyer USS Plunkett (DD-431) was named in his honor.

References

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.