Alfred Walton Hinds

Alfred Walton Hinds (July 25, 1874 – December 25, 1957) was a United States Navy captain who served as the 17th Naval Governor of Guam. His early naval service included serving as Assistant Engineer aboard USS Texas, the United States Navy's first battleship, where he was reprimanded for an accident aboard in 1896. In 1911, Hinds joined the staff of the United States Naval Academy, heading the Department of Marine Engineering and Naval Construction, writing a textbook on the subject while there.

Alfred Walton Hinds
Alfred Walton Hinds as a Lieutenant commander
Alfred Hinds as a lieutenant commander. From 1912's Lucky Bag, the Naval Academy yearbook.
17th Naval Governor of Guam
In office
September 23, 1913 – March 28, 1914
Preceded byRobert Coontz
Succeeded byWilliam John Maxwell
Personal details
BornJuly 25, 1874
Marshall County, Alabama
DiedDecember 25, 1957(1957-12-25) (aged 83)
San Diego, California
Resting placeFort Rosecrans National Cemetery
Nationality United States
SpouseMary Beardslee Hinds
Children1
OccupationNaval officer, Governor of Guam
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy Seal United States Navy
Years of service1894-1927
Rank Captain (Active duty)
Rear Admiral (Retired list)
CommandsDepartment of Marine Engineering and Naval Construction at the United States Naval Academy
USS Rochester
USS New York
Panama Canal
Battles/warsWorld War I

From September 23, 1913, to March 28, 1914, Hinds served as acting Governor of Guam. Having already helped form the policies of the previous governor, Hinds continued much of the practices of the earlier administration. He successfully drew new import and export businesses to the island, though he failed in his attempts to further development of Guam as a key naval outpost. Following his governorship, Hinds commanded various ships and eventually became marine superintendent of the Panama Canal in 1924, serving in that office until early 1925.

Life

Hinds was born on July 25, 1874, in Marshall County, Alabama, the son of Margaret Rebecca (Pickett) Hinds and Byram Wilborn Hinds. His father was a physician and had served as a lieutenant in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Among his siblings was Ernest Hinds, a U.S. Army major general.[1][2]

He was a member of the New York Yacht Club.[3]

Hinds graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1894.[4] He served as Assistant Engineer aboard USS Texas, the first battleship commissioned by the United States Navy. The Navy publicly reprimanded him for his role in an accident aboard the vessel in September 1896.[5] In 1901, he served temporarily aboard USS Wabash.[6] In 1908, as a lieutenant commander, the Navy ordered him aboard USS Virginia.[7]

In 1911, Hinds headed the Department of Marine Engineering and Naval Construction at the United States Naval Academy. There, he also co-authored the book Marine and Naval Boilers with Lieutenant Commander Frank Lyon. The book served as a textbook for midshipmen at the Naval Academy.[8] In 1917, as a commander, he served as executive officer of USS Oklahoma.[9] In 1918, he was given command of USS Rochester. During his command, the ship came to the aid of the British steamer Atlantian. Though Hinds ordered the engagement of the U-boat that had attacked the ship, but the crew proved unable to find it.[10] He was placed in command of USS New York in 1922.[11] In 1924, Hinds became marine superintendent of the Panama Canal, keeping that position until February 23, 1925.[12]

Governorship

Hinds served as acting Naval Governor of Guam from September 23, 1913, to March 28, 1914.[13] Prior to becoming governor, Hinds served as public works officer for the island under Governor Robert Coontz, and continued much of the same policies he advocated in the position after taking the governorship.[14] Hinds expressed fear that the large numbers of Japanese tourists to the island performing espionage. He also raised concerns about occupations of the surrounding islands by Japan.[15] He successfully drew new American importers and exporters to the island, including San Francisco company Atkins, Kroll & Company.[16]

As governor, Hinds strongly promoted the utilization of Guam as an area for key naval bases to be built upon. He advocated for construction of a base to commence quickly using improvised dredging equipment from the Panama Canal. However, various engineers and the Chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks dismissed the proposal as both unorthodox and originating from the wrong office.[15] Hinds viewed Guam as of little importance other than as a naval outpost, stating in 1915 that "Except as a naval base-a place from which to sail forth to 'capture or destroy the enemy fleet'-Guam has no value to the navy and is, perhaps, of but little interest to naval officers."[15]

Published works
  • Hinds, Alfred (October 15, 1921). "Changes in the Naval Station of the Pacific Due to the World War". Army and Navy Journal. 59 (149).
  • Lyon, Frank; Alfred Hinds (1912). Marine and Naval Boilers. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. p. 454.
  • Hinds, Alfred (1921). "Sea Power and Disarmament". North American Review. 214: 588–593.

Personal life

On April 10, 1902, Hinds married Mary Beardslee (1874-1952) at May Memorial Church in Syracuse, New York. They had one son, Walton Beardslee Hinds (1904-1973).[17][18]

In 1931, Hinds and his family moved to Coronado, California.[19]

Hinds died on December 25, 1957.

References
  1. Massman, Emory A. (1999). Hospital Ships of World War II: An Illustrated Reference to 39 United States Military Vessels. Google Books: McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-7864-3255-4.
  2. "Mrs. B. W. Hinds". The Morning Mercury. Huntsville, AL. September 30, 1904. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Their Fiftieth Birthday: New-York Yacht Club Members Celebrate at the Clubhouse" (PDF). The New York Times. New York City. The New York Times Company. 31 July 1894. Retrieved 25 December 2010.
  4. "Class of '94, Naval Academy" (PDF). The New York Times. New York City. The New York Times Company. 4 June 1894. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
  5. "The Accident to the Texas: Capt. Glass Held Wholly Irresponsible for the Trouble" (PDF). The New York Times. New York City. The New York Times Company. 21 October 1896. Retrieved 25 December 2010.
  6. "The United Service" (PDF). The New York Times. New York City. The New York Times. 24 September 1901. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
  7. Jones, Robert Dorsey (1908). With the American Fleet from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The Harrison Publishing Company. p. 151. Retrieved 10 January 2011. A. W. Hinds.
  8. "Marine and Naval Boilers". Proceedings. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. 37: 1102. 1911. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
  9. Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps and Reserve Officers on Active Duty. United States Navy. 1917. p. 284. Retrieved 11 January 2011. A. W. Hinds.
  10. Greaves, Albert (1921). A History of the Transport Service: Adventures and Experiences of United States Transports and Cruisers in the World War. George H. Doran Company. p. 158. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
  11. "Reorganized Fleet to Hold Big Tests" (PDF). The New York Times. New York City. The New York Times Company. 26 December 1922. Retrieved 25 December 2010.
  12. Windsor, H. H. (1 September 1924). "What the Panama Canal Means to You". Popular Mechanics. 42 (5): 751. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  13. "Naval Era Governors of Guam". Guampedia. Guam: University of Guam. 10 August 2010. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
  14. Cox, Leonard Martin; Edward John Dorn (1917). Kenneth Chafee McIntosh and Merlyn Grail Cook (ed.). The Island of Guam. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. p. 45. Retrieved 11 January 2011. A. W. Hinds.
  15. Pomeroy. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. 1951. pp. 41–53. ISBN 9780804715744. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
  16. War in the Pacific National Park: An Administrative History (PDF). Washington, D.C.: National Park Service. July 2004. p. 28. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
  17. "WOULDN'T CHANGE SINGLE MINUTE OF LIFE, SAYS BRIDE OF 49 YEARS AGO". Coronado Eagle and Journal, Volume 39, Number 15. April 12, 1951. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  18. Thirteenth Census of the United States, United States census, 1910; Anne Arundel County, Maryland; page 98b,. Retrieved on 10 January 2011.
  19. "Captain and Mrs. Hinds Celebrate Their Golden Wedding Anniversary". Coronado Eagle and Journal, Volume 39, Number 14. April 3, 1952. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
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