United States Naval Officer. He was a pioneer in Naval Aviation and a member of one the most famous families in United States Navy history. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1903 and was assigned to air duty in 1911, after attending the Wright Brothers flying school. He was the second Naval Officer to qualify as a Naval Aviator in Naval history. During World War I, he commanded Submarine Division 1 of the Atlantic Fleet. From 1922 to 1925 he was commander of the Naval Air Station, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. As commander of the San Francisco-Hawaiian flights, he gained wide acclaim. In recognition of his qualities as an aviator and his ability as a seaman and navigator, he was appointed Chief of the Bureau of Naval Aeronautics. In 1926, he was placed in command of a new experimental scouting seaplane squadron and established the Naval Air Station at San Diego, California. While on a flight from the Naval Air Station, Washington, to Philadelphia, he lost his life in landing accident. He was son of Rear Admiral John Augustus Rodgers, great-grandson of Commodore John Rodgers and Sarah (Perry) Rodgers, daughter of Admiral Matthew C. Perry, was his grandmother. The destroyer "USS Rodgers" represents Naval service of the father, son, and great-grandson for whom the ship is named.
United States Naval Officer. He was a pioneer in Naval Aviation and a member of one the most famous families in United States Navy history. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1903 and was assigned to air duty in 1911, after attending the Wright Brothers flying school. He was the second Naval Officer to qualify as a Naval Aviator in Naval history. During World War I, he commanded Submarine Division 1 of the Atlantic Fleet. From 1922 to 1925 he was commander of the Naval Air Station, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. As commander of the San Francisco-Hawaiian flights, he gained wide acclaim. In recognition of his qualities as an aviator and his ability as a seaman and navigator, he was appointed Chief of the Bureau of Naval Aeronautics. In 1926, he was placed in command of a new experimental scouting seaplane squadron and established the Naval Air Station at San Diego, California. While on a flight from the Naval Air Station, Washington, to Philadelphia, he lost his life in landing accident. He was son of Rear Admiral John Augustus Rodgers, great-grandson of Commodore John Rodgers and Sarah (Perry) Rodgers, daughter of Admiral Matthew C. Perry, was his grandmother. The destroyer "USS Rodgers" represents Naval service of the father, son, and great-grandson for whom the ship is named.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
Family Members
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