Craven, Thomas, 1808-1887

American naval officer.

Commander of the Potomac River Flotilla, United States Navy.

Thomas Tingey Craven (1808 - 1887) was a 19th century United States Navy officer who served during the Civil War. He served as commandant of the United States Naval Academy in 1858-1860. At the outbreak of the Civil War he commanded the Potomac flotilla and then took command of the USS Brooklyn.

Thomas Tingey Craven (1808-1887) was an American Civil War admiral and instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis.

Craven was born December 20, 1808 in the District of Columbia. His father, Tunis Craven, who was a native of New Jersey and who early in life was a merchant in Alexandria, Virginia, was a purser in the navy, 1812-1813, and for many years a naval storekeeper, first at Portsmouth, N. H., and later at Brooklyn, N. Y. His mother, Hannah(Tingey) Craven, was a daughter of Commodore Thomas Tingey.

Entering the navy as a midshipman from New Hampshire on May 1, 1822, Craven was made a passed midshipman in 1828, and a lieutenant in 1830. In the last-named grade, he served off the Brazilian coast and in East Indian waters, and later, in 1838-1839, as first lieutenant of the Vincennes, the flagship of the Wilkes exploring expedition. In 1843-1844 he assisted Commodore M. C. Perry in suppressing the slave-trade off the coast of Africa, part of the time as commander of the schooner Porpoise . For almost eight years (1850-1855 and 1858-1860) he was commandant of midshipmen at the Naval Academy. He initiated and elaborated the practise cruise, still regarded as one of the most beneficial features of the course at Annapolis. In 1852 he was promoted commander and in the first year of the Civil War while in command of the Potomac flotilla, he was made a captain. In the following year he commanded the Brooklyn of Farragut's squadron on the Mississippi and had an active share in the stirring events that resulted in the opening of that river.

In 1863 he was made a commodore and was ordered with the steam frigate Niagara to European waters there to perform certain special duties, which included the protection of American commerce. In August 1864 he captured the Confederate steamer Georgia off the coast of Portugal. Eight months later off the coast of Spain near Corunna, the commander of the Confederate ironclad ram Stonewall challenged Craven to a trial of strength in the open sea. In addition to the Niagara the Commodore at this time had under his control the sloop-of-war Sacramento These two wooden ships carried an armament superior in the number of guns, but otherwise much inferior to that of the Stonewall . Craven therefore declined the challenge and allowed the Stonewall to proceed on her way unmolested. His action was much criticized and on his return to the United States he was brought before a court martial composed of nine of the most distinguished officers of the navy, with Vice-Admiral Farragut as president. The court found him guilty of failing to do his utmost to destroy the Stonewall and sentenced him to be suspended from duty for two years on leave-pay. On the ground that the finding was inconsistent, Secretary Gideon Welles set aside the proceedings of the court and discharged Craven from arrest. The Secretary, nevertheless, was of the opinion that the Commodore was too cautious an officer ( Diary of Gideon Welles, vol. II, 1911, p. 267).

In 1866 Craven was promoted rear admiral, and, after serving as commandant of the Mare Island navy-yard and commander of the Pacific Squadron, he retired in 1869. The following year he served as port admiral at San Francisco. He died at the Boston navy-yard.

Craven's first wife was his cousin, Virginia Wingate; his second, Emily Truxton Henderson, by whom he had eight children. Three of his sons graduated from the Naval Academy.