Fiske, Bradley A. (Bradley Allen), 1854-1942

Rear Admiral Bradley Allen Fiske (June 13, 1854 – April 6, 1942) was an officer in the United States Navy who was noted as a technical innovator. He graduated from Annapolis in 1874 and devoted his entire US Navy career to the invention of instruments for shipboard use. For inventing the rangefinder, Fiske was awarded the Elliott Cresson Medal of The Franklin Institute in 1891. He served in the Spanish-American War, receiving many citations as navigating officer in the Battle of Manila Bay. During his long Navy career, Fiske invented more than a hundred and thirty electrical and mechanical devices, with both naval and civilian uses, and wrote extensively on technical and professional issues. He holds over sixty patents for Navy devices used world wide. Fiske's numerous inventions include electrically powered gun turrets, telescopic sights for naval guns, submarine protection devices, electromagnetic system for detonating torpedos under ships, electric range finders and the torpedo plane. He was one of the earliest persons to understand the revolutionary possibilities of naval aviation. Fiske wrote a number of books which were of important effect in gaining a wider understanding of the modern Navy by the public.

In 1914, the Naval Aide for Operations, Rear Admiral Bradley Fiske, wrote that the Navy was not ready for war, but would be unable to avoid it. In this, he was at odds with Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, who, along with President Woodrow Wilson, wished to avoid involvement in the European War. It is Fiske’s advocacy for a strong military aide to help the Secretary direct the Navy that led to the creation of the office of the Chief of Naval Operations. He was retired upon reaching the age of 62 in June 1916. His professional activities continued into the mid-1920s, however, with service as President of the U.S. Naval Institute and several sessions of temporary duty with the Navy Department.

Rear Admiral Bradley A. Fiske died in New York City on 6 April 1942, aged 87. The Navy has named two warships, Fiske (DE-143), 1943–1944, and Fiske (DD-842), 1945–1980, in his honor. The New Yorker called him "one of the notable naval inventors of all time."