Admiral Wm. Sims
Rockhill, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Commander of the American naval forces in European waters in the first World War, naval writer and critic, entered the U.S. Naval Academy from this community in 1876. From 1883 to 1902, Sims family occupied the house opposite.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
When the United States entered the First World War in 1917, William Sims commanded American naval forces operating in European waters, coordinating with the Royal Navy against the German submarine campaign that was strangling Allied shipping. A sharp-penned naval writer and reformer, he had left this small Huntingdon County community for the U.S. Naval Academy back in 1876, and his family lived in the house opposite this marker for nearly two decades. His career bridged the age of sail-trained officers and the modern steel navy that fought a global war.
Why it matters
Sims embodies how figures from small American towns helped shape the country's emergence as a world naval power during World War I.
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Related people
- · William Sims
Related events
- · World War I
Themes & tags
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