Hispanics in the United States Navy can trace their tradition of naval military service to men such as Lieutenant Jordi Farragut Mesquida, who served in the American Revolution. Hispanics, such as Seaman Philip Bazaar and Seaman John Ortega, have distinguished themselves in combat and have been awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration of the United States. Hispanics have also reached the top ranks of the navy, serving their country in sensitive leadership positions on domestic and foreign shores. Among those who have reached the highest ranks in the navy are Commodore Uriah Phillips Levy, of Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jewish descent, who participated in the War of 1812 as an assistant Sailing master; Admiral David Glasgow Farragut, for whom the rank of admiral in the U.S. Navy was created during the American Civil War; and Admiral Horacio Rivero, who led the navy during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Hispanic is an ethnic term employed to categorize any citizen or resident of the United States, of any racial background, of any country, and of any religion, who has at least one ancestor from the people of Spain or is of non-Hispanic origin, but has an ancestor from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central or South America, or some other Hispanic origin. The three largest Hispanic groups in the United States are the Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans.Hispanic Population of the United States Current Population Survey Definition and Background , United States Census Bureau, Population Division, Ethnic & Hispanic Statistics Branch, Retrieved May 21, 2008"Who are Hispanic Americans? ", Fault Line, September 1996, Retrieved May 21, 2008
According to the U.S. Census Bureau the estimated Hispanic population of the United States is over 50 million, or 16% of the U.S. population, and Hispanics are the nation's largest ethnic or racial minority. The 2010 U.S. Census estimate of over 50 million Hispanics in the U.S. does not include the 3.9 million residents of Puerto Rico.
More than 43,000 people of Hispanic origin are sailors and civilians serving with the U.S. Navy.Navy Celebrates Hispanic Heritage , United States Navy, Retrieved May 21, 2008
The United States Navy has implemented aggressive recruitment programs directed towards this group. One of those programs is El Navy, whose principal aim is to attract those who speak Spanish. It has resulted in increased recruitment of Hispanics for entrance to the United States Naval Academy. As of April 2007, thirteen Hispanic Americans who were graduates of the USNA, and nine who were commissioned after attending the navy's officer candidate school, have reached the rank of rear admiral and above.
American Revolution and the War of 1812 The United States Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy, which was established during the American Revolutionary War and was disbanded shortly thereafter. The United States Constitution provided the legal basis for a seaborne military force by giving Congress the power "to provide and maintain a navy.""Constitution of the United States". The National Archives Experience, Retrieved May 21, 2008. Attacks against American shipping by Barbary Coast corsairs spurred Congress to employ this power by passing the Naval Act of 1794 ordering the construction and manning of six frigates.Palmer, Michael A. "The Navy: The Continental Period, 1775-1890". Department of the Navy – Naval Historical Center Official website, Retrieved May 21, 2008.
Lieutenant Jordi Farragut Mesquida, (1755–1817) was a Spanish–Catalan by descent and a Minorquin by birth. He immigrated to the American colonies and participated in the American Revolution as a lieutenant in the South Carolina Navy. During the Revolution, he fought the British at Savannah, Georgia, and in 1780 was captured during the battle of Charleston, South Carolina. He was released in a prisoner exchange and volunteered in the militia which fought at the Battle of Cowpens and Wilmington, North Carolina. Farragut Mesquida married Elizabeth Shine and had two sons, one of them was David Farragut.
Commodore Uriah Phillips Levy (1792–1862), a Sephardic Jew whose ancestors were from Portugal, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the great-great-grandson of Dr. Samuel Nunez, the leader of the first Jewish colonists who helped found Savannah, Georgia.Marc Leepson, Saving Monticello: Free Press , Retrieved May 21, 2008"2006 Jewish statistics around the world", Jewish Virtual Library, Retrieved May 21, 2008 Levy was assigned sailing master on , which interdicted English ships in the English Channel during the War of 1812. The ship confiscated more than twenty vessels, but was captured in 1813 and Levy and rest of the crew were taken prisoner until the end of the war.
Upon his return to the United States, Levy served as the sailing master on the 74-gun ship and in 1817 was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. He was promoted to the rank of master commandant in 1837, and the rank of captain in 1844. In 1855, Levy was given the courtesy title of commodore, in recognition of his superior abilities, making him one of the navy's highest-ranking officers and the first Sephardic Jew of Hispanic descent to reach the rank, which at the time was the highest rank in the U.S. Navy.Robert D., Gold, Albert Abrahams, The Commodor: The Adventurous Life of Uriah P. Levy, New York: Jewish Publication Society (1954), p. 112"History of the Sephardic Jews ", Orbis Latinus, Retrieved April 1, 2009"", American Sephardi Federation, Retrieved May 21, 2008
American Civil War
Union Navy During the American Civil War, the government of the United States recognized that the rapidly expanding Union Navy was in need of admirals. Therefore, on July 16, 1862 Congress proceeded to authorize the appointment of nine officers to the rank of rear admiral,"Full text of Carnegie Institution of Washington publication", Carnegie Institution of Washington, Retrieved March 18, 2009 making Flag Officer David Glasgow Farragut the first Hispanic-American to be appointed said grade.Kennedy Hickman, "Admiral David G. Farragut: Hero of the Union Navy"; About.com , Retrieved March 28, 2007
David Glasgow Farragut (1801–1870) was born on at Campbell's Station, near Knoxville, Tennessee, to Jordi and Elizabeth Farragut. After Farragut's mother died from yellow fever in his 1808, his father gave him up for adoption, and he was adopted by future-U.S. Navy Captain David Porter.
On December 17, 1810, Farragut entered the navy as a midshipman aboard . He was 12 years old when, during the War of 1812, he was given the assignment to bring a ship captured by USS Essex, safely to port.
In April 1862, Farragut was the "flag officer" in command of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron. With his flagship, , he ran past Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip and the Chalmette, Louisiana, batteries to take the city and port of New Orleans, Louisiana. This victory was an influential factor when in 1862, Congress created the rank of admiral and named Farragut and eight other naval officers (which also included his foster brother David Dixon Porter) as rear admirals. Thus, Farragut became the first Hispanic-American admiral in the United States Navy.
Farragut's greatest victory was the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864. Mobile, Alabama, at the time was the Confederacy's last major port open on the Gulf of Mexico. The bay was heavily mined with tethered naval mines, also known as torpedoes. When USS Tecumseh, one of the ships under his command, struck a mine and went down, Farragut shouted through a trumpet from his flagship to , "What's the trouble?" "Torpedoes!" was the reply, to which Farragut then shouted his now famous words "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!"""Famous Navy Quotes: Who Said Them... and When", Naval Historical Center, January 2008, Retrieved March 18, 2009 The fleet succeeded in entering the bay. Farragut then triumphed over the opposition of heavy batteries in Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines to defeat the squadron of Admiral Franklin Buchanan. Farragut was promoted to vice admiral on December 21, 1864, and to full admiral on July 25, 1866, after the war, thereby becoming the first person to be named full admiral in the navy's history.
Third Assistant Engineer Cipriano Andrade (1840–1911) was born in Tampico, Mexico. He joined the Union Navy in 1861, and served on board . During the Civil War, Andrade served on board USS Lancaster (1861–1863); and USS Pontiac (1863–1865) as a Third Assistant Engineer. His position was the most junior marine engineer of the ship. responsible for electrical, sewage treatment (resulting in the pejorative pun "turd engineer"), lube oil, bilge, and oily water separation systems. Depending on usage. and his position sometimes required that he assist the third mate in maintaining proper operation of the lifeboats. On July 1, 1901, he was transferred to the retired list of the navy with the rank of rear admiral.
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself "...conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States.
Seaman John Ortega (born in 1840 in Spain), was a resident of Pennsylvania who joined the Union Navy in his adopted hometown in Pennsylvania. Ortega was assigned to during the Civil War. USS Saratoga was ordered to proceed to Charleston, South Carolina, for duty in the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. Ortega was a member of the landing parties from the ship who made several raids in August and September 1864, which resulted in the capture of many prisoners and the taking or destruction of substantial quantities of ordnance, ammunition, and supplies. A number of buildings, bridges, and salt works were destroyed during the expedition. For his actions Seaman John Ortega was awarded the Medal of Honor and promoted to acting master's mate.Civil War Medal of Honor Citations (Last names starting with "O" through "R"), American Civil War.com; sources: U.S. Army Archives, Retrieved May 21, 2008
Seaman Philip Bazaar, born in Chile, South America, was a resident of Massachusetts, who joined the Union Navy at New Bedford. He was assigned to , a wooden, brigantine-rigged, side-wheel steamship under the command of Rear Admiral David D. Porter. In the latter part of 1864, Union General Ulysses S. Grant ordered an assault on Fort Fisher, a Confederate stronghold. The stronghold protected the vital trading routes of Wilmington's port, in North Carolina."USS Santiago de Cuba (1861)", Department of the Navy – Naval Historical Center, July 2002, Retrieved May 21, 2008 On January 12, 1865, both ground and naval Union forces attempted a second land assault, after the failure of the first. During the land assault, Bazaar and five other crew members carried dispatches from Rear Admiral Porter to Major General Alfred Terry, while under heavy fire from the Confederates to Major General Alfred Terry. Bazaar was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions."Medal of Honor citation for Philip Bazaar"; publisher Home of Heroes.com, Retrieved May 21, 2008
Confederate States Navy Hispanics also fought for the Confederate States Navy. One such case was Captain Michael Philip Usina (1840–1903). Usina was born in St. Augustine, Florida, to Spanish parents. As captain of several blockade runners, Usina managed to avoid capture on his many successful missions. Usina fought in Co. B in the 8th Georgia Infantry of the Confederate Army before being transferred to the navy. He was wounded and captured in the Battle of Manassas, but managed to escape and reach the Southern lines.Hispanics and the Civil War – National Park Service Blockade-Runner
World War I