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57k | William Henry Hunt, born in Charleston, S.C., 12 June 1823, was Secretary of the Navy under President Garfield. After studying law at Yale, he finished his professional training in his brothers' office in New Orleans, where he was admitted to the bar in 1844. Hunt opposed secession and favored the Union cause. He was nevertheless drafted into the Confederate Army and commissioned Lieutenant Colonel. However, he managed to avoid involvement in military operations until Admiral Farragut captured New Orleans. In March 1876, Hunt was appointed Attorney-General of Louisiana, and in July of that year he was the Republican candidate for this office. Both parties claimed victory in the election, but Hunt lost the position when President Hayes recognized the Democratic government of the State. As compensation, the President appointed him Associate Judge of the United States Court of Claims, 15 May 1878. He served in this capacity until he became President Garfield's Secretary of the Navy. Secretary Hunt rendered invaluable service by reporting that the Navy, grossly neglected after the Civil War, was no longer able to protect Americans abroad. He appointed the first Naval Advisory Board which undertook the work of rebuilding the Navy, emasculated by public apathy and lack of funds. After Vice President Arthur succeeded Garfield in the presidency, he retired Hunt from the cabinet by appointing him Minister to Russia 7 April 1882. He died February 1884, while representing the United States at Saint Petersburg. Photo: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. | Bill Gonyo |
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142k | At anchor in New York Harbor, circa 1920. Photo from the collection of the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum.. | Darryl Baker/Robert Hurst |
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19k | On Coast Guard service during the Prohibition Era, from the Official Coast Guard Website. | Mike Green |
On British Service
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| HMS Broadway (ex-USS Hunt, DD-194) Commissioned at Halifax, NS on 8 October 1940 and arrived at Devonport for refit on 20 October 1940. The refit was completed on 19 November 1940 and she went to Scapa Flow to work up, being allocated to 11th Escort Group; however a collision at Scapa Flow on 7 December 1940 put her into repair at Hull until 7 January 1941. A further work up followed revealing yet more defects that required attention on the Clyde (two weeks), at Liverpool (4 weeks) and finally Devonport (4 weeks). A final work up at Tobermory cleared her for service on 28 April 1941, at which time she passed to 3rd Escort Group based in Iceland. As part of the escort of convoy OB318 she took part in the apparent sinking of U110, closing the surfaced submarine seriously damaging herself when an hydroplane pierced the engine room, an error that arose as a result of her own gunfire having shattered the pilothouse windows obscuring the CO's view of the target during his run in. The damage inflicted by the collision kept Broadway under repair for two months at Dundee, and she was transferred to 17th Escort Group based at Newfoundland on completion. After service based on St John's she returned to Sheerness for refit in December 1941, during which she received Type 271 radar and Hedgehog in a refit lasting to April 1942. Following this, she returned to the North Atlantic and 17th EG, interspersed with a month's refit at Boston in July 1942, and at Liverpool in September 1942, when HF/DF was fitted. Work with 17th EG continued until December 1942 when she was taken in hand at Belfast for refit. On completion, and after work up at Tobermory, Broadway became part of the Canadian C2 Group in February 1943 and escorted two convoys with them to and from North Africa (KMS11 and MKS12). These two convoys having proved the Group's efficiency, it returned to the North Atlantic and during its second passage Broadway located and sank U89 on 14 May 1943. Two further convoy escorts were completed before it became apparent that the old ship was no longer worth maintaining as an escort, accordingly she refitted at Belfast as an Air Target Ship, on completion being allocated to the East coast of Scotland. Unlike most of her sisters Broadway was still operating in the target role in May 1945, she took part in the liberation of Tromso on 16 May 1945. Paid off 9 August 1945, Broadway lay in unmaintained reserve until 12 February 1947 when she was allocated for scrapping, finally arriving at Charlestown in March 1948 to be broken up by Metal Industries Ltd. (Foreign service history thanks to Robert Hurst.) |
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60k | HMS Broadway (H 90) underway date and location unknown. Imperial War Museum Admiralty Official Collection, J. H. Smith (Lt), photographer. Photo No. © IWM (A 8291). | Robert Hurst |
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57k | HMS Broadway (H 90) taken while underway in March 1942, probably on trials after her refit at Sheerness. | Robert Hurst |
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72k | As above. | Robert Hurst |
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72k | The 'Magic Eye' on the port bow of the HMS Broadway (H 90), as the ship leaves Rosyth, Scotland on 14 November 1943. Imperial War Museum Admiralty Official Collection, E.A. Zimmerman (Lt) photographer. Photo No. © IWM (A 20356). | Mike Green |
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60k | HMS Broadway off the East coast of Scotland after becoming an Air Target Ship, April 1944 (Admiralty Official). | Robert Hurst |
To Britain October 9 1940, renamed HMS Broadway (H 90).
