William Sowden Sims
William Sowden Sims (1858-1936) was an admiral in the United States Navy, who sought during the late 19th and early 20th centuries to modernize the Navy. During World War I he commanded all U.S. naval forces operating in Europe. He also served twice as President of the Naval War College.
Sims was born to American parents living in Ontario, Canada. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1880, the beginnings of an era of naval reform and greater professionalization. Commodore Stephen B. Luce (1827-1917) founded the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1884, to be the Service's professional school. During the same era, Naval War College instructor Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan was writing influential books on naval strategy and sea power.
As a young officer, Sims sought to reform naval gunnery by improving target practice. His superiors resisted his suggestions, failing to see the necessity. He was also hindered by his low rank. Never one to let obstacles stand in his way, Sims overcame the opposition by writing directly (in 1902) to President Theodore Roosevelt. The President, who had previously served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, was intrigued by Sims' ideas and made him the Navy's Inspector of Target Practice.
When the United States entered World War I, now-Rear Admiral Sims was serving as President of the Naval War College. Just before the U.S. entered the war, the Wilson Administration sent him to London as a naval representative. After the U.S. entry, Sims was given command over U.S. naval forces operating from Britain. He ended the war as a vice admiral, in command of all U.S. naval forces operating in Europe.
Sims served a second tour as President of the Naval War College (1919-1922), and retired in October 1922. He died in Boston, Massachusetts on September 25, 1936, with the rank of full admiral.
U.S. Navy Vessels Named for Admiral Sims
Three ships named USS Sims
The transport vessel
