William Conway (United States Navy)

William Conway (c. 1802 – November 30, 1865) was a United States Navy sailor, born in Camden, Maine. He served in the Navy for forty (40) years.[1]

In January 1861, he was serving as the quartermaster for Pensacola Navy Yard (also known as Warrington Navy Yard).[1] On January 12, 1861, two men claiming to be commissioners of the state of Florida, along with a "large force of armed men", ordered the surrender of the Navy yard and its munitions.[2] In spite of having a company of Marines and two ships-of-war under his command, the fort's captain surrendered.[a][2] The fort's men were taken as prisoners.[2] Confederate sympathizer Lieutenant Frederick B. Kinshaw ordered Conway to lower the American flag. Conway replied: "I have served under that flag for forty years, and I won't do it."[1] For his refusal, Conway was arrested and clapped in irons. Shortly afterward, he was sent north,[1] where he remained until his death at Brooklyn, New York. For his patriotic action, Conway was presented with a gold medal by citizens of California and a letter of commendation from the Secretary of the Navy.[4]

Conway died on May 30, 1865 in Brooklyn, New York and was buried in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.[5]

In August 1906, the Quartermaster William Conway Monument was unveiled at Camden, a granite boulder affixed with a commemorative bronze plaque "honoring his sturdy loyalty."

Namesakes

Two destroyers have been named USS Conway in his honor:[6]

Endnotes

  1. ^ The captain was court martialed and given a "five-year suspension from command and a public reprimand."[3]

References

 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
  1. ^ a b c d Wilson, James Grant; Fiske, John, eds. (1888). Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography - Volume 1. New York: D. Appleton & Company. p. 712. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Maine Writers 1919, p. 267.
  3. ^ Maine Writers 1919, p. 268.
  4. ^ Maine Writers 1919, pp. 268–269.
  5. ^ Maine Writers 1919, p. 269.
  6. ^ "Conway II (DD-507)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS). Naval History and Heritage Command, United States Navy. Retrieved June 12, 2025.

Sources


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