Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-11
AID MI RAJ Am MEN DEAD
The Veteran Officer Expired at the Naval
Hospital.
Sketch of His Long and Honorable
Career on Sen and Shore
Duty.


naval hospital in this city this morning at
the age of seveuty-eight years. Admiral
Ammen was well known in this city, where
he had lived many years, both on official
duty and since his retirement, and he was
highly esteemed by wide circle of friends.
He served i'll the navy within six months of
half century, and all that time was an
active, energetic and competent officer.
Admiral Ammen had been at the naval
hospital for about ten months. and his
death was attributed to the gradual wear
ing out of a constitution once strong and
vigorous, but which had been severely test
ed III the line of duty. He leaves three
daughters, unmarried. and two sons, one
paymastar in the navy.
Admiral Ammen greatly interested in
the Nicaragua canal project and was one
of the earliest to point out the advantages
of the scheme and to insist that 1t should
be entirely controlled by this government.
He wrote extensively on the subject.
His Career in the Navy.
Admiral Ammen was one of the heroes of
the war. He was born in Ohio May Is,
$50, and entered the navy as a midship-
man July {, 1885, His first service was as a
Iassed nddshipman in the Wilkes exploring
expedition in the Mediterranean, in 1878,
after which he served in the East India
squadron and on the coast survey. In 1S49
V ME nOlulHB the rank OIL lieutenant, ne
was attached to a commission to select
site for naval station in the Bay of San
Francisco, Cal, after which he accom-
panied scientific expedition the Steam
er Water Witch to the Paraguay river.
He was on the steam frigate Merrimac on
the Pacific station in 1S59-G0 and was ex-
etGtive officer of the North Atlantic block
aiding squadron at the outbreak of the civil
war In lS6l- At the reduction of Port
Royal, November Z, 1861, he commanded
the Seneca of the South Atlantic blockad-
ing squadron, and was sent ashore to hoist
the Union flag over the surrendered forts
and to hold them till the army took possess
SION He commanded the forces entering by
way of Whale Branch in the attack on Fort
Royal Ferry, and was also engaged in the
operations against FernaEdina through ST.
Andrews sound and in the St. Johns river
He was promoted to the grade of COM
mander February u, 1868, and commanded
the monitor Patapsco in the attack on Fort
McAlHSter and in the attack on Fort Sum-
| ter in 1863. In May, 1864, he WAS dispatched
! to AspinWall in command of 20 seamen as
passengers on board the California passen-
| ger steamer Ocean Queen. Two days out
| from New York weii-organiZed attempt
at mutiny suppressed by Commander
Ammen, with the assistance Of Boatswain
Thomas G. Bell and Captain Tinklepaugh
of the steamer and few volunteers from
among the passengers. Subsequently Ad-
miral Ammen participated in the two at
lacks on Fort Fisher in the winter of lS6t-
g. IN the last of which attacks it was
IiCu ny assault ny tlt he was COlil-
mlssioued captain in July, 1866, and placed
| in command Of the flagship Piscataqua
the Asiatic station. He was chief of the
bureau of yards and docks from 1927,
and chief of the bureau of navigation for
six years from 1871. He reached the grade
of commodore in 1872, and was commission
ed rear admiral in 1877.
In 1878 he was retired at his own request
after forty-nin4 years and six months
active service, of which twenty-one years
and one month were spent at sea. In 1873
he was appointed chairman of a board for
the relocation of the naval observatory
in this city, and in the following year he
was sent to Paris, France, as a delegate
to the interoeeanic ship-canal congress.
Advocated the Ram.
In 1881 he was a member Of the naval
advisory board. which recommended the
construction of five marine rams of 1900
tons displacement from plans and specff-
cations prepared by the deceased admiral
Only one of these however, was ever con-
structed. This is the ram Katahdin, for
merly known as the Ammen ram, in honor
of ker designer Owing to the novel and
peculiar construction Of this vessel, which
was something entirely new in the way
| of naval architecture, there were long de-
lays in her construction. The work was
done at the Bath iron works. Bath, Ne,
and the vessel is now in commission in
command of Capt. Frank Wildes formerly
of the light house beard. She is a turtle
back vessel and carries no ordnance, eX-
cept a few machine guns, relying most
solely for offensive power on her powerful
ram. She has never been tried in action,
and her merit as q marine war engine Is
still unsettled question. 1t was of
the desires of the deceased admiral that
he might live Ions enough to see prac-
teal demonstration of the power and util-
ity of his invention. he cherished the
idea that it might revolutioniZe modern
warfare on the nigh seas. Unfortunately,
however, ne passed away before the ram
could be thoroughly tested in action.
Admiral Ammen was an author of some
note. One Of his best-known productions
is volume the Atlantic Coast in
the series entitled The Navy in the Civil
War"