The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-23
WILDES. Is ORDERED home.
REAR ADMIRAL CONDEMNED
BY 4 MEDICAL BOARD.
He Was Second In Command Of Adatic
Naval station-ln the spanish war He
Ignored Navy Departments Order
and Went With Dewey TO Manila.

He Was Second In Command Of AsiatiC
Naval station-ln the spanish war He
Ignored Navy Departments order
and Went With Dewey TO Manila.
WASHINGTON. Dec. 22.-Rear Admiral
Robley d. Evans. Commander N Chief Of
the Asiatic naval station. has cabled the
Navy Department that Rear Admiral
Frank Wildes. his second in command,
has been condemned" by board Of medi-
cal survey and ordered home. He will sail
on Friday. Capt. Sperry has been Or
dered by Admiral Evans to assume COM
mand Of Admiral Wildess squadron tenn
porarily. A Rear Admiral will he assigned
to the comma by the Navy Department
In few days.
Admiral Wildes became noteworthy in
the navy as the man who applied, although
In another way. the battle cry Of Lawrence:
Don't give up the ship" What Admira
Wildes said was, Il won't give up my ship"
and he said it to Admiral Dewey and the
Navy Department. Two months before
the war with Spain was begun Wildes
had been ordered detached from the cruiser
Boston. then at Hong Kong, and directed
TO return home, his tour Of sea duty having
expired. Capt. Benjamin P. Lamberton
was ordered TO the Asiatic station to re-
lieve him. Lamberton reached Hong Kong
just before war was declared. He reported
TO Dewey, who directed him to carry out
his orders TO relieve Wildes Of the command
OF the Boston. But Wildes said that war
was at hand and there was prospect Of a
battle with the Spanish squadron in the
phiIppines, and he was willing to risk the
consequences Of refusing TO obey the Navy
Department 8 order. Lamberton was natu-
rally quite as anxious to get the ship as
Wildes was to retain it.
After considerable discussion Admiral
Dewey effected a compromise by making
Wildes keep the Boston. When the battle
Of Manila Bay was fought on May /, 1895,
Wildes commanded the ship and Lamberton
stood on the bridge Of the Olympia with
Dewey. For his services in that battle
Wildes was advanced Ave numbers.
Admiral Wildes was born in Massa
chusetts. entered the Naval Academy in
September. 1890, and was graduated and
became an ensign on Nav %, 1853. He
was ordered to the Lackawanna OF the
West Gulf Squadron, was present at the
battle OF Mobile Bay, served in the naval
battery after the surrender OF Fort Morgan,
and was present during the operations in
Mobile Pay In March and April, l6,
Upon hts return to the United States from
Manila in the winter Of $685. Admiral Wildes
had two months leave and became captain
Of the New York Navy Yard He remained
in that capacity until Oct. 10. 1901, the day
following his promotion to the grade OF
Rear Admiral Then he was sent to the
Pensacola Navy Yard as Commandant.
We remained there until January. 1902,
when he was ordered to the Asiatic station.
He arrived there on March 1, 1902, and
assumed the duties Of Junior squadron
commander Of the naval force, raising his
remnant on the battleship Kentucky. At
the time OF his Condemnation by a med-
cal board he was stationed at Manila az
commander Of the Southern squadron,
with the converted merchantmen Rain
bow az His fla ship