page_title: Herndon Monument
section_title: Inscriptions
hierarchical_section_title: Herndon Monument / Inscriptions
context_page_description: The Herndon Monument on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Academy is a 21-foot-tall grey granite obelisk. It was erected in memory of Captain William Lewis Herndon, who courageously decided to go down with his ship, SS Central America, and the men left aboard rather than save himself on September 12, 1857. All women and children and many of the men aboard were saved by a nearby ship during the storm.
context_section_description: On the monument's base, facing the Naval Academy Chapel, is a plaque:
  Maury is Matthew Fontaine Maury, Herndon's co-worker (from 1842 to 1846), brother-in-law, and cousin.
  To the right on the obelisk from the plaque, in raised block letters, is "HERNDON.".  On the opposite side of the obelisk, also in raised letters, is "September 12, 1857.".
caption: The Herndon Monument in 1868.
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