Washington L . Capps Rear Admiral Washington Lee Capps ( 31 January 1864 – 31 May 1935 ) was an officer of the United States Navy , who served during the Spanish - American War and World War I . In the first years of the 20th century , he served as Constructor of the Navy and Chief of the Bureau of Construction and Repair , with responsibility for naval shipbuilding . Early life and career . Capps was born in Portsmouth , Virginia , 31 January 1864 . He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1884 . Upon graduation , he served in the screw frigate for the two years of sea duty then customary prior to receiving his officer ' s commission . After becoming an ensign in 1886 , Capps studied naval architecture at the University of Glasgow in Scotland . After returning to the United States in 1888 , he was appointed Assistant Naval Contractor . He undertook brief duty at the Navy Department , and was then assigned to William Cramp and Sons ' s shipyard in Philadelphia . Capps moved to the New York Navy Yard in 1889 and remained there joining the Bureau of Construction and Repair in 1892 . Three years later he became the superintending constructor at the Union Iron Works in San Francisco . There , he supervised the construction of ( Battleship No . 3 ) , ( Battleship No . 9 ) , ( Torpedo Boat No . 11 ) , ( Gunboat No . 15 ) , and ( Gunboat No . 14 ) . Spanish - American War and afterward . Later attached to the staff of Commodore George Dewey , commander of the Asiatic Squadron , Capps was present during the Battle of Manila Bay . After the capture of Manila , Capps had three of the Spanish warships salvaged and repaired . Upon his return to the United States , Capps spent two years with the Board of Inspection Survey . He followed this with a tour of duty as the Head , Construction and Repair Department at the New York Navy Yard . Constructor of the Navy / Chief of the Bureau of Construction and Repair . In 1903 , Capps became Constructor of the Navy , as well as Chief of the Bureau of Construction and Repair , with the rank of Rear Admiral . He served in the position until 1910 . During his tenure as Constructor of the Navy , the Bureau tested and adopted numerous new ideas in warship design . Among his notable innovations was the decision to mount battleship s ' main batteries on the centerline , thereby increasing their broadside weight of metal to the maximum . Other pre - World War I activities . Capps also served on a number of American and international committees which had been established for such purposes — among others — as improving the organization of the Navy and adopting new safety measures at sea to prevent a recurrence of disasters such as the sinking of the in April 1912 . World War I and post - war service . During World War I , Admiral Capps was senior member of the Navy Compensation Board , which oversaw the costs of the Navy ' s expanded ship - acquisition program . He also served as General Manager of the United States Shipping Board Merchant Fleet Corporation . Forced by poor health to relinquish these duties for a time , Capps returned to his position on the Compensation Board , became the senior member of the Naval War Claims Board , and served on other boards and committees . Although placed on the retired list effective 31 January 1928 , Rear Admiral Capps continued on active duty until the day of his death at Washington , D . C . , on 31 May 1935 . He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery . Namesakes . During World War II , the Navy honored Rear Admiral Capps by naming two vessels after him : the destroyer , commissioned in 1942 ; and the Type P2 - SE2 - R1 transport , commissioned on 18 September 1944 .