Frank Brooks Upham

Admiral, U.S. Navy

Frank Brooks Upham was born on 7 September 1872 in Fort Apache, AZ. Upham was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy on 6 September 1889 and graduated on 2 June 1893. Following the completion of the two required years of postgraduate sea duty, which he served with the Pacific Squadron in protected cruiser USS Philadelphia, Upham was commissioned an Ensign on 1 July 1895. He then joined USS Olympia (Cruiser No. 6) on 18 July before she sailed for the Far East to become the flagship of the Asiatic Squadron. At the time of the Spanish-American War, Upham was on the staff of the Commander in Chief, Asiatic Squadron, Commodore George Dewey; and the young officer received his baptism of fire during the Battle of Manila Bay.

During the years before World War I, Upham's sea duty embraced tours in USS Oregon (Battleship No. 3), USS New Jersey (Battleship No. 16), and USS South Dakota (Armored Cruiser No. 9) ; he also commanded USS Olympia and the yacht USS Scorpion. He served tours of duty ashore at Newport, RI, at the Naval War College and in Washington at the Bureau of Ordnance. His overseas shore duty began in the summer of 1911 when he took up the duties of Assistant Naval Attache at Tokyo and Peking, shortly before the outbreak of the Chinese Revolution in October of that year.

During World War I, Upham commanded USS Columbia (Cruiser No. 12) and USS Pueblo (Armored Cruiser No. 7) and earned the Navy Cross for leading the latter during the "difficult, exacting, and hazardous" convoy escort missions across the Atlantic.

In the years following the armistice, Captain Upham was Chief of Staff to the Commander, Battleship Force, Atlantic Fleet-Rear Admiral Hilary P. Jones-before serving successive tours of shore duty: in Paris as Naval Attache and in Washington assigned to the Office of Naval Intelligence. He commanded USS Tennessee (BB-43) from September 1924 to March 1926 and subsequently filled the billet of Commandant of the Naval Air Station at Pensacola, FL. He capitalized on this assignment to earn his Naval Aviation Observer's Wings. Reaching the flag rank of Rear Admiral in June 1927, Upham successively commanded Battleship Division 3 and Submarine Divisions, Control Force, and served as Chief of the Bureau of Navigation.

Given the temporary rank of four-star Admiral on 18 August 1933, Upham returned to the Far East as Commander-in-Chief, Asiatic Fleet, and broke his flag in cruiser USS Augusta (CA-31) commanded by then-Captain (later Fleet Admiral) Chester W. Nimitz. Relieved by Admiral Orin G. Murfin in October 1935, Upham reverted to his permanent rank of Rear Admiral and returned to the U.S. to serve as Chairman of the General Board from 20 December 1935 to 30 September 1936.

Upham was placed on the retired list on 1 October 1936.

Honors

During World War II, the U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Upham (DE-283) was named for Admiral Upham. She was converted during construction into the high-speed transport USS Upham (APD-99) and was in commission as such from 1945 to 1946.

Personal

Upham married the aunt of Navy four-star Admiral Robert B. Carney.

Death and Burial

Rear Admiral Upham died on 15 September 1939 in San Francisco, CA. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA, in Section East, Site 1189.