William Conway (United States Navy)

William Conway (c. 1802 – November 30, 1865) was a United States Navy sailor, born in Camden, Maine. He served in the Navy for forty (40) years.^[1]

In January 1861, he was serving as the quartermaster for Pensacola Navy Yard (also known as Warrington Navy Yard).^[1] On January 12, 1861, two men claiming to be commissioners of the state of Florida, along with a "large force of armed men", ordered the surrender of the Navy yard and its munitions.^[2] In spite of having a company of Marines and two ships-of-war under his command, the fort's captain surrendered.^[a]^[2] The fort's men were taken as prisoners.^[2] Confederate sympathizer Lieutenant Frederick B. Kinshaw ordered Conway to lower the American flag. Conway replied: "I have served under that flag for forty years, and I won't do it."^[1] For his refusal, Conway was arrested and clapped in irons. Shortly afterward, he was sent north,^[1] where he remained until his death at Brooklyn, New York. For his patriotic action, Conway was presented with a gold medal by citizens of California and a letter of commendation from the Secretary of the Navy.^[4]

Conway died on May 30, 1865 in Brooklyn, New York and was buried in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.^[5]

In August 1906, the Quartermaster William Conway Monument was unveiled at Camden, a granite boulder affixed with a commemorative bronze plaque "honoring his sturdy loyalty."

Namesakes

Two destroyers have been named USS Conway in his honor:^[6]

USS Conway (DD-70), a Caldwell-class destroyer
USS Conway (DD-507), a World War II Fletcher-class destroyer

Endnotes

^ The captain was court martialed and given a "five-year suspension from command and a public reprimand."^[3]

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Wilson, James Grant; Fiske, John, eds. (1888). Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography - Volume 1. New York: D. Appleton & Company. p. 712. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c Maine Writers 1919, p. 267.
^ Maine Writers 1919, p. 268.
^ Maine Writers 1919, pp. 268–269.
^ Maine Writers 1919, p. 269.
^ "Conway II (DD-507)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS). Naval History and Heritage Command, United States Navy. Retrieved June 12, 2025.

Sources

"Conway II (DD-507)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS). Naval History and Heritage Command, United States Navy. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
The Maine Writers Research Club (1919). Maine My State. Lewiston, Maine: The Journal Print Shop. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
Miller, J. Michael (Fall 1991). "Marine's Telling of 1861 Florida Navy Yard Fall Given" (PDF). Fortitudine. XX (4). History & Museum Division, United States Marine Corps: 8–9. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
Wilson, James Grant; Fiske, John, eds. (1888). Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography - Volume 1. New York: D. Appleton & Company. p. 712. Retrieved June 12, 2025.