Alexander Rhind

Alexander Colden Rhind (October 31, 1821 – November 8, 1897) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy, who served during the Mexican–American War and American Civil War.

Biography

Early life

Rhind was born in New York City, New York, the son of Charles Rhind, a prominent shipowner who became the U.S. minister to the Ottoman Empire in 1827. His mother, Susan Fell, was a descendant of Cadwallader Colden, the Governor of the colonial Province of New York from 1769 to 1771. and between 1839 and 1841 he served in the Mediterranean Squadron aboard the frigate and the sloop-of-war .

Rhind served on the steamer in 1848, before rejoining the U.S. Coast Survey aboard the schooner Ewing on a voyage to the coast of California in 1849–1850. He then served aboard the sloop-of-war in the East Indies in 1850–1851, before returning to the U.S. Coast Survey, where he remained until 1854,

Rhind was commissioned as a lieutenant on February 17, 1854, was court-martialed after a disagreement with his commanding officer, and left the Navy in September 1855. Eventually reinstated, Rhind served on the sloop-of-war , the flagship of the Africa Squadron, from 1859 to 1861. then towed by the sidewheel paddle steamer to a point off Fort Fisher. There Rhind and his crew set the fuses and started a fire before escaping to Wilderness. The blast from the explosion, although loud, did little damage to the fort, and two days later Rhind returned to plant a marker buoy as near to Fort Fisher as possible to allow the fleet to bombard the fort at close range.

Namesake The , launched in July 1938, was named for Rhind.