Harry H. Caldwell

Harry Handly Caldwell (February 5, 1873 – April 27, 1939) was America's first submarine captain. He became the first naval submarine commanding officer, of any nation, when he assumed command of on October 12, 1900.

Naval career

Following graduation, during his mandatory two-year midshipman deployment, he served aboard the . After promotion to Ensign, he saw service on the , and . Other sea duty assignments involved protecting missionaries during the First Sino-Japanese War.

After the war, Caldwell remained with Dewey as his aide and secretary. He was promoted to Lieutenant (junior grade) on March 3, 1899. On November 9, 1899, he was best man at Admiral Dewey's wedding to Mrs. Mildred McLean Hazen.

USS Holland

In March 1900, Admiral Dewey was invited to ride aboard the Holland when it was undergoing exhibition on the Potomac River. When the Admiral politely declined, Caldwell was offered the opportunity and accepted. Caldwell was highly impressed by the new craft and requested to serve aboard her when she became a commissioned warship. While in command, he also trained crews to man submarines under construction for the Navy by the Electric Boat Company.

Following his submarine experience, he served on the . Next he conducted inspection duty at the Philadelphia and Camden Shipyards, overseeing construction at Cramp's and Neafie & Levy's shipyards. He was promoted to lieutenant commander on 1 January 1906.

Court martial

In May 1909, he was found guilty by court martial of "conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline" due to overindulgence in alcohol. One month later, on June 15, 1909, he retired after almost 22 years in uniform. He commanded the , the guard ship of New York Harbor.

Post-naval career After the war, he resumed his position at the C. L. Chester Pictures Corporation where he met and, in 1921, married Katherine Hilliker (née Clark). Together they collaborated to write plays and movie scenarios for leading companies like Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, United Artists, and Fox. They also worked as production editors on many well-known silent and talking pictures, including Ben Hur and 7th Heaven. They were the parents of Captain Harry H. Caldwell Jr. (1922–2008), whose early career was also as a submarine officer in the U.S. Navy.

Death Caldwell died in the Brooklyn Naval Hospital on April 27, 1939 and is buried with his wife in Arlington National Cemetery.

Selected filmography

The Right of the Strongest (1924) Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) The Prairie Wife (1925) The Devil's Circus (1926) 7th Heaven (1927) Sunrise (1927) The Loves of Carmen (1927) Street Angel (1928)

Mother Machree (1928) The Awakening (1928) Four Sons (1928) The Gateway of the Moon (1928) No Other Woman (1928) Eternal Love (1929)

Lucky Star (1929) The Rescue (1929) Christina (1929) The Far Call (1929) The Exalted Flapper (1929) City Girl (1930)