Herbert O. Dunn

Herbert Omar Dunn (May 19, 1857 – March 6, 1939) was a Rear Admiral of the United States Navy.

By 1917, in the middle of the Great War, and now a vice-admiral, he was appointed the first commander of U.S. naval forces stationed at the U.S. Naval Base at Ponta Delgada, Azores. Dunn distinguished himself with the help he provided to the civil population when the great 1918 flu pandemic killed 2,000 people on the island.

In 1919 Dunn was in put in charge of an inquiry of homosexual activities among naval personnel at Newport, Rhode Island Navy bases.

Inventions

As an inventor, in 1889 he designed and patented the Dunn Anchor. This new anchor had many distinct advantages over old style maritime stock anchors used at that time. It had great holding power due to its moveable shanks and could be applied in applications of 200 to 20,000 pounds. Accepted by the American Bureau of Shipping, the Dunn Anchor thus became the standard for ships worldwide to date. He also held the patents for several other marine appliances.

Later years Dunn retired in 1921 with the rank of Rear Admiral, and died in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 6, 1939.