Father of Naval Aviation: Admiral William Moffett

Changing The World
Father of Naval Aviation: Admiral William Moffett

William Moffett was born in 1869 in Charleston, South Carolina. He graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1890. His son William A. Moffett, Jr. also became an admiral.

After Admiral Moffett instructed naval engineers to rebuild a bridge in Lake Bluff that he repeatedly drove over, ""Moffett Road"" was named in his honor.

After Admiral Moffett instructed naval engineers to rebuild a bridge in Lake Bluff that he repeatedly drove over, ""Moffett Road"" was named in his honor.

USS Akron lost in a crash in 1933 off the coast of New Jersey killing 73 of 76 passengers.

USS Akron lost in a crash in 1933 off the coast of New Jersey killing 73 of 76 passengers.

William Moffett (1869-1933) was commander of Great Lakes Naval Training Station during World War I and instituted flight training programs for the new technology of airplanes. His post-war command of a battleship off Guantanamo Bay, Cuba broadened his view of the potential of naval aviators as pilots experimented with operating aircraft from a wooden deck. Moffett, his wife Jeanette, and their five children lived at 524 Sheridan in Lake Forest and Moffett continued to have a Lake Forest home even after his tour at Great Lakes ended.
Moffett was promoted to Rear Admiral and became the first director of the Navy’s Bureau of Aeronautics. He not only pushed for full integration of airplanes into naval operations but successfully secured funding from Congress for the development of modern aircraft and engines. Under Moffett’s leadership, naval aviation expanded exponentially, with aircraft carriers joining the fleet in the 1920s. His work earned him the title of "Father of Naval Aviation."
Admiral Moffett embraced the use of giant rigid airships for use as long-range scouts. He was aboard the dirigible USS Akron when it plunged into the Atlantic Ccean in 1933 killing almost all aboard, including Moffett.