MIDN WILLIAM WOART, USN
Naval Academy Register
William Woart was admitted to the Naval Academy from Maine on September 28, 1863 at age 16 years 9 months.Naval Academy Photo Album
Prior to the publication of the Lucky Bag in 1894, most portraits of officers and midshipmen of the Naval Academy were captured in yearly photo albums. The album for 1868 is available in the Nimitz (Naval Academy) Library's Digital Collections.
Special thank you to historian Kathy Franz for identifying this resource and then extracting several dozen photographs for this site.
Loss
William drowned in the “Bay of San Francisco” on June 18, 1869. His boat collided with another; his body was not recovered until July 11.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
William was assigned to the steamer Mohican when he drowned off San Francisco. He and five others were going to the Oakland Ferry Landing when the steamer El Capitan passed so close that William fearing a collision jumped into the water.
William’s father was an attorney; his mother was Lucy. His sisters were Sarah and Mary (Mrs. Stephen Lancaster.) Mary’s son, William Woart Lancaster, was an attorney and chairman of the board of the Foreign Policy Association in World War II.
His burial is in the same cemetery as his parents, Riverside in Augusta.
Career
From the Naval History and Heritage Command:
Midshipman, 29 September, 1863. Graduated June, 1868. Drowned 18 June, 1869.
William is one of 9 members of the Class of 1868 on Virtual Memorial Hall.
