John Baptiste Bernadou
| John Baptiste Bernadou | |
|---|---|
John Baptiste Bernadou
|
|
| Born |
November 14, 1858 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | October 2, 1908 (aged 49) Brooklyn, New York |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/ |
 United States Navy
|
| Years of service | 1880–1908 |
| Rank | Commander |
| Commands held | USS Winslow |
| Battles/wars | |
John Baptiste Bernadou (November 14, 1858 – October 2, 1908) was an officer in the United States Navy during the Spanish–American War. Born in Philadelphia, Bernadou graduated from the Naval Academy in 1880. He was promoted ten numbers for gallantry in action while commanding USS Winslow at the First and Second Battle of Cardenas, Cuba, from May 8 to May 11, 1898. John Baptiste Bernadou died at the Naval Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, on October 2, 1908 and is buried with his wife Florence Whiting in Arlington National Cemetery Section S. Div Site 2004 W.S
John Baptiste Bernadou—born on November 14, 1858 in Philadelphia—was appointed to the United States Naval Academy on September 12, 1876 and graduated with the class of 1880. After a short tour of shore duty at Claymont, Delaware, he served at sea in the screw sloop USS Kearsarge until 1882. Warranted midshipman on June 2 of that year, he was assigned to the Bureau of Navigation in Washington, D.C., and was commissioned ensign (junior grade) on March 3, 1883. Between 1883 and 1885, Bernadou served on special duty in Korea. He was one of 18 naval officers serving with the Smithsonian Institution. His travels to Korea were to investigate that country's economic and strategic potential. On June 26, 1884, he was promoted to ensign.
Upon returning to the United States, Bernadou was assigned to the recently revitalized Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI). There, he went to work studying world economic conditions with a particular emphasis on the world's supply of nickel ore. The importance of that commodity resulted from the navy's adoption of nickel-processed steel for its new ship construction. He also collected information on foreign seaports, assisting in the writing of a book on international ports and coaling stations. His facility with foreign languages put him in an ideal position to translate articles of value to ONI from French, German, Russian, Swedish, Spanish, and other languages.
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