William F. Lynch
| William Francis Lynch | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
1 April 1801 Norfolk, Virginia |
| Died | 17 October 1865 (aged 64) Baltimore, Maryland |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America Virginia Confederate States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Navy Virginia Navy Confederate States Navy
|
| Years of service | 1819-1861 (USN) 1861 (Virginia Navy) 1861-1865 (CSN) |
| Rank |
.png){kind=icon} Captain (USN) Captain (CSN) |
| Battles/wars |
American Civil War Battle of Aquia Creek Battle of Roanoke Island |
Captain William Francis Lynch (1 April 1801 – 17 October 1865), was an naval officer who served first in the United States Navy and later in the Confederate States Navy.
William F. Lynch was born in Virginia. On 2 June 1828, one month after his promotion to lieutenant, Lynch was married in New Haven, Connecticut, to Virginia Shaw, the youngest daughter of a senior navy officer and sister-in-law of another. They had two children.
He was appointed a midshipman 26 January 1819, and first saw service in USS Congress and next in U.S. schooner Shark under Lieutenant Matthew C. Perry. Subsequent service included duty with Commodore David Porter’s “Mosquito Squadron” in the West Indies and in the Mediterranean.
Lynch had his first command, the Poinsett, from 3 March to 30 December 1839. The ship sailed on behalf of the United States Naval Hydrographic Office. In 1847, he proceeded to the Jordan River, transporting overland, by camels, a copper and a galvanized iron boat.[2] A total of 16 men were a part of the trip, including John Y. Mason. Each boat was "assembled" and then placed on a carriage. His expedition ended with the exploration of the River Jordan and the Dead Sea.
Using the triangulation method, Lynch's expedition was the first to determine that the Dead Sea was below sea level, something that the scientific community had inferred but not previously determined conclusively, though several other expeditions by Europeans had attempted to do so. The American expedition's measurement showed the Dead Sea to be 1312.7 ft. (400 metres) below sea level.
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