CASPAR GOODRICH, LT, USN
Caspar Goodrich '01
Lucky Bag
From the 1901 Lucky Bag:
Goodrich, Caspar
Pomfret, Connecticut
"Touge," "Caspar."
A man quite carried away by the contemplation of his own blasé disposition, unusually unfortunate in his dealings with the discipline department. A great exponent of the 3d conduct grade. Has discovered many things since coming here; principally, that the world is wicked. Talks much and vehemently. Great golf fiend and devourer of shredded wheat biscuits.
Buzzard, Smoker and Touge man (4, 3, 2, 1) ; Anti-Purity Brigade (1).
Goodrich, Caspar
Pomfret, Connecticut
"Touge," "Caspar."
A man quite carried away by the contemplation of his own blasé disposition, unusually unfortunate in his dealings with the discipline department. A great exponent of the 3d conduct grade. Has discovered many things since coming here; principally, that the world is wicked. Talks much and vehemently. Great golf fiend and devourer of shredded wheat biscuits.
Buzzard, Smoker and Touge man (4, 3, 2, 1) ; Anti-Purity Brigade (1).
Loss
Caspar was lost on July 15, 1907 when the after 8" gun turret aboard USS Georgia (Battleship No. 15) exploded during target practice near Cape Cod. Nine others were also killed.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Caspar graduated from Groton school in Massachusetts.
In late May 1898, the following Naval Academy cadets from the Class of 1901 were assigned to his father's ship, the St. Louis: Caspar, Earle Cook, John C. Fremont, and Roger Williams. Also, Hilary Herbert, son of ex-secretary of the Navy Herbert, went aboard.
When the St. Louis docked, wages were not paid the workers nor were they allowed shore leave, so, they went on strike. They also charged they were treated harshly in the stoke holes by their superiors, that the food was insufficient and unwholesome, and they were not permitted to buy soap. The strikers included firemen, coal passers and trimmers.
Caspar served for three months in the Spanish American War. In 1904 he was his father's aide.
From Wikipedia:
Caspar Goodrich, son of Rear Admiral Caspar F. Goodrich, was born in Italy. Goodrich was appointed a midshipman from Connecticut on 7 September 1897. He was designated a Naval Cadet 10 June 1901 and reported to Lancaster for duty. From 1903 to 1905 Goodrich served in Maine, Cleveland, and Chicago. Assigned to Georgia on the Atlantic Station in June 1906, Goodrich was killed 15 July 1907. He was the command officer of the after superimposed 8" gun turret when a flare back caused 104 lbs. of powder to explode behind the starboard gun. Ten men were killed, including Goodrich. Eleven men were injured.
From Together We Served:
- 1901-1903, USS Lancaster (1858) (Screw Sloop)
- 1903-1903, USS Maine (BB-10)
- 1903-1904, USS Cleveland (C-19)
- 1904-1906, USS Chicago (CA-14)
- 1904-1906, CINCPACFLT
Caspar is buried in New Jersey.
The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.
The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.
The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.
January 1902
January 1903
January 1904
January 1905
July 1906
July 1907
Namesake
USS Goodrich (DD 831) was named for Caspar and his father; the ship was sponsored by his mother.
Related Articles
Faulkner Goldthwaite '07 and James Cruse '07 were also lost in this explosion.
Memorial
A plaque in Memorial Hall in honor of Caspar and the nine other officers and men lost was erected by "their shipmates on the Georgia and sympathizing friends on the U.S.S. New Jersey."
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
