by Douglas Reed Niermeyer, PCinC
Rear Admiral Reginald Rowan Belknap was born June 26, 1871, in Malden, Massachusetts, the son of Rear Admiral George Eugene Belknap and the former Frances Georgiana Prescott. George was an Original Companion of the New York and Massachusetts Commanderies, assigned Insignia #3313, and Reginald, following in his famous father’s footsteps, also becoming a Rear Admiral.
Young Reginald became a cadet on September 5, 1887 and was graduated from the United States Naval Academy on June 5, 1891. He was awarded his Bachelor of Science by a retroactive Special Act of Congress in 1937. He served on the U.S.S. Chicago, Squadron of Evolution, and was commissioned an Ensign on July 1, 1893. He served aboard the U.S.S. Baltimore with the Asiatic Station, with her Marines on the U.S.S. Monocacy in Tientsin, and on the U.S.S. Yorktown. He then had assignments at the Naval War College, aboard the U.S.S. Newport, and as Flag Secretary at the Naval Base at Key West. From May-August 1898 he fought in the Spanish-American War aboard the U.S.S. Badger and was part of the Samoan High Commission.
He was then promoted to Lieutenant, Junior Grade on March 3, 1899, to full Lieutenant July 2, 1899, and then he took part in both the Chinese Boxer Campaign and the Philippine Insurrection aboard the U.S.S. Ranger. He was then detailed as Flag Secretary to the Commander-in-Chief of the Asiatic Station in Brooklyn. After he completed that assignment, he went to the Bureau of the Navigation of the Navy Department (1902-1904), as well as serving aboard the battleship U.S.S. Maine. His next career moves included promotion to Lieutenant Commander on July 8, 1905, serving as the Navigator of the battleship U.S.S. Kearsarge and was made her Executive Officer in 1906. He then was detailed overseas to serve as the Naval Attaché in Berlin from 1907-1910 and in both Rome and Vienna in 1908 and 1909 respectively. Lieutenant Commander Belknap was then assigned as Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Navigation (1912-1913), Observer in Germany (August-October 1914), served with Plans Section, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (1917), and was the senior officer at the Santiago de Cuba Insurrection later than same year.
He was promoted to Commander, U.S. Mine Squadron, North Sea in 1918. While in that role, he invented and patented a collapsible anti-submarine net, and he trained and commanded the U.S. Mine Squadron, laying 56,500 mines in the North Sea from June-October 1918. He was Director of Strategy at the U.S. Naval War College from 1921-1923, and at various times the Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. San Francisco, the U.S.S. Delaware, the U.S.S. Colorado, and the Commander of the Naval Training Station at Hampton Roads, Virginia. Admiral Henry Thomas Mayo stated in 1925, “The Navy and our country owe to Captain Belknap a debt which can hardly be over-estimated; for it was the knowledge and experience acquired and the doctrine and methods established in the Mine Force under command of Commander Belknap that enabled the Navy to, first, fit out improvised but very efficient minelaying vessels and, second, to operate them under war conditions in a manner which brought commendation from all.”
During Belknap’s career, he was also a Naval Aide to President Theodore Roosevelt, put in charge of the American organizations building dwellings for the 16,000 homeless from the Messina earthquake, and served as Special Ambassador at the funeral of Edward VII in 1910. Admiral Belknap was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal for his services in World War I. He was promoted to Rear Admiral by Special Act of Congress and retired as such on March 3, 1927.
In addition to being a member of the Loyal Legion, he was a member of other military societies including the Commandeur of the Ordre de Léopold (Belgium); Commandeur of the Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur (France); Executive Chairman of the Massachusetts Bay Tercentenary; Commander of the New York Chapter, Military Order World War (1931-1935), Vice-Commander-in-Chief (1933-1936), and Commander-in-Chief (1936-1937); Commander of the General Naval Order, U.S. (1932-1937); President of the Naval Academy Graduate Association of New York (1934); member of the National Aerospace Association; and Founders and Patriots of America.
As a devout Episcopalian, he was warden of Trinity Church; on the Board of Managers of the Seaman’s Church Institute, New York City; Treasurer of the General Theological Seminary (1929-1950); Manager, Episcopalian General Convention (1934); President, American Church Union (1937); delegate, General Convention of the Episcopal Church (1937-1949); Chairman of the Army Day Committee, NYC (1934-1946); Chairman of the Executive Committee and Treasurer of Bundles for America; Chairman of the Executive Committee of Layman’s National Committee (1945-1950); Trustee of the Cathedral Church of St. John-the-Divine (1941-1953); and Trustee of Leake and Watts Children’s Home. He was also a member of the Yacht Military-Naval Union, Century Church (New York), Army and Navy Club (Washington), and was Vice President of the Aerospace Club of New England.
He was married on March 3, 1900 to Julia Pomeroy Averill (1875-1971). They had seven children, Averill Belknap Mack (1903-1994); Frances Georgiana Belknap Edgar (1904-1996); Emilia Field Belknap Cresswell Sabalot (1906-1982); Roxanna Belknap (1912-1922); Mary Rowan Belknap Howard (1917–2003), who visited the U.S.S. Belknap (DLG/CG-26), Flagship of the Sixth Fleet, while in port in 1994 at Gaeta, Italy; Barberie Ann Belknap (1922–1977); and Marshall S. Edgar Belknap (1931-1931).
Admiral Belknap was elected an Hereditary Companion of the New York Commandery on November 17, 1937 (Insignia #19131), and ten years later was elevated by his fellow Companions to the office of Commander-in-Chief. He served admirably two terms of office from 1947 to 1951 and was succeeded by Donald Hollis Whittemore. He died on March 30, 1959, in Field Elders, Connecticut and is buried aside his wife in Arlington National Cemetery, with his father interred nearby. The rear of his stone is etched in memory of the Admiral’s grandson, Robert Belknap Mack, Lieutenant Commander, USN, who was lost at sea September 24, 1957. He was the son of the Admiral’s daughter Averill and Rear Admiral Andrew Robert Mack. Had LCDR Mack lived, he may very well have become a fourth generation Rear Admiral himself.