Biographical entry Howell, John Adams (1840 - 1918)

Born
16 March 1840
Bath, New York, United States of America
Died
1918
Occupation
Inventor and Naval officer

Summary

John Adams Howell was an inventor and a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy.

In 1885 Howell patented a self-steering torpedo, known as the Howell torpedo. He also held patents for torpedo launchers, gyroscopes and several other mechanisms and systems of war.

It was Howell's addition of a fly wheel to the existing formula of a self-steering torpedo that set his invention apart. This mechanism increased the accuracy of the device in a way not dissimilar to the gyroscope later incorporated by Robert Whitehead.

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Details

Chronology

1858
Education - Graduated from the United States Naval Academy
1861 - 1872
Career position - Lieutenant in the United States Navy
5 August 1864
Career position - Executive officer of the steam sloop Ossipee at the Battle of Mobile Bay
1865 - 1872
Career position - Lieutenant-commander in the United States Navy
c. 1872
Career position - Commanding officer of the Coast Survey steamer A. D. Bache
1872 - 1884
Career position - Commander in the United States Navy
1884 - 1898
Career position - Captain in the United States Navy
1898 - 1902
Career position - Rear-Admiral in the United States Navy

Related entries

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Published resources

Book Sections

  • Carlisle, R. P., 'Howell, John Adams', in Garraty, J. A. & Carnes, M. C. (ed.), American National Biography, vol. 11, Oxford University Press, New York, 1999, p. 349. Details
  • Mitman, Carl W., 'Howell, John Adams (1840-1918)', in Malone, Dumas (ed.), Dictionary of American Biography, vol. 5, Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1933, pp. 303-304. Details

Journal Articles

  • 'Notes: The Obituary of a Howell torpedo', Engineering, vol. 40, 11 September 1885, p. 258. Details
  • 'The Howell Torpedo', The Engineer, vol. 66, 17 August 1888, pp. 144-145. Details
  • Ellicott, J. M., 'Automatic Torpedoes Automobile Torpedoes, the Whitehead and Howell with a Detailed Description of each', Engineering, vol. 50, November-December 1890. Details
  • Gleaves, A., 'The Howell Torpedo. An elementary description', The Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute, vol. 21, No. 1, Whole No. 73, 1895, pp. 125-129. Details

Letters Patents

  • Howell, J. A., Improvement in propulsion of marine torpedoes, United states Patent Office, 21/11/1871. Details
  • Howell, J. A., Marine torpedo, United States Patent Office, 27 January 1885. Details
  • Howell, J. A., Marine torpedo, United States Patent Office, 1 September 1891. Details

Newspaper Articles

  • 'Howell Versus Whitehead', The New York Times, 23 September 1891, p. 10. Details

Sources used to compile this entry: Carlisle, R. P., 'Howell, John Adams', in Garraty, J. A. & Carnes, M. C. (ed.), American National Biography, vol. 11, Oxford University Press, New York, 1999, p. 349; Mitman, Carl W., 'Howell, John Adams (1840-1918)', in Malone, Dumas (ed.), Dictionary of American Biography, vol. 5, Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1933, pp. 303-304.

Prepared by: Rebecca Rigby