ABSTRACT
Commodore. He was an important factor in the technological development of the Navy and the expansion of US trade and global influence.
He entered the Navy in 1809 as a Midshipman at the age of fifteen. During his early career, including the War of 1812, he served in a variety of ships and was wounded during a chase of HMS Belvidera in June 1812. He was Executive Officer of the ship-ofthe-line USS North Carolina, 1824-27. He briefly commanded the frigate USS Brandywine in 1833 and commanded the first steamdriven ship in the USN, USS Fulton, in 1837 after being advanced to Captain. As a strong advocate for the conversion of the USN to steam propulsion, he drafted the administrative structure for the engineers needed to operate and maintain those engines; it was the beginning of the USN’s engineering corps. Later Perry led reforms to improve recruitment and training of seamen, reducing reliance on non-US sailors, and helped establish a naval academy to train prospective officers. During later phases of the Mexican War in 1847, he commanded the US fleet’s Gulf Squadron in a number of seaborne attacks, including the capture of Vera Cruz.
