Charles Adams Blakely
Charles Adams Blakely (October 1, 1879 – September 12, 1950) was a United States Navy vice admiral who served in the Spanish–American War, World War I, and the interwar period. He was born in Williamsburg, Kentucky, and after attending Williamsburg Academy joined the 2nd Kentucky Volunteer Infantry for the Spanish–American War. He entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1899 and graduated in 1903, beginning a long naval career on various ships and in different commands.
During World War I he commanded the destroyer O’Brien near the British Isles. In the years that followed, he held several staff and command roles, including commanding the battleship Texas in 1925 and later leading the Destroyer Squadron of the Asiatic Fleet. He also worked at the Bureau of Navigation and, after training as a naval aviator, commanded the aircraft carrier Lexington from 1932 to 1934. He studied at the Naval War College and continued flight training, becoming a naval aviator in 1936.
Blakely rose to high command in the late 1930s, flying his flag on Yorktown as Commander Carrier Division 2 and later serving as Commander Aircraft, Scouting Force. His final active duty assignments were as Commandant of the 11th Naval District and commanding officer of the Naval Operating Base in San Diego. He retired in 1942 due to ill health and died in San Diego in 1950.
The destroyer Blakely (DE-1072/FF-1072) was named in his honor. A note about his claimed relationship to Captain Johnston Blakeley is not supported by historical records.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:09 (CET).