William L. Hudson
Captain William Levereth Hudson (May 11, 1794 – October 15, 1862) was a United States Navy officer who served for almost 50 years. He was born in Brooklyn, New York.
Hudson began his sea service in 1815 in the Mediterranean on the ships Alert and Ontario, and he was promoted to midshipman in 1816. He served on the Dolphin on the Pacific coast of South America from 1821 to 1823, and on the Warren in the Mediterranean from 1826 to 1829. In 1830–1831 he took part in a tour to Russia and then worked at the New York Navy Yard.
In June 1838 he was ordered to command the Peacock, which was part of Commander Charles Wilkes’s United States Exploring Expedition. The voyage went to the Antarctic, the South Seas, and along the North American coast. The Peacock was wrecked on July 18, 1841 while Wilkes was trying to enter the Columbia River. Hudson did everything he could to save the ship and his men, and he saved the crew and the scientific papers.
After further duty ashore, he took command of the Vincennes in September 1849, cruising in the Pacific until 1852. In 1857 he was promoted to captain and took command of the Niagara. In August of that year, together with British ships, he led the first attempt to lay a transatlantic cable. The first attempt failed, but a second attempt succeeded on August 10, 1858.
From 1858 to 1862 Hudson commanded the Boston Navy Yard and later served as Inspector of the 3rd Lighthouse District. He died on October 15, 1862, in Brooklyn, at the age of 68.
Three ships have been named USS Hudson in his honor.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 03:25 (CET).