Admiral of the Navy (Six-Star Admiral)

The rank of Admiral of the Navy is the highest rank in the U.S. Navy and has been held by only one man in the history of the Navy. In March 1899, Congress authorized a single officer to hold the rank of Admiral, and promoted Dewey to this rank in recognition of his victory at Manila Bay in 1898. Later, on 24 March 1903, Dewey's rank was established as Admiral of the Navy, by a Congressional Act, effective retroactively to March 1899. It was specified that this rank was senior to the four-star rank of Admiral and was equal to Admiral of the Fleet in the British Royal Navy. The rank lapsed with the death of Admiral Dewey on 16 January 1917.

Insignia worn by Dewey as Admiral of the Navy

When the five-star rank of Fleet Admiral was established during World War II, the Department of the Navy specified that the new rank would be junior to Dewey's rank of Admiral of the Navy, which became viewed as a six-star rank. However, as there has never been an Admiral of the Navy and a Fleet Admiral serving at the same time, the six-star rank status has not been totally confirmed.

During the preparations for the invasion of Japan, a proposal was raised by the Navy Department to appoint Chester Nimitz to the rank of Admiral of the Navy or grant him some equivalent rank. The proposal, however, was dropped after the Japanese surrender, and the United States Navy has never officially appointed anyone to the rank of six-star admiral. Even so, Admiral of the Navy is considered senior to the rank of Fleet Admiral and the equivalent of the Army's rank of General of the Armies.

General of the Armies (Six-Star General)

The highest ranking officers of the American army during the Revolutionary war were Brigadier Generals and Major Generals, with the exception of George Washington. Their insignia was one or two stars worn on a golden epaulette. Washington was the highest ranking officer and held the title of “General and Commander in Chief” of the Continental Army. His epaulettes had three stars.

Just one year before his death in 1799, Washington was appointed to the rank of Lieutenant General. Washington never exercised active authority in this new rank, which was bestowed upon him by President John Adams during the Franco-American War in order to frighten the French.

In an act passed on March 3, 1799, Congress stated, "that a Commander of the United States shall be appointed and commissioned by the style of General of the Armies of the United States and the present office and title of Lieutenant General shall thereafter be abolished." No one, however, was appointed to this proposed rank, and at his death, George Washington was listed as a lieutenant general on the rolls of the United States Army.

After the Revolution, the Army, at first, had no active duty general offices. When general officer ranks were recreated, the highest rank was Major General, with the senior Major General on the Army rolls referred to as the Commanding General of the United States Army.

The ranks of Lieutenant General and General were reauthorized temporarily during World War I, and John J Pershing was promoted to the rank of General in October 1917. In recognition of his performance commanding the American Expeditionary Force, Pershing was promoted to the rank of “General of the Armies” on September 3, 1919. After the war ended, the Lieutenant Generals and Generals reverted to their permanent rank of Major General. Pershing, however, retained his rank as “General of the Armies” until his death in 1948.

Because the rank of “General of the Armies” had not existed prior to Pershing’s appointment, he was given the choice of the design of the insignia he would wear. He chose to continue wearing the four stars of a General, but in gold, instead of the silver color used on the insignia of the regular general. However, no official insignia was assigned to the rank, and when the five-star rank of “General of the Army” was created during World War II, a design was proposed for an insignia which incorporated a sixth star into the five-star general insignia. This design has never been made official due to the fact that no new “General of the Armies” has been appointed.

When the five-star rank of General of the Army was established during World War II, it was decided that General Pershing, who was still living at the time, would be senior to all of the new General of the Army officers. Military regulations do not declare the “General of the Armies” to be a six-star rank, however historians have understood General Pershing’s seniority to mean that “General of the Armies” is a six-star rank.

In 1945, and again in 1955, attempts were made to promote General Douglas MacArthur to the rank of “General of the Armies”. However, due to the fact that General George C. Marshall was senior to MacArthur and because of other complications that would arise, MacArthur declined the promotion at the second attempt.

In 1976, Congress past a joint resolution, which was approved by President Ford, that posthumously appointed George Washington to the rank of “General of the Armies”. This action, which was made retroactive to July 4, 1776, was taken in order to maintain Washington’s seniority above all military officers of the United States, including Pershing.

USS Maine (ACR-1)

The USS Maine was the second battleship commissioned in the United States Navy. She was originally classified as Armored Cruiser #1 (ACR-1), however she was later classified along with the USS Texas as a second class battleship. Both, the Maine and Texas shared the unique design in which the turrets were mounted projecting off the sides of the ship. This greatly hindered their ability to fire broadside, and the ships were inferior to the later Indiana-class battleships, which were developed soon after. The ship was ordered by congress on August 3, 1886. Her keel was laid on October 17, 1888 and the hull was launched November 18, 1889. She was commissioned on September 17, 1895.

The Maine was assigned to the North Atlantic Squadron, and spent most of her career operating on the Atlantic coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. Due to the struggle between Spain and the Cuban revolutionaries, she was sent on January 24, 1898 to Havana in order to provide protection for American citizen in that city. The Maine had remained anchored in the center of the harbor for three weeks when, at 9:40 p.m. in the evening of February 15, an explosion tour apart the forward third of the ship. Out of 350 officers and men on board that night (4 officers were ashore), 252 were dead or missing. Eight more were to die in Havana hospitals during the next few days. The destruction of the Maine helped spur the U.S. closer to war with Spain and served to rally public opinion in America in favor of intervention in Cuba.

On March 28, the US Naval Court of Inquiry in Key West declared that a naval mine caused the explosion. However, it was inconclusive as to who was responsible for the destruction of the battleship. On 5 August 1910, Congress authorized the raising of Maine and a second board of inquiry inspected the wreck. This board reported that damage to the bottom of the ship was caused by an external explosion of low magnitude which ignited the forward magazine, destroying of the ship. It has never been determined who placed the explosive.

Technical experts at the time of both investigations disagreed with the findings, believing that spontaneous combustion of coal in the bunker adjacent to the reserve six-inch magazine was the most likely cause of the explosion on board the ship.

On February 2, 1912, the Maine’s hulk was finally floated and towed out to sea where, on March 16, it was sunk in deep water in the Gulf of Mexico with appropriate ceremony and military honors.

USS Texas

The USS Texas was the first battleship commissioned into the United States Navy. The construction of the ship was authorized by Congress on August 3, 1886. The USS Maine was also authorized on this same date and was actually launched two and a half years before the Texas, however the Texas was commissioned first. The keel of Texas was laid down June 1, 1889 and the hull was launched on June 28, 1892. She was commissioned on August 15, 1895.

The design of the Texas and Maine followed that of the Brazilian battleships Riachuelo and Aquidaba, in that their turrets were mounted projecting off either side. The Texas' forward turret was off to port and her aft turret to starboard; the arrangement was reversed on the Maine. This proved to be a poor design, however, due to the fact that, although the turrets could be turned to fire across the deck, it limited her ability while firing broadside.

The Texas was assigned to the North Atlantic Squadron and she spent the years before the Spanish-American War cruising the eastern seaboard. In February of 1897 and again in January and February of 1898 she visited the Gulf coast. During this time she experienced a number of unlucky incidents and gained a reputation as a jinxed ship. She was nicknamed "Old Hoodoo".

In the spring of 1898, war broke out between the United States and Spain, and on the 21st of May the Texas arrived off Cienfuegos, Cube with the Flying Squadron to blockade the Cuban coast. She spent the remainder of that month and June patrolling the area between Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo Bay. On July 3, the Spanish fleet made an attempt to escape out of the harbor of Santiago de Cuba past the American fleet. A battle ensued which resulted in the destruction of the Spanish fleet. Before the peace treaty was signed in August, the Texas had returned to New York on July 31.

After the war, Texas returned to her peacetime duty of patrolling the Atlantic coast, primarily in the northeast, however, she did make occasional visits to Havana, Puerto Rico, and San Juan. She served as the Coast Squadron's flagship until 1905. On February 15, 1911,her name was changed to San Marcos in order that name Texas could be used on the new battleship no. 35. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on October 10, 1911 and was later sunk in the Chesapeake Bay as a gunnery target.


Displacement: 6,316 tons
Length: 308.8ft
Beam: 64.1 ft
Draft: 22.5 ft mean, 24.5 ft max
Installed power: 8,610 shp
Propulsion: Vertical inverted triple expansion engines,
Speed: 17.8 knots (33 km/h)
Complement: 389 officers and men
Armament: 2 x 12 inch (305 mm) guns
6 x 6 inch (152 mm)
12 x 6 pounders (2.7 kg)
6 x 1 pounders
4 then 2 (fore and aft tubes removed 1897) x 14 inch (356 mm) torpedo tubes

Martin's Mill Covered Bridge

Built in 1849, Martin’s Mill Covered Bridge is one of only two covered bridges remaining in Franklin County. It is located on Weaver Road in Antrim Township, about 3.5 miles southwest of Greencastle and 1.8 miles off Williamsport Pike. The 205-foot span, built in the town lattice truss style to accommodate weight, is the second longest covered bridge in Pennsylvania. The bridge crosses the east branch of the Conococheague Creek, and is named for the saw and grist mill which once stood upstream on its west bank. The historic bridge, now restored to near original condition, has survived three near destructions: the first in 1958, when it was condemned by the county to be abandoned and destroyed; the second in 1972, when it was washed from its center pier and abutments by the floods from Hurricane Agnes; and the last, in the fall of 1991, when it had fallen into disrepair and nearly collapsed.
In each instance, the Martin’s Mill Covered Bridge Association, a group founded in 1961 to preserve the bridge for future generations, stepped in to prevent its loss. The latest restoration, completed in 1995, took three years. The bridge structure was stabilized, rotted flooring and siding replaced and a new wood shingle roof added. To protect the bridge after this latest and most expensive repair, gates were added at both portals to limit vehicular traffic.
In 2002, the Martin’s Mill Bridge Association leased the covered bridge and park to the Antrim Township Board of Supervisors, which had been closed for a few years due to increased costs. The Association asked the Antrim Township Supervisors to take over the maintenance and responsibility and ultimately the ownership of the bridge in order to preserve the history of our community for years to come. In December 2003 the Martin’s Mill Bridge Association disbanded and the bridge and park were turned over to Antrim

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