Reginald R. Belknap

Reginald R. Belknap
Belknap photographed as a captain
Born(1871-06-26)26 June 1871
Malden, Massachusetts, US
Died30 March 1959(1959-03-30) (aged 87)
West Haven, Connecticut, US
Buried
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branch United States Navy
Years of service1891–1927
Rank Rear Admiral
Commands
Battles/wars
AwardsDistinguished Service Medal
Spanish Campaign Medal
World War I Victory Medal
Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal
Order of Leopold (Officer), (Belgium)
Legion of Honor (Officer), (France)
American Red Cross
Gold Medal
RelationsRear Admiral George E. Belknap (father) (1832–1903)
Other workEpiscopal Church

Rear Admiral Reginald Rowan Belknap (26 June 1871 – 30 March 1959) was an officer in the United States Navy. He served in the Spanish–American War, Boxer Rebellion, Philippine–American War, and World War I. He gained distinction in 1909 for his relief work in Italy after the 1908 Messina earthquake and tsunami and for his work in command of the first offensive mining campaign in U.S. Navy history, the laying of the North Sea Mine Barrage in 1918. He was also a published author, an inventor, a member of many professional and social organizations, and an active member of the Episcopal Church, and he played a role in the selection of Amelia Earhart as the first female pilot to make a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean.