Theodore D. Wilson | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Theodore Delavan Wilson May 11, 1840 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | June 29, 1896 (aged 56) Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1861–1896 |
| Rank | Chief Constructor Instructor, Naval Architecture and Shipbuilding |
| Commands | Bureau of Construction and Repair United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland Portsmouth Navy Yard Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pensacola Navy Yard, Brooklyn Navy Yard |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Theodore Delavan Wilson (also Theodore Delevan Wilson) (11 May 1840 – 29 June 1896) was an American naval ship designer, constructor and instructor of naval architecture and shipbuilding. As chief constructor for the Bureau of Construction and Repair from 1882 to 1892, he was in charge of all new warship design for the United States Navy. Through his efforts, the Navy began its transition out of a post–Civil War slump to become a modern naval power. Warships he designed include the pre-dreadnought battleship USS Maine, whose destruction in Havana, Cuba, in 1898 precipitated the Spanish–American War.