Rear Admiral William Nelson Little (December 31, 1852 – January 4, 1925)[1] was a United States naval officer who was court martialed in 1915 on charges of negligence during his inspection of the submarine USS K-2. This was one of the few times that a retired military person was court martialed.[2] He was not convicted, but Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels censured him for leaving the Navy no legal recourse against the Electric Boat Company for having supplied defective submarine batteries.[3]
Little was born in Newburgh, New York, on December 31, 1852. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1875 and was promoted to rear admiral in 1913.[4]
After his death, Little was interred at Arlington National Cemetery[1] with his wife Catherine Platt "Kate" (Sewell) Little.
- ^ a b "Little, William N". ANCExplorer. U.S. Army. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "Admiral Little Faces Navy Court. Documents Produced to Show Defects in the Submarine K-2, Built Under His Inspection. Lieut. Moses Tells of Faulty Batteries and Many Reports That He Made to the Admiral". The New York Times. November 2, 1915. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
- ^ "Rear-Adm. William N. Little". Information Quarterly. January 1916. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "Little, William Nelson". Builders of Our Nation. American Publishers' Association. 1915. p. 465. Retrieved June 6, 2021.