HAILE C. T. NYE, LT, USN

From USNA Virtual Memorial Hall
Haile Nye '70

Date of birth: October 14, 1850

Date of death: July 30, 1885

Age: 34

Naval Academy Register

Haile Collins T. Nye was admitted to the Naval Academy from Ohio on July 28, 1866 at age 15 years 9 months.

Naval Academy Photo Album

1870 Nye 1.jpg

Prior to the publication of the Lucky Bag in 1894, most portraits of officers and midshipmen of the Naval Academy were captured in yearly photo albums. The album for 1869 is available in the collections of the Naval Academy's Digital Collections.

Special thank you to historian Kathy Franz for identifying this resource and then extracting several dozen photographs for this site.

1870 Nye 1.jpg

Prior to the publication of the Lucky Bag in 1894, most portraits of officers and midshipmen of the Naval Academy were captured in yearly photo albums. The album for 1869 is available in the collections of the Naval Academy's Digital Collections.

Special thank you to historian Kathy Franz for identifying this resource and then extracting several dozen photographs for this site.

Loss

Haile died of "Oryoa fever" on July 30, 1885 in Peru.

Biographies

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Haile’s father Arius was a well-known attorney and judge in Marietta, Ohio, who died July 27, 1865. His mother Caroline moved to Brooklyn, New York, after her husband’s death and received a naval pension of $25/month after Haile’s death. His brother was Theodore, and his sisters were Virginia and Minerva. Virginia’s mother was Rowena, Arius’ first wife, who died in 1842.

Beginning in 1870, Haile’s first ships were California, Narragansett, and Supply to France. From August 14 to October 16, 1872, he kept a logbook as the USS Kansas sailed from Key West to Nova Scotia. His logbook from December 2, 1872 to September 30, 1873, was written when he was on the USS Richmond commanded by Captain Thomas Pattison. This cruise went from the Delaware coast to Key West, Jamaica, Cuba, Rio de Janeiro, and the Strait of Magellan. The logbooks are currently housed in the New York Public Library.

The next four years, Haile was on Richmond, Colorado, the steamer Endeavor, Thomas R. Gedney, and on Pensacola. In 1878 he was assigned to the Asiatic Station and served on board the USS Monocacy. In July 1881, he had a three month leave in Japan. Returning to New York, he was stationed at the Navy Yard, and then in 1883 on Shenandoah in the Pacific Station. In July 1885, Haile was in Peru as an attaché of the American Legation and was to bring back the body of Captain Seth Ledyard Phelps. Unfortunately, Haile died of the same fever after being ill for six weeks.

Minister Charles Buck knew that Captain Phelps and Haile spent much time in the mountain valley where the disease was prevalent. San Bartolome was seemingly very pure, and the sky was clear. They spent many consecutive days “bathing in the mountain waters, hunting by day and sleeping in a box-car at night.” Some blamed the recently built railroad for turning up the dirt that released the disease. Minister Buck wrote that Haile “met the end with the calmness of a hero. I feel assured the service has lost in him a patriotic and gallant and a very promising officer.” Haile was buried in Peru.

From "A Genealogy of the Nye Family:"

LIEUTENANT HAILE C. T. NYE, born at Marietta, Ohio, October 14, 1850. He early evinced a desire to go to sea and as a boy was unusually enterprising and courageous. He entered the Naval Academy from his native district in 1866, graduating in 1870. His first service was on the North Atlantic Station, soon after going to Europe on the "Supply" with stores for the French.

While attached to the "Kansas" he was engaged for some time in the canal survey in Nicaragua, and also on the coast survey for nearly three years. In this period he, together with Lieutenant Hunsicker, rescued Lieutenant Franklin from drowning off the coast of Massachusetts. While in Japan he made an extended walking tour, visiting many places, never before visited by any white person, among which was an ascension of the volcano Fusiyama. Soon after his arrival on the Pacific Station he was offered the post of naval attaché by the late Mr. Phelps, and had been there nearly a year at the time of his death. He spoke, read, and wrote the Japanese and Spanish languages and also had some knowledge of French and German. In the death of Lieutenant Nye the service lost one of its most accomplished officers and one greatly beloved. He was detailed by the United States Government to bring the remains of Minister Phelps to this country, but his distinguished career was cut short by his untimely death at Lima, Peru, July 30, 1885.

Career

From the Naval History and Heritage Command:

Midshipman, 28 July, 1866. Graduated 7 June, 1870. Ensign, 13 July, 1872. Master, 1 January, 1875. Lieutenant, 12 October, 1881. Died 30 July, 1885.

Memorial Hall Error

Illness is not a criteria for inclusion in Memorial Hall.


Class of 1870

Haile is one of 5 members of the Class of 1870 on Virtual Memorial Hall.

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