We have exciting news to share as Ship’s Historian Steve LeFebvre and I have been working with the Navy’s History & Heritage Command (NHHC) located at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. to identify our namesake’s correct rank upon resigning from the Navy in 1805. We have discovered that Andrew Sterett was promoted to the rank of Master Commandant on 20 May 1804. The rank of Master Commandant was officially created in 1799, and it eventually evolved to the rank we know today as Commander in 1837. https://www.history.navy.mil/…/NH-44000/NH-44336.html Also, we discovered that Andrew Sterett’s resignation from the naval service was accepted “with regret” by the Secretary of the Navy 5 July 1805, and was effective 29 June 1805 as a Master Commandant. Effective immediately, we shall refer to Andrew Sterett as a “Master Commandant” versus a “Lieutenant.” The Our History pages have been updated to denote the correct rank (starting 20 May 1804), his resignation date, and have added eleven more significant dates provided by the NHHC for a grand total of 28 dates in Andrew Sterett’s short-lived life. Check them out here – https://www.sterett.net/our-history/ We have over 400 dates recorded in Our History webpages to educate the public and preserve for future generations. If you know of a significant date that is missing or see a date in error, please let us know. Documentation and a photo would be most appreciated to verify the event – thank you! Well Done Ship’s Historian Steve LeFebvre!!!
Master Commandant Andrew Sterett
