On December 19, 1870 a small boat arrived off the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Caught in the breakers, the vessel capsized, and its crew of five men were thrown into the ocean. Three drowned, one died of his injuries, and just one man, described as a starved, emaciated skeleton, crippled by a splinter in his leg, was found alive by an island local. That man, Coxswain William Halford, USN, told an incredible story of survival, and of an urgent mission.
There was an entire class of Navy ships- some thirty vessels- named after Army Generals. The largely forgotten General G.O. Squier class transports did yeomans' work in an unsung role, and have an interesting history that deserves to be remembered.