Editing William Sims (section)

==Career==
Sims was born to American father Alfred William (1826–1895) and Canadian mother Adelaide (née Sowden; b. 1835)<ref>William N. Still. ''Crisis at Sea: The United States Navy in European Waters in World War I''.</ref> living in [[Port Hope, Ontario|Port Hope]], Canada West. He graduated from the [[United States Naval Academy]] in 1880, the beginnings of an era of naval reform and greater professionalization. Commodore [[Stephen B. Luce]] founded the [[Naval War College]] in Newport, Rhode Island in 1884, to be the service's professional school.  During the same era, Naval War College instructor Captain [[Alfred Thayer Mahan]] was writing influential books on naval strategy and sea power.

In March 1897, shortly after his promotion to lieutenant, Sims was assigned as the military attaché to Paris and St. Petersburg. In this position he became aware of naval technology developments in Europe as well gaining familiarity with European politics which would greatly assist him during World War I.  He was in this assignment during the [[Spanish–American War]] during which Sims was able to use his diplomatic connections to gain information on Spain and its high-ranking officials.

===Gunnery===
As a young officer, Sims sought to reform naval gunnery by improving target practice. His superiors resisted his suggestions, failing to see the necessity. He was also hindered by his low rank. In 1902, Sims wrote directly to President [[Theodore Roosevelt]]. The president, who had previously served as [[Assistant Secretary of the Navy]], was intrigued by Sims' ideas and made him the Navy's Inspector of Naval Gunnery on November 5, 1902, shortly after which Sims was promoted to [[lieutenant commander]].  He was promoted to [[Commander (United States)|commander]] in 1907.

From 1911 to 1912, Sims attended the [[Naval War College]]. Promoted to [[Captain (United States)|captain]] in 1911, he became Commander, Atlantic Destroyer Flotilla in July 1913.

On March 11, 1916, Sims became the first captain of the battleship {{USS|Nevada|BB-36|6}}. ''Nevada'' was the largest, most modern and most powerful ship in the U.S. Navy at that time.  His selection as her captain shows the esteem in which he was held in the Navy.<ref>''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'', Vol. V, p. 52.</ref>

===First World War===
Shortly before the United States entered World War I, then [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] Sims was assigned as the president of the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island in February 1917. Just before the U.S. entered the war, the [[Wilson administration]] sent him to London as the senior naval representative. After the U.S. entry in April 1917, Sims was given command over U.S. naval forces operating from Britain. He received a temporary promotion (brevet) to [[Vice Admiral (United States)|vice admiral]] in May 1917.

The major threat he faced was a highly effective German submarine campaign against freighters bringing vital food and munitions to the Allies. The combined Anglo-American naval war against U-boats in the western approaches to the British Isles in 1917–18 was a success due to the ability of Sims to work smoothly with his British counterpart, Admiral Sir [[Lewis Bayly (Royal Navy officer)|Lewis Bayly]].<ref>Michael Simpson, "Admiral William S. Sims, U.S. Navy, and Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly, Royal Navy: An Unlikely Friendship and Anglo-American Cooperation, 1917–1919", ''Naval War College Review'', Spring 1988, Vol. 41 Issue 2, pp. 66–80. {{JSTOR|44636883}}.</ref>

Sims believed the Navy Department in Washington, which was effectively headed by Assistant Secretary [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], was failing to provide him with sufficient authority, information, autonomy, manpower, and naval forces.

He ended the war as a vice admiral, in command of all U.S. naval forces operating in Europe. Shortly after the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918|Armistice ]], Sims was promoted to temporary admiral in December 1918 but reverted to his permanent rank of rear admiral in April 1919 when he was assigned as president of the Naval War College.

===Attack on Daniels===
In 1919 after the war ended in Allied victory, Sims publicly attacked the deficiencies of American naval strategy, tactics, policy, and administration. He charged the failures had cost the Allies 2,500,000 tons of supplies, thereby prolonging the war by six months. He estimated the delay had raised the cost of the war to the Allies by $15 billion, and that it led to the unnecessary loss of 500,000 lives. Secretary of the Navy [[Josephus Daniels]] was more of a politician than a naval strategist, so he ably countered the accusations. He pointed to Sims' [[anglophilism]], and said his vantage point in London was too narrow to assess accurately the overall war effort by the U.S. Navy. Daniels cited prewar naval preparations and strategy proposals made by other American leaders during the war to disprove Sims' charges.

Despite the public acrimony, Sims emerged with his reputation unharmed, although some historians believe it cost him promotion to the rank of [[Admiral of the Navy]]. He did however serve a second tour as president of the Naval War College (1919–1922).<ref>Coletta, 1991.</ref> It was during his time at the Naval War College that he wrote and published his book ''[[The Victory at Sea]]'' which describes his experiences in World War I.  In 1921 ''The Victory at Sea'' won the [[Pulitzer Prize for History]].  Sims is, possibly, the only career naval officer to win a Pulitzer Prize. (Rear Admiral [[Samuel E. Morison]] won two Pulitzer Prizes but only served nine years in the Naval Reserve.)