Nathan Crook Twining

Nathan Crook Twining (17 January 1869 – 4 July 1924) was a rear admiral of the United States Navy.

Biography
Twining was born in Boscobel, Wisconsin on January 17, 1869. He was appointed a naval cadet in 1885 and graduated from the United States Naval Academy on 7 June 1889. During the Spanish–American War, he served in USS Iowa (BB-4) in Cuban waters and later was executive officer of USS Kearsarge (BB-5) when that ship circumnavigated the globe with the Great White Fleet. He commanded USS Tacoma (C-18) during the bombardment of Veracruz, Mexico in 1914. During World War I, he served as Chief of Staff for Admiral William Sims, Commander of Naval Forces in European waters, and was also a member of the Allied War Council. Rear Admiral Twining retired early in 1923. He died on July 4, 1924 in Nantucket, Massachusetts.

In 1911 all the world's navies were concerned about the threat of airships bombarding warship. To counter this threat, Twining developed the US Navy's first anti-aircraft cannon to counter the airship threat. The prototype was a 1 pounder and while not placed in production, was used as the concept for the upscale 3 inch anti-aircraft cannon mounted on most US warships during World War I.

Family
Twining was the uncle of United States Air Force General Nathan F. Twining, and United States Marine Corps General Merrill B. Twining. Rear Adm. Twining was married to Caroline Twining. Caroline died October 14, 1943, and is buried next to her husband.

Honors
In 1943, the destroyer USS Twining (DD-540) was named in his honor.