Francis Henry Radeleff

currently - only available low resolution image of Francis


Francis was the son of Ernst Heinrich Dietrich "H.D." and Dorathea (Georgius) Radeleff. He had nine siblings: Charles, Rosalie Wiese, George, William, Charlotte Henricksen, Robert, Dorathea Schobe, Emma, and Anna Ziegler.
For ten years the Radeleffs farmed northwest of Manning. In 1884 they moved into south Manning where they operated a nursery, gravel quarry and ice business. In the early 1900s the family moved to California.

At the time Francis H. Radeleff enlisted in the U.S. Navy the navy was undergoing a transition from sail to steam. Electrical power onboard U.S. Navy warships had started in the late 1880s, but the knowledge and skills required by navy personnel were still in its infancy and were highly sought by recruiters. It is not known how or when Francis learned or gained his experience with electrical power. But when he enlisted he enlisted as a Petty Officer 3rd Class which denotes the fact that he had at the knowledge and skills as an electrician.

Francis H. Radeleff enlisted on April 29, 1903 at the U.S. Navy Sacramento recruiting office. He was the 286th man to enlist at that recruiting officer in 1903. To be appointed as a 3rd Class Petty Officer Francis had to prove that he had the education, knowledge and experience.

Francis served honorably and received very good conduct marks. When Francis was discharged he gave his forwarding address as 1043 Lincoln St., Los Angeles California. Francis' pay as a 1st Class Petty Officer as the time of his discharge was $50.00 per month. Pay was once every two months, in cash. At the time of his discharge he was paid $316.96.

On his enlistment papers, Francis listed the husband of his sister, Rudolph Wiese, as the next of kin in case of emergency.

When Francis was discharged he declared that he would re-enlist if he could become a Gunner. The Navy approved stating that if he presented himself to the Navy recruiting office within 4 months of his discharge and was of sound body and mind, he would be re-enlisted and would then report to the Gunners school at the Washington D.C. Navy Yard to attend the Seaman Gunners class.

Francis returned to Iowa after his discharge.


Click for Francis' letter he wrote from Japan

1. April 29, 1903 - Enlisted in the Navy at the Navy recruiting office in Sacramento California.

2. May 2, 1903 - reported aboard the United States Receiving Ship Independence. Refer to Ships on Which Francis H. Radeleff Served on for specific details of the Independence.

3. June 15, 1903 - reported aboard the U.S.S. Concord. Francis served on this ship until July 2 1904. During this time the ship operated along the North American coast from Alaska to Panama and to Hawaii and Alaska.

4. July 2, 1904 - transferred from the Concord to the United States Receiving Ship Philadelphia. The Concord had been decommissioned and entered the navy yards for overhaul and repairs. During this time the crew lived aboard the Philadelphia while the worked on the Concord, along with yard personnel. It was a common practice in the Navy to decommission a ship and transfer its crew if the ship was not needed for a period of time or if the ship was to be overhauled. The Philadelphia was basically a barracks hip. Refer to Ships on Which Francis H. Radeleff Served on for specific details of the Philadelphia.

5. November 21, 1905 - transferred back to the U.S.S. Concord. The U.S.S. Concord then sailed from Bremerton for operations in the Philippines.
Francis was promoted to Petty Officer 2nd Class on December 20, 1905.
In March 1906 the Concord then sailed to China where she cruised the Yangtze River, paid visits to Shanghai and Canton and generally operated along the coast of China.

6. September 1, 1906 - transferred to the U.S.S. Wisconsin. - The Concord was to remain on the China station until 1908. Francis's enlistment expired in April 1907. Francis was transferred to the Battleship Wisconsin which was returning to the States in the autumn. The Wisconsin had been operating in the Far East with the U.S. Asiatic Fleet since 1903. The Wisconsin provided the ride back to the states for Francis. The Wisconsin departed Yokohama on 20 September 1906, paid calls at Honolulu and arrived at San Francisco 18 October 1906. She reached Puget Sound Navy yard on October 28 and was decommissioned on 16 November 1906.

7. November 12, 1906 - transferred from the U.S.S. Wisconsin to the United States Receiving Ship Philadelphia. There Francis remained until his discharge on April 28, 1907, most likely working on the Wisconsin which was going through overhaul in the yards.

Ships Francis served on:
Independence - June 15 to June 30, 1903
USS Concord - June 30 to September 30, 1904
USRS Philadelphia - September 30 to December 31, 1905
USS Concord - December 31 to September 30, 1906
USS Wisconsin - September 30 to December 31, 1906
USRS Philadelphia - December 31 to April 28, 1907