The Fascinating Story of a Navy Intern Who Took Part in a War
Ernest King was on his internship when he was called to fight the Spanish.
Ernest Joseph King was invested in developing a fruitful career in the Navy, and for that, he invested everything into it since his youth.
Once in a Lifetime
Ernest was born to James Clydesdale and Elizabeth Keam. He graduated from High School as valedictorian, which is proof of the fact that he was always invested in his education and career. He joined the United States Naval Academy soon after graduating in 1897.
America had a tenuous relationship with Spain at that time. The spark of war was lit when the Spaniards attacked and destroyed the U.S. Navy battleship, USS Maine, which was stationed at Havana harbor. When an all-out war with Spain broke out, the US Navy needed all hands on deck. Thus, they called seniors from the Naval Academy to active duty.
This meant that from that year onward until the war lasted, all seniors immediately went to the Navy instead of completing their last year of education. Since Ernest was a freshman at the time, he was supposed to go home for summer vacations while the seniors joined the Navy. While other students were glad that school was over and that they could finally…
