The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans: Volume IV G Greene, Samuel Stillman page 404 GREENE, Samuel Dana, naval officer, was born in Cumberland, Md., Feb. 11, 1839; son of George Sears and Martha (Dana) Greene. He was graduated at the U.S. naval academy in 1859 and was a midshipman on the Hartford in the China squadron, 1859-61. When the Monitor was designed by John Ericsson, Lieutenant Greene volunteered for service on that vessel and was second in command in the battle of Hampton Roads, and continued on board up to the time it floundered at sea off Hatteras, Dec. 29, 1862. He took charge of the guns in the turret during the fight with the Merrimac and personally fired every shot up to the time of the disabling of Lieutenant Worden when he took command arid directed the movements of the [p.404] vessel until the Merrimac escaped up the Elizabeth river, where he could not follow, having no pilot on board. He afterward engaged in the attack on Fort Darling and the other naval operations on the James river and accompanied the expedition to Charleston, S.C., in 1862 in which the Monitor was lost. He was executive officer on the Florida and took part in the blockade of the Southern ports in 1863, and was executive officer on the Iroquois in the search for the Alabama, 1864-65. He was assistant professor of mathematics at Annapolis, 1865-68, of astronomy, 1871-75, and assistant to the superintendent, 1878-82. He was promoted lieutenant-commander, 1866, and commander in 1872. He was commander of the Juniata, 1875, of the Monongahela, 1876-77, of the Despatch, 1882-84, and of the Portsmouth navy yard, 1884. He died at Portsmouth, N.H., Dec. 11, 1884.