Theodore Gordon Ellyson, USN (27 February 1885 – 27 February 1928),

nicknamed A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

"Spuds", was the first

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

officer designated as an

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

Naval Aviator Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-bas ...

No. 1"). Ellyson served in the experimental development of aviation in the years before and after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. He also spent several years before the war as part of the Navy's new

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

service. A recipient of the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

for his antisubmarine service in

, Ellyson died in 1928 when his aircraft crashed over the

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Early life and pre-aviation naval career

Born in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, Ellyson entered the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

in 1901 and graduated with the class of 1905. During the five years following his graduation, he served on USS ''Texas'' and ; as Watch and Division Officer of USS ''Pennsylvania'' and later USS ''Colorado''; and on USS ''West Virginia'', USS ''Rainbow'', and USS ''Shark'' on the

Asiatic Station The Asiatic Squadron was a squadron of United States Navy warships stationed in East Asia during the latter half of the 19th century. It was created in 1868 when the East India Squadron was disbanded. Vessels of the squadron were primarily inv ...

. After his return to the United States in April 1910, he commanded the USS ''Tarantula'' until November of that year, and then had duty in connection with fitting out the submarine USS ''Seal'' at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company. He commanded her briefly after her commissioning on 2 December 1910.

Naval Aviator Number One

In December 1910, Ellyson was ordered by Captain Washington I. Chambers, the Navy's first director of naval aviation, to North Island, San Diego, California for instruction in aviation under

Glenn Curtiss Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early a ...

. While at an Aero Club show on 28 January 1911 near the flight school, Ellyson took off in a Curtiss "grass cutter" plane to become the first Naval aviator. With a blocked throttle, this ground plane was not supposed to fly, and Ellyson was not proficient enough to fly. He slewed off left, cracking up the plane somewhat by making a wing-first landing. However, Ellyson was not injured and from then on he was considered to have made his first flight on this date. He also cooperated with Curtiss in the design of a pontoon for aircraft, and after Curtiss' first flight on 27 January 1911, Ellyson went up with Curtiss in February to become the first passenger to go aloft in a floatplane. Later that month, he participated in experiments demonstrating the potential use of floatplanes from ships, when the aircraft was hoisted on board and subsequently lowered to the water for its return flight to North Island. LT Ellyson became first aviator in history to qualify as a pilot according to Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) standards in a flight over water. In the presence of a committee of the Aero Club of America, he was required to fly five figure eights around two flags buoyed 1500 feet apart and land within 150 feet of an established mark. This course had to be completed twice. When Ellyson qualified, he landed directly alongside his mark, a white flag buoyed by a bottle. His second landing was within ten feet of his first. The test also required the prospective aviator to climb to a minimum altitude of 150 ft (officially 50 meters). Ellyson made this twice on his test. On September 7, 1911, LT Ellyson, in the Navy model A-1 Triad, slid down 150 ft on a wire cable at

Hammondsport, New York Hammondsport is a village at the south end of Keuka Lake, in Steuben County, one of the Finger Lakes of New York, United States. The Village of Hammondsport is in the Town of Urbana and is northeast of Bath. History Lazarus Hammond founded ...

from a platform 25 ft high, and was safely launched out over

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. From the time Ellyson began instruction in aviation until 29 April 1913, he devoted all of his time to active flying and experimental work in aviation. This included the establishment of Naval Aviation Camps at

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

in September 1911 when, with then-Lieutenant John H. Towers, he flew an aircraft from Annapolis to Milford Haven, Virginia, a nonstop distance record for float planes.

World War I service

In 1917, he had duty at the Naval Academy and with the midshipmen on cruise on USS ''Wyoming'' and . On 14 February 1918, he was detached for duty at the Submarine Chaser Base,

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decade ...

, and in June arrived in London for duty with a

submarine chaser A submarine chaser or subchaser is a small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. Many of the American submarine chasers used in World War I found their way to Allied nations by way of Lend-Lease in World War I ...

squadron at U.S. Naval Base 27 at

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to ...

. Ellyson was awarded the

for distinguished service in

for his development of successful tactics for the submarine chaser squadron.

Postwar service and death

Following the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...

in 1918, he remained in the European Area, commanding Nucleus Crew 14 (zeppelin) from March to May 1919. Upon his return to the United States, he assisted in fitting out the destroyer USS ''J. Fred Talbott'' at William Cramp and Sons, and served on that vessel as commanding officer from the time of her commissioning in June 1919 until July 1920. During the next five months, he commanded the USS ''Little'' and USS'' Brooks''. On 10 January 1921, he was ordered to Hampton Roads, Virginia, to serve for eight months as executive officer of the Naval Air Station, Naval Operating Base. The

Bureau of Aeronautics The Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) was the U.S. Navy's material-support organization for naval aviation from 1921 to 1959. The bureau had "cognizance" (''i.e.'', responsibility) for the design, procurement, and support of naval aircraft and relate ...

was established in the Navy Department on 1 September 1921, and on 21 October, Commander Ellyson became head of the plans division of that bureau. He remained in that assignment until December 1922, when he became the aviation member of the U.S. Naval Mission to Brazil, cooperating in the reorganization of the

Brazilian Navy ) , colors= Blue and white , colors_label= Colors , march= " Cisne Branco" ( en, "White Swan") (same name as training ship '' Cisne Branco'' , mascot= , equipment= 1 multipurpose aircraft carrier7 submarines6 frigates2 corvettes4 amphibio ...

. He returned to the Bureau of Aeronautics in May 1925. On 20 July 1925, he assumed command of Torpedo Squadron 1 and from March to June 1926 was executive officer of USS ''Wright'', a seaplane tender. On 23 June 1926, he was ordered to duty in connection with the fitting out of USS ''Lexington'', the Navy's second aircraft carrier, and was on board when she was placed in commission. Commander Ellyson was killed on 27 February 1928, his 43rd birthday, in the crash of a

Loening OL The Loening OL, also known as the Loening Amphibian, was an American two-seat amphibious biplane designed by Grover Loening and built by Loening for the United States Army Air Corps and the United States Navy. Design and development First flow ...

-7 aircraft in the lower

while on a night flight from Norfolk, Virginia, to Annapolis, Maryland. His body washed ashore and was recovered in April 1928.''Washington Post,'' April 12, 1928, p. 3. He was buried in the Naval Academy Cemetery, in Annapolis.

Legacy

In 1941, the

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed ...

USS ''Ellyson'' was named in his honor. The vessel was launched on 25 July 1941 by the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in

Kearny, New Jersey Kearny ( ) is a town in the western part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Newark. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 40,684,Gray Eagle Award for the period 1911 to 1928, when he was the senior active Naval Aviator. In 1964, Ellyson was enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio. On 7 October 2019, the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland dedicated an airpark complete with an F-14A, EA-6B, A-4A, and F-4J as Ellyson Park. Ellyson is buried only a short distance away.

References

: : *Grossnick, Roy et al.
"PART 1. A Few Pioneers 1898-1916."
Chapter in ''United States Naval Aviation 1910-1995''. 4th edition. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1997. *Stephen K. Stein, From Torpedoes to Aviation: Washington Irving Chambers & Technological Innovation in the New Navy 1876 to 1913 (2007) *William Trimble, Hero of the Air: Glenn Curtiss and the Birth of Naval Aviation (2010)

External links

*Collections of Ellyson's papers

* ttp://www.militarymuseum.org/Ellyson.html Californians and the Military: Theodore Gordon Ellyson, Commander, U.S.N.: "Submariner" and "Naval Aviator Number One"- from the California Military Museum
USS Ellyson (DD-454)
- ''Dictionary of American Fighting Ships'' entry, from the Naval Historical Center
Ellyson biography from the First Flight Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellyson, Theodore Gordon 1885 births 1928 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War I Members of the Early Birds of Aviation United States Naval Aviators Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Military personnel from Richmond, Virginia Submariners United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy officers Burials at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery American aviation record holders