ADDIS D. NELSON, LT, USN

Addis Nelson '21

Date of birth: December 24, 1897

Date of death: November 9, 1927

Age: 29

Lucky Bag

From the 1921 Lucky Bag:

Addis Dewey Nelson

Brookline, Massachusetts

"Nellie" "Neb" "Monk"

LOOK him over, people. A true snake who conforms to the ancient rites and traditions of the favored brotherhood. Any Saturday night over at a hop, all you had to do was to look around the deck, and you could immediately pick out our dashing Addis from the remainder of the laboring swains. The only trouble is that he is so terribly bashful—that being one of the reasons why he didn't go out for the gym team after he had become a nonchalant Youngster.

Our Nellie wields a deadly racquet, and as for sailing, he is a veritable old man of the sea. He is perfectly at home in calm or storm, but prefers to anchor during squalls. With a skag in his face and his hand on the tiller, he is in his natural element.

Besides his many other accomplishments, he has made many a night horrible with his violin. It's wonderful what music can do for one. His friends still remain true, even after such a night's session.

When all is said and done, he is a true and staunch friend and hasn't an enemy in the Academy; and what more can be said?

"H—l, Jake! My hair's coming out again."

Gym Team (4); Tennis Team (3, 2, 1); Captain Tennis Team (1); Winner Thompson Trophy Sailing Race; Two Stripes.

The Class of 1921 was the last of the wartime-accelerated classes. "1921A" was graduated on June 3, 1920; the second half, "1921B", was graduated on June 2, 1921. Addis was graduated with 1921B.

Addis Dewey Nelson

Brookline, Massachusetts

"Nellie" "Neb" "Monk"

LOOK him over, people. A true snake who conforms to the ancient rites and traditions of the favored brotherhood. Any Saturday night over at a hop, all you had to do was to look around the deck, and you could immediately pick out our dashing Addis from the remainder of the laboring swains. The only trouble is that he is so terribly bashful—that being one of the reasons why he didn't go out for the gym team after he had become a nonchalant Youngster.

Our Nellie wields a deadly racquet, and as for sailing, he is a veritable old man of the sea. He is perfectly at home in calm or storm, but prefers to anchor during squalls. With a skag in his face and his hand on the tiller, he is in his natural element.

Besides his many other accomplishments, he has made many a night horrible with his violin. It's wonderful what music can do for one. His friends still remain true, even after such a night's session.

When all is said and done, he is a true and staunch friend and hasn't an enemy in the Academy; and what more can be said?

"H—l, Jake! My hair's coming out again."

Gym Team (4); Tennis Team (3, 2, 1); Captain Tennis Team (1); Winner Thompson Trophy Sailing Race; Two Stripes.

The Class of 1921 was the last of the wartime-accelerated classes. "1921A" was graduated on June 3, 1920; the second half, "1921B", was graduated on June 2, 1921. Addis was graduated with 1921B.

Loss

Addis was lost on November 9, 1927 when his airplane crashed into the Lafayette river “near 51st Street” in Norfolk, Virginia. (Information from death certificate.)

He earned his wings as naval aviator #3237 on September 11, 1925.

He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.

January 1922

Ensign, USS Nevada

Others at this command: ENS Richard Cross, Jr. '21.

May 1923

Ensign, USS Barry

July 1923

Ensign, USS Barry

September 1923

Ensign, USS Barry

November 1923

Ensign, USS Barry

January 1924

Ensign, USS Barry

March 1924

Ensign, USS Barry

May 1924

Ensign, USS Barry

July 1924

Ensign, USS Barry

September 1924

Ensign, USS Barry

November 1924

Ensign, USS Barry

January 1925

Ensign, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command: CAPT Arthur Page, Jr. '18, ENS John Lenhart '21, LTjg William Gray '21, ENS James Carney '21, LTjg John Jones '21, ENS Eaton Boothe '22, and ENS William Davis '22.

March 1925

Ensign, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command: CAPT Arthur Page, Jr. '18, LTjg John Lenhart '21, LTjg James Carney '21, LTjg John Jones '21, ENS Eaton Boothe '22, ENS William Davis '22, and LTjg William Ault '22.

May 1925

Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command: LTjg Frank Conant, II '20, LTjg John Lenhart '21, LTjg James Carney '21, LTjg John Jones '21, ENS Eaton Boothe '22, ENS William Davis '22, and LTjg William Ault '22.

July 1925

Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command: LTjg LaRue Lawbaugh '20, LTjg Henry Brandenburger '21, LTjg Irving Wiltsie '21, LTjg John Jones '21, ENS Richard Waggener '22, ENS George Covell '22, LTjg William Davis '22, ENS Luther Schmidt '23, ENS George Lehman '23, ENS Joseph Rooney '23, ENS William Reddington '23, ENS Herbert Wescoat '23, ENS Matthias Marple, Jr. '23, and ENS William Hobby, Jr. '23.

October 1925

Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command: LT John Gillon '20, LT LaRue Lawbaugh '20, LTjg Henry Brandenburger '21, LTjg Irving Wiltsie '21, LTjg John Jones '21, LTjg Richard Waggener '22, LTjg George Covell '22, LTjg William Davis '22, ENS Luther Schmidt '23, ENS George Lehman '23, 2LT John Harris '23, ENS Joseph Rooney '23, ENS William Reddington '23, ENS Herbert Wescoat '23, ENS Matthias Marple, Jr. '23, and ENS William Hobby, Jr. '23.

January 1926

Lieutenant (j.g.), for assignment, Aircraft Squadrons, Scouting Fleet, USS Wright

October 1926

Lieutenant (j.g.), Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 3, USS Concord

January 1927

Lieutenant (j.g.), Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 3, USS Concord

April 1927

Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5S

October 1927

Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5S

Class of 1921

Addis is one of 32 members of the Class of 1921 on Virtual Memorial Hall.