ALFRED L. EDE, LTJG, USN
Alfred Ede '09
Lucky Bag
From the 1909 Lucky Bag:
Alfred Louis Ede
Reno, Nevada
"Stoneface"
A flaxen-haired, savvy youth who preferred the billowy ocean waves to the alkali plains of his native land. A very quiet, unpretentious fellow who wears the face of a Sphinx, which, however, cannot entirely conceal the cheery disposition that lies beneath. Never rhinoes, but always appears satisfied with his lot. Was never known to grease, yet always pulls a good mark. Surprised us all Plebe year by spouting French like a true Dago. Remains perfectly unmoved whatever the excitement, and could easily have faced the Peloponnesian in his den without batting an eyelash. Started out to make a name for himself and uphold the reputation of his State in the "ring," but found it needed more than courage to succeed with the "mits." Continually practices the "mile," but never enters a race. In spite of his association for four years with the reprobates of the Eighth Company, he still preserves his innocent ways and gentle manners. Prefers the St. James to any other hotel in Washington.
Alfred Louis Ede
Reno, Nevada
"Stoneface"
A flaxen-haired, savvy youth who preferred the billowy ocean waves to the alkali plains of his native land. A very quiet, unpretentious fellow who wears the face of a Sphinx, which, however, cannot entirely conceal the cheery disposition that lies beneath. Never rhinoes, but always appears satisfied with his lot. Was never known to grease, yet always pulls a good mark. Surprised us all Plebe year by spouting French like a true Dago. Remains perfectly unmoved whatever the excitement, and could easily have faced the Peloponnesian in his den without batting an eyelash. Started out to make a name for himself and uphold the reputation of his State in the "ring," but found it needed more than courage to succeed with the "mits." Continually practices the "mile," but never enters a race. In spite of his association for four years with the reprobates of the Eighth Company, he still preserves his innocent ways and gentle manners. Prefers the St. James to any other hotel in Washington.
Loss
Alfred was lost when USS F-4 (SS 23) during a test dive off of Honolulu. He was the commissioning commanding officer; all 21 officers and crew aboard were lost.
F-4 was the first commissioned submarine of the US Navy to be lost at sea.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Alfred earned high marks in school and played right tackle on the high school football team in 1904. He was appointed to the Naval Academy by Congressman Van Duzer.
On June 20, 1911, Alfred married Margaret “Madge” McMillan at her home in Carson, Nevada. They both graduated from Reno high school in 1904. Her father was State Treasurer. She attended the University of Nevada, graduated from Washington College, and studied at the New England Conservatory of Music. Their daughter Margaret was born May 2, 1912, and their son Alfred was born October 21, 1913.
Alfred took command of the F4 submarine on July 14, 1914. On December 15, Alfred’s F4 and the F3 submarine commanded by Lieutenant Leo Welch (‘06) went on a 48-hour continuous cruise in Hawaii. This was a semi-annual engine test, and afterward the submarines would go into dry-dock for a thorough cleaning and overhaul.
The Brainerd Daily Dispatch, Minnesota, April 10, 1915 published Alfred's letter of March 23 to his brother Allison in Los Angeles. In part, the letter read: “I just came back from Pearl Harbor, where we were for ten days having a new motor put in. Previous to that we had a hydrogen explosion in the battery, engine breakdowns, etc. So, there is something doing all the time. Take a mere trifle like today -- down fifty feet and no bottom below and water trickling in through one of the valves. That does not give us a thrill any more. In fact, if the whole boat should vanish in smoke, I don’t think I would be terribly astonished.” On March 25, the F4 was diving during maneuvers when she failed to resurface.
Alfred’s wife along with three other widows came on the army transport Sheridan in May. As they passed over the spot where the submarine was, the women strewed flowers on the sea. She told reporters that Alfred never complained to her that the boat was out of condition. (Per The Journal and Tribune, Knoxville, Tennessee, May 14, 1915.)
In 1917, Alfred’s 1/7 interest in his family’s real estate (his share being about 2,960 acres) and property, including cows, calves, bulls, and horses, was auctioned. Alfred's widow remarried Benjamin Christian, a mechanical engineer for the U. S. Army. Alfred’s daughter Margarete married William Dickey, a newspaper publisher, and she died in 1992.
Alfred’s father Walter was a stock raiser. His brother Allen Samuel Ede, a civil engineer, died in California in August 1970.
Alfred was survived by his wife; he is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Photographs
Related Articles
Timothy A Parker '10 was executive officer of F-4.
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 1912
January 1913
January 1914
Alfred is one of 10 members of the Class of 1909 on Virtual Memorial Hall.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
