Edward Latimer Beach Sr. (June 30, 1867December 20, 1943) was a United States Navy officer and author. He served in three of the United States' wars, ranging from the Spanish–American War up through World War I. He was the father of the future Captain Edward L. Beach Jr. who commanded the nuclear-powered submarine USS Triton during her 1960 submerged circumnavigation and wrote the 1955 best-selling novel Run Silent, Run Deep.
Biography
Edward Latimer Beach Sr. was born in Toledo, Ohio on June 30, 1867, the son of Joseph Lane Beach and Laura Colton (Osborn) Beach. His father was a lieutenant in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War.
Beach was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy from the State of Minnesota in 1884, and graduated in June 1888 as a Passed Midshipman.
Naval career
Passed Midshipman Beach reported for duty on board the wooden steam sloop of war Richmond. After completing sea duty and further training, he was commissioned an Ensign in the United States Navy on July 1, 1890, and then assigned to engineering duties aboard the cruiser Philadelphia (C-4). His subsequent seagoing assignments included the armored cruiser New York (ACR-2) and the training ship Essex, plus engineering-related shore duty.
Spanish–American War and Philippine–American War
Beach participated in the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War, where he served on board the cruiser Baltimore (C-3)
He subsequently participated in the ensuing war with the Philippines. During that time he was in command of a squad of men that intercepted a Filipino boat carrying the wife of Filipino leader Emilio Aguinaldo. Upon realizing whom the captive was, Beach released Mrs. Aguinaldo in a gesture of Victorian gentlemanly manners. Several months later, Beach was in command of another squad of Blue Jackets searching ashore for the enemy when he was separated from his men and captured by Filipinos. When Emilio Aguinaldo learned the name of the captured naval officer he ordered Beach released, but not before the two met. They remained lifelong friends, corresponding on a regular basis.
Promotions
In 1899, as the Navy combined its line and engineer officer ranking systems, Beach became a lieutenant. He was subsequently promoted to lieutenant commander in 1905, commander in 1910, and captain in 1914.
Commander Beach served on the monitor Nevada (BM-8), the armored cruiser Montana (ACR-13), the training ship Essex as well as at the Boston Navy Yard as its engineering officer.
United States Naval Academy
In tours between duties at sea, Commander Beach taught English at the Naval Academy in the early 1900s (decade), spending his spare time writing novels for young adults.
United States Naval Institute
Commander Beach was the secretary-treasurer of the Naval Institute and published the first Bluejacket's Manual. He also produced the first general index of Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute, said index covering that journal's entries from 1874 to 1901.
Vera Cruz Occupation
In 1913, now a Commander, Beach's first command was the collier Vestal (AS-4) which assigned to support American forces ashore during the United States occupation of Veracruz, Mexico in 1914.
Haiti
By 1915, Captain Beach was in command of the armored cruiser USS Washington (ACR-11), participating in peacekeeping missions in Haiti. While his ship was in Haiti, it served as flagship for Rear Admiral William H. Caperton, USN, who utilized Beach as his go-between in negotiating a treaty with Haiti on behalf of the United States in 1915.
USS Tennessee
When Washington was due for a Navy Yard refit, Beach command was shifted to the armored cruiser Tennessee (ACR-10). While commanding Tennessee, Beach took United States Secretary of the Treasury William Gibbs McAdoo and a party of dignitaries on a tour of several South American nations. Upon returning to the United States, Tennessee''' was renamed the Memphis so that the states name could be given to a new battleship, , then under construction.
The wreck of the MemphisMemphis was at anchor off a rocky beach in of water in the harbor of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic on the afternoon of 29 August 1916 with two of her 16 boilers operating in case she needed to get underway; the gunboat also was anchored in the harbor. Shortly after 12:00, Memphis began to roll heavily and Captain Beach observed an unexpected heavy swell developing. Memphis and Castine both made preparations to leave the harbor and began to raise steam; Memphis expected to be able to get underway at about 16:35.