Harold John Ellison
Encyclopedia
Harold John Ellison was a naval aviator and member of Torpedo Squadron 8, the whole of which was lost during the Battle of Midway
.
, New York
, and was appointed Ensign
20 October 1941 after completing flight training. Soon afterwards he reported to Torpedo Squadron 8 on board the aircraft carrier
USS Hornet (CV-8)
.
In the pivotal Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942 Ellison, piloting a Douglas
TBD-1 Devastator
torpedo bomber
, and his comrades led a torpedo
attack on Japan
ese ships, pressing home the attack without fighter
cover and knowing they had insufficient fuel
to return to Hornet. Though no hits were scored and all of the squadron
s aircraft were shot down in this first attack, its torpedo bombers and those of Torpedo Squadron 6 and Torpedo Squadron 3 diverted the Japanese ships, decoyed their combat air patrol
s away from U.S. Navy dive bomber
s which attacked the Japanese aircraft carriers very successfully soon afterward, and thus contributed importantly to the great American victory in the battle.
Ensign Ellison was classified as "presumed dead" on 5 June 1942.
USS Harold J. Ellison (DE-545)
was named in honor of Ensign Ellison, but was cancelled in 1944 while under construction. The destroyer
USS Harold J. Ellison (DD-864)
then was named for him, and was in commission
from 1945 to 1983.
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
.
Naval career
Harold Ellison was born in BuffaloBuffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and was appointed Ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
20 October 1941 after completing flight training. Soon afterwards he reported to Torpedo Squadron 8 on board the aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
USS Hornet (CV-8)
USS Hornet (CV-8)
USS Hornet CV-8, the seventh ship to carry the name Hornet, was a of the United States Navy. During World War II in the Pacific Theater, she launched the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo and participated in the Battle of Midway and the Buin-Faisi-Tonolai Raid...
.
In the pivotal Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942 Ellison, piloting a Douglas
Douglas Aircraft Company
The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas...
TBD-1 Devastator
TBD Devastator
The Douglas TBD Devastator was a torpedo bomber of the United States Navy, ordered in 1934, first flying in 1935 and entering service in 1937. At that point, it was the most advanced aircraft flying for the USN and possibly for any navy in the world...
torpedo bomber
Torpedo bomber
A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes which could also carry out conventional bombings. Torpedo bombers existed almost exclusively prior to and during World War II when they were an important element in many famous battles, notably the...
, and his comrades led a torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
attack on Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese ships, pressing home the attack without fighter
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
cover and knowing they had insufficient fuel
Fuel
Fuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Most fuels used by humans undergo combustion, a redox reaction in which a combustible substance releases energy after it ignites and reacts with the oxygen in the air...
to return to Hornet. Though no hits were scored and all of the squadron
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
s aircraft were shot down in this first attack, its torpedo bombers and those of Torpedo Squadron 6 and Torpedo Squadron 3 diverted the Japanese ships, decoyed their combat air patrol
Combat air patrol
Combat air patrol is a type of flying mission for fighter aircraft.A combat air patrol is an aircraft patrol provided over an objective area, over the force protected, over the critical area of a combat zone, or over an air defense area, for the purpose of intercepting and destroying hostile...
s away from U.S. Navy dive bomber
Dive bomber
A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target reduces the distance the bomb has to fall, which is the primary factor in determining the accuracy of the drop...
s which attacked the Japanese aircraft carriers very successfully soon afterward, and thus contributed importantly to the great American victory in the battle.
Ensign Ellison was classified as "presumed dead" on 5 June 1942.
Namesakes
The U.S. Navy destroyer escortDestroyer escort
A destroyer escort is the classification for a smaller, lightly armed warship designed to be used to escort convoys of merchant marine ships, primarily of the United States Merchant Marine in World War II. It is employed primarily for anti-submarine warfare, but also provides some protection...
USS Harold J. Ellison (DE-545)
USS Harold J. Ellison (DE-545)
USS Harold J. Ellison was a proposed World War II United States Navy John C. Butler-class destroyer escort that was never completed....
was named in honor of Ensign Ellison, but was cancelled in 1944 while under construction. The destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
USS Harold J. Ellison (DD-864)
USS Harold J. Ellison (DD-864)
USS Harold J. Ellison , a , was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Ensign Harold John Ellison, a naval aviator who died during the Battle of Midway. .Harold J...
then was named for him, and was in commission
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
from 1945 to 1983.