BEACH, Edward L(atimer) 1918-2002

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born April 20, 1918, in New York, NY; died of cancer December 1, 2002, in Washington, DC. Navy officer and author. Beach was a World War II hero who later became famous for his role as captain of the Triton, the first nuclear-powered submarine to travel around the world underwater. The son of a navy captain, Beach followed his father's footsteps and attended the U.S. Naval Academy, where he earned a B.S. in 1939. He immediately went to sea, serving as an ensign on the Trigger and making his way up to executive officer while World War II waged in the Pacific. He later served as captain of the submarines Triton, Piper, and Amberjack. During his years at sea, Beach saw heavy action during which his submarines damaged or sank forty-five Japanese vessels and he was awarded a Navy Cross. After the war, Beach continued to serve at sea until 1953, when he went to Washington, D.C., to work as a naval aide to President Eisenhower. Beach then returned to naval service, captaining the Salamonie from 1957 to 1958 and then the nuclear submarine Triton from 1958 to 1961. It was in 1960 that he made his famous trip around the world on the Triton, a journey that lasted sixty-one days and roughly followed the course Spanish explorer Magellan took centuries before. One of the main purposes of the voyage was to see how a crew would react under such extended conditions underwater. When he returned to the United States, Beach was presented with the Legion of Merit. During the remainder of the 1960s, Beach worked for the Navy Department in Washington, D.C., and as Stephen B. Luce Chair of Naval Service at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. He retired from the Navy in 1966, and from 1969 to 1977 he was staff director of the U.S. Senate Republican Policy Committee. Beach recounted his adventures at sea in several books, including Submarine! (1952), Run Silent, Run Deep (1955), which was adapted as a movie starring Clark Gable in 1958, Cold Is the Sea (1978), and his recounting of the Triton voyage in Around the World Submerged (1962). These books were often praised by critics for the author's admirable powers of description and exciting battle scenes. He also wrote naval histories, such as The United States Navy: 200 Years (1986). His last book was the memoir Salt and Steel: Reflections of a Submariner (1999).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

books

Science and Its Time: Understanding the SocialSignificance of Scientific Discovery, Volume 7: 1950-Present, Gale (Detroit, MI), 2000.

periodicals

Chicago Tribune, December 2, 2002, section 1, p. 10.

Los Angeles Times, December 2, 2002, p. B9.

New York Times, December 2, 2002, p. A23.

Times (London, England), December 4, 2002, p. 33.

Washington Post, December 2, 2002, p. B6.