Arthur V. Ely

Arthur Vincent Ely
Arthur V. Ely, photographed as a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy in 1935.
Born	(1912-03-08)March 8, 1912 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Died	June 4, 1942(1942-06-04) (aged 30) Pacific Ocean, near Midway Atoll
Allegiance	United States of America
Service / branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1935–1942
Rank	Lieutenant
Unit	Torpedo Squadron 6
Battles / wars	World War II Battle of Midway
Awards	Navy Cross

Arthur V. Ely (1912–1942) was a United States Navy officer who received the Navy Cross posthumously for his actions in combat during World War II.

Naval career

Arthur Vincent Ely, born 8 March 1912 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1935. After aviation training he joined Torpedo Squadron 6 (VT-6) in 1938.

Ely piloted a Douglas TBD-1 Devastator torpedo bomber of VT-6, operating off the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), at the Battle of Midway. He was shot down and killed on 4 June 1942 during the battle.

For his vigorous assault on Japanese forces at Midway, Ely was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously.

Commemoration

The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Ely (DE-309), launched in 1944 but never completed, was named for Lieutenant Ely.

References

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• Navsource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive USS Ely (DE 309)