LEVI C. BERTOLETTE, CDR, USN
Levi Bertolette '87
Levi Calvin Bertolette was admitted to the Naval Academy from Delaware on September 4, 1883 at age 17 years 2 months.
Photograph from the collection of the Nimitz Library at the US Naval Academy.
Loss
Levi died of yellow fever on January 24, 1912 in Guayaquil, Ecuador, while commanding officer of USS Yorktown (Gunboat No. 1).
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Levi was appointed to the Naval Academy by Congressman-elect Charles B. Lore. He was second at the preliminary examination, but the first appointee failed the physical examination.
From the Reading Times, Jan. 26, 1912:
He was the son of the late Levi C., and Louisa (nee Rhoads) Bertolette, was born in Reading, July 4, 1866, and came to Wilmington with the other members of his family when 4 years old. He graduated with honors from the Wilmington High School in 1883. … His wife and two children are now in San Francisco, Mrs. Bertolette having been Lucille Eleanor Meigs, of that city, who made a trip to Yokohoma, Japan, for their marriage in 1907. The children are Calvin Meigs Bertolette, about two years old, and Lucille, about a month old. … [His] father died about a year ago and was buried at Amityville. It was at that time that the deceased visited his Reading relatives. [His] father was at one time President of the Robelin Piano Company, Wilmington.
From Wilmington’s The Evening Journal, Jan 26, 1912:
The funeral of Commander Bertolette took place from the American Consulate at Guayanquil yesterday and the American counsul general Herman R. Dietrich, several of the other consuls, the Ecuadorean Minister of War and Marine, General Juan Navarro, Generals Plaza and Andrade and staff and representatives of the municipal authorities attended service and accompanied the body from the American Consulate to the gunboat Tarqui, which transferred it to the Yorktown. The coffin was covered with American and Ecuadorean flags and General Andrade delivered the funeral oration. …
On Sunday a memorial service will be held in St. Stephen’s English Lutheran Church. … While Commander Bertolette and his family were in this country following their return from the Philippines they spent a month with the Rev. Frederick Doerr, pastor of St. Stephen’s Church. During the visit Commander Bertolette presented two massive brass altar vases to St. Stephen’s – one in memory of his brother, Clifford Bertolette, and the other in memory of his mother.
On Easter Day of last year a gift of $1,000 was received from [him] and his brother John. [It] was given to place a memorial in the new St. Stephen’s in memory of the late Levi A. Bertolette.
His mother donated a marble baptismal font with oak and brass cover in the memory of Clifford. At her death, his father donated an oak and brass pulpit in her memory.
Career
From the Naval History and Heritage Command:
Naval Cadet, 4 September, 1883. Ensign, 1 July, 1889. Lieutenant, Junior Grade, 29 April, 1897. Lieutenant, 3 March, 1899.
He was commanding officer of USS Villalobos (Gunboat No. 42) beginning in April 1901 (as a Lieutenant).
As a LCDR he reported to the Naval Academy as a chemistry instructor in 1904; Chester Nimitz '05 has an entertaining story about meeting him in the March-April 1962 issue of Shipmate.
He was commanding officer of USS Philadelphia, then a receiving ship, from January 1910 to September 1911 (as a Commander).
He was commanding officer of USS Yorktown (Gunboat No. 1) from August 1911 until his death.
He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Memorial Hall Error
Illness is not a criteria for inclusion in Memorial Hall.
Levi is one of 2 members of the Class of 1887 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.
