Peter C. Assersen

Peter Christian Assersen (January 5, 1839 – December 6, 1906) was a civil engineer and Rear Admiral in the United States Navy.

Peter C. Assersen
Born1839
Eigersund, Rogaland, Norway
Died1906 (aged 66–67)
New London, Connecticut
Buried
Naval Academy in Annapolis
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Navy
Years of service1862–1869
1872–1901
RankRear Admiral
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Background

Assersen was born January 5, 1839, the youngest of twelve children, on the Midbrød farm in Egersund parish, today located in the municipality of Eigersund, in Rogaland county, Norway. His parents were Asser Johannessen and Malene Rasmusdatter. He left Norway at age 17 as a cabin boy on a bark sailing from the port of Stavanger. He came to the United States in 1859 at age 20.[1][2][3]

Military service

During the Civil War, he enlisted in the United States Navy as a Master's Mate on May 27, 1862, at age 23. He took part in several battles as commander of gunboats. He was made an acting ensign on November 24, 1862, and was appointed an engineer in the United States Naval Marine Corps.[4]

Assersen was honorably discharged on February 28, 1869, and returned to naval service as a civil engineer on 6 March 1874. Assersen became a lieutenant, captain and in 1889, rear admiral in the United States Navy. Assersen was the chief engineer of Brooklyn Navy Yard and the Norfolk Navy Yard, specializing in building drydocks.[5]

He retired from military service on January 5, 1901, with the rank of rear admiral, and continued on active duty. He died of angina pectoris December 6, 1906[6] and was buried at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis.[7]

Personal life

In August 1864 Assersen married Mary Ann Wilson from Brooklyn. She was born May 11, 1867, and died May 10, 1910. They had 7 children, 3 boys and 4 girls. His sons all served in the United States military:

  • Henry Raymond Asserson (1867- ) served as a special engineer during the First World War on General Pershing's staff.[8][9] He was retired with the rank Major.
  • Frederick Asser Asserson (1878 - 1931) served in the medical corps in the United States Navy and was retired with the rank Commander.
  • William Christian Asserson (1875 - 1939) served in the United States Navy. In 1901 he served in China in the Boxer Uprising. During World War I he commanded the USS Castine (PG-6), and for some months before the Armistice with Germany he served as chief of staff to the commander of the United States Patrol Squadron in the Mediterranean Sea, in the vicinity of Gibraltar. He retired with the rank of captain. He was awarded the Navy Cross for his efforts in World War I.[10]
gollark: We are absolutely nowhere near that.
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gollark: There actually are worries about development of this stuff slowing down.
gollark: <@!336962240848855040> As far as I know 3nm does not actually exist yet, and there are a bunch of possible sizes you could use.
gollark: > The 22 nm node may be the first time where the gate length is not necessarily smaller than the technology node designation. For example, a 25 nm gate length would be typical for the 22 nm node.

References
  1. Midbrød gard i Egersund Sogn (Egersund farm names in Rygh)
  2. Norwegians in the Civil War (Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum)
  3. Rogaland. Eigersund herad. Midtbrøt (Matrikkelutkastet av 1950)
  4. Federal Officers of the Civil War (Military Order of The Loyal Legion of The United States)
  5. U.S. Navy Officers: 1798-1900 (Naval Historical Center)
  6. Peter C. Asserson - Certificate of death
  7. Peter C. Asserson's grave
  8. Obituary. Asserson, Peter (Brooklyn Standard Union, 7 December 1906)
  9. Norwegians in the Civil War (Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum)
  10. The Navy Cross to Members of the US Navy World War I

Other sources
  • Ulvestad, Martin (1907) Nordmændene i Amerika deres Historie og Rekord (Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1st volume)
  • Bjork, Kenneth (1947) Saga in Steel and Concrete (Northfield, Minnesota: Norwegian-American Historical Association. Chapter 9, Pg. 335-338)
  • Rygg, Andreas Nilsen (1941) Norwegians in New York (Brooklyn NY: The Norwegian News Company, p. 50)
  • Bergmann, Leola Nelson (1950) Americans from Norway (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: J.B.Lippincott Co. p. 216)
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