Frederick Eareckson - Obituary

etired Navy Capt. Frederick Leif Eareckson, naval architect and sailboat enthusiast, died at the Ginger Cove Health Center on Nov. 29. He was 83. Capt. Eareckson was born April 14, 1924, in Baltimore. He graduated from the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in 1941 and adjusted magnetic compasses on ships leaving Baltimore during World War II. He received his officer's commission through the NROTC program, graduating from the University of Michigan in 1948 with a naval architecture degree. He served on destroyers, first in the Mediterranean and later in Korea. For his actions as main battery officer aboard USS James C. Owens, he was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat Distinguished Device. In 1956 he earned a master's degree in naval architecture from the Webb Institute. After attending submarine school and while assigned to the USS Clamagore, he participated in one of the first surveillance patrols of a Soviet naval base by a U.S. submarine. He was a ship superintendent at the Charleston Naval Shipyard, and completed tours at Supervisor of Shipbuilding and Commander Submarine Force Atlantic, Groton, Conn., and the Bureau of Ships, Washington, D.C., in support of the strategic program to design, construct and deploy nuclear ballistic missile submarines. In 1969 he reported to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard as planning officer, and headed the Ship Design Department at the Naval Ship Engineering Center, Hyattsville, before retiring from the Navy in 1975. Capt. Eareckson later worked as an engineering project manager for M. Rosenblatt and Son. He helped organize several Chesapeake Sailing Yacht Symposia, serving once as chairman. He put in countless hours as a volunteer at St. Anne's Episcopal Church, including work on Parish House restoration projects and service as a vestry member. He was active in many historical, military and technical organizations. With a love for the Chesapeake Bay that lasted throughout his life, he built his first sailboat as a teenager, and owned and raced a Hampton 18 one-design and then a Tartan 27. His Chance 30 Windemere won three high point trophies over a span of 25 years of active racing and was a fixture at virtually every local racing and cruising event. He chaired the membership committee of the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association for over 20 years and remained a member of the Annapolis Yacht Club for 63 years. A descendant of Swedish settler Johan Ericksson who arrived on Kent Island in 1652, Capt. Eareckson is survived by his wife of 57 years, the former Jean Lee Van Leeuwen; two sons, Frederick Leif Eareckson III of Millersville and Peter Dudley Eareckson of Reston, Va.; one daughter, Lee Anne Eareckson of Viola, Idaho; and three grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Dec. 19 at St. Anne's Episcopal Church, Church Circle. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Ginger Cove Foundation, 4000 River Crescent Drive, Annapolis, MD 21401 or to St. Anne's Parish, 199 Duke of Gloucester St., Annapolis, MD 21401.