George W. Melville | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Melville in 1904 | |
| Chief of the Bureau of Steam Engineering | |
| In office August 9, 1887 – August 8, 1903 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Harding Loring |
| Succeeded by | Charles Whiteside Rae |
| Personal details | |
| Born | George Wallace Melville January 10, 1841 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | March 17, 1912 (aged 71) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Resting place | Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Education | Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute |
| Notable works | In the Lena Delta (1884) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch |  United States Navy |
| Service years | 1861–1903 |
| Rank | Rear admiral |
| Wars | American Civil War |
| Expeditions | Jeannette expedition |
| Awards | Gold Jeannette Medal (1890) |
George Wallace Melville (January 10, 1841 – March 17, 1912) was a United States Navy officer, engineer and Arctic explorer.
He joined the U.S. Navy in 1861 and served as an engineer during the American Civil War. He was a member of three Arctic expeditions; the Polaris expedition in 1873, the ill-fated Jeannette expedition in 1879 and the Lady Franklin Bay expedition in 1884. During the Jeannette expedition, in search of the Open Polar Sea, Jeannette became icebound and was eventually crushed. Melville was one of the 13 survivors from the thirty-three men that began the expedition. The United States Congress awarded Melville the Congressional Gold Jeannette Medal for his gallantry and resourcefulness. He published a book in 1884 titled In the Lena Delta, about his experiences on the Jeanette expedition.
He was promoted to engineer in chief of the Navy in 1881, where he reformed the service and increased the professional status of Navy engineers. He established an engineering experimental station near the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis to test machinery and equipment before its installation in Navy ships as well as to aid in training engineering officers.
He served as chief of the Bureau of Steam Engineering from 1887 to 1903 and was promoted to rear admiral in 1889. He oversaw the design of 120 ships and introduced innovations including the water-tube boiler, the triple-screw propulsion system, vertical engines, the floating repair ship, and the distilling ship.