Edward Wilson Very

Edward Wilson Very (October 26, 1847 – March 1, 1910) was a United States Navy officer who adopted and popularized a single-shot breech-loading snub-nosed flare gun that fired flares that bear his name (Very lights). During his naval career he captained a gunboat off the shores of Japan, held positions in engineering, naval ordnance, artillery and signal staff postings and saw diplomatic service with the U.S. Legation in Paris.

Military career Following graduation, Very served his first midshipman tour briefly on the . He then saw service with the Asiatic Squadron aboard the from September 1867 to July 1868, and then on the . In January 1869, he received his commission as an ensign and was ordered to the in May. In August, he was ordered to the , where he received his Masters commission in December. In February 1870, he received orders to the .

In February 1874, he was ordered to ordnance duty at the Washington Navy Yard. He served four months with the Panama Interoceanic Canal Survey from December 1874 until returning to the Ordnance Bureau in mid-April 1875. In June, he received orders to the Navy's Torpedo Station, where he eventually commanded the experimental battery there. From January 9 to February 14, 1878, he served on the , when he was ordered to special ordnance duty in Europe.

After serving on the Naval Advisory Board from 1881 to 1883, Very was assigned to special duties abroad.

Personal life Very married Margaret Freeman Zeilin, the daughter of Jacob Zeilin, the seventh Commandant of the Marine Corps. He died of pneumonia in 1910 in New York City.

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