Felix Riesenberg

Felix Riesenberg (9 April 1879 – 19 November 1939) was an American maritime officer and writer of maritime professional, historical, and fictional literature in the early 20th century.

Biography

Riesenberg was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He later attended the New York Nautical School, graduating in the class of 1897. Afterward, he secured a position as a deck officer in the United States Merchant Marine, serving in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. He also served in the United States Naval Reserve until 1909. Riesenberg was hired by Walter Wellman to be a part of the support crew in an unsuccessful attempt to reach the North Pole by airship in the summer of 1906. as well as several maritime historical works and novels. He wrote several articles that appeared in the magazine The Nation. Riesenberg published his memoir Living Again in 1937.

Riesenberg died on 19 November 1939 in Scarsdale, New York. After a funeral service held in Bronxville. New York, his ashes were scattered at sea.

Riesenberg had four children, Felix Jr., William, Margaret (Peggy), and John (Jack). His son Felix Jr. (1913–1962) was also an author of numerous maritime books. Felix Jr.'s married a woman named Priscilla.

The New York Nautical School is today called the State University of New York Maritime College and is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Present-day cadets are still taught the "Riesenberg Saying": "The sea is selective; slow at recognition of effort and aptitude, but fast in sinking the unfit."

Selected bibliography Under Sail: A Boy's Voyage Around Cape Horn – 1918 Standard Seamanship for the Merchant Service – 1922 Bob Graham at Sea – 1925 Vignettes of the Sea – 1926 East Side, West Side – 1927, turned into a film of the same name also released in 1927 Red Horses – 1928 Shipmates: Sketches of the Sea – 1928 Endless River – 1931 The Maiden Voyage – 1931 Passing Strangers – 1931 Skyline – 1931, a film screenplay also based upon the 1927 novel East Side, West Side Mother Sea – 1933 Log of the Sea – 1933 The Left-handed Passenger – 1935 Living Again : an Autobiography – 1937 Cape Horn : the story of the Cape Horn region, including the straits of Magellan, from the days – 1939 The Pacific Ocean – 1940 (published posthumously)

Honors The , named in Riesenberg's honor, was a type EC2-S-C1 Liberty ship built at Brunswick, Georgia, and delivered to the U.S. Merchant Marine on 26 December 1944 . Following World War II she was sold to a private company in 1947 and finally scrapped in 1972.

Riesenberg Hall, on the campus of the State University of New York Maritime College, was dedicated on 6 May 1965 to honor Riesenberg. Riesenberg Hall, which houses the school's athletic department, contains a gymnasium and a natatorium. It hosts the college's basketball, volleyball, swimming, and diving events.