Elias Corneliussen, (3 August 1881 – 5 April 1951) was a Norwegian military officer and an admiral of the

Royal Norwegian Navy The Royal Norwegian Navy () is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for navy, naval operations of Norway, including those of the Norwegian Coast Guard. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 i ...

. He served as acting

Chief of Defence of Norway The Chief of Defence (''Forsvarssjefen'') is the highest-ranking officer of the Norwegian Armed Forces, second only to the King of Norway. Even though he holds the same rank as the King of Norway, according to the Norwegian Constitution the Kin ...

from January to May 1946.

Biography

Corneliussen was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway on 3 August 1881. He was the son of Andreas Martin Corneliussen (1852–1916) and Clara Thinn (1856–1936). He entered the Norwegian naval service in 1905. He served with the Naval Board of the Ministry of Defense (1909–13) and with the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy (1913–22). Corneliussen was Head of the Admiral Staff (1934–37) and Chief (1937–40). He was a higher Norwegian naval officer during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In June 1940 he arrived in the UK, where he became a

Rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

and the chief of the

in 1941.Einar Corneliussen

Store norske leksikon The ''Great Norwegian Encyclopedia'' (, abbreviated ''SNL'') is a Norwegian-language online encyclopedia. It has several subdivisions, including the Norsk biografisk leksikon. The online encyclopedia is among the most-read Norwegian publishe ...

Corneliussen was decorated Commander with Star of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1948. He was a Commander of the British

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

, and or the French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. Corneliussen died in

Tønsberg Tønsberg (), historically Tunsberg, is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tønsberg Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located about south-southwest of the capital city of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near ...

on 5 April 1951.

References

1881 births 1951 deaths Military personnel from Oslo Royal Norwegian Navy World War II admirals Chiefs of Defence (Norway) Commanders of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath {{norway-mil-bio-stub