Capt. Harry A. Jackson, a naval engineer who specialized in innovative submarine design, died on April 10 at Lawrence Memorial Hospital in New London, Conn. A longtime resident of Mystic, Conn., he was 88.
Jackson was born on Dec. 7, 1916, in Saginaw, Mich. His career with the U.S. Navy began in 1935 and included assignments at the Boston Navy Yard, the Bureau of Ships and in Guam during World War II. He was instrumental in the designs of the Permit Class submarine and the experimental submarine U.S.S. Albacore.
The Naval Institute published an oral history of Jackson's life in 2002.
Jackson came to MIT in 1969 and spent 35 years as a consultant and a visiting professor here. From 1973 until 2001, Jackson was a Lecturer-in Charge of an MIT Professional Summer Course in the Naval Construction and Engineering curriculum called Submarine Concept Design.
Jackson received a degree in naval architecture and marine engineering from the University of Michigan in 1941. He was awarded the Legion of Merit, the American Society of Naval Engineers' Harold E. Saunders Award for lifetime contributions to naval engineering, and the Society of Naval Architects & Marine Engineers' David Taylor Medal.
He is survived by Becky, his wife of 61 years, a son, a daughter, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
A memorial service was held in Mystic on April 13. Private burial will take place at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on July 6. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to either St. Mark's Church, 15 Pearl St., Mystic, CT 06355, or Mystic Seaport, P.O. Box 6000, Mystic, CT 06355-0990.
