Captain Fred Natella was born February 14, 1904, in Salerno, Italy. He came to the United States in 1913 and became a naturalized citizen on March 9, 1923. He attended Armour Institute of Technology (now Illinois Institute of Technology) where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering on June 7, 1928. Following his graduation, he was appointed as Deck Officer and on July 15, 1930, was commissioned as Ensign.

Captain Natella's 35-year career included ship assignments aboard the MIKAWE, HYDROGRAPHER, OCEANOGRAPHER, GILBERT as Executive Officer, SURVEYOR, PATHFINDER, and PIONEER as Navigating Officer and Commanding Officer, and the BOWIE as Commanding Officer. His other assignments included various triangulation field parties working in Louisiana, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Trinidad, Newfoundland, and Bermuda. He performed geodetic work at both Washington Headquarters and the New York Field Office and worked on photogrammetric field parties. At the time of his retirement on March 1, 1964, he was assigned as District Officer in Portland, Oregon. During World War II, Captain Natella was cited by both the Army and Navy for having served in areas of immediate military hazard for the periods March 1, 1942 to February 23, 1943, and February 15, 1945 to September 1, 1945. For this he was awarded the Coast and Geodetic Survey Meritorious Service Ribbon, the Atlantic War Zone Ribbon and the Pacific War Zone Ribbon.

Captain Natella is survived by his wife of 51 years, the former Ruth A. Anis, and two children, a daughter, Carolyn N. Ferguson, and a son, Captain Allen F. Natella, USAF.

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NOAA CORPS BULLETIN, 11/1/1984