List of United States Navy vice admirals on active duty before 1960

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

This is a complete list of United States Navy vice admirals on active duty before 1960. The grade of vice admiral (or three-star admiral) is ordinarily the second-highest in the peacetime Navy, ranking above rear admiral and below admiral.

The grade of vice admiral was originally created to honor particularly successful Union Navy flag officers of the American Civil War. Between World War I and World War II, dozens of officers cycled through three designated vice admiral billets in the United States Fleet, holding the rank temporarily before reverting to their permanent grade of rear admiral upon relinquishing command. Dozens of temporary vice admirals were appointed during World War II alone, and by January 1, 1960, the Navy register listed 28 line officers as vice admirals on the active list in the peacetime Navy.

Many rear admirals received honorary tombstone promotions to vice admiral when they retired, having been specially commended for performance of duty in actual combat before the end of World War II, but only a handful were ever recalled to active duty in that grade. Tombstone promotions were abolished effective November 1, 1959.

Taxonomy[edit]

  • A permanent vice admiral was an officer who was confirmed by the Senate to hold the permanent grade of vice admiral, which the officer retained regardless of assignment. Appointments to this permanent grade on the active list were only authorized between 1866 and 1873, and all subsequent appointments were on the retired list.[1]
  • A designated vice admiral was an officer who was designated by the President to hold the temporary rank of vice admiral while serving in a billet carrying that ex officio rank, and who reverted to a lower permanent grade upon vacating that billet. From 1915 to 1947, such designations were at the sole discretion of the President, and did not require Senate confirmation, unlike the temporary vice admirals of World War II and later. The category was eliminated by the Officer Personnel Act of 1947, which required all vice admiral appointments to be confirmed by the Senate.[2]
  • A temporary vice admiral was an officer who was confirmed by the Senate to hold the temporary grade of vice admiral under some condition, such as while serving in a particular job or for the duration of the World War II national emergency, reverting to a lower permanent grade when the condition was over.[3]
  • A civil engineer/medical director/naval constructor with rank of vice admiral was an officer in the Civil Engineer Corps/Medical Corps/Construction Corps with the title of civil engineer/medical director/naval constructor and the rank of vice admiral, prior to 1947. Each staff corps originally had its own hierarchy of titles to describe relative seniority within the corps. Staff corps titles were abolished by the Officer Personnel Act of 1947, and all officers thereafter had the same title as their rank.[4]
  • A tombstone vice admiral was a rear admiral who retired with the rank but not the pay of the next higher grade as a reward for being specially commended for the performance of duty in actual combat before the end of World War II. Most such officers never served as vice admirals while on active duty. Tombstone promotions were abolished in 1959.[5]

List of U.S. Navy vice admirals on active duty before 1960[edit]

Further information: List of United States Navy tombstone vice admirals

This is a complete list of officers who held the rank of vice admiral while on active duty in the United States Navy before January 1, 1960, including officers who received a tombstone promotion to vice admiral if they were recalled to active duty in that rank.

Entries are indexed by the numerical order in which each officer became a vice admiral on the active list, or by an asterisk (*) if the officer served in that rank only after transferring to the retired list. Each entry lists the officer's name, date appointed,[6] date the officer vacated the active-duty rank,[7] number of years of service as vice admiral (Yrs),[8] positions held as vice admiral,[9] and other biographical notes.[10]

Italics denote active duty as vice admiral while on the retired list.

The list is sortable by active-duty appointment order, last name, date appointed, date vacated, and number of years on active duty as vice admiral.

Name Photo Date appointed[6] Date vacated[7] Yrs[8] Position[9] Notes[10]
1 David G. Farragut 21 Dec 1864   24 Jul 1866   2   (1801–1870) Promoted to admiral, 25 Jul 1866. Brother-by-adoption of Navy admiral David D. Porter Jr.
2 David D. Porter 25 Jul 1866   14 Aug 1870   4   (1813–1891) Promoted to admiral, 15 Aug 1870. Brother-by-adoption of Navy admiral David G. Farragut.
3 Stephen C. Rowan 15 Aug 1870   26 Feb 1889   19   (1808–1890)
4 Henry T. Mayo 10 Jun 1915   18 Jun 1916   1   (1857–1937)[11] Promoted to admiral, 19 Jun 1916. Governor, U.S. Naval Home, 1924–1928.
5 DeWitt Coffman 19 Jun 1916   31 Aug 1918   2   (1876–1932)[12]
6 William S. Sims 22 May 1917   3 Dec 1918   2   (1858–1936)[11] Promoted to admiral, 4 Dec 1918. President, Naval War College, 1917; 1919–1922. Awarded Pulitzer Prize for History, 1921.
7 Albert W. Grant 20 Aug 1917   31 Mar 1919   2   (1856–1930)[12]
8 Henry B. Wilson Jr. 25 Sep 1918   30 Jun 1919   1   (1861–1954)[11] Promoted to admiral, 30 Jun 1919. Superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy, 1921–1925. Father-in-law of U.S. Secretary of War Patrick J. Hurley.
9 Albert Gleaves 4 Dec 1918   31 Aug 1919   1   (1858–1937)[11] Promoted to admiral, 1 Sep 1919. Governor, U.S. Naval Home, 1928–1931.
10 William L. Rodgers 28 Jun 1919   30 Jan 1920   1   (1860–1944)[12] Son of Navy rear admiral John Rodgers; grandson of Navy commodore John Rodgers.
11 Clarence S. Williams 1 Jul 1919   5 Jul 1921   2   (1863–1951)[13] Promoted to admiral, 14 Oct 1925. President, Naval War College, 1922–1925.
12 Hilary P. Jones 14 Jul 1919   29 Jun 1921   2   (1865–1939)[11] Promoted to admiral, 30 Jun 1921.
13 Harry S. Knapp 3 Feb 1920   27 Jun 1920   0   (1856–1928)[14]
14 Harry M. P. Huse 27 Jun 1920   15 Jan 1921   1   (1858–1942)[12] Awarded Medal of Honor, 1914.
15 Albert P. Niblack 15 Jan 1921   19 Jun 1922   1   (1859–1929)[14] Director of Naval Intelligence, 1919–1920; Director, International Hydrographic Bureau, 1927–1929.
16 John D. McDonald 1 Jul 1921   20 Jun 1923   2   (1862–1952)[12]
17 William R. Shoemaker 8 Jul 1921   20 Jun 1923   2   (1863–1938)[14]
18 Edwin A. Anderson 19 Jun 1922   22 Jul 1922   0   (1860–1933)[14] Promoted to admiral, 28 Aug 1922. Awarded Medal of Honor, 1914.
19 Andrew T. Long 7 Aug 1922   21 Jun 1923   1   (1866–1946)[15] Director, International Hydrographic Bureau, 1930–1937.[16]
20 Henry A. Wiley 20 Jun 1923   5 Oct 1925   2   (1867–1943)[17] Promoted to admiral, 8 Sep 1927. Chairman/Commissioner, U.S. Maritime Commission, 1936–1940.
21 Newton A. McCully 20 Jun 1923   22 Dec 1924   2   (1867–1951)[18]
22 Philip Andrews 21 Jun 1923   10 Oct 1925   2   (1866–1935)[14]
23 Josiah S. McKean 22 Dec 1924   4 Sep 1926   2   (1864–1951)[18]
24 Richard H. Jackson 5 Oct 1925   3 Sep 1926   1   (1866–1971)[17] Promoted to admiral, 4 Sep 1926. Distant cousin of Air Force four-star general Charles P. Cabell.
25 Roger Welles 10 Oct 1925   29 Oct 1926   1   (1862–1932)[14] Director of Naval Intelligence, 1917–1919.
26 Ashley H. Robertson 4 Sep 1926   12 Jul 1928   2   (1867–1930)[14]
27 Louis R. de Steiguer 4 Sep 1926   9 Sep 1927   1   (1867–1947)[17] Promoted to admiral, 10 Sep 1927.
28 Guy H. Burrage 29 Oct 1926   15 Sep 1928   2   (1867–1954)[18]
29 William V. Pratt 24 Sep 1927   25 Jun 1928   1   (1869–1957)[19] Promoted to admiral, 26 Jun 1928. President, Naval War College, 1925–1927.
30 Louis M. Nulton 26 Jun 1928   20 May 1929   1   (1869–1954)[17] Promoted to admiral, 21 May 1929. Superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy, 1925–1928.
31 Montgomery M. Taylor 12 Jul 1928   21 Jun 1929   1   (1869–1952)[17] Promoted to admiral, 1 Sep 1931. Grandnephew of U.S. President Zachary Taylor; distant cousin of Army four-star general Montgomery C. Meigs.
32 John H. Dayton 15 Sep 1928   5 Sep 1929   1   (1869–1953)[20]
33 Lucius A. Bostwick 21 May 1929   24 May 1930   1   (1869–1940)[14]
34 William C. Cole 21 Jun 1929   14 Jun 1930   1   (1868–1935)[14]
35 Richard H. Leigh 24 May 1930   14 Sep 1931   1   (1870–1946)[17] Promoted to admiral, 15 Sep 1931.
36 Arthur L. Willard 14 Jun 1930   24 Jun 1932   2   (1870–1935)[14]
37 George R. Marvell 21 Nov 1930   16 Dec 1931   1   (1869–1941)[14]
38 Luke McNamee 15 Sep 1931   10 Aug 1932   1   (1871–1952)[17] Promoted to admiral, 11 Aug 1932. Governor of Guam, 1907; Director of Naval Intelligence, 1921–1923; President, Naval War College, 1933–1934.
39 William H. Standley 16 Dec 1931   19 May 1933   1   (1872–1963)[19] Promoted to admiral, 20 May 1933. U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union, 1942–1943.
40 Frank H. Clark 24 Jun 1932   20 May 1933   1   (1871–1947)[15]
41 Joel R. P. Pringle 12 Aug 1932   25 Sep 1932   0   (1873–1932) Died in office.
42 David F. Sellers 27 Sep 1932   9 Jun 1933   1   (1874–1949)[17] Promoted to admiral, 10 Jun 1933. Superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy, 1934–1938.
43 Frank H. Brumby 20 May 1933   14 Jun 1934   1   (1874–1950)[17] Promoted to admiral, 15 Jun 1934.
44 Harris Laning 26 May 1933   31 Mar 1935   2   (1873–1941)[14] Promoted to admiral, 1 Apr 1935. President, Naval War College, 1930–1933; Governor, U.S. Naval Home, 1937–1941.
45 Joseph M. Reeves 10 Jun 1933  
23 Feb 1942   		30 Jun 1933  
15 Jun 1942   		0   (1872–1948)[21]
Naval aviation observer. Promoted to admiral, 1 Jul 1933.
46 Walton R. Sexton 1 Jul 1933   15 Jun 1934   1   (1876–1943)[15]
47 Edward H. Campbell 15 Jun 1934   1 Apr 1935   1   (1872–1946)[15]
48 Thomas T. Craven 15 Jun 1934  
16 Jun 1942   		13 Jul 1935  
10 Nov 1945   		4   (1873–1950)[18]
49 Henry V. Butler 1 Apr 1935  
24 Jul 1942   		9 Jun 1936  
31 Oct 1944   		3   (1874–1957)[18]
Naval aviation observer.
50 Arthur J. Hepburn 1 Apr 1935   23 Jun 1936   1   (1877–1964)[17] Promoted to admiral, 24 Jun 1936.
51 William D. Leahy 13 Jul 1935   29 Mar 1936   1   (1875–1959) Promoted to admiral, 30 Mar 1936; to fleet admiral, 15 Dec 1944. Governor of Puerto Rico, 1939–1940; U.S. Ambassador to France, 1941–1942. Wife's niece married Navy admiral David W. Bagley.
52 Clarence S. Kempff 30 Mar 1936   2 Jan 1937   1   (1874–1959)[20]
53 Frederick J. Horne 9 Jun 1936  
21 Mar 1942   		29 Jan 1938  
28 Jan 1945   		5   (1880–1959)[22]
Naval aviation observer. Promoted to admiral, 15 Dec 1944.
54 William T. Tarrant 24 Jun 1936  
1 Aug 1942   		13 Jul 1938  
12 Nov 1945   		5   (1878–1972)[23]
55 Edward C. Kalbfus 2 Jan 1937   28 Jan 1938   1   (1877–1954)[17] Promoted to admiral, 29 Jan 1938. President, Naval War College, 1934–1936; 1939–1942.
56 John W. Greenslade 29 Jan 1938  
30 May 1942  
1 Feb 1944   		20 May 1939  
1 Feb 1944  
24 Apr 1946   		5   (1880–1950)[24]
57 Ernest J. King 29 Jan 1938   24 Jun 1939   1   (1878–1956)[25]
Naval aviator. Promoted to admiral, 1 Feb 1941; to fleet admiral, 17 Dec 1944. Awarded Congressional Gold Medal, 1946. Father-in-law of Air Force four-star general Frederic H. Smith Jr.
58 Adolphus Andrews 13 Jul 1938  
30 May 1942  
1 Nov 1943   		1 Feb 1941  
1 Nov 1943  
15 May 1945   		6   (1879–1948)[26]
59 Charles P. Snyder 17 Jun 1939   5 Jan 1940   1   (1879–1964) Promoted to admiral, 6 Jan 1940. President, Naval War College, 1937–1939.
60 Charles A. Blakely 24 Jun 1939   13 Jun 1940   1   (1879–1950)[27]
Naval aviation observer.
61 William S. Pye 6 Jan 1940  
1 Jul 1944   		20 Sep 1942  
13 Dec 1945   		4   (1880–1959)[27]
62 William F. Halsey Jr. 13 Jun 1940   17 Nov 1942   2   (1882–1959)
Naval aviator. Promoted to admiral, 18 Nov 1942; to fleet admiral, 4 Dec 1945.
63 Wilson Brown Jr. 1 Feb 1941  
1 Dec 1944   		1 Jul 1942  
18 Sep 1945   		2   (1881–1957)[27]
64 Robert L. Ghormley 19 Sep 1941   1 Aug 1946   5   (1883–1958)[28]
* Arthur P. Fairfield 1 Nov 1941   14 Dec 1946   5   (1877–1946)[29] Died in office.
65 Royal E. Ingersoll 1 Jan 1942   30 Jun 1942   0   (1883–1976) Promoted to admiral, 1 Jul 1942.
* Alfred W. Johnson 3 Jan 1942   14 Nov 1945   4   (1876–1963)[29]
66 Samuel M. Robinson 31 Jan 1942   26 Aug 1945   4   (1882–1972) Engineering duty officer. Promoted to admiral, 27 Aug 1945. Administrator, Webb Institute of Naval Architecture, 1946–1951.
67 William A. Glassford Jr. 31 Jan 1942  
29 May 1943   		2 Apr 1942  
1 Mar 1947   		4   (1886–1958)[30]
68 Herbert F. Leary 6 Feb 1942  
20 Sep 1942  
1 Nov 1943   		11 Sep 1942  
1 Apr 1943  
16 Jan 1946   		3   (1885–1957)[30] President, New York Maritime Academy, 1946–1949; President, New York State Maritime College, 1949–1951.
* Harry E. Yarnell 23 Feb 1942   15 Jun 1942   0   (1875–1959)[31]
69 William L. Calhoun 27 Feb 1942   1 Dec 1946   5   (1884–1963)[32] Great-grandson of U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun.
70 Ferdinand L. Reichmuth 27 Feb 1942   22 Aug 1942   0   (1881–1978)[33]
71 Jonas H. Ingram 27 Feb 1942   14 Nov 1944   3   (1886–1952) Promoted to admiral, 15 Nov 1944. Commissioner, All-America Football Conference, 1947–1949. Awarded Medal of Honor, 1914.
72 Arthur L. Bristol Jr. 27 Feb 1942   20 Apr 1942   0   (1886–1942)
Naval aviator. Died in office.
73 Russell Willson 21 Mar 1942  
1 Jan 1943   		1 Jan 1943  
5 Feb 1946   		4   (1883–1948)
74 Roland M. Brainard 20 Apr 1942  
1 Nov 1943   		2 May 1943  
22 Aug 1946   		4   (1886–1967)[27]
75 John H. Hoover 11 Jun 1942  
1 May 1944   		12 Aug 1943  
1 Jul 1948   		5   (1887–1970)[34]
Naval aviator. Retired as admiral, 1 Jul 1948.
76 Frank J. Fletcher 26 Jun 1942   1 May 1947   5   (1885–1973) Retired as admiral, 1 May 1947. Awarded Medal of Honor, 1914. Nephew of Navy four-star admiral Frank F. Fletcher.
77 Charles S. Freeman 27 Jun 1942   1 Dec 1942   0   (1878–1969)
78 Richard S. Edwards Jr. 20 Aug 1942   2 Apr 1945   3   (1885–1956) Promoted to admiral, 3 Apr 1945.
79 Alexander Sharp Jr. 22 Aug 1942   11 Oct 1944   2   (1885–1975)[27]
80 Arthur S. Carpender 22 Sep 1942  
3 Apr 1945   		30 Nov 1943  
1 Nov 1946   		3   (1884–1959)[34] Retired as admiral, 1 Nov 1946.
81 John H. Towers 12 Oct 1942   6 Nov 1945   3   (1885–1955)
Naval aviator. Promoted to admiral, 7 Nov 1945.
82 Henry K. Hewitt 26 Nov 1942   2 Apr 1945   2   (1887–1972) Promoted to admiral, 3 Apr 1945.
83 Aubrey W. Fitch 28 Dec 1942   1 Jul 1947   5   (1883–1948)
Naval aviator. Retired as admiral, 1 Jul 1947.
* Joseph K. Taussig 28 Jan 1943  
16 Jul 1943   		30 Jan 1943  
27 Apr 1947   		4  
  • Senior Member, Naval Clemency and Prison Inspection Board, 1943–1946.
  • Special duty, Office of the Secretary of the Navy, 1946–1947.
 (1877–1947)[29]
84 Raymond A. Spruance 29 May 1943   15 Feb 1944   1   (1886–1969) Promoted to admiral, 16 Feb 1944. President, Naval War College, 1946–1948; U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines, 1952–1955.
85 Thomas C. Kinkaid 16 Jun 1943   2 Apr 1945   2   (1888–1972) Promoted to admiral, 3 Apr 1945. Brother-in-law of Navy four-star admiral Husband E. Kimmel.
86 Arthur B. Cook 22 Jul 1943   15 May 1944   1   (1881–1952)
Naval aviator. Retired 1 Dec 1944.
87 John S. McCain Sr. 6 Aug 1943   6 Sep 1945   2   (1884–1945)[35]
Naval aviator. Promoted to admiral, 6 Sep 1945. Father of Navy four-star admiral John S. McCain Jr.; grandfather of U.S. Senator John S. McCain III. Died in office.
88 Patrick N. L. Bellinger 5 Oct 1943   1 Oct 1947   4   (1885–1962)
Naval aviator.
89 Charles A. Lockwood Jr. 5 Oct 1943   1 Sep 1947   4   (1890–1967)
90 John H. Newton 19 Oct 1943   26 Nov 1945   2   (1881–1948)
91 David W. Bagley 1 Feb 1944   1 Apr 1947   3   (1883–1960)[36] Retired as admiral, 1 Apr 1947. Father of Navy four-star admiral David H. Bagley and Navy four-star admiral Worth H. Bagley; grandson of North Carolina Governor Jonathan Worth; aunt married U.S. Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels; wife's aunt married Navy admiral William D. Leahy.
92 Randall Jacobs 1 Feb 1944  
1 Nov 1946   		15 Sep 1945  
1 Nov 1952   		8   (1885–1967)[27]
93 Ross T. McIntire 1 Feb 1944   3 Mar 1947   3   (1889–1959) Medical Corps.
94 Ben Moreell 1 Feb 1944   10 Jun 1946   2   (1892–1978) Civil Engineer Corps. Promoted to admiral, 11 Jun 1946.
95 Richmond K. Turner 7 Mar 1944   23 May 1945   1   (1885–1961)
Naval aviator. Promoted to admiral, 24 May 1945.
96 Willis A. Lee Jr. 21 Mar 1944   25 Aug 1945   1   (1888–1945) Died in office.
97 Marc A. Mitscher 21 Mar 1944   28 Feb 1946   2   (1887–1947)
Naval aviator. Promoted to admiral, 1 Mar 1946.
98 Robert C. Giffen 15 May 1944   3 Dec 1945   2   (1886–1962)[37]
* Emory S. Land 1 Jul 1944   15 Jan 1946   2   (1879–1971)[38] Construction Corps.
99 Theodore S. Wilkinson 12 Aug 1944   21 Feb 1946   2   (1888–1946) Died in office. Awarded Medal of Honor, 1914.
100 Alan G. Kirk 10 Sep 1944   1 Mar 1946   1   (1888–1963) Retired as admiral, 1 Mar 1946. Director of Naval Intelligence, 1941; U.S. Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg, 1946–1947; to Soviet Union, 1949–1952; to China, 1962–1963.
101 Charles M. Cooke Jr. 28 Sep 1944   7 Jan 1946   1   (1886–1970) Promoted to admiral, 8 Jan 1946.
102 Howard L. Vickery 30 Oct 1944  
1 Oct 1945   		1 Oct 1945  
1 Jan 1946   		1   (1892–1946) Engineering duty officer (ship or hull construction).
103 William R. Munroe 11 Nov 1944   1 May 1947   2   (1886–1966)
104 Charles H. McMorris 27 Nov 1944   30 Jun 1948   4   (1890–1954)[27]
105 George D. Murray 29 Nov 1944   1 Aug 1951   7   (1889–1956)
Naval aviator. Retired as admiral, 1 Aug 1951.
106 Jesse B. Oldendorf 7 Dec 1944   1 Sep 1948   4   (1887–1974) Retired as admiral, 1 Sep 1948.
107 Daniel E. Barbey 9 Dec 1944   30 Jun 1948   4   (1889–1969)[27]
108 Sherwoode A. Taffinder 23 Dec 1944   18 Apr 1946   1   (1884–1965)
* Olaf M. Hustvedt 1 Mar 1945   3 Jun 1946   1   (1886–1978)[29]
109 William W. Smith 6 Mar 1945   1 Oct 1946   2   (1888–1966)
110 Walter S. Anderson 3 Apr 1945   1 Mar 1946   1   (1881–1981)
111 William S. Farber 3 Apr 1945   1 Dec 1946   2   (1885–1963)
112 James L. Kauffman 3 Apr 1945   20 Jun 1946   1   (1887–1963)[27]
113 Edward L. Cochrane 3 Apr 1945   1 Oct 1947   2   (1892–1959) Engineering duty officer (ship or hull construction)
114 Harry W. Hill 22 Apr 1945  
21 Oct 1952   		1 May 1952  
21 May 1954   		9   (1890–1971)[39] Retired as admiral, 1 May 1952.
115 Frederick C. Sherman 13 Jul 1945   1 Mar 1947   2   (1880–1957)
Naval aviator. Retired as admiral, 1 Mar 1947.
116 Louis E. Denfeld 1 Sep 1945   31 Jan 1947   1   (1891–1972)[40] Promoted to admiral, 7 Jan 1946. Candidate for Republican Party nomination for Governor of Massachusetts, 1950.
117 DeWitt C. Ramsey 26 Nov 1945   27 Dec 1945   0   (1888–1961)
Naval aviator. Promoted to admiral, 28 Dec 1945.
118 Howard F. Kingman 10 Dec 1945   30 Nov 1946   1   (1890–1968)[27]
119 Alfred E. Montgomery 10 Dec 1945   14 Aug 1947   2   (1891–1972)[27]
Naval aviator.
120 John L. Hall Jr. 10 Dec 1945   1 May 1953   7   (1891–1978) Retired as admiral, May 1953.
121 Thomas L. Gatch 10 Dec 1945   1 Sep 1947   2   (1891–1954)
122 Richard L. Conolly 11 Dec 1945  
1 Dec 1950   		22 Sep 1946  
1 Nov 1953   		4   (1892–1962)[41] Promoted to admiral, 23 Sep 1946. President, Long Island University, 1953–1962.
123 William H. P. Blandy 11 Dec 1945   2 Feb 1947   1   (1890–1954) Promoted to admiral, 3 Feb 1947.
124 Bernhard H. Bieri 11 Dec 1945  
1 Mar 1949   		15 Apr 1948  
1 Jun 1951   		5   (1889–1971)[30]
125 George F. Hussey Jr. 11 Dec 1945   4 Sep 1947   2   (1894–1983)
126 Oscar C. Badger II 13 Dec 1945  
24 Feb 1948   		7 Aug 1947  
1 Jul 1952   		6   (1890–1958)[34] Retired as admiral, 1 Jul 1952. Awarded Medal of Honor, 1914. Cousin of U.S. Secretary of the Navy George E. Badger.
127 Lynde D. McCormick 19 Dec 1945  
3 Apr 1950  
3 May 1954   		13 Nov 1948  
21 Dec 1950  
16 Aug 1956   		6   (1895–1956)[42] Promoted to admiral, 22 Dec 1950. Died in office.
128 Arthur W. Radford 28 Dec 1945   29 Apr 1949   3   (1896–1973)
Naval aviator. Promoted to admiral, 30 Apr 1949. Married aunt of Army four-star general Michael S. Davison.
129 Forrest P. Sherman 28 Dec 1945   1 Nov 1949   4   (1896–1951)
Naval aviator. Promoted to admiral, 2 Nov 1949.
130 Robert M. Griffin 10 Jan 1946   9 Jul 1948   3   (1889–1976)[27]
Naval aviation observer.
131 Walter S. DeLany 10 Jan 1946  
30 Jun 1952   		1 Jul 1948  
1 Feb 1953   		3   (1891–1980)[30]
132 William M. Fechteler 24 Jan 1946   31 Jan 1950   4   (1896–1967) Promoted to admiral, 1 Feb 1950.
133 Gerald F. Bogan 1 Feb 1946   1 Feb 1950   4   (1894–1973)[27]
Naval aviator.
134 Earle W. Mills 6 Feb 1946   1 Mar 1949   3   (1896–1968) Engineering duty officer.
135 Robert B. Carney 15 Jun 1946   31 Oct 1950   4   (1895–1990) Promoted to admiral, 1 Nov 1950. Aunt married Navy four-star admiral Frank B. Upham.
136 Harold G. Bowen Sr. 10 Jul 1946   1 Jun 1947   1   (1883–1965) Engineering duty officer.
137 William J. Carter Jr. 22 Aug 1946   1 Oct 1946   0   (1893–1971) Supply Corps.
138 John D. Price 1 Sep 1946   1 Jun 1954   8   (1892–1957)
Naval aviator. Retired as admiral, 1 Jun 1954.
139 John L. McCrea 16 Sep 1946   29 Feb 1952   5   (1891–1990)[27]
140 Donald B. Duncan 31 Jan 1947   9 Aug 1951   5   (1896–1975)
Naval aviator. Promoted to admiral, 10 Aug 1951. Governor, U.S. Naval Home, 1957–1962. Brother-in-law of U.S. Secretary of Commerce Harry L. Hopkins.
141 Francis S. Low 12 Mar 1947   1 Jul 1956   9   (1894–1964) Retired as admiral, 1 Jul 1956.
142 Harold B. Sallada 11 May 1947   1 Oct 1949   2   (1895–1977)
Naval aviator. Retired as admiral, 1 Oct 1949.
143 Arthur C. Miles 26 Jan 1948   4 Oct 1949   2   (1893–1972)[27] Aeronautical engineering duty officer.
144 Arthur D. Struble 14 Apr 1948   1 Jul 1956   8   (1894–1983) Retired as admiral, 1 Jul 1956.
145 Russell S. Berkey 9 Jul 1948   1 Sep 1950   2   (1893–1984) Retired as admiral, 1 Sep 1950.
146 Donald B. Beary 1 Nov 1948   1 Oct 1950   2   (1888–1966)
147 Felix B. Stump 3 Dec 1948   9 Jul 1953   5   (1894–1972)
Naval aviator. Promoted to admiral, 10 Jul 1953.
148 John W. Reeves Jr. 1 Apr 1949   1 May 1950   1   (1888–1967)
Naval aviator. Retired as admiral, 1 May 1950. General Manager, Los Angeles International Airport, 1950–1952.
149 Calvin T. Durgin 16 May 1949   22 Jan 1951   2   (1893–1965)[27]
Naval aviator.
150 C. Turner Joy 26 Aug 1949   1 Jul 1954   5   (1895–1956) Retired as admiral, 1 Jul 1954.
151 Thomas L. Sprague 1 Oct 1949   1 Apr 1952   3   (1894–1972)
Naval aviator. Retired as admiral, 1 Apr 1952.
152 E. Dorsey Foster 4 Oct 1949   31 Dec 1950   1   (1896–1979) Supply Corps.
153 John J. Ballentine 14 Nov 1949   1 May 1954   4   (1896–1970)
Naval aviator. Retired as admiral, 1 May 1954.
154 John H. Cassady 16 Jan 1950   18 Mar 1954   4   (1896–1969)
Naval aviator. Promoted to admiral, 19 Mar 1954.
155 John W. Roper 26 Jan 1950   30 Mar 1951   1   (1898–1963)[27] Son of U.S. Secretary of Commerce Daniel C. Roper.
156 Matthias B. Gardner 28 Sep 1950   1 Aug 1956   6   (1897–1975)
Naval aviator. Retired as admiral, 1 Aug 1956.
157 Jerauld Wright 7 Nov 1950   11 Apr 1954   3   (1898–1995) Promoted to admiral, 12 Apr 1954. U.S. Ambassador to China, 1963–1965.
158 Albert G. Noble 29 Dec 1950   1 Oct 1951   1   (1885–1980) Retired as admiral, 1 Oct 1951.
159 Arthur C. Davis 12 Feb 1951  
1 Apr 1955   		1 Apr 1955  
1 Oct 1955   		5   (1893–1965)[43]
Naval aviator. Retired as admiral, 1 Apr 1955.
160 Ingolf N. Kiland 12 Feb 1951   26 Jan 1953   2   (1895–1992)[27]
161 Robert P. Briscoe 12 Feb 1951   1 Jul 1956   5   (1897–1968) Promoted to admiral, 2 Jul 1956.
162 Harold M. Martin 15 Feb 1951   1 Feb 1956   5   (1896–1972)
Naval aviator. Retired as admiral, 1 Feb 1956.
163 Laurance T. DuBose 30 Mar 1951   1 Jun 1955   4   (1893–1967) Retired as admiral, 1 Jun 1955.
164 William M. Callaghan 11 Apr 1951   1 Mar 1957   6   (1897–1991)
165 James Fife Jr. 10 Aug 1951   1 Aug 1955   4   (1897–1975) Retired as admiral, 1 Aug 1955. Director, Mystic Seaport, 1956–1975.
166 Charles W. Fox 10 Oct 1951   1 Aug 1953   2   (1894–1975) Supply Corps.
167 Frank G. Fahrion 5 Jan 1952   1 May 1956   4   (1894–1970) Retired as admiral, 1 May 1956.
168 Joseph J. Clark 20 May 1952   1 Dec 1953   2   (1893–1971)
Naval aviator. Retired as admiral, Dec 1953.
169 Ralph A. Ofstie 16 Jun 1952   18 Nov 1956   4   (1897–1956)
Naval aviator. Died in office.
170 Francis C. Denebrink 20 Dec 1952   1 Jul 1956   4   (1896–1987)
171 James L. Holloway Jr. 2 Feb 1953   31 Dec 1957   5   (1898–1984) Promoted to admiral, 1 Jan 1958. Superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy, 1947–1950; Governor, U.S. Naval Home, 1962–1966. Father of Navy four-star admiral James L. Holloway III.
172 Roscoe F. Good 27 Mar 1953   1 Mar 1958   5   (1897–1974) Retired as admiral, 1 Mar 1958.
173 Thomas S. Combs 30 Jun 1953   1 Apr 1960   7   (1898–1964)
Naval aviator.
174 John E. Gingrich 1 Aug 1953   1 Oct 1954   1   (1897–1960) Retired as admiral, 1 Oct 1954.
175 William K. Phillips 1 Oct 1953   1 Aug 1955   2   (1894–1986) Retired as admiral, 1 Aug 1955.
176 Alfred M. Pride 1 Dec 1953   1 Oct 1959   6   (1897–1988)
Naval aviator. Retired as admiral, 1 Oct 1959.
177 Thomas G. W. Settle 8 Mar 1954  
12 Feb 1962  
26 Aug 1963   		6 Jul 1956  
1 Jul 1963  
10 Oct 1963   		4   (1895–1980)[27]
178 Edmund T. Wooldridge 1 Apr 1954   1 Aug 1958   4   (1897–1968)[44] Retired as admiral, 1 Aug 1958.
179 Frederick G. McMahon 1 May 1954   1 Jan 1959   5   (1898–1986)
Naval aviator.
180 Austin K. Doyle 1 Jun 1954   1 Aug 1958   4   (1898–1970)
Naval aviator. Retired as admiral, 1 Aug 1958.
181 Murrey L. Royar 2 Oct 1954   1 Feb 1956   1   (1894–1985) Supply Corps.
182 Charles Wellborn Jr. 21 Jun 1955   1 Feb 1963   8   (1901–1988)
183 Maurice E. Curts 24 Jun 1955  
1 Feb 1958   		28 Apr 1957  
1 Apr 1960   		4   (1898–1976)[45] Promoted to admiral, 29 Apr 1957.
184 Herbert G. Hopwood 1 Aug 1955   31 Jan 1958   3   (1898–1966) Promoted to admiral, 1 Feb 1958.
185 George L. Russell 23 Nov 1955   15 Aug 1957   2   (1900–1978)
186 Stuart H. Ingersoll 19 Dec 1955  
25 Jul 1960   		1 Jul 1960  
1 May 1961   		5   (1898–1983)
Naval aviator.
187 Stuart S. Murray 7 Dec 1955   1 Aug 1956   1   (1898–1980) Retired as admiral, 1 Aug 1956. Nephew of Oklahoma Governor William H. Murray.
189 Cato D. Glover Jr. 17 Jan 1956   1 Sep 1957   2   (1897–1988)
Naval aviator. Retired as admiral, 1 Sep 1957.
190 Charles R. Brown 24 Jan 1956   31 Dec 1958   3   (1899–1983)
Naval aviator. Promoted to admiral, 1 Jan 1959.
191 Edward W. Clexton 1 Feb 1956   1 Jul 1960   4   (1900–1966) Aeronautical engineering duty officer.
192 James H. Thach Jr. 6 Feb 1956   23 Oct 1956   1   (1900–1962)
193 Bernard L. Austin 15 Mar 1956  
1 Aug 1964   		1 Aug 1964  
17 Oct 1967   		12   (1902–1979)
194 Harry D. Felt 12 Apr 1956   31 Aug 1956   0   (1902–1992)
Naval aviator. Promoted to admiral, 1 Sep 1956.
195 Ruthven E. Libby 1 May 1956   1 May 1960   4   (1900–1986)
196 Lorenzo S. Sabin Jr. 1 May 1956   1 Mar 1961   5   (1899–1988)
197 William L. Rees 29 May 1956   1 Oct 1960   4   (1900–1989)
Naval aviator.
198 Robert L. Dennison 18 Jun 1956   30 Mar 1959   3   (1901–1980)
Naval aviator. Promoted to admiral, 31 Mar 1959.
199 John M. Will 2 Jul 1956   1 Jul 1959   3   (1899–1981) Retired as admiral, 1 Jul 1959.
200 Carl F. Espe 6 Jul 1956   11 Apr 1958   2   (1900–1988)[27]
201 Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter 1 Aug 1956   1 May 1957   1   (1897–1982) Director of Central Intelligence, 1947–1950.
202 William V. Davis Jr. 1 Aug 1956   1 Apr 1960   4   (1902–1981)
Naval aviator.
203 Robert Goldthwaite 5 Aug 1956   20 Jun 1963   7   (1903–1979)[27]
Naval aviator.
204 Harold Page Smith 24 Oct 1956   17 Feb 1960   3   (1904–1993) Promoted to admiral, 18 Feb 1960. Uncle of Navy four-star admiral Leighton W. Smith Jr.
205 Wallace M. Beakley 28 Jan 1957   3 Aug 1963   7   (1903–1975)[27]
Naval aviator.
206 George W. Anderson Jr. 1 May 1957  
14 Sep 1959   		18 Jan 1958  
31 Jul 1961   		3   (1906–1992)[46]
Naval aviator. Promoted to admiral, 1 Aug 1961. U.S. Ambassador to Portugal, 1963–1966.
207 Robert B. Pirie 3 Jul 1957   1 Nov 1962   5   (1905–1990)
Naval aviator.
208 Frank T. Watkins 1 Aug 1957   27 Aug 1958   1   (1898–1980)[27]
209 John H. Sides 1 Aug 1957   30 Aug 1960   3   (1904–1978) Promoted to admiral, 31 Aug 1960.
210 James S. Russell 14 Aug 1957   20 Jul 1958   1   (1903–1996)
Naval aviator. Promoted to admiral, 21 Jul 1958.
211 Byron H. Hanlon 4 Nov 1957   1 Oct 1958   1   (1899–1977) Retired as admiral, 1 Oct 1958.
212 Ralph E. Wilson 20 Dec 1957   1 Jul 1960   3   (1902–1990)
213 Herbert D. Riley 10 Feb 1958   1 Apr 1964   6   (1904–1973)
Naval aviator.
214 John Sylvester 11 Apr 1958   1 Sep 1964   6   (1904–1990)
215 Roland N. Smoot 31 Jul 1958   1 Jun 1962   4   (1901–1984)
216 William G. Cooper 1 Aug 1958   1 Feb 1960   2   (1903–1971)
217 Clarence E. Ekstrom 30 Sep 1958   1 Dec 1962   4   (1902–1986)
Naval aviator.
218 Frederick N. Kivette 30 Sep 1958   1 Oct 1961   3   (1902–1975)
Naval aviator.
219 George C. Towner 1 Oct 1958   10 Dec 1960   2   (1901–1999)[27]
220 Hyman G. Rickover 23 Oct 1958  
1 Feb 1964   		1 Feb 1964  
15 Nov 1973   		15   (1900–1986)[47] Engineering duty officer. Promoted to admiral, 16 Nov 1973. Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1980; Congressional Gold Medal, 1958 and 1982.
221 William R. Smedberg III 21 Mar 1959   1 Apr 1964   5   (1902–1994)
222 John T. Hayward 25 Apr 1959  
13 Jun 1963   		9 Mar 1962  
1 Sep 1968   		8   (1908–1999)[30]
Naval aviator.
223 Roy A. Gano 30 Jun 1959   1 Jul 1964   5   (1902–1971)
* Burton B. Biggs 6 Aug 1959  
11 Aug 1963   		1 Aug 1963  
1 Jan 1964   		4   (1898–1967)[29]

Timeline[edit]

An officer held the active-duty grade of vice admiral (Vice Adm.) in the U.S. Navy until his death; retirement; resignation; reversion to lower permanent grade upon vacating a position carrying the ex officio rank; or promotion to a higher grade such as admiral (Adm.) or fleet admiral (Fleet Adm.). An officer on the retired list could also be recalled to active duty in the grade of vice admiral (Vice Adm. (ret.)) or admiral (Adm. (ret.)).

Between World War I and World War II, there were three ex officio vice admiral positions. One commanded the battleships of the United States Fleet (BATSHIPS), and a second commanded the Scouting Force (SCOFOR). The third position was successively allocated to command the naval forces in Europe (NAVEUR), the cruisers of the Scouting Force (CRUSCOFOR), and the aircraft carriers of the Battle Force (AIRBATFOR).

Stephen C. RowanDavid Dixon PorterDavid G. Farragut
Albert GleavesWilliam F. Halsey Jr.Charles Adams BlakelyErnest J. KingFrederick J. HorneHenry V. ButlerHarris LaningWilliam H. StandleyGeorge R. MarvellJohn H. DaytonGuy H. BurrageRoger WellesPhilip Andrews (admiral)Andrew T. LongEdwin A. AndersonAlbert P. NiblackHarry M. P. HuseHarry Shepard KnappWilliam Ledyard RodgersWilliam S. SimsWilson Brown (admiral)Adolphus AndrewsWilliam T. TarrantArthur J. HepburnEdward H. CampbellFrank H. BrumbyFrank Hodges ClarkArthur L. WillardWilliam Carey ColeMontgomery M. TaylorAshley H. RobertsonJosiah S. McKeanNewton A. McCullyJohn D. McDonaldHilary P. JonesAlbert W. GrantWilliam S. PyeCharles P. Snyder (admiral)John W. GreensladeEdward C. KalbfusClarence S. KempffWilliam D. LeahyThomas T. CravenWalton R. SextonJoseph M. ReevesDavid F. SellersJoel R. P. PringleLuke McNameeRichard H. LeighLucius A. BostwickLouis M. NultonWilliam V. PrattLouis R. de SteiguerRichard H. JacksonHenry A. WileyWilliam R. ShoemakerClarence S. WilliamsHenry B. Wilson Jr.DeWitt CoffmanHenry T. Mayo
Burton Beecher BiggsRoy A. GanoJohn T. HaywardWilliam R. Smedberg IIIHyman G. RickoverGeorge Crosby TownerFrederick N. KivetteClarence EkstromWilliam Goodwin CooperRoland N. SmootJohn SylvesterHerbert D. RileyRalph Ensign WilsonByron N. HanlonJames S. RussellJohn H. SidesFrank Thomas WatkinsRobert B. PirieGeorge W. Anderson Jr.Wallace M. BeakleyHarold Page SmithRobert GoldthwaiteWilliam Virginius Davis, Jr.Roscoe H. HillenkoetterCarl F. EspeJohn Mylin WillRobert L. DennisonWilliam Lehigh ReesLorenzo Sherwood Sabin, Jr.Ruthven E. LibbyHarry D. FeltBernard Lige AustinJames Harmon Thach, Jr.Edward W. ClextonCharles R. BrownCato D. Glover, Jr.Stuart S. MurrayStuart H. IngersollGeorge Lucius RussellHerbert G. HopwoodMaurice E. CurtsCharles Wellborn, Jr.Murrey L. RoyarAustin K. DoyleFrederick G. McMahonEdmund T. WooldridgeThomas G. W. SettleAlfred M. PrideWilliam K. PhillipsJohn E. GingrichThomas S. CombsRoscoe F. GoodJames L. Holloway Jr.Francis C. DenebrinkRalph A. OfstieJoseph J. ClarkFrank G. FahrionCharles W. FoxJames Fife, Jr.William M. CallaghanLaurence T. DuBoseHarold M. MartinRobert P. BriscoeIngolf N. KilandArthur Cayley DavisAlbert G. NobleJerauld WrightMatthias B. GardnerJohn Wesley RoperJohn H. CassadyJohn J. BallentineEdwin Dorsey FosterThomas L. SpragueC. Turner JoyCalvin Thornton DurginJohn W. Reeves, Jr.Felix StumpDonald Bradford BearyRussell S. BerkeyArthur Dewey StrubleArthur Clark MilesHarold B. SalladaFrancis S. LowDonald B. DuncanJohn L. McCreaJohn Dale PriceWilliam Joseph Carter, Jr.Harold Gardiner Bowen, Sr.Robert B. CarneyEarle W. MillsGerald F. BoganWilliam FechtelerWalter Stanley DeLanyRobert Melville GriffinForrest ShermanArthur W. RadfordLynde D. McCormickOscar C. Badger IIGeorge F. Hussey, Jr.Bernhard H. BieriWilliam H. P. BlandyRichard L. ConollyThomas Leigh GatchJohn Lesslie Hall, Jr.Alfred E. MontgomeryHoward F. KingmanDeWitt C. RamseyLouis E. DenfeldFrederick C. ShermanHarry W. Hill (admiral)Edward L. CochraneJames L. KauffmanWilliam S. FarberWalter S. AndersonWilliam W. SmithOlaf M. HustvedtSherwoode A. TaffinderDaniel E. BarbeyJesse B. OldendorfGeorge D. MurrayCharles H. McMorrisWilliam R. MunroeHoward L. VickeryCharles M. Cooke Jr.Alan Goodrich KirkTheodore S. WilkinsonEmory S. LandRobert C. GiffenMarc MitscherWillis A. LeeRichmond K. TurnerBen MoreellRoss T. McIntireRandall JacobsDavid W. BagleyJohn H. NewtonCharles A. LockwoodPatrick N. L. BellingerJohn S. McCain, Sr.Arthur B. CookThomas C. KinkaidRaymond A. SpruanceJoseph TaussigAubrey W. FitchHenry K. HewittJohn H. TowersArthur S. CarpenderAlexander SharpRichard S. EdwardsCharles S. FreemanFrank J. FletcherJohn H. HooverRoland M. BrainardRussell WillsonArthur L. Bristol Jr.Jonas H. IngramFerdinand L. ReichmuthWilliam L. Calhoun (admiral)Harry E. YarnellHerbert F. LearyWilliam A. GlassfordSamuel M. RobinsonAlfred Wilkinson JohnsonRoyal E. IngersollArthur P. FairfieldRobert L. Ghormley

History[edit]

Civil War[edit]

Stephen C. Rowan

The grade of vice admiral in the United States Navy was created by Congress in December 1864 to honor David G. Farragut for his victory at the Battle of Mobile Bay during the American Civil War. The promotion made Farragut the senior officer in the Navy but did not give him command of all naval forces, unlike the corresponding grade of lieutenant general that had been revived for Ulysses S. Grant earlier that year.[48] After the war, Farragut was promoted to admiral and his vacated vice admiralcy was filled by David D. Porter. When Farragut died in 1870, Porter succeeded him as admiral and Stephen C. Rowan became vice admiral. Three years later, Congress stopped further promotions to admiral or vice admiral, and the vice admiral grade expired with Rowan in 1890.[1]

After the Spanish–American War, Congress tried to revive the grade to reward William T. Sampson and Winfield S. Schley for winning the Battle of Santiago de Cuba, but the officers feuded bitterly over credit for the victory and their partisans in the Senate could not agree on who would be the senior vice admiral, so neither was promoted.[49][50] Even after Sampson died in 1902, his admirers continued to prevent Schley from being promoted, while Schley's friends blocked all moves to elevate any other officer over him during his lifetime, such as an attempt to promote Robley D. Evans to vice admiral on the retired list in 1909. No new vice admirals were created until after Schley's death in 1911.[51][52]

World War I[edit]

Henry T. Mayo

In 1915, Congress authorized the President to designate the commanders in chief of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Asiatic Fleets to hold the rank of admiral, and their seconds in command the rank of vice admiral. The chief of naval operations (CNO) received the rank of admiral the following year.[53] Because Porter and Rowan had been promoted permanently to vice admiral and then never gone to sea again, Congress made these new ranks strictly ex officio. Upon relinquishing command, an officer lost his designation as admiral or vice admiral and reverted to his permanent grade of rear admiral.[54] The three fleet commanders were immediately made admirals to match the rank of their foreign counterparts, but only the second in command of the Atlantic Fleet, Henry T. Mayo, was designated a vice admiral, since the Pacific and Asiatic Fleets were too small to employ their vice admirals.[55]

Albert Gleaves

When the United States entered World War I, Congress generalized the law to let the President designate up to six commanders of any fleet or subdivision of a fleet to hold ranks higher than rear admiral, of which up to three could be admirals and the rest vice admirals. This allowed William S. Sims to be designated vice admiral as commander of U.S. Naval Forces in European Waters. The other two vice admiral designations went to the Atlantic Fleet's two battleship force commanders.[56] When the Asiatic Fleet's commander in chief retired in December 1918, his four-star designation was transferred to Sims, whose vacated vice admiralcy went to Albert Gleaves, commander of the Atlantic Fleet's cruiser and transport force.[57] By the end of 1918, all three seagoing admirals and all three vice admirals were assigned to the Atlantic and European theaters, including the four-star commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet, who had taken a force to patrol the South Atlantic Ocean.[58]

William L. Rodgers

With the end of hostilities in Europe, the six designations for admirals and vice admirals were redistributed in 1919. The commanders in chief of the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets remained admirals. About half of the major ships in the Atlantic Fleet transferred to the Pacific Fleet, which was now large enough to employ a vice admiral to command its battleship force. A second vice admiral commanded the battleship force of the Atlantic Fleet, and a third vice admiral, Gleaves, commanded its cruiser and transport force. The sixth designation returned to the Asiatic Fleet when Sims left his European command, but its commander in chief, William L. Rodgers, was promoted only to vice admiral since Gleaves was already slated to be its admiral, so for a few months there were four vice admirals and only three admirals, including the CNO.[59]

In September 1919, Gleaves was appointed commander in chief of the Asiatic Fleet with the rank of admiral. Rodgers remained vice admiral in command of Division 1 of the Asiatic Fleet until January 1920, so for the first and only time, the Pacific, Atlantic, and Asiatic Fleets each had an admiral and vice admiral, as originally envisioned in 1915.[60]

Interwar[edit]

In 1922 the three fleets were combined into a single United States Fleet with three admirals and three vice admirals. One admiral served as commander in chief of the United States Fleet (CINCUS), a second admiral as commander in chief of the Asiatic Fleet, and the third admiral as commander in chief of the former Pacific Fleet, now the Battle Fleet. A vice admiral commanded the former Atlantic Fleet, now the Scouting Fleet, and a second vice admiral commanded the battleship divisions of the Battle Fleet.[61] The Battle Fleet and Scouting Fleet became the Battle Force and Scouting Force, respectively, when the United States Fleet was reorganized into type commands in 1931.[62] When the Pacific and Atlantic Fleets were reconstituted in February 1941, CINCUS was dual-hatted as commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC), and the commander in chief of the Atlantic Fleet was made an admiral by downgrading the Battle Force's commander to vice admiral and its battleship commander to rear admiral.[63]

The third vice admiral designation moved from the Asiatic Fleet to the commander of U.S. Naval Forces in European Waters in 1920 and lapsed when the European force was disbanded in 1929. It was revived the next year for the commander of the Scouting Fleet's light cruiser divisions and subsequently the Scouting Force's cruisers, before migrating in 1935 to the commander of the Battle Force's aircraft.[64]

William V. Pratt

A flag officer in the United States Fleet climbed a cursus honorum that nominally began with command of a battleship division as a rear admiral, followed by command of all battleship divisions in the Battle Force as a vice admiral, then command of the entire Battle Force as an admiral, and finally either CINCUS, the highest office afloat, or CNO, the highest office ashore—or both, in the case of William V. Pratt.[65] Upon leaving the fleet, it was normal for a former three- or four-star commander to revert to his permanent grade of rear admiral and remain on active duty until statutory retirement as president of the Naval War College, commandant of a naval district, or member of the General Board.[53]

Since there were four admirals and only three vice admirals, it was not uncommon to skip the rank of vice admiral entirely, especially for commanders in chief of the Asiatic Fleet, which was seen as a four-star consolation prize for flag officers who were out of the running for CINCUS or CNO.[65] By the early 1940s, neither the CNO (Harold R. Stark), CINCUS (Claude C. Bloch, James O. Richardson), nor CINCPAC (Husband E. Kimmel, Chester W. Nimitz) had ever been a vice admiral.

World War II[edit]

Robert L. Ghormley

In July 1941, Congress authorized the President to designate, at his own discretion, up to nine additional officers to carry the ex officio rank of vice admiral while performing special or unusual duty, for a total of 12 vice admirals in the permanent establishment.[66] The first of the nine new vice admiral designations was assigned to Robert L. Ghormley, then serving as special observer in the U.S. Embassy in London.[67] After the United States entry into World War II in December 1941, the new commander in chief of the Atlantic Fleet, Royal E. Ingersoll, was designated a vice admiral after his predecessor, Ernest J. King, was appointed commander in chief of the United States Fleet (COMINCH, formerly CINCUS) and took the Atlantic Fleet's four-star designation with him.[68] The remaining seven vice admiral slots were quickly filled by the director of the Office of Procurement and Material and the commanders of U.S. Naval Forces, Southwest Pacific; ANZAC Force; the service forces in the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets; and two anti-submarine task forces in the Atlantic Fleet.

Russell Willson

All 12 vice admiral designations were in use by March 1942, when a headquarters reorganization called for two more vice admirals to be vice chief of naval operations and chief of staff to COMINCH. Frederick J. Horne and Russell Willson were nominated to be temporary vice admirals,[69] under a 1941 statute that authorized an unlimited number of appointments in all grades for temporary service during a national emergency, with temporary flag officers needing confirmation by the Senate.[3] The statute technically created temporary grades only up to rear admiral, but the Senate confirmed Horne and Willson as vice admirals anyway,[70] and continued to confirm temporary admirals and vice admirals when nominated. Dozens of temporary vice admirals were appointed during World War II, either to serve in a specified job or simply for the duration of the national emergency.

Postwar[edit]

The Officer Personnel Act of 1947 consolidated the various laws governing vice admiral appointments. Previously, the President had controlled a pool of 12 vice admiral designations that he could assign at his own discretion.[2] In addition, the Senate could confirm an unlimited number of officers nominated by the President to hold the temporary personal grade of vice admiral, either while serving in a particular job or for the duration of a national emergency.[3] Under the new law, all vice admirals had to be confirmed by the Senate, and held that temporary grade only while serving in a particular job. The maximum number of vice admirals was proportional to the total number of flag officers.[71]

The new law also made any former admiral or vice admiral eligible to retire with that rank,[71] simplifying the hodgepodge of rules that had promoted various classes of retirees piecemeal. Originally every designated admiral and vice admiral retired in his permanent grade of rear admiral. In 1930 Congress promoted officers on the retired list to their highest rank held during World War I, which was defined as having ended on July 2, 1921, so John D. McDonald, who became vice admiral on July 1, 1921, was promoted, but William R. Shoemaker, who became vice admiral only a week later, was not.[72][73] In 1942 former fleet commanders were allowed to retire as admiral or vice admiral if they had served in that grade for at least a year, a cutoff that John H. Dayton and Walton R. Sexton both missed by about two weeks. Dayton lived long enough to be advanced back to vice admiral by the Officer Personnel Act of 1947, but Sexton did not.[74]

Lynde D. McCormick

Postwar vice admirals typically headed directorates in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, numbered fleets, type commands, sea frontiers, senior educational institutions like the National War College and the Naval War College, or other interservice or international positions. Upon completing their capstone assignments, many senior flag officers resumed the prewar pattern of remaining on active duty in a lower grade until statutory retirement, in contrast to Army and Air Force general officers who usually preferred to retire immediately to avoid demotion. For example, Lynde D. McCormick reverted from vice admiral to rear admiral but rose again to vice admiral and admiral before dropping to vice admiral for his final assignment.[75]

Tombstone promotions[edit]

Further information: List of United States Navy tombstone vice admirals
David W. Bagley

In 1925 Congress authorized Navy and Marine Corps officers who had been specially commended for performance of duty in actual combat during World War I to retire with the rank of the next higher grade but not its pay. Such honorary increases in rank at retirement were dubbed tombstone promotions, since their only tangible benefit was the right to carve the higher rank on the officer's tombstone.[76][77] Later laws expanded eligibility beyond World War I and to officers already on the retired list. Tombstone promotions were limited in 1947 to duty performed before the end of World War II, meaning before January 1, 1947, and halted entirely in 1959.[5] By May 29, 1959, there were 154 vice admirals on the retired list who had never served on active duty in that rank, not counting those already deceased.[78]

Robert C. Giffen

Dozens of vice admirals received tombstone promotions to admiral.[78] Even if a vice admiral reverted to rear admiral, he could still retire as a vice admiral and then claim a tombstone promotion to admiral, but only if he had satisfactory service in the temporary grade of vice admiral during World War II. For example, Gerald F. Bogan, David W. Bagley, Robert C. Giffen, and Alexander Sharp Jr. all reverted to rear admiral after serving as a vice admiral, and all qualified for a tombstone promotion, but only Bagley was advanced to admiral when he retired.

  • Bogan was confirmed by the Senate to be a temporary vice admiral while commanding the First Task Fleet after World War II, but offended the secretary of the Navy during the so-called Revolt of the Admirals and was relieved of his three-star command only three weeks before he was scheduled to retire with a tombstone promotion to admiral. Instead, he reverted to rear admiral and received a tombstone promotion back to vice admiral.[79][80]
  • Bagley was confirmed by the Senate to be a temporary vice admiral while serving in a succession of jobs during World War II, before reverting to rear admiral. He retired in his highest wartime grade of vice admiral and received a tombstone promotion to admiral.[36][81]
  • Giffen was confirmed by the Senate to be a temporary vice admiral while commanding the Caribbean Sea Frontier during World War II, but was reprimanded for misconduct in that role. Having unsatisfactory service as a vice admiral, he retired as a rear admiral and received a tombstone promotion back to vice admiral.[37][82][83]
  • Sharp was designated by the President to hold the rank of vice admiral while commanding the Service Force, Atlantic Fleet during World War II, but was never confirmed by the Senate to hold the temporary personal grade of vice admiral, unlike Bagley and Giffen. Sharp retired with his highest active-duty rank of vice admiral but was not advanced to admiral because tombstone promotions were based on personal grades, not designated ranks.[81]

Legislative history[edit]

The following list of Congressional legislation includes all acts of Congress pertaining to appointments to the grade of vice admiral in the United States Navy before 1960.[84]

Each entry lists an act of Congress, its citation in the United States Statutes at Large, and a summary of the act's relevance.

Legislation Citation Summary
Act of December 21, 1864  13 Stat. 420
  • Authorized appointment of one vice admiral, selected from the list of active rear admirals (David G. Farragut).
  • Exempted vice admiral from mandatory retirement for age or longevity of service.
Act of July 25, 1866  14 Stat. 222
Act of January 24, 1873  17 Stat. 418
  • Terminated grade of vice admiral at next vacancy.
Act of December 20, 1886  24 Stat. 351
  • Authorized Stephen C. Rowan to be retired at full pay after forty years' service.
Act of March 3, 1915  38 Stat. 941
  • Authorized ex-officio rank of vice admiral for officers designated as second in command of the United States Atlantic Fleet, United States Pacific Fleet, or United States Asiatic Fleet.
Act of May 22, 1917  40 Stat. 89
  • Authorized ex-officio rank for six officers designated to command fleets or subdivisions of fleets, of whom not more than three to have the rank of admiral and the others to have the rank of vice admiral.
Act of March 4, 1925  43 Stat. 1278
  • Authorized officers to retire for age with the rank of the next higher grade if specially commended for performance of duty in actual combat during World War I.
Act of June 21, 1930  45 Stat. 793
Act of June 22, 1938  52 Stat. 839
Act of June 23, 1938  52 Stat. 951
Act of July 17, 1941  55 Stat. 598
  • Authorized ex-officio rank of vice admiral for up to nine additional officers designated to perform special or unusual duty, or to command naval units afloat organized for the purpose of performing a special or unusual mission.
Act of July 24, 1941  55 Stat. 603
  • Authorized temporary appointments to higher ranks or grades during a national emergency, with appointments to rear admiral requiring the advice and consent of the Senate.
  • Authorized retirement in highest temporary rank held on active duty.
Act of February 23, 1942  56 Stat. 120
  • Authorized line officers retired prior to June 23, 1938, and staff officers retired on or after that date to be advanced on the retired list to the rank of the next higher grade if specially commended for performance of duty in actual combat (Joseph M. Reeves, Harry E. Yarnell).
Act of June 16, 1942  56 Stat. 370
Act of July 1, 1944

[Private Law 348]

 58 Stat. 1011
  • Authorized Emory S. Land to be advanced to naval constructor with the rank of vice admiral on the retired list.
Act of February 21, 1946  60 Stat. 28
  • Authorized officers to be placed on the retired list with the rank and three-fourths of the active-duty pay of the highest temporary grade in which they served satisfactorily on or before June 30, 1946.
Act of August 7, 1947

[Officer Personnel Act of 1947]

 61 Stat. 886
  • Authorized temporary grade of vice admiral, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate, for officers on the active list designated for the command of fleets or fleet subdivisions, for the command of naval units afloat organized for the purpose of performing a special or unusual mission, or for the performance of any duty of great importance and responsibility.
  • Assigned temporary grade of vice admiral, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate, to one officer designated as senior member of the Military and Naval Staff Committee of the United Nations.
  • Capped total positions with temporary grades above rear admiral at 15 percent of the total number of line officers serving above the grade of captain, of whom not more than eight to have the rank of admiral.
  • Capped total line officers above grade of rear admiral at 26, of whom not more than four to have the rank of admiral.
  • Exempted from caps a naval officer serving as Chief of Staff to the President.
  • Authorized retirement in highest grade held while on the active list.
  • Authorized previously retired officers who served in the rank of admiral or vice admiral to be advanced to that grade on the retired list.
  • Authorized all officers to retire with the rank of the next higher grade if specially commended for performance of duty in actual combat on or before December 31, 1946 (Burton B. Biggs).
Act of October 12, 1949

[Career Compensation Act of 1949]

 63 Stat. 806
  • Established pay grade O-8 for admiral, vice admiral, and rear admiral.
Act of May 5, 1954

[Officer Grade Limitation Act of 1954]

 68 Stat. 65
  • Capped total number of flag officers as a function of total commissioned officer strength.
Act of May 20, 1958  72 Stat. 124
  • Established pay grade O-9 for vice admiral.
Act of August 11, 1959  73 Stat. 337
  • Repealed authorization for officers to retire with the rank of the next higher grade if specially commended for performance of duty in actual combat.

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b Acts of December 21, 1874 (13 Stat. 420); July 25, 1866 (14 Stat. 222); and January 24, 1873 (17 Stat. 418). Chisholm, pp. 311-313, 349-353.
  2. ^ a b Acts of March 3, 1915 (38 Stat. 941); May 22, 1917 (40 Stat. 89); July 17, 1941 (55 Stat. 598); and August 7, 1947 [Officer Personnel Act of 1947] (61 Stat. 886). Chisholm, pp. 763-764. Congressional Record (June 30, 1941), Vol. 87, Part 1, p. 5727.
  3. ^ a b c Acts of July 24, 1941 (55 Stat. 603) and August 7, 1947 [Officer Personnel Act of 1947] (61 Stat. 886). "Personal Money Allowance—Admirals And Vice Admirals (22 Comp. Gen. 1071)". Decisions of the Comptroller General of the United States. Vol. 22. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. 1943. p. 1071.
  4. ^ Act of August 7, 1947 [Officer Personnel Act of 1947] (61 Stat. 886). Wheeler, Rexford V. Jr.; Kinne, Sheldon H. (July 1954). "The Promotion of Career Officers (Part II)". United States Naval Institute Proceedings. 80 (6): 761. Laws Relating to the Navy, Annotated. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. 1922. pp. 683–684.
  5. ^ a b Acts of March 4, 1925 (43 Stat. 1278); July 17, 1941 (55 Stat. 598); June 6, 1942 (56 Stat. 370); August 7, 1947 [Officer Personnel Act of 1947] (61 Stat. 886); October 12, 1949 [Career Compensation Act of 1949] (63 Stat. 806); and August 11, 1959 (72 Stat. 337). Patrick, Howard A. (August 1948). "The Effect of Combat Commendation Upon Retirement". United States Naval Institute Proceedings. 74 (8): 957–965.
  6. ^ a b Dates appointed are taken from U.S. Naval Officers, Vice Admiral and Above, 1864–1963.
  7. ^ a b Dates vacated are taken from U.S. Naval Officers, Vice Admiral and Above, 1864–1963. An officer could vacate the active-duty rank of vice admiral via death, retirement, promotion, or reversion to a lower permanent grade upon relinquishing an office designated to carry the rank of vice admiral.
  8. ^ a b The number of years on active duty as vice admiral is taken to be the number of days rounded to the nearest whole year and excluding any gaps in appointment.
  9. ^ a b Positions are compiled from the Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps, Modern Biographical Files, Generals of the Army and the Air Force and Admirals of the Navy, Ancell and Miller, Cogar, Schuon, and Marquis Who's Who.
  10. ^ a b Biographical notes include years of birth and death; any staff corps affiliation or line officer designation as naval aviation observer, naval aviator, or engineering duty officer; dates of promotion to higher rank; awards of the Medal of Honor, Congressional Gold Medal, Presidential Medal of Freedom, or honors of similar significance; major government appointments; university presidencies or equivalents; familial relationships with significant military officers or significant government officials such as U.S. Presidents, cabinet secretaries, U.S. Senators, or state governors; and other unusual career events such as death in office or resignation.
  11. ^ a b c d e Retired as rear admiral; advanced on the retired list to admiral by Act of June 21, 1930, as highest World War I rank.
  12. ^ a b c d e Retired as rear admiral; advanced on the retired list to vice admiral by Act of June 21, 1930, as highest World War I rank.
  13. ^ Retired as rear admiral; advanced on the retired list to vice admiral by Act of June 21, 1930, as highest World War I rank; advanced on the retired list to admiral by Act of June 16, 1942, as highest rank held while commanding a fleet or subdivision of a fleet for at least one year.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Retired as rear admiral.
  15. ^ a b c d Retired as rear admiral; ineligible for advancement by Act of June 16, 1942, having served as vice admiral for less than one year.
  16. ^ McCarver Jr., Charles. "Long, Andrew Theodore". Dictionary of North Carolina Biography. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Retired as rear admiral; advanced on the retired list to admiral by Act of June 16, 1942, as highest rank held while commanding a fleet or subdivision of a fleet for at least one year.
  18. ^ a b c d e Retired as rear admiral; advanced on the retired list to vice admiral by Act of June 16, 1942, as highest rank held while commanding a fleet or subdivision of a fleet for at least one year.
  19. ^ a b Retired as rear admiral; advanced on the retired list to admiral by Act of August 14, 1938, as highest rank held while serving as Chief of Naval Operations.
  20. ^ a b Retired as rear admiral; ineligible for advancement by Act of June 16, 1942, having served as vice admiral for less than one year; advanced on the retired list to vice admiral by Officer Personnel Act of 1947, as highest rank held on active duty.
  21. ^ Retired as rear admiral; advanced on the retired list to tombstone vice admiral by Act of February 23, 1942; advanced on the retired list to admiral by Act of June 16, 1942, as highest rank held while commanding a fleet or subdivision of a fleet for at least one year.
  22. ^ Reverted to rear admiral, 29 Jan 1938; reappointed as vice admiral, 21 Mar 1942; appointed as admiral, 29 Jan 1945.
  23. ^ Reverted to rear admiral; retired as vice admiral by Act of June 16, 1942, as highest rank held while commanding a fleet or subdivision of a fleet for at least one year.
  24. ^ Reverted to rear admiral, 20 May 1939; confirmed by Senate as vice admiral for temporary service while serving as Commander, Western Sea Frontier, 27 May 1942; retired as vice admiral, 1 Feb 1944, as highest rank held while commanding a fleet or subdivision of a fleet for at least one year.
  25. ^ Reverted to rear admiral, 24 Jun 1939; appointed as admiral, 1 Feb 1941; promoted to fleet admiral, 17 Dec 1944.
  26. ^ Reverted to rear admiral, 1 Feb 1941; confirmed by Senate as vice admiral for temporary service while serving as Commander, Eastern Sea Frontier, 27 May 1942; retired as vice admiral, 1 Nov 1943, as highest rank held while commanding a fleet or subdivision of a fleet for at least one year.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Reverted to rear admiral; retired as vice admiral.
  28. ^ Appointed as vice admiral for special duty, 19 Sep 1941; confirmed by Senate as vice admiral for temporary service, 27 Apr 1942.
  29. ^ a b c d e Retired as tombstone vice admiral.
  30. ^ a b c d e Reverted to rear admiral; reappointed as vice admiral.
  31. ^ Appointed as admiral, 30 Oct 1936; reverted to rear admiral, 25 Jul 1939, and retired, 1 Nov 1939; advanced on the retired list to tombstone vice admiral, 23 Feb 1942; advanced on the retired list to admiral, 16 Jun 1942, as highest rank held while commanding a fleet or subdivision of a fleet.
  32. ^ Retired as vice admiral, 1 Dec 1946; advanced on the retired list to tombstone admiral, Jan 1954.
  33. ^ Date of rank 16 Jun 1942. Retired as rear admiral, 1 Aug 1946; advanced on the retired list to vice admiral, 28 May 1948.
  34. ^ a b c Reverted to rear admiral; reappointed as vice admiral; retired as tombstone admiral.
  35. ^ Died, 6 Sep 1945, and posthumously promoted to admiral.
  36. ^ a b Confirmed by Senate as vice admiral for temporary service while serving as Commander, Western Sea Frontier, 18 Jan 1944; while serving as Commander, Hawaiian Sea Frontier, 27 Nov 1944; and until detachment from duty as member of the Joint Mexican-United States Defense Commission, 28 Jul 1945. Reverted to rear admiral, 31 Jan 1946; retired as vice admiral and advanced to tombstone admiral, 1 Apr 1947.
  37. ^ a b Confirmed as vice admiral for temporary service while serving as Commander, Caribbean Sea Frontier, 22 Mar 1944; and until detachment from duty as Commander, Service Force, Atlantic Fleet, 24 Jul 1945. Reverted to rear admiral, 3 Dec 1945; reprimanded for misconduct while Commander, Caribbean Sea Frontier, preventing retirement in highest wartime grade; retired as rear admiral and advanced to tombstone vice admiral, 1 Sep 1946.
  38. ^ Retired as naval constructor with rank of rear admiral, 1 Apr 1937; advanced on the retired list to naval constructor with rank of vice admiral, 1 Jul 1944, by special Act of Congress.
  39. ^ Retired as tombstone admiral, 1 May 1952; recalled to active duty as vice admiral, 21 Oct 1952–21 May 1954.
  40. ^ Appointed as admiral, 1 Feb 1947, retroactive to 7 Jan 1946.
  41. ^ Appointed as admiral, 23 Sep 1946–30 Nov 1950; reappointed as vice admiral, 1 Dec 1950; retired as admiral, 1 Nov 1953.
  42. ^ Reverted to rear admiral, 13 Nov 1948; reappointed as vice admiral, 3 Apr 1950; appointed as admiral, 22 Dec 1950–2 May 1954; reappointed as vice admiral, 3 May 1954; died, 16 Aug 1956.
  43. ^ Retired as tombstone admiral, 1 Apr 1955; recalled to active duty as vice admiral, 1 Apr 1955–1 Oct 1955, and as admiral, 10 Aug 1959–18 Jan 1960.
  44. ^ Retired as tombstone admiral, 1 Aug 1958; recalled to active duty as admiral, 25 Jul 1960–1 May 1961.
  45. ^ Appointed as admiral, 29 Apr 1957–31 Jan 1958; reappointed as vice admiral, 1 Feb 1958; retired as admiral, 1 Apr 1960.
  46. ^ Reverted to rear admiral, 18 Jan 1958; reappointed as vice admiral, 14 Sep 1959; appointed as admiral, 1 Aug 1961.
  47. ^ Retired as vice admiral, 1 Feb 1964; advanced on the retired list to admiral, 16 Nov 1973.
  48. ^ "Vice-Admiral Farragut". The New York Times. December 23, 1864. p. 6.
  49. ^ "Admirals Sampson and Schley". The Army and Navy Journal. February 23, 1901. p. 617.
  50. ^ "Sampson Doomed". The Wilkes-Barre Record. February 28, 1901. p. 5.
  51. ^ "Case Is Lost". The Courier-Journal. January 29, 1902. p. 1.
  52. ^ "Evans No Vice Admiral". The Baltimore Sun. February 16, 1909. p. 2.
  53. ^ a b Peeks, Ryan (October 2016). "Temporary Admirals Might Do". United States Naval Institute Proceedings. 142 (10).
  54. ^ Chisholm, pp. 557, 565, 568. House Report No. 377, 63d Congress, 2d Session: Admirals and Vice Admirals, United States Navy. Government Printing Office. March 13, 1914.
  55. ^ Hearings Before the Committee on Naval Affairs, House of Representatives, Sixty-Fourth Congress, First Session, on Estimates Submitted by the Secretary of the Navy, 1916, Volume 3. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. 1916. pp. 3565–3566, 3653–3654.
  56. ^ "Two Divisions Of Atlantic Battleship Fleet Announced". The Official Bulletin. July 19, 1917. p. 2.
  57. ^ "Half Of U.S. Navy Soon Will Be Sent To The Pacific Ocean". The Capital. November 30, 1918. p. 1.
  58. ^ Johnson, pp 181–183.
  59. ^ "To Command Our Atlantic Fleet". The Beattie Eagle. July 10, 1919. p. 2.
  60. ^ "Changes Among Navy Flag Officers". Army and Navy Journal. February 7, 1920. p. 698.
  61. ^ Annual Reports of the Navy Department For The Fiscal Year 1923. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. 1924. p. 122.
  62. ^ Wheeler, pp. 325–326.
  63. ^ King and Whitehill, p. 318.
  64. ^ "Marvell Awarded Vice Admiralcy As Third Of Rank". The Honolulu Advertiser. December 14, 1930. p. 1.
  65. ^ a b Wheeler, pp. 242, 252–255.
  66. ^ Chisholm, pp. 763–764. Hearings Before the Committee on Naval Affairs of the House of Representatives on Sundry Legislation Affecting the Naval Establishment, 1941–[1942]: Seventy-Sixth Congress, First–[Second] Session, Volume 1. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. 1942. pp. 1426–1433.
  67. ^ Rear Admiral Robert L. Ghormley Advanced To Vice Admiral. Navy Department press release. September 20, 1941.
  68. ^ "Ingersoll Raised To Full Admiral". The Muncie Evening Press. July 3, 1942. p. 2.
  69. ^ "Admiral King Named To Head Operations; Two Are Promoted". The Cincinnati Enquirer. March 14, 1942. p. 7.
  70. ^ Hearings Before the Committee on Naval Affairs of the House of Representatives on Sundry Legislation Affecting the Naval Establishment, 1943–[1944]: Seventy-Sixth Congress, First–[Second] Session, Volume 1. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. 1944. p. 3202.
  71. ^ a b Act of August 7, 1947 [Officer Personnel Act of 1947] (61 Stat. 886.)
  72. ^ "Ten Admirals For Life". The Cincinnati Enquirer. August 23, 1930. p. 7.
  73. ^ "Army and Navy News". The Sunday Star. August 17, 1930. p. 65.
  74. ^ "Navy Officers' Elevation Due". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. July 10, 1942. p. 15.
  75. ^ "Biographic Sketch: Vice Admiral Lynde D. McCormick, U.S.N." Naval War College Review. 9 (2): 54–55. October 1956. JSTOR 45183760.
  76. ^ "Navy Officers Make Honorary Rank Bid". The Fresno Bee. August 5, 1959. p. 3.
  77. ^ Hearings Before the Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives, Eighty-Sixth Congress, Second Session, Part 3: Financial Statements: Manpower, Personnel, and Reserves. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. 1960. pp. 742–743.
  78. ^ a b Hearing Before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate, Eighty-Sixth Congress, First Session on S. 1795: A Bill Amending Title 10, United States Code, to Revise Certain Provisions Relating to the Promotion and Involuntary Retirement of Officers of the Regular Components of the Armed Forces. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. 1959. pp. 25–26, 61–62.