Everything about Chester W Nimitz totally explained
Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz,
USN,
GCB (
February 24,
1885 –
February 20,
1966) held the dual command of Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet ("CinCPac" pronounced "sink-pack"), for U.S. naval forces and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas (CinCPOA), for U.S. and Allied air, land, and sea forces during
World War II. He was the leading U.S. Navy authority on
submarines, as well as Chief of the Navy's
Bureau of Navigation in
1939. He served as Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) from 1945 until 1947. He was his country's last surviving
Fleet Admiral.
Early life
Chester W. Nimitz, a
German Texan, was the son of Chester Bernhard and Anna (Henke) Nimitz. He was born in
Fredericksburg, Texas, where his house is now a museum. His father died before he was born. He was significantly influenced by his grandfather, Charles H. Nimitz, a former seaman in the German Merchant Marine, who taught him, "the sea - like life itself - is a stern taskmaster. The best way to get along with either is to learn all you can, then do your best and don't worry - especially about things over which you've no control."
Originally, young Nimitz had hoped to attend the
United States Military Academy at
West Point and become an Army officer, but there were no appointments available. His congressman,
James L. Slayden, told him that he'd one appointment available for the Navy and that he'd award it to the best qualified candidate. Nimitz felt that this was his only opportunity for further education and spent extra time studying to earn the appointment. He was appointed to the
United States Naval Academy from
Texas's 12th congressional district in 1901, and he graduated with distinction on
January 30,
1905, seventh in a class of 114.
Military career
Early career
He joined the
battleship Ohio (BB-12) at
San Francisco, and cruised in her to the Far East. In September 1906, he was transferred to
Baltimore (C-3); and, on
31 January 1907, after the two years at sea then required by law, he was commissioned as an
Ensign. Remaining on Asiatic Station in 1907, he successively served in
Panay,
Decatur, and
Denver.
While Nimitz was a 22-year-old ensign in the
Philippines in command of the destroyer
Decatur (DD-5), his ship ran aground on a mudbank. Nimitz was court-martialed and convicted of hazarding a Navy ship and received a letter of reprimand .
Nimitz returned to the
United States in the
USS Ranger when that vessel was converted to a school ship, and in January
1909 began instruction in the First Submarine Flotilla. In May of that year he was given command of the flotilla, with additional duty in command of
Plunger, later renamed
A-1. He commanded
Snapper (later renamed
C-5) when that submarine was commissioned on
February 2,
1910, and on
November 18,
1910 assumed command of
Narwhal (later renamed
D-1). In the latter command he'd additional duty from
October 10,
1911, as Commander 3rd Submarine Division Atlantic Torpedo Fleet. In November 1911 he was ordered to the
Boston Navy Yard, to assist in fitting out
Skipjack and assumed command of that submarine, which had been renamed
E-1, at her commissioning on
February 14,
1912. On
March 20,
1912 he rescued Fireman Second Class W. J. Walsh, from drowning.
After commanding the Atlantic Submarine Flotilla from May
1912 to March
1913, he supervised the building of
diesel engines for the tanker
Maumee, under construction at the
New London Ship and Engine Building Company,
Groton, Connecticut.
Nimitz married Catherine Vance Freeman on
April 9,
1913, in
Wollaston, Massachusetts.
World War I
In the summer of 1913, Nimitz studied engines at the
diesel engine plants in
Nuremberg, Germany, and
Ghent, Belgium. Returning to the
New York Navy Yard, he became
Maumee's
Executive Officer and Engineer on her
commissioning October 23,
1916. On
10 August 1917 Nimitz became aide to Rear Admiral
Samuel S. Robinson, Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. On
February 6,
1918 he was appointed Chief of Staff and was awarded a Letter of Commendation for meritorious service as Chief of Staff to the Commander, U.S. Atlantic Submarine Fleet. On
September 16,
1918, he reported to the Office of the
Chief of Naval Operations, and on
October 25,
1918 was given additional duty as Senior Member, Board of Submarine Design.
Between the wars
From May 1919 to June 1920 he served as executive officer of
South Carolina. He then commanded
Chicago with additional duty in command of Submarine Division 14, based at
Pearl Harbor. Returning to the United States in the summer of
1922, he studied at the
Naval War College,
Newport, Rhode Island, and in June 1923, became Aide and Assistant Chief of Staff to Commander
Battle Fleet, and later to the Commander in Chief,
U.S. Fleet. In
August 1926 he went to the
University of California, Berkeley to establish the Navy's first
Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps unit.
Nimitz lost part of one finger in an accident with a diesel engine, only saving the rest of it—and his career—when the machine jammed against his
Annapolis ring. He also suffered a severe ear infection, becoming partially deaf. He compensated by becoming proficient at
reading lips.
In June
1929 he took command of Submarine Division 20. In June
1931 he assumed command of
Rigel and the destroyers out of commission at
San Diego, California. In October
1933 he took command of
Augusta and cruised in him to the
Far East, where in December he became
flagship of the
Asiatic Fleet. In April
1935, he returned home for three years as Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Navigation, before becoming Commander, Cruiser Division 2, Battle Force. In September
1938 he took command of Battleship Division 1, Battle Force. On
June 15,
1939 he was appointed Chief of the Bureau of Navigation.
World War II
Ten days after the
attack on Pearl Harbor on
December 7,
1941 he was selected
Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (CinCPAC), with the rank of
Admiral, effective from
December 31. Assuming command at the most critical period of the war in the Pacific, Admiral Nimitz, despite the losses from the
attack on Pearl Harbor and the shortage of ships, planes and supplies, successfully organized his forces to halt the
Japanese advance.
On
March 24,
1942, the newly-formed US-British
Combined Chiefs of Staff issued a directive designating the
Pacific theater an area of American strategic responsibility. Six days later the US
Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) divided the theater into three areas: the
Pacific Ocean Areas (POA), the
Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA, commanded by General
Douglas MacArthur), and the
South East Pacific Area. The JCS designated Nimitz as
Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas CinCPOA, with operational control over all Allied units (air, land, and sea) in that area.
As rapidly as ships, men, and material became available, Nimitz shifted to the offensive and defeated the Japanese navy in the
Battle of the Coral Sea, the
Battle of Midway, and in the
Solomon Islands Campaign.
By Act of Congress, approved
December 14,
1944, the grade of
Fleet Admiral of the United States Navy — the highest grade in the Navy — was established and the next day
President of the United States Franklin Roosevelt appointed Admiral Nimitz to that rank. Nimitz took the oath of that office on
December 19,
1944.
In the final phases in the war in the Pacific, he attacked the
Mariana Islands, inflicting a decisive defeat on the Japanese Fleet in the
Battle of the Philippine Sea, and capturing
Saipan,
Guam, and
Tinian. His Fleet Forces isolated enemy-held bastions of the Central and Eastern
Caroline Islands and secured in quick succession
Peleliu,
Angaur, and
Ulithi. In the
Philippines, his ships turned back powerful task forces of the Japanese Fleet, a historic victory in the multi-phased
Battle for Leyte Gulf 24 to
October 26,
1944. Fleet Admiral Nimitz culminated his long-range strategy by successful amphibious assaults on
Iwo Jima and
Okinawa. In addition, Nimitz also ordered the
United States Army Air Forces to mine the Japanese ports and waterways by air with
B-29 Superfortresses in a successful mission called
Operation Starvation, which severely interrupted the Japanese logistics.
In January 1945, Nimitz moved the headquarters of the Pacific Fleet forward from
Pearl Harbor to
Guam for the remainder of the war. Mrs. Nimitz remained in the United States for the duration of the war, and she didn't join her husband in Hawaii or Guam.
On
September 2,
1945 Nimitz signed for the United States when Japan formally surrendered on board the
Missouri in
Tokyo Bay. On
October 5,
1945, which had been officially designated as "Nimitz Day" in
Washington, DC, Admiral Nimitz was personally presented a Gold Star in lieu of the third
Distinguished Service Medal by the President of the United States "for exceptionally meritorious service as Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas, from June 1944 to August 1945...."
Nimitz was known throughout
World War II as the "Island Hopper" during the Pacific campaign.
Post war
On
November 26,
1945 his nomination as
Chief of Naval Operations was confirmed by the US Senate, and on
15 December 1945 he relieved Fleet Admiral
Ernest J. King. He had assured the President that he was willing to serve as the CNO for one two-year term, but no longer. He tackled the difficult task of reducing the most powerful Navy in the world to a fraction of its war-time strength, while establishing and overseeing active and reserve fleets with the strength and readiness required to support national policy.
On
March 14,
1950, in
United Nations Security Council Resolution 80 the governments of
India and
Pakistan both agreed that he should administer the plebiscite that would determine the fate of
Jammu and Kashmir.
For the post-war trial of
German Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz at the
Nuremberg Trials, Admiral Nimitz furnished an affidavit in support of the practice of unrestricted submarine warfare, a practice that he himself had employed throughout the war in the Pacific. This evidence is widely credited as a reason why Dönitz was only sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment. After Dönitz was released, Admiral Nimitz went to vist Dönitz.
Inactive Duty as a Fleet Admiral
On
December 15,
1947, he retired from office of Chief of Naval Operations. However, since the rank of
Fleet Admiral is a lifetime appointment, he remained on active duty for the rest of his life, with full pay and benefits. He and his wife Catherine moved to
Berkeley, California. After he suffered a serious fall in 1964, he and Catherine moved to US Naval quarters on
Yerba Buena Island in the
San Francisco Bay.
In San Francisco, he served in the mostly ceremonial post as a Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy in the Western Sea Frontier. After World War II, he worked to help restore goodwill with Japan by helping to raise funds for the restoration of the Japanese Imperial Navy battleship
Mikasa, Admiral
Heihachiro Togo's flagship at the
Battle of Tsushima in
1905. He was also suggested as a
United Nations envoy to help mediate the
Kashmir dispute, but due to the deterioration of relations between India and Pakistan, the mission didn't take place.
Nimitz served as a regent of the
University of California from 1948-1956, where he'd formerly been a faculty member as a professor of Naval Science for the
NROTC program. Nimitz was honored on 17 October 1964, by the
University of California on
Nimitz Day.
Nimitz and his wife had four children: Catherine Vance (b. 1914), Chester, Jr., (1915-2002), Anna (1919-2003), and Mary (1931-2006). Chester W. Nimitz, Jr., graduated from the
U.S. Naval Academy in 1936, and he served as a submariner in the Navy until his retirement in 1957, reaching the (post-retirement) rank of
Rear Admiral; he served as chairman of
PerkinElmer from 1969-1980. Anna Elizabeth ("Nancy") Nimitz was an expert on the
Soviet economy at the
RAND Corporation from 1952 until her retirement in the 1980s. Sister Mary Aquinas (Nimitz) became a sister in the
Order of Preachers (Dominicans), working at
Dominican University of California teaching biology for 16 years, academic dean for 11 years, acting president for 1 year, and vice president for institutional research for 13 years before becoming the university's Emergency Preparedness Coordinator. She held this job until her death
February 27,
2006 when she lost her battle with cancer.
Nimitz suffered a stroke, complicated by pneumonia, in late 1965. In January 1966 he left the U.S. Naval Hospital (Oak Knoll) in
Oakland to return home to his naval quarters. He died the evening of
20 February 1966. The place of death is Quarters One on
Yerba Buena Island in
San Francisco Bay. He was buried at
Golden Gate National Cemetery in
San Bruno, California on
1966-02-24.
Dates of rank
Midshipman - January 1905
Fleet Admiral - rank made permanent in the United States Navy on 13 May 1946, a lifetime appointment.
At the time of Nimitz's promotion to Rear Admiral, the United States Navy didn't maintain a one-star rank. Nimitz was thus promoted directly from a Captain to a Two-Star Admiral. By Congressional Appointment, he skipped the rank of Vice Admiral and became a Four-Star Admiral in December 1941.
Nimitz also never held the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade, as he was appointed a full Lieutenant after three years of service as an Ensign. For administrative reasons, Nimitz's naval record states that he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade and Lieutenant on the same day.
Decorations and awards
United States awards
Foreign awards
United Kingdom - Knight Grand Cross of the British Order of the Bath (GCB), honorary
United Kingdom - Pacific Star
France - Legion of Honor (French: Légion d'honneur)
Philippines - Philippine Medal of Valor
Philippines - Liberation Medal with one bronze service star
Netherlands - Order of Orange-Nassau with Swords in the Degree of the Knight Grand Cross
Greece - Grand Cross of the Order of George I
China - Grand Cordon of Pao Ting (Tripod) Special Class
Guatemala - Cross of Military Merit First Class (Spanish: La Cruz de Merito Militar de Primera Clase)
Cuba - Grand Cross of the Order of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes
Argentina - Order of the Liberator (Spanish: Orden del Libertador San Martin)
Ecuador - Star of Abdon Calderon (1st Class)
Argentina - Grand Cross of the Order of the Liberator
Belgium - Grand Cross Order of the Crown with Palm (French: Grand Croix De L'orde De La Couronne Avec Palme)
Belgium - Cross of War with Palm (French: Croix de Guerre Avec Palme)
Italy - Knight of the Grand Cross of the Military Order of Italy (Cavaliere di Gran Croce)
Brazil - Order of Naval Merit (Ordem do Merito Naval)
Memorials
Besides the honor of being on a United States postage stamp, the following institutions and locations have been named in honor of Nimitz:
USS Nimitz, the first of her class of ten nuclear-powered supercarriers, which was commissioned in 1975 and remains in service.
Nimitz Foundation, established in 1970, which funds the National Museum of the Pacific War
The Nimitz Freeway, Interstate 880, from Berkeley to San Jose, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area
Nimitz Glacier in Antarctica for his service during Operation Highjump as the CNO.
Nimitz Boulevard - a major throughfare in the Point Loma Neighborhood of San Diego.
The Nimitz Highway - Hawaiian state route 92 on Oahu
The Nimitz Library, the main library at the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland
Callahan Hall (the ROTC Building at UC Berkeley) containing the "Nimitz Library" was gutted by arson in 1985
Nimitz High School, Irving, Texas
Nimitz High School (Harris County, Texas)
Chester W. Nimitz Junior High School, Odessa, Texas
Nimitz Middle School, Huntington Park, California
Nimitz Elementary School, Sunnyvale, California.
Chester W. Nimitz Elementary School
Honolulu, Hawaii
Nimitz Middle School Tulsa, Oklahoma
The Nimitz Trail in Tilden Park in Berkeley, California.
Chester Nimitz Oriental Garden Waltz performed by Austin Lounge Lizards
The summit on Guam where Chester Nimitz relocated his Pacific Fleet headquarters, and where the current Commander U.S. Naval Forces Marianas resides, is called Nimitz Hill.
Main Gate at Pearl Harbor is called "Nimitz Gate"
Admiral Nimitz Circle - located in Fair Park, Dallas, Texas.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Chester W Nimitz'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://chester_w__nimitz.totallyexplained.com">Chester W. Nimitz Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
