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118-657: Ernest Joseph King (23 November 1878 – 25 June 1956) was a fleet admiral in the United States Navy who served as Commander in Chief, United States Fleet (COMINCH) and Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) during World War II . He was the U.S. Navy's second-most senior officer in World War ;II after Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy , who served as Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief . He directed

236-601: A Baltimore socialite he had met while at the Naval Academy. They had become engaged in January 1903. She was living at West Point, New York , with her sister Florence, who had married an Army officer, Walter D. Smith . King and Egerton were married in a ceremony in the West Point Cadet Chapel on 10 October 1905. They had six daughters, Claire, Elizabeth, Florence, Martha, Eleanor and Mildred; and

354-706: A destroyer . He received his first command, the destroyer USS  Terry on 30 April 1914, participating in the United States occupation of Veracruz , escorting a mule transport from Galveston, Texas . He then moved on to his second command, a more modern destroyer, the USS ; Cassin on 18 July 1914. He also served as an aide-de-camp to the commander of the Atlantic Fleet destroyer flotilla, Captain William S. Sims . In December 1915, King joined

472-518: A naval cadet on 18 August 1897. He acquired the nickname "Rey", the Spanish word for "king". During the summer breaks, naval cadets served on ships to accustom them to life at sea. While still at the Naval Academy, King served on the cruiser USS  San Francisco during the Spanish–American War . During his senior year at the academy, he attained the rank of cadet lieutenant commander,

590-474: A brief interlude overseeing the salvage of USS  S-4 , for which he was awarded a gold star to his Distinguished Service Medal. He then became Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics under Moffett. The two quarreled over certain elements of Bureau policy, and King was replaced by Commander John Henry Towers and transferred to command of Naval Station Norfolk . On 20 June 1930, King became captain of

708-767: A general of the army, a fleet admiral was entitled to an office maintained by the Navy along with an aide (of the Naval rank of Captain ), a secretary , and an orderly . Three of the four fleet admirals died in the late 1950s and, by 1960, Chester Nimitz was the sole surviving U.S. Navy fleet admiral. He held a ceremonial post as Navy adviser to the Western Sea Frontier with his quarters based in San Francisco. Nimitz died in 1966 with no further fleet admirals appointed since. The President, with consent from

826-668: A heavy drinker, he gave up hard liquor for the duration of the war in March 1941. In April 1941, King was summoned to Hyde Park, New York , where Roosevelt informed him of an upcoming conference with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom , Winston Churchill , at Argentia . He went to Hyde Park again in July to make further arrangements. King found the old Texas to be unsuitable as a flagship, and on 24 April he switched to

944-508: A joint general staff, but in the face of opposition from King, he backed down on the idea of an executive head of the services. Instead, Marshall pressed for a senior officer to act as a JCS spokesperson and a liaison between the JCS and the President. He nominated Leahy for the post, hoping that a naval officer would be more acceptable to King. King remained opposed, but Roosevelt was convinced of

1062-409: A law ( 10 USC Sec. 5942 ) requiring commanders of all aircraft carriers , seaplane tenders , and aviation shore establishments be qualified naval aviators or naval aviation observers . King therefore reported to Naval Air Station Pensacola , Florida, for aviator training in January 1927. He was the only captain in his class of twenty; although it also included Commander Richmond K. Turner , most of

1180-592: A lifetime membership of the United States Naval Institute . Due to the expansion of the navy, officers like King who had served three years at sea as an ensign became eligible for promotion to lieutenant ; only the few who failed to pass the examinations were promoted to lieutenant (junior grade) . This involved traveling to Washington, D.C. , for ten days of physical examinations and tests of his professional knowledge in May 1906. The final hurdle

1298-544: A member of the JCS, King had to remain in Washington, D.C. The following year, Knox tried to have Horne, who dealt with most of the CNO work like preparing budgets and appearing before Congress, appointed as CNO. This too failed, as it required executive action by Roosevelt, and King elevated Edwards over Horne's head to the new position of deputy COMINCH and deputy CNO on 1 October 1944. Cooke replaced Edwards as chief of staff to

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1416-527: A mid-ocean meeting point, where they met escorts from the Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy . The United States was now engaged in an undeclared war, although they were still restricted by the Neutrality Acts of the 1930s . On 31 October, the destroyer USS  Reuben James became the first U.S. warship to be sunk by a German U-boat . In response to this and other incidents, Congress amended

1534-648: A mistake in appointing him. King had Willson retired in August 1942 due to heart conduction and replaced him with Edwards. When Turner went to the South Pacific for the Guadalcanal campaign , he was succeeded by Rear Admiral Charles M. Cooke Jr. . Although he was now based at the Navy Department in Washington, D.C., King wanted to be able to put to sea himself at any time. For his flagship, he selected

1652-514: A note to Knox in August 1943 he wrote: "Tell Ernie once more: No reorganizing of the Navy Dept. set-up during the war. Let's win it first." With King reporting directly to Roosevelt and only under his "general supervision", Knox saw King as a threat to his authority. He attempted to remove King in 1942 by suggesting he assume command in the Pacific as COMINCH, but this was not possible because as

1770-634: A position with the Pennsylvania Railroad workshops, but returned to Lorain a year later. When King was eleven years old, the family moved to Cleveland , where his father was a foreman at the Valley Railway workshops, and King was educated at the Fowler School. He decided to go to work rather than high school, and took a position with a company that made typesetting machines. When it closed he went to work for his father. After

1888-402: A request for $ 300 million to carry out the program. Edison was impressed, and wrote to Roosevelt, recommending that King be appointed CINCUS, but Roosevelt did not make the appointment, influenced by King's heavy drinking. The CNO, Admiral Harold R. Stark , considered King's talent for command was being wasted on the general board. In September 1940, Stark summoned King to his office, along with

2006-520: A restructure on 28 May. It was opposed by Knox and the Under Secretary of the Navy , James V. Forrestal , who saw it a challenge to their authority, and by the bureau chiefs, who feared a loss of their autonomy. Most importantly, it was opposed by Roosevelt, who, on 12 June, ordered Knox to cancel everything King had done. Roosevelt did assent to King's proposal to create the post of Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Aviation (DCNO (Air)), but in

2124-593: A son, Ernest Joseph King Jr. Mattie considered educated women to be vulgar. She took little interest in King's naval career, and confined her activities to her children and domestic affairs. King's next assignment was as a gunnery officer on the battleship USS  Alabama . King became a critic of shipboard organization, which was largely unchanged since the days of sail. He published his thoughts in Some Ideas About Organization on Board Ship in

2242-608: A special assignment: to improve the anti-aircraft defenses of the fleet. Experiments with radio-controlled drones making passes at ships in February 1939 had shown that they were very difficult to shoot down. Aircraft were flying faster and carrying bigger bombs, posing a greater threat to the fleet, which would soon be confirmed in combat. King looked over the plans for each type of ship and made recommendations as to what kind of guns could be installed, where they should be located, and what should be removed to make way for them. He prepared

2360-529: A storm hit and the submarine suddenly rose to the surface. After an attempt to tow it failed, King made the difficult decision to sink it again. Eventually the divers succeeded in raising it and getting it to the New York Navy Yard . In 1925, Rear Admiral William A. Moffett , Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics , asked King if he would consider a transfer to naval aviation . King was unable to accept

2478-412: A strong supporter of Halsey, was responsible for blocking subsequent efforts to promote Spruance to fleet admiral (although his promotion continued to be blocked after Vinson retired). Instead, Spruance's achievements were recognized by the unique honor of a Special Act of Congress awarding him full four-star admiral 's salary during the remainder of his life. Spruance expressed the following feelings over

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2596-529: A submarine division, flying his commodore 's pennant from USS  S-20 . He never earned his Submarine Warfare insignia (dolphins), although he proposed and designed the now-familiar dolphin insignia. On 4 September 1923, he took over command of the Naval Submarine Base at New London . From September 1925 to July 1926, King directed the salvage of USS  S-51 , earning the first of his three Navy Distinguished Service Medals . The task

2714-520: A three-game football schedule. 1917 is generally regarded as the turning point in Lorain's physical education program. In that year, the second wing of the high school was completed and it included a gymnasium. Since that time, physical education has been a required course in the schools. The Lorain Board of Educated purchased a tract of land for a recreation field in 1919. A football field was laid out and

2832-483: A track was constructed on the land known as Longfellow Field. This field had poor drainage, and, as a result, many of the football games and track meets were held on water soaked and muddy grounds. The 1920s brought an increase in physical education activities. The four junior high schools were built during that time, adding four gymnasiums to the school system. Also, during the early 1920s, Lorain High School joined

2950-415: A two-story frame building was constructed on Fourth Street. This was the only schoolhouse within the limits of the town until 1870 when a four-room, two story brick building was completed. The cost of this building, which later became a part of the high school, was fifteen thousand dollars. The building site had been purchased for an additional two thousand dollars. As early as 1862 there was a tax levied for

3068-778: A year, the family returned to Lorain, and King entered Lorain High School . He graduated as valedictorian in the Class of 1897; his commencement speech was titled "Uses of Adversity". The school was a small one; there were only thirteen classmates in his year. King secured an appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland , from his local Congressman, Winfield Scott Kerr , after passing physical and written examinations in Mansfield, Ohio , ahead of thirty other applicants. He entered Annapolis as

3186-766: Is General of the Armies when Congress passed Pub. L.   94–479 in 1976, promoting George Washington to that rank and making him senior to all other grades of the Army, past or present. Lorain High School Lorain High School is part of Lorain City School District in Lorain, Ohio and was founded in 1876, beginning as a two-year high school course. In 1879, the first graduating class consisted of three members. By 1883,

3304-466: Is a current and authorized rank, no U.S. Navy officer holds it presently. Only four World War II era officers have ever held the rank: William D. Leahy , Ernest J. King , Chester W. Nimitz , and William Halsey Jr . Leahy, King, and Nimitz were promoted to the rank in December 1944, followed by Halsey in December 1945. While all four men effectively retired in the late 1940s, the rank of fleet admiral

3422-443: Is for life. The last active fleet admiral was Nimitz, who died in 1966. The Navy originally had an established precursor 5-star rank of Admiral of the Navy , that was superior to Admiral . The rank used the 1867 regulation Admiral insignia. This rank was established and given only to Admiral George Dewey , in recognition of his victory at Manila Bay in 1898. On March 2, 1899, Congress passed Pub. L.   55–378 approving

3540-475: Is traditional and habitual for us to be inadequately prepared. This is the combined result of a number of factors, the character of which is only indicated: democracy, which tends to make everyone believe that he knows it all; the preponderance (inherent in democracy) of people whose real interest is in their own welfare as individuals; the glorification of our own victories in war and the corresponding ignorance of our defeats (and disgraces) and of their basic causes;

3658-540: The United States Naval Institute Proceedings , which won a prize for best essay in 1909. "The writer fully realizes the possible opposition," he wrote, "for if there is anything more characteristic of the navy than its fighting ability, it is its inertia to change, or conservatism, or the clinging to things that are old because they are old." In addition to a gold medal, the prize came with $ 500 (equivalent to $ 17,000 in 2023) and

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3776-606: The Bureau of Aeronautics . Following a period on the Navy's General Board , he became commander in chief of the Atlantic Fleet in February 1941. Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor , King was appointed as COMINCH, and in March 1942, he succeeded Admiral Harold R. Stark as CNO, holding these two positions for the duration of the war. He also commanded the Tenth Fleet , which played an important role in

3894-786: The Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS), which held its first meeting in Washington, D.C., on 23 January 1942. To parallel the British chiefs, the Americans formed the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), which held its first meeting on 9 February 1942. The Joint Chiefs of Staff initially consisted of Stark, King, General George C. Marshall , the Chief of Staff of the United States Army , and Lieutenant General Henry H. Arnold ,

4012-723: The Montana class while he was on the General Board on the grounds that they were too big to fit through the Panama Canal . Aircraft carriers were another matter; King strongly opposed Roosevelt's proposal in August 1942 to defer the Midway -class aircraft carriers on the grounds that they would consume too many resources and were unlikely to be completed until after the war. Eventually Roosevelt authorized them, but his forecast proved correct. However King gave way to Roosevelt on

4130-795: The Naval Torpedo Station at Newport, Rhode Island . He then became the navigator of the survey ship USS  Eagle , which conducted surveys of Cienfuegos Bay in Cuba. An eye injury resulted in his being sent to the Brooklyn Naval Hospital . When he recovered, he was ordered to report to the battleship USS  Illinois , which was berthed in Brooklyn . The Illinois was the flagship of Rear Admiral Arent S. Crowninshield , and King got to know Crowninshield's staff well. The staff offered him an assignment on

4248-580: The Pacific Fleet on the same day. Legend has it that King said: "When they get into trouble, they call for the sons-of-bitches." John L. McCrea , Roosevelt's naval aide, asked King if he actually had said it. King replied that he had not, but would have if he had thought of it. The abbreviation CINCUS (pronounced "sink-us") seemed inappropriate after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor , and on 12 March 1942 King officially changed it to COMINCH. Stark

4366-651: The Philippines campaign . It was noted that this would exacerbate the national labor shortage and adversely affect the munitions industry, and drastic measures might be required if the Army ran into more manpower difficulties, as indeed occurred. When war was declared on Germany, an attack on coastal shipping by U-boats was anticipated, as this was what had happened in World War I. On 12 December 1941, German U-boat commander, Vizeadmiral Karl Dönitz , ordered an attack, codenamed Operation Paukenschlag ("Roll of

4484-796: The SS ; Delphine , a luxury yacht formerly owned by the family of Horace Dodge , which King renamed USS Dauntless . King lived on board Dauntless , which spent most of the war at anchor at the Washington Navy Yard . When the American chiefs of staff, which included King and Stark, met with the British Chiefs of Staff Committee at the Arcadia Conference in Washington, D.C., from 24 December 1941 to 14 January 1942, they agreed to merge their organizations to form

4602-505: The aircraft carrier USS  Lexington —then one of the largest aircraft carriers in the world—which he commanded for the next two years. When not on duty, he enjoyed drinking, partying and socializing with his junior officers. He ignored complaints that some of his officers rented a secluded farmhouse where prohibition and blue laws were flouted. He enjoyed the company of women and had many affairs. Women avoided sitting next to him at dinner parties if they did not want to be groped under

4720-571: The Air Force was created as a separate service as part of the National Defense Act of 1947. The insignia for a fleet admiral is composed of five silver stars in a pentagonal design. Worn on the service dress blue uniform sleeve was a gold stripe two inches wide surrounding the sleeve two inches from the cuff with four half-inch stripes placed at 1 ⁄ 4 inch intervals. The single gold five-pointed star, one ray down, worn above

4838-583: The Annapolis class of 1902 were being sent home from the Asiatic Fleet , he sought and obtained an audience with Rear Admiral Charles J. Train . Train agreed that King was entitled to go home and arranged for him to travel on the former hospital ship USS  Solace , which departed on 27 June. On returning to the United States, King rejoined his fiancée, Martha Rankin ("Mattie") Egerton,

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4956-567: The Army declared a blackout of coastal cities on 18 May. The Germans had broken the American and British codes and sometimes lay in wait. Meanwhile, the German Navy added an extra wheel to its Enigma machines in April and the Allies lost the ability to decrypt its signals for ten months. The first requirement of an effective anti-submarine campaign was anti-submarine escorts. In 1940, when he

5074-638: The Atlantic Fleet." He was promoted to commander on 1 July 1917 and captain on 21 September 1918. After the war King adopted his signature manner of wearing his uniform with a breast-pocket handkerchief below his ribbons. Officers serving alongside the Royal Navy did this in emulation of the British Admiral David Beatty , the commander of the British Grand Fleet . King was the last to continue this tradition. After

5192-657: The Atlantic. On 17 December 1940, King raised his flag as Commander, Patrol Force (as the Atlantic Squadron had been renamed on 1 November) on the battleship USS  Texas in Norfolk, Virginia . When he examined the war plan in the safe, he found it was for a war with Mexico. His first order, issued three days later, was to place the Patrol Force on a war footing. He astonished subordinates by stating that

5310-465: The Bureau of Ships protested. By March 1944, it was estimated that the Navy would reach its manpower ceiling by August, and would require 340,000 more sailors by the end of the year for ships under construction, which included nine Essex -class aircraft carriers. On 2 July, King asked the Joint Chiefs to approve an increase of 390,000 men. The Army did not object, as it was more than 300,000 over its own personnel ceiling, and needed assault shipping for

5428-506: The CNO, Admiral William H. Standley , who sought to assert the power of the CNO over the bureau chiefs, was more tempestuous. With the help of Leahy and Swanson, King managed to block Standley's proposals. King appeared before a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee , chaired by Congressman William A. Ayres , where he was questioned about the Bureau of Aeronautics's contractual arrangements with Pratt and Whitney . Although warned by his staff that an forthright answer could strain

5546-411: The CNO. Knox died from a heart attack on 28 April 1944, and Roosevelt nominated Forrestal as his replacement. As Under Secretary of the Navy, Forrestal was familiar with naval issues, and he had a good track record managing the navy's procurement program. He was unanimously confirmed by the Senate, but King and Forrestal clashed. The Navy had always thought in terms of ships, but more were on order than

5664-405: The Chief of the United States Army Air Corps . In his role as a member of the CCS and JCS, King became engaged in the formulation of grand strategy , which came to occupy the majority of his time. Roosevelt's Executive Order 8984 made COMINCH the commander of the operational forces of the navy, and "directly responsible, under the general direction of the Secretary of the Navy, to the President of

5782-541: The Chief of the Bureau of Navigation, Rear Admiral Chester W. Nimitz , and offered King the command of the Atlantic Squadron . Nimitz explained that while King had been a vice admiral in his last seagoing command, he would only be a rear admiral for this one. King replied that he did not care, and accepted the position. However, his assumption of command was delayed for a month by a hernia operation, and then several more weeks while he accompanied Edison's successor, Frank Knox , on another inspection tour, this time of bases in

5900-437: The Germans withdrew their submarines from the western Atlantic. This emboldened Roosevelt to take further steps. He declared a National Emergency on 27 May. On 19 July, King issued orders creating Task Force 1, with the mission of escorting convoys to Iceland, which had been occupied by the U.S. Marines . Nominally, the convoys were American, but ships of any nationality were free to join. From 1 September, convoys were escorted to

6018-415: The Lake Erie League and soon after the Board of Education realized that Longfellow Field was not adequate for playing league games. In 1927, the Board of Education purchased a fourteen and one-half acres of land on Oberlin Avenue to be used as a stadium for football and track. The field cost $ 40,000. The public school children agreed to raise $ 15,000 if the Board of Education gave $ 25,000. The children raised

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6136-434: The Lorain High School Annex at 2321 Fairless Drive, along with Credit Recovery Academy, due to lack of space for the entire student body in the current building. Grades 10-12 are located in Lorain High School at 2270 E 42nd Street. On October 24, 2012, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the new site for Lorain High School. The new building's cost amounts to $ 73 million and will be 330,000 square feet. School officials claim

6254-475: The Navy had personnel to crew them. The fleet grew faster than expected because plans assumed losses on the scale of 1942, but in fact they were much fewer. With the Navy now dominated by aviators and submariners, the easiest target for ship cancellations were the battleships. In May 1942, King had indefinitely deferred construction of five battleships, including all the Montana class , in favor of more aircraft carriers and cruisers. King had opposed construction of

6372-481: The Navy's aircraft carriers, and Commander, Aircraft, Base Force, a rear admiral who commanded the seaplane squadrons. King hoped to get the former assignment, but this was opposed by Standley, and at the conclusion of his term as bureau chief in 1936, King became Commander, Aircraft, Base Force, at Naval Air Station North Island , California. He survived the crash of his Douglas XP3D transport on 8 February 1937. Leahy succeeded Standley as CNO on 1 January 1937. King

6490-418: The Neutrality Acts in November, allowing merchant ships to be armed and to deliver goods to British ports. With the United States declaration of war on Germany on 11 December, the Atlantic Fleet was officially at war. On 20 December, King became CINCUS. Ten days later he hoisted his flag on USS  Vixen and was succeeded as CINCLANT by Admiral Royal E. Ingersoll . Nimitz became the Commander in Chief of

6608-422: The Pacific Ocean area. Halsey received his promotion based on his successes. George C. Marshall was promoted to General of the Army on December 16, 1944; General MacArthur was promoted on December 18, 1944; General Eisenhower was promoted on December 20, 1944, and General Arnold was promoted on December 21, 1944. Arnold would later be laterally promoted to General of the Air Force on May 7, 1949, after

6726-462: The Senate, may award a fifth star to Admirals. In the 1990s, there were proposals in Department of Defense academic circles to bestow a five-star rank on the office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . Military leaders in the Global War on Terrorism can be promoted to a five-star rank. The Navy does not have an established rank senior to fleet admiral. The only officially recognized United States military rank senior to fleet admiral

6844-418: The U-boats, and that they could be acquired at the last minute, so there was no need to interfere with the capital-ship building program. While acknowledging that small craft like submarine chasers had their uses, King pointed out that escort duty required vessels that could cope with rough weather and had sufficient crewmen to mount round-the-clock watches . Fleet admiral (United States) Although it

6962-416: The United States Navy's operations, planning, and administration and was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Combined Chiefs of Staff . King graduated fourth in the United States Naval Academy class of 1901. He received his first command in 1914, of the destroyer USS  Terry in the occupation of Veracruz . During World War I , he served on the staff of Vice Admiral Henry T. Mayo ,

7080-410: The United States was already at war with Germany. In January 1941 King issued Atlantic Fleet directive CINCLANT Serial 053 , encouraging officers to delegate and avoid micromanagement, which is still cited widely in today's armed forces. The Patrol Force was designated the Atlantic Fleet on 1 February 1941. King was promoted to admiral and became the Commander in Chief, Atlantic Fleet (CINCLANT). Formerly

7198-534: The United States." There was considerable overlap between the roles of COMINCH and CNO, and on Stark's advice, Roosevelt combined the duties of the two with Executive Order 9096. On 26 March, King succeeded Stark as CNO, becoming the only officer to hold this combined command. On the same date, Horne became the Vice Chief of Naval Operations. Although King was both COMINCH and CNO, the two offices remained separate and distinct. Stark became Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe . Edwards, Cooke and Horne remained with King for

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7316-422: The base was dangerously vulnerable to aerial attack, although he was taken no more seriously until 7 December 1941, when the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked the base . King hoped to be appointed CNO or Commander in Chief, United States Fleet (CINCUS), but on 1 July 1939, he reverted to his permanent rank of rear admiral and was posted to the General Board , an elephants' graveyard where senior officers spent

7434-431: The boys and girls who were of school age. After twenty years of service, the little schoolhouse became inadequate and classes were held in the old meetinghouse at the corner of Washington and West Erie Avenues. When the village of Charleston was incorporated in 1836, it became part of the township system. A lot was, therefore, set aside for school use, although no schoolhouse was built on it for several years. During 1853,

7552-423: The building will rival college or university buildings and give students a chance to compete with others around the world. Construction on the new site for Lorain High School was completed in 2016; in time for students to begin attending in August. The doors were opened to students on August 24, 2016. Physical education in Lorain City Schools is said to have begun in 1894, the year Lorain High School first played

7670-450: The class were ensigns or lieutenants. King received his wings as Naval Aviator No. 3368 on 26 May 1927 and resumed command of Wright . Between 1926 and 1936 King flew an average of 150 hours annually. For a time, he frequently flew solo, flying to Annapolis for weekend visits with his family, but his solo flying was eliminated by a naval regulation prohibiting them for aviators aged 50 or over. King commanded Wright until 1929, except for

7788-456: The commander in chief of the Atlantic Fleet . After the war, King was the head of the Naval Postgraduate School and commanded submarine divisions . He directed the salvage of the submarine USS  S-51 , earning the first of his three Navy Distinguished Service Medals , and later that of the USS  S-4 . He qualified as a naval aviator in 1927, and was captain of the aircraft carrier USS  Lexington . He then served as Chief of

7906-428: The creation of the rank. The Senate confirmed Dewey's promotion to that rank on March 14, 1903, and he was officially promoted to Admiral of the Navy on March 24, 1903, with a retroactive date-of-rank of March 2, 1899. The congressional act also stipulated that upon Dewey's death, the rank would cease to exist. Dewey died on January 16, 1917, ending the Navy's use of the rank. A proper five-star rank of fleet admiral

8024-412: The cruiser USS  Augusta once it had completed an overhaul. So it was that in August it was the Augusta that took Roosevelt to the Atlantic Conference , where King and British Admiral Sir Percy Noble worked out the details for the United States Navy escorting convoys halfway across the Atlantic. Rather than risk a conflict with the United States on the eve of the invasion of the Soviet Union ,

8142-475: The cruiser USS  Cincinnati , which was headed overseas, bound for the Far East via the Suez Canal . King was promoted to ensign on 7 June 1903, having taken his examination while the Cincinnati was in Europe. The Cincinnati spent several weeks at anchor in Manila Bay , where it conducted target practice. In February 1904 it sailed to Korea, where the Russo-Japanese War had broken out. It remained in Korean waters until October, when it went to China. It

8260-428: The drums" or "drumbeat"). The following day, King issued a warning to all Atlantic commands of an impending German U-boat attack. This did not occur immediately, because the U-boats had been withdrawn from the Western Atlantic and priority was accorded to operations in the Mediterranean. Some use was made of this respite to lay a defensive naval minefield and erect protective harbor anti-submarine nets and booms . Only

8378-502: The duration of the war, but more junior officers were brought in for periods of up to a year and then returned to sea duty. When King turned 64 on 23 November 1942, King wrote Roosevelt to say he had reached mandatory retirement age. Roosevelt replied with a note saying: "So what, old top? I may send you a birthday present." (The present was a framed photograph.) Stark left the JCS in March 1942 when King succeeded him as CNO, reducing its membership to three until July 1942. Marshall advocated

8496-646: The fight against the German U-boats in the Second Battle of the Atlantic . He participated in the top-level Allied World War II conferences , and took the lead in formulating the strategy of the Pacific War . In December 1944, he became the second admiral to be promoted to the new rank of fleet admiral. He left active duty in December 1945 and died in Kittery, Maine , in 1956. Ernest Joseph King

8614-481: The first three appointments was carefully planned, such that a clear order of seniority and a near-equivalence between the services was established for the Generals of the Army promoted at the same time. Admiral Leahy acted as an executive Chief of Staff over Admiral King and General Marshall and briefed President Franklin D. Roosevelt . King coordinated all naval operations. Nimitz commanded all naval operations in

8732-532: The former Lorain Southview High School building as construction began for the new building. The all new Lorain High School complex opened in 2016. Prior to the organization of the area's first public school, subscription classes were taught by David Smith of Amherst . These classes were held in an old log cabin location at the intersection of Oberlin Avenue and First Street. On November 9, 1827,

8850-658: The high school curriculum was expanded to three years and in 1889, it was expanded to four years. In 1995, Lorain High School was closed and became Lorain Middle School, which was later closed in 2005. In the fall of 2010, following the merger of Lorain Admiral King High School and Lorain Southview High School , Lorain High School reopened as the Lorain High School Titans, with navy blue and silver as their colors and operated in

8968-419: The high school curriculum was expanded to three years; in 1889, it was expanded to four years. The first wing of Lorain High School was completed in 1916 and dedication exercises were held on May 12 of that year. The second wing of the building was completed in 1917 and the two wings included ninety two rooms, a gymnasium-stage and an auditorium. Located at Sixth Street and Washington Avenue, Lorain High School

9086-540: The highest naval cadet ranking at that time. He graduated in June 1901, ranked fourth in his class of sixty-seven. The graduation address was given by the Vice President of the United States , Theodore Roosevelt , who handed out the diplomas. Graduates like King who went into the Navy had to serve for two years at sea before being commissioned as ensigns . King took a short course in torpedo design and operation at

9204-400: The house holders of the village met to discuss the education of their children. A school board was elected and two hundred dollars was appropriated for the purpose of building a schoolhouse for the youngsters of Lorain . It was suggested that a schoolhouse to be built on the west side of town; later, it was agreed upon and a small building was constructed. Miss Lucria Smith was employed to teach

9322-422: The inability of the average individual (the man in the street) to understand the cause and effect not only in foreign but domestic affairs, as well as his lack of interest in such matters. Added to these elements is the manner in which our representative (republican) form of government has developed as to put a premium on mediocrity and to emphasize the defects of the electorate already mentioned. Aware that Moffett

9440-514: The issue of escort carriers ; while he believed that nothing smaller than the Essex -class aircraft carrier would be useful in the Pacific war, he accepted Roosevelt's argument that it was important to get new aircraft carriers in commission quickly. In 1943, with the war against the U-boats being won, King canceled 200 of the 1,000 destroyer escorts on order, but backed off canceling another 200 when

9558-437: The issue: So far as my getting five star rank is concerned, if I could have had it along with Bill Halsey, that would have been fine; but, if I had received it instead of Bill Halsey, I would have been very unhappy over it. The first fleet admiral to leave active duty was Ernest King who retired immediately after the conclusion of World War II. Chester Nimitz and William Halsey both retired two years later while William Leahy

9676-412: The life of Edison's father starring Spencer Tracy . "I understand", Walsh told King, referring to a popular myth, "that you shave with a blowtorch." King replied that this was an exaggeration. Walsh liked the story so much he told everyone he met, and eventually had Tiffany & Co. make a scale model of a blowtorch, which he presented to King. When they returned to Washington, D.C., Edison gave King

9794-565: The long-range Type IX and some Type VII submarines could reach the Western Atlantic, so only six to eight U-boats were on station of the East coast between January and June 1942. The carnage began on 12 January, when a British steamer was sunk 300 nautical miles (560 km; 350 mi) off Cape Cod by U-123 . By the end of the month, U-boats had sunk thirteen ships totaling 95,000 gross register tons (270,000  m ). Few of

9912-463: The merchant ships were armed and those that were, were no match for the U-boats. Each U-boat carried fourteen torpedoes , including some of the new electric model , which left no air bubbles in its wake, and had a deck gun capable of sinking many merchant ships. There was no seaboard blackout, as this was a politically sensitive issue—coastal cities resisted, citing the loss of tourism revenue. Waterfront lights and signs switched off on 18 April 1942, and

10030-542: The merits of the proposal. On 21 July 1942, Leahy was appointed Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy and became the fourth member of the JCS. As the senior officer, Leahy chaired its meetings, but he did not exercise any command authority. King and Marshall retained their direct access to the President. King had thirty-two official meetings with Roosevelt at the White House in 1942, but only eight in 1943, nine in 1944 and just one in 1945. Roosevelt

10148-445: The money by means of carnivals, candy sales, plays, operettas, paper drives and athletic events. The football stadium on Oberlin Avenue is a tribute to the hard work of the citizens of Lorain. Originally known as Recreation Field, its name was changed in 1958 to George Daniel Field in honor of the man who served as teacher, coach and athletic director for more than fifty years. George Daniel, a three-sport athlete at Lorain High School at

10266-556: The name was changed to the "Little Big Seven." The two-semester system with promotions twice a year was begun, and the first mid-year graduation was held in 1911, the same year that work on the new Lorain High School building was begun. 1912 was the first year that the Lorain High School football team, under coach Daniel, went undefeated, also achieving this feat in 1914 and 1916. In 1922 the Lorain High basketball team

10384-629: The new Secretary of the Navy , recommended King, having been impressed by work in the salvage of the S-51 and S-4 . King became Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics, and was promoted to rear admiral on 26 April 1933. As bureau chief, King worked closely with Leahy, who was now the chief of the Bureau of Navigation , to increase the number of naval aviators. Together they established the Aviation Cadet Training Program to recruit college graduates as aviators. His relationship with

10502-464: The new mascot being the Titans. The high school was previously housed in the former Lorain Admiral King High School building until 2012, where it was moved to the former Lorain Southview High School and the newly constructed Southview Middle School to make way for the construction of Lorain High School at the site of the former Lorain Admiral King High School on 2600 Ashland Avenue. Grade 9 is located in

10620-478: The offer at that time due to the salvage of S-51 , and he wanted command of a cruiser, which Leahy was unable to offer. King then accepted Moffett's offer, although he still hoped for a cruiser. He assumed command of the aircraft tender USS  Wright , with additional duties as senior aide on the staff of Commander, Air Squadrons, Atlantic Fleet. That year, the United States Congress passed

10738-455: The officer in charge of discipline at Bancroft Hall . King returned to sea duty in 1909, as flag secretary to Rear Admiral Hugo Osterhaus . After a year, Osterhaus was transferred to shore duty, and King joined the engineering department of the battleship USS  New Hampshire . He soon became the engineering officer. After a year on New Hampshire , Osterhaus returned to sea duty and King became his flag secretary once more. Fellow officers on

10856-624: The promotion of Omar Bradley to the five-star rank of General of the Army in 1950 while serving as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff so that he would be of the same rank as General of the Army Douglas MacArthur , the theater commander in Korea, there has been no new legislation authorizing the use of the rank of fleet admiral since 1946. It was held during and after World War II by the following officers: The timing of

10974-426: The relationship with the sole supplier of certain engines the Navy needed, King confirmed to the committee that Pratt and Whitney was making profits of up to 45 percent. As a result, the 1934 Vinson–Trammell Act contained a provision limiting profits on government aviation contracts to 10 percent. In 1936, there were only two seagoing aviation flag billets: Commander, Aircraft, Battle Force, a vice admiral who commanded

11092-728: The staff included Dudley Knox as fleet gunnery officer and Harry E. Yarnell as fleet engineering officer. King returned to shore duty at Annapolis in May 1912 as executive officer of the Naval Engineering Experiment Station. While there, he served as the secretary-treasurer of the Naval Institute, editing and publishing papers in the Proceedings . He was promoted to lieutenant commander on 1 July 1913. When war with Mexico threatened in 1913, King went to Washington, D.C., to lobby for command of

11210-578: The staff of Vice Admiral Henry T. Mayo , the Commander in Chief , of the Atlantic Fleet. After the United States entered World War I , King went to the UK as part of Mayo's staff. He was a frequent visitor to the Royal Navy and occasionally saw action as an observer on board British ships. He was awarded the Navy Cross "for distinguished service in the line of his profession as assistant chief of staff of

11328-612: The table. King once told a friend: "You ought to be very suspicious of anyone who won't take a drink or doesn't like women." In 1932, King attended the Naval War College . In a war college thesis entitled "The Influence of National Policy on Strategy", King identified Great Britain and Japan as the United States's most likely adversaries. He expounded on the theory that America's weakness was representative democracy : Historically, despite Washington's (and others') experienced and cogent advice to make due preparations for war, it

11446-629: The time remaining before retirement. A series of extraordinary events would alter this outcome. In March, April and May 1940, King accompanied the Secretary of the Navy, Charles Edison , Edison's naval aide, Captain Morton L. Deyo , and Edison's friend Arthur Walsh on a six-week tour of naval bases in the Pacific. En route they stopped in Hollywood to preview Edison, the Man , a biographical film about

11564-487: The top stripe was not part of the rank, but indicated the wearer to be a line officer. Another contender to receive the rank of fleet admiral was Admiral Raymond A. Spruance ; the choice between him and Halsey was an issue that occupied several months of deliberation, before Admiral King finally chose Halsey. Purportedly U.S. Representative Carl Vinson , chairman of the House Armed Services committee and

11682-446: The township schools, and the first school census that same year showed 187 people of school age living in (Lorain). By 1872, the number increased to 199. In 1871, the first formal adoption of textbooks occurred and the students soon after began using McGuffery's readers, Ray's arithmetic and Harvey's grammar books. Strictly speaking, the public schools of the city of Lorain began in 1874 when Lorain became incorporated. Benjamin F. Bellows

11800-663: The turn of the century and a track star at Ohio Wesleyan University, coached football at Lorain High School until he was named the first supervisor of physical education. George Daniel, a 1905 LHS graduate, became Lorain High's second athletic coach in 1910. Although Lorain High School students participated in sports prior to 1911, it was in that year that Daniel was instrumental in forming the "Little Big Four" league, which consisted of Lorain High School, Elyria High School , Sandusky High School , and Norwalk High School . The league later expanded to include Fremont, Bellevue, and Oberlin, and

11918-710: The war ended in November 1918, King became head of the Naval Postgraduate School in Annapolis. He bought a house there, where his family lived from then on. With Captains Dudley Knox and William S. Pye , King prepared a report on naval training that recommended changes to naval training and career paths, which gained wide circulation when he published it in the Proceedings . Most of the report's recommendations were accepted and eventually became policy. In 1921, King heard that Rear Admiral Henry B. Wilson , an officer whose stance on naval education he disliked,

12036-410: Was a demanding one: S-51 lay on the bottom with a large gash on the side in 130 feet (40 m) of water near Block Island , and navy salvage divers were not accustomed to working below 90 feet (27 m). The submarine was raised by sealing compartments and forcing the water out of them with compressed air. Eight pontoon floats were added to make it buoyant again. Just as they were ready to raise it,

12154-464: Was a member of the General Board, King had recommended copying the 327-foot (100 m) Treasury-class cutter as an anti-submarine escort. As commander-in-chief of the Atlantic Fleet he had pressed Stark to secure such craft, but Stark replied that the President did not approve. Roosevelt, who had been involved in the development of the submarine chaser , a much smaller vessel, during World War I, believed that small craft would be sufficient to deal with

12272-522: Was an appearance before the selection board, which drew attention to his record of punishments for drinking and insubordination, before congratulating King on his promotion, which became effective on 7 June 1906. Duty afloat alternated with duty ashore, so King's next assignment was at Annapolis, where he taught ordnance, gunnery and seamanship. This posting reunited him with Mattie, who had been living with her family in Baltimore. After two years he became

12390-644: Was back in Manila for more target practice in February and March 1905 before returning to China. In June 1906, it escorted the Russian cruisers Oleg , Aurora and Zhemchug , survivors of the Battle of Tsushima , into Manila Bay, where they were interned. Bouts of heavy drinking led to King being put under hatches , and a forthright and arrogant attitude bordering on insubordination led to adverse comments in his fitness reports. When he heard heard that members of

12508-560: Was born in Lorain, Ohio , on 23 November 1878, the second child of James Clydesdale King, a Scottish immigrant from Bridge of Weir , Renfrewshire , and his wife Elizabeth (Bessie) née Keam, an immigrant from Plymouth , England. His father initially worked as a bridge builder, but moved to Lorain, where he worked in a railway repair shop. He had an older brother who died in infancy, two younger brothers and two younger sisters: Maude (who died aged seven), Mildred, Norman and Percy. The family moved to Uhrichsville, Ohio , when his father took

12626-410: Was closed and merged with Admiral King High School, changing the name to Lorain Admiral King High School and remaining in the latter's building. Lorain Middle School was opened that fall in the former Lorain High School building and retained the previous high school's mascot and colors until closing in 2005. Lorain High School reopened in late August 2010, with their colors being navy blue and silver and

12744-421: Was created in 1944 in order to give United States military officers comparable rank to five-star officers of allied nations. The rank of fleet admiral was created by an Act of Congress for four officers to hold on a temporary basis under Pub.L. 78-482 on December 14, 1944. The rank was made permanent for the four individual holders by Pub. L.   79–333 on March 23, 1946. Although Congress authorized

12862-600: Was due to retire in mid-1933, King lobbied for his job. In this he was aided by Winder R. Harris , the managing editor of The Virginian-Pilot newspaper, and Senator Harry F. Byrd , who wrote to President Franklin D. Roosevelt on his behalf. The position became available earlier than expected after Moffett died in the crash of the airship USS  Akron on 4 April 1933. The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), Admiral William V. Pratt , listed King as his fourth choice, after Rear Admirals Joseph M. Reeves , Harry E. Yarnell and John Halligan Jr. , but Claude A. Swanson ,

12980-414: Was expanded and remodeled three times since the second wing of the high school was built in 1917 before closing in 1995. In the late 1930s, an Arts building was completed when it became necessary to expand the industrial arts program. In 1962, a three unit gymnasium and a new home economics department were built and a new cafeteria and a two-level media center were added in 1972. In 1995, Lorain High School

13098-490: Was not above micromanaging the navy. For example, in early 1942 he sent explicit instructions to Admiral Thomas C. Hart , the commander of the Asiatic Fleet , detailing how he wanted surveillance patrols run. Roosevelt granted Marshall broad authority to reorganize the War Department , but King's authority was more constrained. King, acting on a suggestion from Roosevelt that he "streamline" the Navy Department, ordered

13216-401: Was promoted to vice admiral on 29 January 1938 on becoming Commander, Aircraft, Battle Force – at the time one of only three vice admiral billets in the U.S. Navy. He flew his flag on the aircraft carrier USS  Saratoga . Among his accomplishments was to corroborate Yarnell's 1932 war game findings in 1938 by staging his own successful simulated naval air raid on Pearl Harbor , showing that

13334-590: Was regarded as boring and was avoided by ambitious officers. After a year, King again approached Leahy about securing command of a destroyer division or flotilla and again was told that nothing was available. Leahy then suggested that if King was interested in submarines , he could offer him command of a submarine division. King accepted. King attended a short training course at the Submarine School in New London, Connecticut , before taking command of

13452-758: Was reluctant to part with Ingersoll as his chief of staff, but King insisted that he was needed as CINCLANT. He offered Rear Admiral Russell Willson , the Superintendent of the Naval Academy, and Rear Admiral Frederick J. Horne , from the General Board, as replacements. Stark chose Horne, and King then took Willson as his own chief of staff. Rear Admiral Richard S. Edwards , who had served King as Commander, Submarines, Atlantic Fleet, became his deputy chief of staff. For assistant chiefs of staff, King selected Rear Admirals Richmond K. Turner and Willis A. Lee . King did not get along with Willson; their personalities were too different, and later admitted that he had made

13570-435: Was the first superintendent. He, along with one assistant, Miss Kirkbridge, were the entire teaching staff. The following year, Miss Hannah E. Burett became the third member of the faculty. In 1876, the schools were divided into primary, grammar and high school departments. A two-year high school course was developed and in 1879 the first class, consisting of two boys and one girl, was graduated from Lorain High School. By 1883,

13688-449: Was the last fleet admiral to leave active duty in 1949. According to Public Law 78-482, fleet admirals on active duty receive the same pay as a Rear Admiral, Upper Half (two star) plus a $ 5,000 personal allowance, and upon retirement were to receive 75% of their active duty pay. When Public Law 79-333 made the rank permanent for Leahy, King, Nimitz, and Halsey, it also provided for full pay and allowances once those officers retired. As with

13806-518: Was to become the Superintendent of the Naval Academy . King approached Captain William D. Leahy about an early return to sea duty. Leahy told him he was too junior for a seagoing captain's command, and that nothing was available. After some discussion, King eventually accepted command of USS  Bridge , a stores ship . Although auxiliaries like Bridge served a vital role, such a command

13924-565: Was winner of the first Ohio High School Athletic Association Class Title. The school became champion of the Lake Erie League in 1927 for Football. During the 1960s, Lorain High School played in the Buckeye Conference alongside teams from Findlay, Sandusky, Fremont Ross, Admiral King High School, Mansfield, Marion, and Elyria. In 2014, the new Lorain High made its first splash real in athletics. The football team made

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