Commander Bio:Ernest King (1878-1956) was the U.S. Navy Fleet Admiral (from 1944). He held the highest command positions in all branches of the Navy. During World War I, King spent much of his time on ships of the allied Royal Navy, where he got used to wearing a white scarf in the breast pocket of his tunic, as British officers did at the time.
In the 1920s and 1930s, he commanded a submarine squadron, an aircraft carrier, served as Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics, Commander of the Aircraft Battle Force, and was promoted to vice admiral in 1939. The brilliant career behind him led to King, who was known for his nasty temper, being appointed to the Navy's General Board. However, with the outbreak of war, the country needed all of its most talented naval commanders. In early 1941, King was promoted to admiral as Commander of the Atlantic Fleet. Three weeks after the Pearl Harbor attack, he became Commander in Chief of the Fleet, and three months later, Chief of Naval Operations. He's the only officer in the history of the U.S. Navy to have held these positions simultaneously. Throughout World War II. King was responsible for every success and failure of the U.S. Navy's operations. Having led his fleet to the victory in all maritime theaters, he retired from active service in December 1945. |
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