ABSTRACT
Admiral. He led American carrier task forces in crucial WW2 victories in the Pacific. When Japan struck Pearl Harbor in December 1941 he was Commander, Cruiser Division Six, and following the attack he took command of Task Force 14. In February 1942 he commanded Task Force 17 and participated in the carrier strike against the Japanese in the Marshall and Gilbert Islands. In the battle of the Coral Sea his Task Force 17 turned back the Japanese force moving on Port Moresby, New Guinea. He was in tactical command of the aircraft carriers USS York-town, USS Enterprise and USS Hornet in the victory at the battle of Midway in June 1942. After those successes he was promoted to Vice Admiral, and during the initial amphibious assault of Guadalcanal commanded both the amphibious and carrier forces. Following criticism of certain of his tactical decisions and the torpedoing of his flagship, USS Saratoga, he returned in August 1942 to the United States. In November he began a series of senior shore assignments.
