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Nimitz received some 15 decorations and awards
from foreign governments. After his release from
active duty, he served for 8 years as Regent for the
University of California. He received honorary
degrees from 19 universities and colleges, including
Notre Dame, Columbia, Northwestern, Syracuse,
Tulane, Harvard, and Princeton.
WILLIAM FREDERICK HALSEY, JR
Admiral Nimitz was fortunate to have under his
command many extremely resourceful, intelligent,
dedicated, and courageous officers. Among these were
such commanders as Raymond A. Spruance, Thomas
C. Kinkaid, Marc A. Mitscher, John S. McCain, and
R. K. Turner. Probably the most famous leader,
however, was Admiral William F. (Bill) Halsey (fig. 2-
15). (Although reporters tagged him with the
nickname “Bull,” Halsey disliked it because it seemed
flamboyant.) His determination to succeed earned
134.133
Figure 2-15.-Admiral Halsey was an exceptional
commander. Although he had a flair for
doing the spectacular in a dashing way, his
valor and audacity were tempered by
tactical discretion. Admiral Nimitz, then
CINPAC, once said of him, "He...can calculate
to a cat's whisker the risk involved."
him the designation of naval aviator at the age of 52,
a prerequisite to being assigned a captain of an
aircraft carrier.
During the attack on Pearl Harbor, Halsey was
about 200 miles at sea. He was returning to Pearl
Harbor in his flagship Enterprise from Wake Island
where he had delivered Marine Fighter Squadron
221. He took no part in the action except to launch
aircraft in a fruitless search for the enemy.
Early in 1942 Admiral Nimitz chose Halsey to
conduct the first offensive raid in the central Pacific.
Halsey’s forces of 2 carriers, 5 cruisers, and 10
destroyers made a bold attack beginning 1 February
against the Japanese-held Gilbert and Marshall
Islands. They bombed and bombarded enemy bases
on nine separate islands. During the action, the
heavy cruiser Chester took one bomb hit, and the
flagship Enterprise was grazed on the flight deck by a
suicide pilot; no other ships were damaged during the
entire operation. Among other benefits, the raid
reestablished the offensive spirit within the Navy and
answered a question being asked at home—“Where is
the Navy?”
Four months after the “Day of Infamy” (Pearl
Harbor), Halsey’s forces conducted a unique and
dangerous carrier operation. They transported 16 B-
25 Army bombers across an ocean and launched them
650 miles off enemy shores. The squadron of planes,
led by Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle, took off
from the Hornet to bomb Tokyo. That attack boosted
American morale, which at that time was very low.
Halsey’s flagship, the Enterprise, was the first
carrier awarded a Presidential Unit Citation in World
War II. The citation was presented for consistently
outstanding
performance
and
distinguished
achievements during repeated action against
Japanese forces. The Enterprise, under Halsey’s
leadership, took part in nearly every major carrier
engagement in the first year of the war. Exclusive of
the damage and destruction of hostile shore
installations throughout the battle area, it sank or
damaged 35 enemy ships and shot down 185 aircraft.
The Enterprise was reported sunk by the Japanese so
many times it became known as “the galloping ghost
of the Oahu coast. ”
On 18 October 1942 Halsey was appointed
Commander of the South Pacific Force and South
Pacific area. Starting with the decisive American
victory in November at Guadalcanal, Halsey’s forces
stopped the Japanese advance in the South
2-19
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