Departing Annapolis, Fletcher began serving the two years at sea that were then required prior to commissioning. The initial attacks sunk the carriers Akagi, Soryu, and Kaga. In the period immediately following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher faced a series of challenges new to naval warfare. Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher was an American naval officer who played a key role in the early battles of World War II in the Pacific. In this final vessel, Fletcher also oversaw the submarine base at Cavite, Philippines. 80-G-10403 Pacific Fleet Flag Officers.jpg 1,280 × 1,034; 226 KB. Responding, the Japanese carrier Hiryu launched two raids against Yorktown that afternoon before being sunk by American aircraft. Kennedy Hickman is a historian, museum director, and curator who specializes in military and naval history. Vera Cruz, Mexico. An Iowa native, he received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the occupation of Veracruz. He was reassigned to command in the Northern Pacific and remained there for the remainder of the war. Serving with the Asiatic Torpedo Flotilla, Fletcher received his first command in April 1910 when ordered to the destroyer USS Dale. This done, a large troop convoy would proceed to the island. Remaining in the Far East, he later captained Chauncey in 1912. ThoughtCo, Aug. 29, 2020, thoughtco.com/admiral-frank-jack-fletcher-2360509. Generation. Fletcher was the operational commander at the pivotal Battles of Coral Sea and of Midway. King, contacted the Commander of the North Pacific Force, Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, to alert him that the United States planned to transfer approximately 250 ships and craft to the Soviet Union between April and December 1945 and that about 2,500 personnel would be present at … Adapted from "Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, USN, Retired" [biography, dated 15 February 1962] in Modern Officer Biographies Collection, Naval History and Heritage Command Archives, Washington Navy Yard. Biography. Leaving Florida that July, Fletcher reported for duty as Aide and Flag Lieutenant for his uncle who was assuming command of the Atlantic Fleet. Frank Jack Fletcher was born in Marshalltown, Iowa, on April 29, 1885. Completing his class work on February 12, 1906, he proved an above average student and ranked 26th in a class of 116. After a year at this post, he returned to the Naval Academy for duty in the Executive Department. World War II: Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher. "World War II: Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher." His first orders were for the USS Rhode Island (BB 17)" [commissioned 19 February 1906], then Ohio (BB 12), then Eagle IV (PY) in Haiti. With the US entry into World War II, Fletcher received orders to take Task Force 11, centered on the carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3) to relieve Wake Island which was under attack from the Japanese. FRANK JACK FLETCHER. Though air searches failed to find the enemy the next day, efforts on May 7 proved more successful. As the ship's commander, he led to a top ranking among the US Navy's destroyers at that spring's battle practice as well as claimed the gunnery trophy. Landing the 1st Marine Division on August 7, his carrier aircraft provided cover from Japanese land-based fighters and bombers. 49) during World War I. Frank Jack Fletcher, The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia. https://www.thoughtco.com/admiral-frank-jack-fletcher-2360509 (accessed April 18, 2021). Overseen by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the Imperial Japanese Navy commenced Operation Ka in late August. Frank Jack Fletcher (April 29, 1885 – April 25, 1973) was an admiral in the United States Navy during World War II. Source Hide citation. Elevated to the rank of admiral upon leaving the service, Fletcher retired to Maryland. A native of Marshalltown, IA, Frank Jack Fletcher was born April 29, 1885. For his command of the latter, he earned a Navy Cross for conducting patrols and escorts in submarine and mine infested waters. He received the Medal of Honor, the Navy Cross, and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal over the course of his career. Part of the naval forces led by his uncle, Rear Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher, he was placed in command of the chartered mail steamer Esperanza and successfully rescued 350 refugees while under fire. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/admiral-frank-jack-fletcher-2360509. Frank Jack Fletcher was born in Marshalltown, Iowa, on 29 April 1885. Frank Jack "Black Jack" Fletcher was an American admiral who played a major part in the early naval battles in the Pacific during the Second World War, but who gained a reputation for being over-cautious and was sidelined after the battle of the Eastern Solomons.. Fletcher attended the naval academy at Annapolis, graduating 26th out of 116 in 1906. An in-depth look at Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher as a task force carrier commander in the most important sea battles of the Second World War. 1917 December USS K6 Jack Fletcher At Left with Bueil the Dog.jpg 500 × 912; 121 KB. Published on 04/01/95. Fletcher was born on November 23, 1855, in Oskaloosa, Iowa.He was the uncle of World War II Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher.He graduated from the U.S. The following 11 files are in this category, out of 11 total. Serving as chief of staff to Admiral Montgomery M. Taylor for two years with the rank of captain, Fletcher gained early insight into Japanese naval operations following their invasion of Manchuria. Updated Fri Jan 10 15:18:46 EST 2020. He was assigned to USS Allen (DD-66) in February 1918 before taking command of USS Benham (DD-49) in May 1918. While with the ship, he took part in the Occupation of Veracruz which began in April 1914. Two months after Pearl Harbor he commanded one of the two Task Forces participating in the Marshall-Gilbert Islands campaign. In June 1936, Fletcher assumed command of the battleship USS New Mexico (BB-40). Given command of Task Force 61, Nimitz directed Fletcher to oversee the invasion of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. Departing that fall, he traveled to San Francisco where he oversaw the construction of vessels for the US Navy at Union Iron Works. That November, Fletcher was assigned to the destroyer USS Chauncey. He later died on April 25, 1973, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. While the Marines consolidated their position, the Japanese began planning a counter-offensive to reclaim the island. Though a surface commander, Fletcher took command of Task Force 17 on January 1, 1942. This was followed by duty as Aide to Secretary of the Navy Claude A. Swanson. A week after the engagement, Fletcher's flagship, Saratoga, was torpedoed by I-26. December 9, 2020 by Chuck Stanion in Pipe Line. Later chairing the board, he retired from active duty on May 1, 1947. Returning to the United States later that year, Fletcher joined the General Board of the Navy Department on December 17. Hickman, Kennedy. He was the nephew of Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher. He was assigned to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in the summer of 1933 and then had duty as Aide to Secretary of Navy Claude Swanson from November 1933-May 1936. Commanding Benham for most of the year, Fletcher received the Navy Cross for his actions during convoy duty in the North Atlantic. Elit iskolákba járt, kiváló tanuló volt. Frank Jack Fletcher page for Notable Graduates at USNA.edu. Media in category "Frank Jack Fletcher". Fletcher was the operational commander at the pivotal Battles of Coral Sea and of Midway. Traveling with this contingent aboard USS Tennessee (ACR-10), he arrived in at Cavite, Philippines during the fall of 1909. Fletcher commanded the USS Margaret (Scout Patrol No. While it is highly possible that Mrs. Fletcher encountered the recipe through the newspaper or somewhere else, it may be worth noting that in the 1940 census, she had a black servant named Theodore Hawkins. 1902-ben jelentkezett az Amerikai Egyesült Államok Haditengerészeti Akadémiájára. Fletcher's rebuttal to these claims was that he was attempting to preserve the US Navy's scarce resources in the Pacific in the wake of Pearl Harbor. Frank Jack Fletcher was born in Iowa. Moving towards the island, Fletcher was recalled on December 22 when leaders received reports of two Japanese carriers operating in the area. Fletcher, Frank Jack, 1885-1973 Person Authority Record. With the American entry into World War I in April 1917, he became the gunnery officer aboard USS Kearsarge (BB-5) Transferred that September, Fletcher, now a lieutenant commander, briefly commanded USS Margaret before sailing for Europe. The next day, American aircraft badly damaged the carrier Shokaku, but Japanese forces succeeded in sinking Lexington and damaging Yorktown. Commanding from the carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5) he learned air operations at sea while cooperating with Vice Admiral William "Bull" Halsey's Task Force 8 in mounting raids against the Marshall and Gilbert Islands that February. Appointed to the U. S. Naval Academy from his native state in 1902, he graduated from Annapolis on 12 February 1906 and was commissioned an … Fletcher was commander of Cruiser Division 6 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Full Biography [Original .pdf] [Transcription], Colloquium on Contemporary History 1989-1998, DANFS - Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Needs and Opportunities in the Modern History of the U.S. Navy, Permitting Policy and Resource Management, "Ex Scientia Tridens": The U.S. 30) during the landings Vera Cruz. For distinguished conduct in battle, engagements of Vera Cruz, 21 and 22 April 1914. Later assigned to USS Franklin, the receiving ship at Norfolk, Fletcher oversaw drafting men for service with the Pacific Fleet. "World War II: Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher." Frank Jack Fletcher was a Taurus and was born in the G.I. This called for Japanese three carriers, led by Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, to eliminate Fletcher's ships which would permit surface forces to clear the area around Guadalcanal. Following Eastern Solomons, the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Ernest J. In April 1914, he served aboard USS Florida (Battleship No. Made Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Navigation in June 1938, Fletcher was promoted to rear admiral the following year. Naval Academy ‘06, began his career with assignments in the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our. This is the first paperback edition of the revisionist work about Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, who won his battles at sea but lost the war of public opinion. Frank Jack Fletcher Admiral, United States Navy Born on April 29, 1885 at Marshalltown, Iowa, he graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1906 … On 18 January 1945, the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations and Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Navy, Fleet Admiral Ernest J. Later in the campaign, Fletcher brought a number of foreign nationals out of the interior by train after a complex series of negotiations with the local Mexican authorities. In this post for the remainder of the war, Fletcher also became commander of the Alaskan Sea Frontier in April 1944. Fletcher remained with the vessel until December 1937 when he departed for duty in the Navy Department. U.S. Navy. Appointed to the U. S. Navy Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, from his native state in 1902, he completed the four year course on February 12, 1906, served the two years at sea, then required by law, and was commissioned Ensign on February 13, 1908. 6623703, citing Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave . Lundstrom has done extensive research of original documents and resources from this time period. Sailing, he joined with Spruance's Task Force 16 which possessed the carriers USS Enterprise (CV-6) and USS Hornet (CV-8). Though Yorktown was later lost to a submarine attack, the battle proved a key victory for the Allies and was the turning point of the war in the Pacific. A month later, Fletcher served as second in command to Vice Admiral Wilson Brown during operations against Salamaua and Lae on New Guinea. Under fire, Lt. Fletcher was eminent and conspicuous in performance of his duties. King, severely criticized Fletcher for not pursuing Japanese forces after the battle. Though largely inconclusive, the battle forced the Japanese convoy to turn around and compelled them to deliver supplies to Guadalcanal by destroyer or submarine. That August, he oversaw the invasion of Guadalcanal and was criticized for withdrawing his ships leaving the Marines ashore unprotected and under-supplied. While Fletcher was in the latter post, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Lundstrom's volume is … On November 18, he assumed command of the 13th Naval District and Northwestern Sea Frontier with his headquarters at Seattle. A surface warrior, Fletcher led the carrier forces in the Pacific that won against all odds at Coral Sea, Midway, and the Eastern Solomon’s. Naval Academy, The Sullivan Brothers and the Assignment of Family Members, The African American Experience in the U.S. Navy, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. Navy, Contributions of American Indians to the U.S. Navy, Naval Service of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Personnel, The World Cruise of the Great White Fleet, Navy Underwater Archaeology Return Program, Annual Navy History and Heritage Awards - Main, Research Permits for Sunken & Terrestrial Military Craft, Scanning, Copyright & Citation Information, Obtain Duplications of Records and Photos, Lyndon B. Johnson's Army Silver Star citation, John F. Kennedy's Naval Service, Bibliography. Battered, the Japanese elected to withdraw after the battle giving the Allies a key strategic victory. Although he was not an aviator, he found himself commanding the aircraft carriers in the U.S. Pacific Fleet as they tried to arrest the momentum of the Japanese onslaught. An Iowa native, he received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the occupation of Veracruz. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Vice Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, September 1942. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions during this operation. These included command of the destroyer USS Whipple followed by the gunboat USS Sacramento and submarine tender USS Rainbow. He graduated from the U.S. With the end of the war in September 1945, Fletcher's forces occupied northern Japan. He was aided in this by the future father of the nuclear navy, Lieutenant Hyman G. Rickover, who was New Mexico's assistant engineering officer. 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