John B. Lundstrom - Black Shoe Carrier Admiral: Frank Jack Fletcher at Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal

Courtesy of Yeoman Frank W. Boo, via Dr. Steve Ewing

This book has been brought to publication
with the generous assistance of Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest.

Naval Institute Press

291 Wood Road

Annapolis, MD 21402

2006 by John B. Lundstrom

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

First Naval Institute Press paperback edition published in 2013.

ISBN: 978-1-61251-220-4

The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:

Lundstrom, John B.

Black shoe carrier admiral: Frank Jack Fletcher at Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal / John B. Lundstrom.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. World War, 19391945CampaignsPacific Ocean. 2. World War, 19391945Naval operations, American. 3. World War, 19391945Aerial operations, American. 4. Aircraft carriersUnited StatesHistory20th century. 5. Fletcher, Frank Jack. I. Title.

D767.L86 2006

940.545973092dc22

2005037937

This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper).

21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

First printing

All maps are courtesy of the authors wife, Sandra Lundstrom.

To Elmer Pete Lundstrom, Private First Class, U.S. Army Air Force,
and Bernard R. Weber, Lieutenant, U.S. Naval Reserve,
who did more for me than they ever knew.

The present book, the product of some thirty years of research into the early campaigns of the Pacific War, would not have come to pass without the extraordinary help and encouragement of many individuals and organizations. This simple statement of gratitude that names only a few cannot possibly describe my obligation to all of them.

Given my obvious sympathy for this books controversial subject, I am greatly concerned not to offer in any way a whitewash of Admiral Fletchers actions, but to treat them objectively. Thus I am most grateful to four reviewers who read the manuscript specifically with that object in mind: Dr. Steve Ewing, my close friend and coauthor of Fateful Rendezvous; the distinguished historian Richard B. Frank, who is also a valued friend; Frank Uhlig Jr. of the Naval War College; and Rear Adm. Kenneth R. Manning, USNR (Ret.). They all contributed excellent comments and advice, pressed me to prove my case, and even urged me on occasion to ratchet up the justified criticism of Fletchers detractors. Lt. Cdr. Richard H. Best, USN (Ret.), read the chapters up through Midway and offered wonderful comments from his perspective as one of the Navys most illustrious dive bomber leaders of World War II. I owe a special debt to Edward M. Miller, author of the seminal work War Plan Orange, who also read the manuscript. Without his stalwart support this book might not have been published. The errors that remain in the text are solely mine.

Other fine friends and associates eagerly aided my research. James C. Sawruk is a peerless researcher of Pacific War aviation who always seems to find key information when it is needed. Robert J. Cressman and Dr. Jeffrey G. Barlow, superb historians at the Naval Historical Center, provided invaluable assistance, as have Dr. Izawa Yasuho, James T. Rindt, J. Michael Wenger, Mark E. Horan, Mark Peattie, William Vickrey, Charles Haberlein, Ronald Mazurkiewicz, and Craig Smith. Steven L. Roca offered not only friendship but also put me up (and put up with me) during my numerous visits to College Park. Dr. Lloyd J. Graybar generously gave me access to the important and irreplaceable correspondence he generated for his excellent 1980 article on the relief of Wake. Two previous Midway authors, Walter Lord and Dr. Thaddeus V. Tuleja, graciously shared their research with me, as did Dr. Stephen D. Regan, who wrote a biography of Admiral Fletcher. Lt. Cdr. Jozef H. Straczek, RAN, provided excellent information from Australian archives. Although we differ strongly on Fletcher, I am grateful to Dr. Chris Coulthard-Clark for his very useful work on Adm. John G. Crace, RN. In the Milwaukee Public Museum, Dr. William Moynihan, previously president and CEO, and my former boss Carter L. Lupton were extremely supportive of my research.

Through the Internet I gained more help than I could have imagined and made more friends. Jonathan Parshall is a kindred spirit whose perspicacity and breadth of knowledge is amazing. He and coauthor Anthony Tully have written the most important new book on Midway in years. I would also like to thank Benjamin Schapiro, Randy Stone, David Dickson, Sandy Shanks, Jean-Franois Masson, Allan Alsleben, Allyn Nevitt, Andrew Obluski, and Cheralynn Wilson. The Battle of Midway Roundtable, run by William Price and Ronald Russell, has been an important asset in researching that battle.

Among the many participants and their families who aided my research, I would like to mention Thomas Newsome, George Clapp, Norman Ulmer, and Frank Boo, all of whom served directly with Fletcher in the Yorktown and Saratoga. Capt. Forrest R. Biard, USN, graciously answered my queries despite knowing that my opinion of his old boss Fletcher is so directly opposite to his own. Rear Adm. William N. Leonard, USN (Ret.), an old friend from my earliest days of research, offered insights into the role of an admiral in his flagship. William F. Surgi, another VF-42 veteran, and his wife Jean greatly facilitated my early research and took me to visit Mrs. Martha Fletcher in 1973 a few months after the admirals death. Vice Adm. David C. Richardson shared with me his recollections of compiling the Naval War College analyses. Col. William W. Smith, USA (Ret.), gave me full access to the papers of his father, Vice Adm. William Ward Smith. The family of Rear Adm. Oscar Pederson, USN (Ret.), also opened his papers to me. John C. Fitch spoke to me of his father Adm. Aubrey W. Fitch and provided copies of his papers. Harriet L. Houck, daughter of Vice Adm. Spencer S. Lewis, furnished photographs, as did Cdr. Samuel E. Latimer Jr. I would also like to thank the heirs of Adm. Sir John G. Crace, RN, for permission to cite his papers in the Imperial War Museum.

Most of the documents utilized for this book now rest in the National Archives at the Archives II facility in College Park, Maryland. Over the years I have been fortunate to work with outstanding archivists Dr. Gibson B. Smith, Barry Zerbe, and Richard Peuser. At the Operational Archives Branch of Naval Historical Center, Kathy Lloyd, Michael Walker, and John Hodges were equally helpful. Admiral Fletchers papers are held at the excellent American Heritage Center of the University of WyomingLaramie, where Carol L. Bowers and Lori Olson copied everything I required. Dr. Evelyn Cherpak likewise opened to me the many important collections of personal papers the Naval War College is privileged to hold. At the Nimitz Library of U.S. Naval Academy, Alice Creighton made available the Vice Adm. Wilson Brown papers. Steve Nielsen of the Minnesota Historical Society assisted me with Congressman Melvin J. Maass papers. I am also grateful for the help of Hill Goodspeed of the National Museum of Naval Aviation at NAS Pensacola. My good friend Paul Stillwell furnished numerous histories from the oral history program at the U.S. Naval Institute, which are key sources for this work.