United States Navy admiral
Frank Friday Fletcher
(November 23, 1855 ? November 28, 1928) was a
United States Navy
admiral who served in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was awarded the U.S. military's highest decoration, the
Medal of Honor
, for his actions as commander of navy forces at the
Battle of Veracruz
, Mexico. The
Fletcher
-class
destroyer, the most produced class of United States Navy destroyers, was named after him. He was also the uncle of
Frank Jack Fletcher
, another U.S. Navy admiral who also received the Medal of Honor for actions at Veracruz, and who commanded American naval forces at the battles of
Coral Sea
and
Midway
during
World War II
.
Biography
[
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]
Grave at Arlington Nationa Cemetery
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. Naval Academy
in 1875 and spent the next year as a
midshipman
on
USS
Tuscarora
. Promoted to
ensign
in July 1876, he had sea duty on the sloops of war
Portsmouth
,
Plymouth
,
Lackawanna
and
Constellation
before participating in
USS
Ticonderoga
's voyage around the world in 1878?1881. Fletcher advanced to the rank of master (later
lieutenant, junior grade
) in April 1882 and was next assigned to the
Hydrographic Office
in Washington, D.C. In July 1884, he reported to
USS
Quinnebaug
for service in European waters. After ordnance training in late 1887, he had five years' duty at the
Bureau of Ordnance
, during which time he was promoted to
lieutenant
and made notable contributions to gun mechanism design and shipboard navigation.
[1]
From 1892 to 1895, Fletcher commanded the navy's first torpedo boat,
USS
Cushing
, based at the Torpedo Station in
Newport, Rhode Island
, and developed the navy's first torpedo warfare doctrine. He then served in the battleship
USS
Maine
before returning to the Newport Torpedo Station in October 1896. After a brief tour as Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance in the spring of 1898, Lieutenant Fletcher became commanding officer of the converted yacht
USS
Kanawha
. From October 1898 to July 1901 he commanded the surveying ship
USS
Eagle
and, in March 1899, was promoted to
lieutenant commander
.
[1]
In the fall of 1901, Fletcher returned to ordnance duty and was closely involved with torpedo warfare. A year later he became Chief of Staff of the
Asiatic Fleet
and later in 1905 assumed command of the cruiser
USS
Raleigh
. Fletcher attended the
Naval War College
courses in both 1907 and 1908 and in 1908 was assigned to the navy's
General Board
during the next year. That same year, he became a member of the District of Columbia Society of the
Sons of the American Revolution
.
[2]
He was promoted to
captain
in May 1908 and from November of that year to March 1910 he commanded the battleship
USS
Vermont
. In the spring of 1910, Fletcher became the Secretary of the Navy's Aide for Material. While in that post, he reached the rank of
rear admiral
. From 1912 to 1914, he commanded battleship divisions of the
Atlantic Fleet
. In April 1914, Fletcher led U.S. Navy forces during the
landings at Vera Cruz
, Mexico, receiving the
Medal of Honor
for his "distinguished conduct in battle".
[1]
In September 1914, Fletcher began two years as the Atlantic Fleet's Commander in Chief, and was elevated to the rank of
admiral
in March 1915, the senior of the first three officers to hold the new four-star positions.
[3]
He was a member of the General Board, the
Joint Army and Navy Board
and the
War Industries Board
in 1916?1919, and was awarded the
Navy Distinguished Service Medal
for "meritorious service" during
World War I
. He was also awarded the
Army Distinguished Service Medal
for his work as the navy representative on the War Industries Board.
Admiral Fletcher retired on November 23, 1919, with the rank of rear admiral (as was customary at that time), and later served as an official advisor on contemporary defense issues. Fletcher died on November 28, 1928, in
New York City
.
[4]
He was buried at
Arlington National Cemetery
.
[1]
Legacy
[
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]
Fletcher's Medal of Honor, front and back
The
Fletcher
-class
destroyer was named for Fletcher and was the most numerous class of destroyers produced during
World War II
, with 175 completed, and one of the most successful designs of the war.
[5]
The lead ship in the class,
USS
Fletcher
(DD-445)
, was in commission from 1942 to 1969.
Medal of Honor citation
[
edit
]
Rank and organization: Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy. Born: November 23, 1855, Oskaloosa, Iowa. Accredited to: Iowa. G.O. No.: 177, December 4, 1915.
Citation:
For distinguished conduct in battle, engagements of Vera Cruz, 21 and 22 April 1914. Under fire, Rear Adm. Fletcher was eminent and conspicuous in the performance of his duties; was senior officer present at Vera Cruz, and the landing and the operations of the landing force were conducted under his orders and directions. In connection with these operations, he was at times on shore and under fire.
Awards
[
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]
Dates of rank
[
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See also
[
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References
[
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This article incorporates text from the
public domain
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Admiral Frank F. Fletcher, USN, (1855-1928)"
.
Online Library of Selected Images
.
Naval History & Heritage Command
. June 16, 2006. Archived from
the original
on August 10, 2006
. Retrieved
March 17,
2011
.
- ^
"Ancestry® | Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records"
.
- ^
"3 New Admirals Named By President. Fletcher Is Senior, Howard Next, and Cowles Junior in Order of Precedence. Will Hold New Rank While in Command. Vice Admirals to be Appointed Later"
.
The New York Times
. March 11, 1915
. Retrieved
March 18,
2011
.
President Wilson today designated the three new Admirals of the American Navy provided for by the Naval Appropriation bill. They are Frank Friday Fletcher, Commander in Chief of the Atlantic Battleship Fleet, now in Cuban waters; Thomas B. Howard, Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet, now at San Diego, Cal., and Walter C. Cowles, Commander in Chief of the Asiatic Fleet, now at Olongapo, Philippines. ...
- ^
"Admiral Fletcher Dies At Age Of 73. Former Commander-in-Chief of Atlantic Fleet Succumbs After an Operation. To Be Buried In Arlington. Was in Command at Capture of Vera Cruz 14 Years Ago. An Inventor of Note"
.
The New York Times
. November 29, 1928
. Retrieved
March 18,
2011
.
Rear Admiral Frank Friday, Fletcher, U.S.N., retired, who held the rank of admiral while commander-in-chief of the Atlantic fleet and...
- ^
Friedman, Norman (2004).
U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History
(Revised ed.). Naval Institute Press, Annapolis. p.
111
.
ISBN
9781557504425
.
- Lewis Randolph Hamersly (1889).
Dates of promotion from
(Sixth ed.). L. R. Hamersly & Company
. Retrieved
October 5,
2010
.
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