United States Navy admiral
Robert Bostwick Carney
(March 26, 1895 ? June 25, 1990) was an
admiral
in the
United States Navy
who served as commander-in-chief of the
NATO
forces in Southern Europe (1951?1953) and then as
Chief of Naval Operations
(1953?1954) during the
Eisenhower administration
.
Early years
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Born in
Vallejo, California
, Carney graduated from the
United States Naval Academy
in 1916. He served in
World War I
, seeing combat against German
U-boats
.
Between wars
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Carney served as Flag Secretary to Admiral
Louis R. de Steiguer
during the mid-1920s during de Steiguer's time in command of various battleship forces. Their relationship was not happy, mainly due to de Steiguer's imperious manner described by Carney as "constant pressure, irascibility, criticism, and unpleasantness".
Famously, Carney eventually marched into de Steiguer's cabin, snapped, "Admiral, I just want to tell you I think you are a goddamn rotten son of a bitch," and stormed out. After failing to retrieve Carney with a
Marine
orderly, de Steiguer visited Carney's cabin in person, said, "Sonny, you've been working too hard. You and I are going ashore" after which he took Carney on an epic drinking binge. Carney ultimately concluded that his three years with de Steiguer had been a valuable experience, but not one he would have chosen to repeat.
[1]
World War II
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In February 1941, then Commander Carney was recalled from duty in the Pacific to assist in organizing, equipping, and training a special Surface-Air Force, having as its mission the protection of shipping against
submarine
and air attack. This force became fully involved in convoy escort prior to the involvement of the United States into the war. From September 13, 1941,
[2]
until April 1942, this force, under command of Vice Admiral
Arthur L. Bristol, Jr.
, escorted over 2,600 ships on the ocean lanes while suffering the loss of only six ships.
From October 15, 1942, until July 1943 Carney commanded the
cruiser
USS
Denver
in the Pacific Theater. He was twice decorated for engagements in the
Solomon Islands campaign
, earning the
Bronze Star Medal
with Combat "V" for meritorious service as Commanding Officer of
Denver
while attached to a task group of Admiral
William Halsey
's
Third Fleet
during operations against the Japanese-held islands of
Kolombangara
and
Shortland
. Off
Bougainville
the night of July 26, 1943 he took advantage of poor weather to lay a large quantity of mines along
sea lanes
around the island, and then delivered a naval bombardment against the Japanese shore installations.
On July 29, 1943, Carney was appointed
chief of staff
to Halsey, and was promoted to
rear admiral
. At the time Halsey was Commander,
South Pacific Force
, a responsibility which included all ground, sea, and air forces in the
South Pacific
area. Carney later wrote that "Admiral Halsey unfailingly gave credit to his subordinates for successes achieved, and took all blame for failures on his own shoulders." While in this assignment, Carney was awarded his second
Navy Distinguished Service Medal
for his contributions to the overall strategy and in organizing the logistic support of the Allied Forces in the South Pacific, the citation stating, in part:
Displaying sound judgement and distinctive tactical ability, he conceived and correlated the many offensive operations carried out in the
Solomon Islands
and
Bismarck Archipelago
areas. Through his comprehensive knowledge of
logistics
and his expert planning, he enabled our Forces to exert their greatest strength against the enemy and administer a series of crushing defeats on the Japanese.
When Halsey assumed command of the Third Fleet in the Central Pacific in June 1944, Carney accompanied him as Chief of Staff. Carney participated in the amphibious invasions of
Palau
and
Lingayen
, and the naval
Battle of Leyte Gulf
. It was during this engagement that Carney famously confronted an enraged Halsey. During Halsey's run to the north in tracking down the Japanese carriers, he received numerous calls from Admiral
Thomas C. Kinkaid
's Seventh Fleet, whose escort carriers were under attack from a Japanese battle group of battleships, cruisers and destroyers. Then, shortly after 10:00 hours, an anxious message was received from Admiral
Chester Nimitz
: "Where is repeat where is Task Force 34? The world wonders".
[3]
The tail end of this message,
The world wonders
, was intended as padding designed to confuse enemy decoders, but was mistakenly left in the message when it was handed to Halsey. The inquiry appeared to be a rebuke. The fiery Halsey threw his hat on the deck of the bridge and began cursing. Finally Carney confronted him, telling Halsey "Stop it! What the hell's the matter with you? Pull yourself together."
[4]
Halsey regained his composure, and later turned the fleet south to support Seventh Fleet.
Later, Carney continued to assist Halsey as Chief of Staff during his operations in the
Okinawa
campaign and the carrier air raids against Japanese air fields in Vietnam and
Formosa
in the
South China Sea
. In 1945, Third Fleet was striking targets in the Japanese homeland itself, launching attacks on Tokyo, the
naval base at Kure
and the northern Japanese island of
Hokkaid?
, as well as the
bombardments of a number of Japanese coastal cities
in preparation for a possible invasion of Japan which never happened.
Carney arranged with Japanese emissaries for the entry of the Third Fleet into
Tokyo Bay
, accepted the surrender of
Yokosuka Naval Base
and surrounding area from Vice Admiral
Michitaro Totsuka
of the
Imperial Japanese Navy
, and attended the ceremony for the
surrender of Japan
held on board Halsey's flagship, the battleship
USS
Missouri
.
Post-war
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Official portrait of Admiral Robert Carney as Chief of Naval Operations
In 1946, Carney was promoted to vice admiral and, until February 1950, served as
Deputy Chief of Naval Operations
. He then assumed command of the
Second Fleet
operating on the East Coast of the United States. On October 2, 1950, Carney was advanced in rank to admiral.
From 1951 to 1953, Carney served as Commander-in-Chief of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
's
Allied Forces Southern Europe
, where he was responsible for the fleets of five countries and the armed forces of Italy, Greece and Turkey.
On May 13, 1953, President
Dwight D. Eisenhower
selected Carney as the next
Chief of Naval Operations
. On completion of this assignment, Carney retired from active service in the Navy.
Over the next several years, Carney's various assignments, coupled with his personal interest in industrial participation in the defense effort, resulted in close contact with industry including the position of chairman of the board,
Bath Iron Works
, Corporation.
Carney died of
cardiac arrest
in
Washington, D.C.
, on June 25, 1990, at the age of 95. He and his wife are buried at
Arlington National Cemetery
.
[5]
USS
Carney
(DDG-64)
and
Carney Park
were named in his honor.
Honors and awards
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Notes
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]
- ^
Taussig, Betty Carney (1995), A Warrior for Freedom, Manhattan, Kansas: Sunflower University Press, at 42?43
- ^
Carney, Robert B., ADM USN "Comment and Discussion"
United States Naval Institute Proceedings
January 1976 p. 74
- ^
Willmott, H. P. (2005). "Six, The Great Day of Wrath".
The Battle of Leyte Gulf: The Last Fleet Action
. Indiana University Press. pp. 192?197.
ISBN
9780253345288
.
- ^
"Books: The General and the Admiral"
.
Time
. November 10, 1947. Archived from
the original
on January 30, 2009.
- ^
Burial Detail: Carney, Robert B
? ANC Explorer
References
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This article incorporates text from the
public domain
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
.
External links
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