An operational commander of the carrier age
At the Coral Sea, he forced the Port Moresby invasion force to withdraw.
Frank Jack Fletcher was a United States Navy admiral who commanded carrier task forces in the Pacific War. In the Coral Sea he helped stop Japan’s advance toward Port Moresby, and at Midway he was the tactical commander when American forces sank four Japanese carriers. His cautious handling of scarce carriers preserved naval power, while his withdrawal during the Guadalcanal landings remained a subject of debate.
Activities and affiliations
Career Timeline
- 1902–1906Midshipman, U.S. Naval Academy
- 1914Served at Veracruz, awarded the Medal of Honor
- 1918–1919Commanding officer, destroyers Benham and Gridley
- 1933–1936Aide to the Secretary of the Navy
- 1939–1941Commander, cruiser divisions, rear admiral
- 1942.01–05Commander, Task Force 17, Battle of the Coral Sea
- 1942.06Officer in tactical command, Battle of Midway
- 1942–1945Commander of U.S. naval forces in the North Pacific
Related historical events
The Guadalcanal Withdrawal Controversy
Fletcher's most contested decision came just after the Guadalcanal landings. In early August 1942, covering the landing of the 1st Marine Division on Tulagi and Guadalcanal, he judged that aircraft losses, low fuel, and the threat of Japanese twin-engine torpedo bombers from land bases made it too dangerous to keep his scarce carriers exposed, and on the evening of 8 August he obtained permission from the overall commander, Robert Ghormley, to withdraw them. That withdrawal opened the way for the Battle of Savo Island the next morning: Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa's cruisers surprised the screening force and sank one Australian and three American cruisers, and with air cover gone the transports withdrew early, leaving the Marines short of heavy equipment, ammunition, medical supplies, and rations. The Marines called it the 'Navy Bugout,' and the ground commander, General Alexander Vandegrift, protested bitterly. Later historians reconsidered the criticism; naval historian John Lundstrom argued that Fletcher had been given a 'bum rap,' and that the prudence with which he conserved America's few carriers was itself the basis for the six Japanese carriers sunk under his command. The decision nonetheless effectively ended his career at sea: after his flagship Saratoga was torpedoed by a submarine at the end of August, criticism from the Chief of Naval Operations, Ernest King, compounded, and he was relieved and reassigned to the North Pacific.