William Halsey

William Frederick Halsey Jr.

1882–1959 ○ Heart attack

"Bull" Halsey, the admiral who escorted the Doolittle Raid and led American fleets at Guadalcanal and Leyte Gulf

A 1904 Naval Academy graduate who commanded a destroyer in the First World War and took command of the carrier Saratoga in 1935 after flight training. Early in the Pacific War his Enterprise task force raided the Marshall and Gilbert Islands and Wake, and in April 1942 escorted the Doolittle Raid. Hospitalised with a skin condition on the eve of Midway, he recommended Spruance to Nimitz as his replacement. From October 1942 he commanded the South Pacific Area through Guadalcanal and the Solomons, and from 1943 led the Third Fleet, including at Leyte Gulf in 1944. Japan formally surrendered aboard his flagship Missouri on 2 September 1945, and he became a fleet admiral that December.

Also known as: William F. Halsey Jr. · William Frederick Halsey Jr. · Bull Halsey

Activities and affiliations

1904–1947

United States state institutionsMain
Military command

Career Timeline

1904Graduates from the Naval Academy
1935Captain, USS Saratoga
1942Escorts the Doolittle Raid; Commander, South Pacific Area
1943–1945Commander, Third Fleet; Leyte Gulf
1945Fleet Admiral

Related historical events

1942.06.04–07The Battle of MidwayCommander of Task Force 16 (hospitalised before the battle)He led Task Force 16 with Enterprise and Hornet until illness struck on the eve of the battle, and recommended Spruance to Nimitz as his replacement.