Forrest Sherman
Encyclopedia
Forrest Percival Sherman (30 October 1896 – 22 July 1951) was an admiral
in the United States Navy
and the youngest man to serve as Chief of Naval Operations
until Admiral Elmo Zumwalt became Chief of Naval Operations
in 1970.
Born in Merrimack, New Hampshire
, Sherman was a member of the Naval Academy
class of 1918, graduating in June, 1917 due to America's entry into World War I
. During and shortly after World War I
, he served in Europe
an waters as an officer of the gunboat
Nashville
(PG-7) and destroyer
Murray
(DD-97). In 1919–21, Sherman was assigned to the battleship
Utah
(BB-31) and destroyers Reid
(DD-292) and Barry
(DD-248), serving as Commanding Officer of the latter.
Following duty as Flag Lieutenant to Commander Control Force, Atlantic Fleet
, he received flight training at NAS Pensacola, Florida
. Designated a Naval Aviator in December 1922, Lieutenant Sherman was assigned to Fighting Squadron 2 (VF 2) until 1924, when he returned to Pensacola as an instructor. Study at the Naval War College
was followed in 1927 by service in the aircraft carrier
s Lexington
(CV-2) and Saratoga
(CV-3). While in the latter ship, he commanded Scouting Squadron 2 and was Flag Secretary to Commander Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet
.
Promoted to the ranks of Lieutenant Commander in 1930 and Commander in 1937, during that decade Sherman served at the Naval Academy, commanded Fighting Squadron 1, had charge of the Aviation Ordnance Section of the Bureau of Ordnance
, was Navigator of the aircraft carrier Ranger
(CV-4), and had duty on a number of flag staffs. In 1941–42, he served with the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations and was a member of the Permanent Joint Board on Defense, Canada
-United States.
Captain Forrest Sherman worked closely with then US Army Major Albert C. Wedemeyer author of the "Victory Plan of 1941", "the blueprint...for the mobilization of the United States Army for World War 2". Wedemeyer, while working in the War Plans Department, was commissioned to write the "Victory Plan by General George C. Marshall.
"The Victory Plan predicted the future organization for an army that did not yet exist, outlined combat missions for a war not yet declared, and computed war production requirements for industries that were still committed to peacetime manufacture." Captain Forrest Sherman's personal relationship with Major Albert Wedemeyer "ensured a community of planning effort between the two services and pointed to a future in which the services would acknowledge that mobilization planning was a joint responsibility that one service alone could not conduct adequately." (From "Writing the Victory Plan of 1941" by Charles E. Kirkpatrick)
In May 1942, after reaching the rank of Captain, Sherman took command of the carrier Wasp
(CV-7), taking her through the first month of the Solomon Islands campaign
.
After Wasp was sunk by a Japan
ese submarine
on 15 September 1942, he was awarded the Navy Cross
for his extraordinary heroism in command of the carrier during the opening days of the South Pacific
operations. Sherman then became Chief of Staff to Commander Air Force, Pacific Fleet. In November 1943 Rear Admiral Sherman was assigned as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Pacific Fleet commander, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. He held that position for the remainder of World War II, playing a critical role in planning the offensives that brought victory in the Pacific, and was present when Japan
surrendered on 2 September 1945. Following a short tour as a carrier division commander, in December 1945 Vice Admiral Sherman became Deputy Chief of Naval Operations.
Sherman's next assignment, beginning in January 1948, was to command the Navy's operating forces in the Mediterranean Sea
. He was recalled to Washington, D.C.
, at the end of October 1949 to become Chief of Naval Operations, with the rank of Admiral. During the next sixteen months, he helped the Navy recover from a period of intense political controversy (as in the so-called "Revolt of the Admirals
"), and oversaw its responses to the twin challenges of a hot war
in Korea
and an intensifying cold war
elsewhere in the world.
On 22 July 1951, while on a military and diplomatic trip to Europe, Admiral Forrest Sherman died in Naples, Italy, following a sudden series of heart attacks.
Two destroyer
s have been named USS Forrest Sherman
in his honor, as was Sherman Island, Antarctica, Forrest Sherman Field, NAS Pensacola, home of the Blue Angels
, and Forrest Sherman Field, Hospital Point, US Naval Academy. The US Department of Defense school in Naples, Italy was formerly called Forrest Sherman High School.
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and the youngest man to serve as Chief of Naval Operations
Chief of Naval Operations
The Chief of Naval Operations is a statutory office held by a four-star admiral in the United States Navy, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Navy. The office is a military adviser and deputy to the Secretary of the Navy...
until Admiral Elmo Zumwalt became Chief of Naval Operations
Chief of Naval Operations
The Chief of Naval Operations is a statutory office held by a four-star admiral in the United States Navy, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Navy. The office is a military adviser and deputy to the Secretary of the Navy...
in 1970.
Born in Merrimack, New Hampshire
Merrimack, New Hampshire
Merrimack is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 25,494 at the 2010 census, making it the eighth-largest municipality in New Hampshire....
, Sherman was a member of the Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
class of 1918, graduating in June, 1917 due to America's entry into World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. During and shortly after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he served in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an waters as an officer of the gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
Nashville
USS Nashville (PG-7)
USS Nashville , a gunboat, was the only ship of its class. It was the third ship of the United States Navy to hold the name Nashville....
(PG-7) and destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
Murray
USS Murray (DD-97)
The second USS Murray was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I. She was named for Commodore Alexander Murray and Commodore Murray's grandson, Alexander Murray.-History:...
(DD-97). In 1919–21, Sherman was assigned to the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
Utah
USS Utah (BB-31)
USS Utah was a battleship that was attacked and sunk in Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. A Florida-class battleship, she was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the U.S. state of Utah...
(BB-31) and destroyers Reid
USS Reid (DD-292)
The second USS Reid was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy following World War I. She was named for Samuel Chester Reid.-History:...
(DD-292) and Barry
USS Barry (DD-248)
Barry was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was the second ship named for Commodore John Barry....
(DD-248), serving as Commanding Officer of the latter.
Following duty as Flag Lieutenant to Commander Control Force, Atlantic Fleet
U.S. Atlantic Fleet
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
, he received flight training at NAS Pensacola, Florida
Naval Air Station Pensacola
Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola , "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United States Navy base located next to Warrington, Florida, a community southwest of the Pensacola city limits...
. Designated a Naval Aviator in December 1922, Lieutenant Sherman was assigned to Fighting Squadron 2 (VF 2) until 1924, when he returned to Pensacola as an instructor. Study at the Naval War College
Naval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
was followed in 1927 by service in the aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s Lexington
USS Lexington (CV-2)
USS Lexington , nicknamed the "Gray Lady" or "Lady Lex," was an early aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. She was the lead ship of the , though her sister ship was commissioned a month earlier...
(CV-2) and Saratoga
USS Saratoga (CV-3)
USS Saratoga was the second aircraft carrier of the United States Navy and the fifth ship to bear her name. She was commissioned one month earlier than her sister and class leader, , which is the third actually commissioned after and Saratoga...
(CV-3). While in the latter ship, he commanded Scouting Squadron 2 and was Flag Secretary to Commander Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet
Battle Fleet
The United States Battle Fleet or Battle Force was part of the organization of the United States Navy from 1922 to 1941.The General Order of 6 December 1922 organized the United States Fleet, with the Battle Fleet as the Pacific presence. This fleet comprised the main body of ships in the Navy,...
.
Promoted to the ranks of Lieutenant Commander in 1930 and Commander in 1937, during that decade Sherman served at the Naval Academy, commanded Fighting Squadron 1, had charge of the Aviation Ordnance Section of the Bureau of Ordnance
Bureau of Ordnance
The Bureau of Ordnance was the U.S. Navy's organization responsible for the procurement, storage, and deployment of all naval ordnance, between the years 1862 and 1959.-History:...
, was Navigator of the aircraft carrier Ranger
USS Ranger (CV-4)
USS Ranger was the first ship of the United States Navy to be designed and built from the keel up as an aircraft carrier. Ranger was a relatively small ship, closer in size and displacement to the first U.S. carrier——than later ships. An island superstructure was not included in the original...
(CV-4), and had duty on a number of flag staffs. In 1941–42, he served with the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations and was a member of the Permanent Joint Board on Defense, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-United States.
Captain Forrest Sherman worked closely with then US Army Major Albert C. Wedemeyer author of the "Victory Plan of 1941", "the blueprint...for the mobilization of the United States Army for World War 2". Wedemeyer, while working in the War Plans Department, was commissioned to write the "Victory Plan by General George C. Marshall.
"The Victory Plan predicted the future organization for an army that did not yet exist, outlined combat missions for a war not yet declared, and computed war production requirements for industries that were still committed to peacetime manufacture." Captain Forrest Sherman's personal relationship with Major Albert Wedemeyer "ensured a community of planning effort between the two services and pointed to a future in which the services would acknowledge that mobilization planning was a joint responsibility that one service alone could not conduct adequately." (From "Writing the Victory Plan of 1941" by Charles E. Kirkpatrick)
In May 1942, after reaching the rank of Captain, Sherman took command of the carrier Wasp
USS Wasp (CV-7)
USS Wasp was a United States Navy aircraft carrier. The eighth Navy ship of that name, she was the sole ship of her class. Built to use up the remaining tonnage allowed to the U.S. for aircraft carriers under the treaties of the time, she was built on a reduced-size version of the Yorktown-class...
(CV-7), taking her through the first month of the Solomon Islands campaign
Solomon Islands campaign
The Solomon Islands campaign was a major campaign of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign began with Japanese landings and occupation of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville, in the Territory of New Guinea, during the first six months of 1942...
.
After Wasp was sunk by a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
on 15 September 1942, he was awarded the Navy Cross
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...
for his extraordinary heroism in command of the carrier during the opening days of the South Pacific
South Pacific Area
The South Pacific Area was a multinational U.S.-led military command active during World War II. It was a part of the U.S. Pacific Ocean Areas under Admiral Chester Nimitz.Instructions to the senior U.S...
operations. Sherman then became Chief of Staff to Commander Air Force, Pacific Fleet. In November 1943 Rear Admiral Sherman was assigned as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Pacific Fleet commander, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. He held that position for the remainder of World War II, playing a critical role in planning the offensives that brought victory in the Pacific, and was present when Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
surrendered on 2 September 1945. Following a short tour as a carrier division commander, in December 1945 Vice Admiral Sherman became Deputy Chief of Naval Operations.
Sherman's next assignment, beginning in January 1948, was to command the Navy's operating forces in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
. He was recalled to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, at the end of October 1949 to become Chief of Naval Operations, with the rank of Admiral. During the next sixteen months, he helped the Navy recover from a period of intense political controversy (as in the so-called "Revolt of the Admirals
Revolt of the Admirals
The Revolt of the Admirals is a name given to an episode that took place in the late 1940s in which several United States Navy admirals and high-ranking civilian officials publicly disagreed with the President and the Secretary of Defense's strategy and plans for the military forces in the early...
"), and oversaw its responses to the twin challenges of a hot war
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and an intensifying cold war
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
elsewhere in the world.
On 22 July 1951, while on a military and diplomatic trip to Europe, Admiral Forrest Sherman died in Naples, Italy, following a sudden series of heart attacks.
Two destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s have been named USS Forrest Sherman
USS Forrest Sherman
Two ships in the United States Navy have been named USS Forrest Sherman for Admiral Forrest Sherman.* USS Forrest Sherman was the lead ship of her class and served from 1955 to 1982....
in his honor, as was Sherman Island, Antarctica, Forrest Sherman Field, NAS Pensacola, home of the Blue Angels
Blue Angels
The United States Navy's Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, popularly known as the Blue Angels, was formed in 1946 and is currently the oldest formal flying aerobatic team...
, and Forrest Sherman Field, Hospital Point, US Naval Academy. The US Department of Defense school in Naples, Italy was formerly called Forrest Sherman High School.