Chester Nimitz

Born: February 24, 1885, Fredericksburg, Texas
Died: February 20, 1966 (age 80), Yerba Buena Island, San Francisco Bay, California

Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz was an admiral in the United States Navy. He held the dual command of Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet ("CinCPac" pronounced "sink-pack"), for U.S. naval forces and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas (CinCPOA), for U.S. and Allied air, land, and sea forces during World War II. 

He was the leading U.S. Navy authority on submarines, as well as Chief of the Navy's Bureau of Navigation in 1939. He served as Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) from 1945 until 1947. He was the United States' last surviving Fleet Admiral.

1. He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy from Texas's 12th congressional district in 1901, and he graduated with distinction on January 30, 1905, seventh in a class of 114.

• True or False?

He joined the battleship USS Ohio (BB-12) at San Francisco, and cruised in her to the Far East. 2. In September 1906, he was transferred to USS Baltimore (C-3); and, after the two years at sea then required by law, he was commissioned as an Ensign. What was the date?

• January 31, 1907
• March 31, 1907
• May 31, 1907

3. While Nimitz was a 22-year-old ensign in the Philippines in command of the destroyer Decatur (DD-5), his ship ran aground on a mudbank. Nimitz was court-martialed and convicted of hazarding a Navy ship and received a letter of reprimand.

• True or False?

4. On February 6, 1918 he was appointed Chief of Staff and was awarded a Letter of Commendation for meritorious service as Chief of Staff to the Commander. What was the fleet?

• U.S. Pacific Battleship Fleet
• U.S. Atlantic Submarine Fleet
• U.S. Atlantic Naval Fleet

5. Ten days after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 he was selected Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (CinCPAC), with the rank of Admiral, effective from December 31. Who did he replace?

• Walter Short
• Husband Kimmel
• Roger Scott

6. On March 30, 1942, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) divided the Pacific theater into three areas: the Pacific Ocean Areas (POA), the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA, commanded by General Douglas MacArthur), and the South East Pacific Area. The JCS designated Nimitz as Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas CinCPOA, with operational control over all Allied units (air, land, and sea) in that area.

• True or False?

7. By Act of Congress, approved December 14, 1944, the grade of Fleet Admiral of the United States Navy — the highest grade in the Navy — was established and the next day President of the United States Franklin Roosevelt appointed Admiral Nimitz to that rank. When did Nimitz took the oath of that office?

• December 19, 1944
• December 22, 1944
• December 25, 1944

8. In January 1945, Nimitz moved the headquarters of the Pacific Fleet forward from Pearl Harbor for the remainder of the war. Where did he move to?

• Guam
• Iwo Jima
• Manila

9. On November 26, 1945 his nomination as Chief of Naval Operations was confirmed by the US Senate. On December 15, 1945, who did he relieve as Fleet Admiral?

• Ernest J. King
• Maxwell Smart
• Mark Reynolds

10. He suffered a stroke, complicated by pneumonia, in late 1965. He died the evening of February 20, 1966 at Quarters One on Yerba Buena Island in San Francisco Bay.

• True or False?

11. Where is Chester W. Nimitz buried?

• Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, California
• United States Naval Academy Cemetery, Annapolis, Maryland
• Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia

Chester W. Nimitz Answers

1. True
2. January 31, 1907
3. True
4. U.S. Atlantic Submarine Fleet
5. Husband Kimmel
6. True
7. December 19, 1944
8. Guam
9. Ernest J. King
10. True
11. Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, California

Page 1 of 1