Admiral DeWitt Clinton Ramsey (2 October 1888 – 7 September 1961) was a U.S. Navy officer and pioneer

naval aviator Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...

who served as an

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

commander during World War II. His postwar assignments included command of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and service as Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) in the

Navy Department Navy Department or Department of the Navy may refer to: * United States Department of the Navy, * Navy Department (Ministry of Defence), in the United Kingdom, 1964-1997 * Confederate States Department of the Navy, 1861-1865 * Department of the Na ...

and as

Vice Chief of Naval Operations The vice chief of naval operations (VCNO) is the second highest-ranking commissioned United States Navy officer in the United States Department of the Navy, Department of the Navy and functions as the principal deputy of the Chief of Naval Opera ...

Biography

Ramsey was born on October 2, 1888 at Whipple Barracks, near Prescott, Arizona, to Frank DeWitt Ramsey and Lillian Carlotta Zulick. He was the grandson of Arizona Territorial Governor C. Meyer Zulick. Upon graduation from the

U.S. Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of ...

, Ramsey was commissioned an Ensign in June 1912. He took Juanita as his wife. In 1917 he qualified as a

. During World War I, he was Inspection Officer for United States Naval Air Stations in France, and a member of the Inter-Allied Naval Armistice Commission. During the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...

, Ramsey served as a naval aviator on various naval staffs and ships. Reporting on board the aircraft carrier in 1938, he was her executive officer into 1939. Later that year, he headed BuAer's Plans Division, and in 1941 became Assistant Chief of BuAer. During World War II, he commanded the ''Saratoga'' up to and during the landings against

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...

, Solomon Islands, in August. For his skillful use of airpower against Japanese naval forces in the Solomons, he was awarded the Navy Cross. In the ''Saratoga'', he next commanded a task force that included a British carrier, HMS Victorious (R38). Ramsey received the

Navy Distinguished Service Medal The Navy Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps which was first created in 1919 and is presented to sailors and Marines to recognize distinguished and exceptionally meritoriou ...

as Chief of the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) from August 6, 1943, to June 1, 1945, and a Gold Star as

from January 15, 1946, to January 3, 1948. After commanding the Pacific Fleet, he served as Commissioner of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, until retiring on 1 May 1949. Admiral Ramsey died 7 September 1961, at

Naval Hospital Philadelphia The Philadelphia Naval Hospital was the first high-rise hospital building constructed by the United States Navy. At its 1935 opening it represented a state-of-the-art facility for the Navy with 650 beds and a total floor space of . The dedicated ...

at the age of 72.

Navy Cross citation

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramsey, Dewitt Clinton 1888 births 1961 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War I United States Navy World War II admirals United States Navy admirals Battle of Midway United States Naval Aviators Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Naval Academy alumni People from Yavapai County, Arizona Members of the Early Birds of Aviation High Commissioners of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Vice Chiefs of Naval Operations