Harold Edson Shear (December 6, 1918 – February 1, 1999) was an

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, Shear entered the

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

on June 10, 1938. He graduated early with the Class of 1942 just twelve days after December 7, 1941. During World War II, Shear served on the , earning a

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

. From 1952 to 1954, Shear was commanding officer of the diesel-electric submarine . From August 1954 to January 1955, he attended the Armed Forces Staff College. From 1959 to 1962, Shear served as the first Blue Crew commanding officer of the ballistic missile submarine

USS Patrick Henry (SSBN-599) USS ''Patrick Henry'' (SSBN-599), named after the American Revolutionary War figure and Founding Father Patrick Henry (1736–1799), was a nuclear-powered fleet ballistic missile submarine of the United States Navy. She was later converted in ...

. From August 1964 to June 1965, Shear attended the

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Colle ...

. From July 1965 to October 1966, he commanded the fast combat support ship in Southeast Asia. As a full admiral, Shear held the commands of Commander in Chief,

United States Naval Forces Europe United States Naval Forces Europe-Africa (CNE-CNA), is the United States Navy component command of the United States European Command and United States Africa Command. Prior to 2020, CNE-CNA was previously referred to as United States Naval Forces ...

from 1974 to 1975,

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 ...

from 1975 to 1977, Commander in Chief,

Allied Forces Southern Europe Allied Joint Force Command Naples (JFC Naples) is a NATO military command based in Lago Patria, in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy. It was activated on 15 March 2004, after effectively redesigning its predecessor command, Allied Forces Sou ...

from July 18, 1977 to 1980. Retiring at the age of 61 in May 1980, he later became the administrator of the United States Maritime Administration. Shear died at his home in Groton Long Point,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

after a long illness in 1999. He had married Elizabeth Perry (June 19, 1917 – February 28, 2013) in

Falmouth, Maine Falmouth is a New England town, town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 12,444 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is part of the Portland, Maine, Portland–South Portland, Maine, South Portland&ndas ...

on April 16, 1942. Harold and Elizabeth Shear are interred in Section 59 of

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

References

1918 births 1999 deaths Military personnel from New York City United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy personnel of World War II Recipients of the Silver Star United States submarine commanders Joint Forces Staff College alumni National War College alumni United States Navy admirals Vice Chiefs of Naval Operations Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal United States Department of Transportation officials Reagan administration personnel People from Groton, Connecticut Burials at Arlington National Cemetery {{US-mil-bio-stub