Henry Kent Hewitt (February 11, 1887 – September 15, 1972) was 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 ...

commander of amphibious operations in north Africa and southern Europe through World War II. He was born in Hackensack,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and graduated from 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 ...

in 1906. His classmates included Arthur L. Bristol, William L. Calhoun, Raymond A. Spruance, Robert L Ghormley, William A. Glassford, Charles C. Hartigan, Aubrey W. Fitch,

Frank J. Fletcher Frank Jack Fletcher (April 29, 1885 – April 25, 1973) was an Admiral (United States), admiral in the United States Navy during World War II. Fletcher commanded five different Task force#United States Navy, task forces through WWII; he was the ...

, Isaac C. Kidd, John S. McCain Sr.,

Leigh Noyes Leigh Noyes (December 15, 1885 – March 24, 1961) was a Vice Admiral in the United States Navy during World War II. He was Director of Naval Communications before the outbreak of World War II and later served as Commander, Carrier Division 3 an ...

Ferdinand L. Reichmuth Vice Admiral Ferdinand Louis Reichmuth (April 11, 1881 – August 16, 1978) was an officer of the United States Navy who served in World War I and World War II. Biography Reichmuth was born in Beloit, Kansas, the son of Ferdinand G. C. Reic ...

, John H. Towers, Russell Willson, Thomas Withers, Roland M. Brainard, Milo F. Draemel and Sherwoode A. Taffinder.

Early career

Hewitt served aboard in the Great White Fleet's circumnavigation of the globe from 1907–1909. His sea duty continued as a division officer aboard and executive officer of the destroyer . In 1913 he was promoted to lieutenant, married Floride Louise Hunt (1887–1973), and began three years of shore duty as a Naval Academy mathematics instructor. He returned to sea in 1916 commanding the yacht in the Caribbean. Hewitt was awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

commanding the destroyer escorting Atlantic convoys during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. His citation reads: Hewitt was an instructor of electrical engineering and physics at the Naval Academy from 1919 to 1921 before returning to sea as gunnery officer aboard . After spending three years at the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New Yor ...

, he commanded Destroyer Division Twelve with the battle fleet from 1931 to 1933. He then chaired the Naval Academy mathematics department for three years while the Naval Academy developed the Keuffel & Esser Log Log Trig

slide rule The slide rule is a mechanical analog computer which is used primarily for multiplication and division, and for functions such as exponents, roots, logarithms, and trigonometry. It is not typically designed for addition or subtraction, which ...

. He returned to sea commanding the cruiser and transported President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

to the Pan-American Conference at

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

following the 1936 elections.

Flag rank during World War II

Hewitt was promoted to rear admiral in 1939, and commanded Atlantic Fleet Task Groups in neutrality patrols and convoys from 1941 until becoming Commander, Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet, in April 1942. This force, also called Task Force 34, became the U.S. component of the Operation Torch landings in November 1942. Hewitt was then assigned as Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Northwest Africa Waters or COMNAVNAW. His flagships included while he commanded American naval forces at the

Naval Battle of Casablanca The Naval Battle of Casablanca was a series of naval engagements fought between American ships covering the invasion of North Africa and Vichy French ships defending the neutrality of French Morocco in accordance with the Second Armistice at C ...

, while he commanded the western task force during the

invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers ( Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It bega ...

, and while he commanded all Allied amphibious forces during the invasion of ItalyPotter, E.B. & Nimitz, Chester W., ''Sea Power'' (1960) Prentice-Hall p.595 and later Anzio landings and invasion of southern France. Hewitt was awarded both the Army and Navy Distinguished Service Medals for his part in the invasion of North Africa. The Navy Distinguished Service Medal citation reads: The Army Distinguished Service Medal citation reads: 80-G-702560 (cropped) - Henry Kent Hewitt

80-G-702560 (cropped) - Henry Kent Hewitt

Hewitt was awarded a second Navy Cross for his part in the invasion of Italy. The citation reads: Hewitt was awarded a second Army Distinguished Service Medal for his part in the invasion of southern France. The citation reads: Hewitt was awarded a second Navy Distinguished Service Medal as commander of the

United States Eighth Fleet The United States Eighth Fleet was a numbered fleet of the United States Navy established 15 March 1943 from Northwest African Force. It operated in the Mediterranean Sea during World War II with a main mission of amphibious warfare, and then w ...

for the last two years of the war. The citation reads:

Post-war

Hewitt remained in this post until 1945, when he chaired a

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...

investigation. Following World War II, he commanded U.S. Naval Forces Europe, advised the

, and served as a Navy representative to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

. Hewitt retired from active duty to

Orwell, Vermont Orwell is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,239 at the 2020 census. Mount Independence was the largest fortification constructed by the American colonial forces. The site is now one of Vermont's premier stat ...

in 1949. and died at

Middlebury, Vermont Middlebury is the shire town (county seat) of Addison County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 9,152. Middlebury is home to Middlebury College and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History. History On ...

in 1972. was named in his honor.

Honors and awards

There is a display of Admiral Hewitt's orders, decorations and medals at the

United States Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associa ...

Museum in

Early career

Flag rank during World War II

Post-war

Honors and awards

References

Further reading