This is a list of tombstone vice admirals 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 ...

. A

tombstone promotion A tombstone promotion is an advance in rank awarded at retirement. It often does not include any corresponding increase in retired pay, in which case it is an honorary promotion whose only benefit is the right to be addressed by the higher rank an ...

transferred an officer to the retired list with the rank of the next higher grade. Tombstone promotions to vice admiral have been awarded for service during the construction of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...

and under the Appointments Clause of the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...

, but almost all tombstone vice admirals were advanced to that rank between 1925 and 1959 because they were commended for performance of duty in actual combat before the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Tombstone promotions for combat citations were halted on November 1, 1959.

List of U.S. Navy tombstone vice admirals

Each entry lists the officer's name, date appointed rear admiral,Dates appointed are taken from officers' first appearances as active-duty rear admirals in the ''Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps'', which may be different from dates of rank listed in later editions of the Register. date retired and advanced to vice admiral,Dates retired are taken from the ''Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps''. and other biographical notes.Biographical notes include years of birth and death; restricted line officer designations; and other unusual career events such as recall to active duty in the grade of vice admiral, death in office, or awards of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

. Dates are taken from ''U.S. Naval Officers, Vice Admiral and Above, 1864–1963'' and the ''Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps''.

Panama Canal service

Following the completion of the

in 1914, Congress authorized Army and Navy officers who had served more than three years with the Isthmian Canal Commission to be advanced one grade in rank upon retirement. Under this provision, Navy surgeon James F. Leys retired as a vice admiral in 1932, the first Navy staff corps officer to achieve that rank. Despite awarding Army engineer

Edgar Jadwin Edgar Jadwin, C.E. (August 7, 1865 – March 2, 1931) was a U.S. Army officer who fought in the Spanish–American War and World War I, before serving as Chief of Engineers from 1926 to 1929. Early life Jadwin was born in Honesdale, Pennsylvani ...

the retired pay of a lieutenant general under almost identical circumstances, the Comptroller General of the United States denied Leys the retired pay of a vice admiral on the grounds that the grade had been abolished in 1890 and all subsequent vice admirals actually held the grade of rear admiral with only the temporary rank of vice admiral, so the grade of vice admiral did not exist. The Court of Claims overturned this decision and gave Leys the retired pay of a vice admiral.

Medical Corps

Combat citations before the end of World War II

From 1925 to 1959, Navy rear admirals could retire with a tombstone promotion to the rank but not the pay of vice admiral, if they were specially commended for their performance of duty in actual combat before the end of

. Officers who were promoted to vice admiral while on the active list had precedence on the retired list over those who were advanced to that grade based on combat citations. Tombstone promotions were based on an officer's grade on the day they actually retired, so a vice admiral could only receive a tombstone promotion to four-star admiral if he still held a three-star job when he retired. For example, when

Gerald F. Bogan Gerald Francis Bogan (July 27, 1894June 8, 1973) was a United States Navy aviator and vice admiral who served in World War I and II. Biography Gerald Francis Bogan was born July 27, 1894, in Mackinac Island, Michigan to Dr. James H. Bogan (186 ...

was relieved of his three-star command only three weeks before he was scheduled to retire with a tombstone promotion to admiral, he reverted to rear admiral and received a tombstone promotion back to vice admiral. Similarly,

Robert C. Giffen Robert Carlisle Giffen (1886 – 1962) was an admiral in the United States Navy. Birth to the beginning of World War I Robert Carlisle Giffen was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, on 29 June 1886. He attended the University of Notre Dame, ...

was reprimanded for misconduct while serving as vice admiral, reverted to rear admiral, and retired with a tombstone promotion back to vice admiral. By May 29, 1959, 154 out of 198 living retired vice admirals—78 percent—had never served in that rank on active duty. Only 22 percent had served in three-star positions prior to their retirement, the rest being rear admirals who received a tombstone promotion to vice admiral at retirement. Congress stopped all tombstone promotions effective November 1, 1959.

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Line (Reserve)

Medical Corps

Supply Corps

Chaplain Corps (Reserve)

Civil Engineer Corps

Civil Engineer Corps (Reserve)

Dental Corps

Appointments Clause

The President can use his plenary power under the Appointments Clause of the

to nominate any officer to be retired in a higher grade, subject to Senate confirmation. For example,

John D. Bulkeley John Duncan Bulkeley (19 August 1911 – 6 April 1996) was a vice admiral in the United States Navy and was one of its most decorated naval officers. Bulkeley received the Medal of Honor for actions in the Pacific Theater during World War II. ...

served as president of the Board of Inspection and Survey for 21 years, having been retired in 1974 but immediately recalled to active duty, and was advanced to vice admiral on the retired list under the Appointments Clause when he retired permanently in August 1988.

Levering Smith Vice Admiral Levering Smith (5 March 1910 – 5 April 1993) was a United States Navy admiral. He is best known for his role in the development of the Polaris, Poseidon and Trident missiles for ballistic missile submarines. Biography Lev ...

served as technical director or program head of the Navy's

submarine-launched ballistic missile A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of which carries a nuclear warhead ...

program for 20 years, having also been retired and recalled to active duty in 1974, and was promoted to vice admiral when he finally stepped down in November 1977.

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Legislative history

The following list of Congressional legislation concerns tombstone promotions to the grade of vice admiral in the United States Navy. Each entry lists an

act of Congress An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by the United States Congress. Acts may apply only to individual entities (called Public and private bills, private laws), or to the general public (Public and private bills, public laws). For a Bill (law) ...

, its citation in the

United States Statutes at Large The ''United States Statutes at Large'', commonly referred to as the ''Statutes at Large'' and abbreviated Stat., are an official record of Acts of Congress and concurrent resolutions passed by the United States Congress. Each act and resolutio ...

, and a summary of the act's relevance.

Citations

General and cited references

* * * * * {{Citation , title = Supply Corps Vice Admirals - A History , publisher = Navy Supply Corps Newsletter , url = https://scnewsltr.dodlive.mil/2015/03/09/supply-corps-vice-admirals-a-history/

United States Navy admirals United States Navy admirals

Admirals 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, ...

List of U.S. Navy tombstone vice admirals

Panama Canal service

Medical Corps

Combat citations before the end of World War II

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Line (Reserve)

Medical Corps

Supply Corps

Chaplain Corps (Reserve)

Civil Engineer Corps

Civil Engineer Corps (Reserve)

Dental Corps

Appointments Clause

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Legislative history

See also

Citations

General and cited references