Louis McCoy Nulton (August 8, 1869 – November 10, 1954) was a four-star
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 ...
who was
superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy from 1925 to 1928 and commander of the
Battle Fleet
The United States Battle Fleet or Battle Force was part of the organization of the United States Navy from 1922 to 1941.
The General Order of 6 December 1922 organized the United States Fleet, with the Battle Fleet as the Pacific presence. This f ...
from 1929 to 1930.
Early career
He was born in
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is the most north western independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Frederick County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Winchester wit ...
to Annie Clark and Colonel Joseph Nulton,
[
] a prominent Virginian who commanded
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
troops during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
and subsequently commanded for many years the
Old Second Virginia Regiment, National Guard.
Appointed to 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 ...
in 1885 at the age of 16, he graduated seventh in the class of 1889 and served his initial sea duty as a passed cadet aboard the protected cruiser
''Chicago''.
[
His early assignments included service aboard the battleship ''Texas'', followed by duty as executive officer of the auxiliary cruiser ''Panther'', as ordnance officer of the battleship ''Ohio'', and as executive officer of the battleship ''Wisconsin''. He served two tours as an instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy and a third tour as commandant of midshipmen,][ and compiled one of the technical dictionaries used at the Academy.][
His first command was the gunboat ''Nashville'' in 1913, followed by the armored cruiser ''Montana''.][ In 1914, while commanding ''Montana'', he led landing parties ashore during the ]United States occupation of Veracruz
The United States occupation of Veracruz (April 21 to November 23, 1914) began with the Battle of Veracruz and lasted for seven months. The incident came in the midst of poor diplomatic relations between Mexico and the United States, and was re ...
.[ In 1918 he was given command of the Atlantic Fleet battleship ''Pennsylvania'', and served as ''Pennsylvanias captain when it escorted President ]Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
to and from the Paris Peace Conference.[
]
Flag officer
He became commandant of the Philadelphia Navy Yard
The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries.
Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the cit ...
on September 22, 1920[Fourth Naval District - Lists of Commanding Officers and Senior Officials of the US Navy]
/ref> and was promoted to rear admiral the following year.[ In late 1921, he unsuccessfully tried to save the partially completed battlecruiser ''Constitution'' from being scrapped by accelerating its construction schedule using funds he had illegally transferred from the construction and repair of other vessels, and by lobbying for ''Constitutions conversion into an aircraft carrier.][
]
He was sent to sea in 1923 as commander of Battleship Division Three (, ''Texas'', ''Oklahoma'', ''Nevada'').[ In spring 1928, he was again ordered to sea as Commander Battleship Divisions, Battle Fleet (COMBATDIVS), with the temporary rank of vice admiral, flying his three-star flag aboard the battleship ''West Virginia''][ from June 26, 1928, to May 20, 1929.]William V. Pratt
William Veazie Pratt (28 February 1869 – 25 November 1957) was an admiral in the United States Navy. He served as the President of the Naval War College from 1925 to 1927, and as the 5th Chief of Naval Operations from 1930 to 1933.
Early l ...
, who had been elevated to Commander in Chief, United States Fleet
The United States Fleet was an organization in the United States Navy from 1922 until after World War II. The acronym CINCUS, pronounced "sink us", was used for Commander in Chief, United States Fleet. This was replaced by COMINCH in December 1941 ...
(CINCUS). As COMBATFLT, Nulton was the second most senior officer afloat, and selected the battleship ''California'' as his new flagship as a compliment to that state.[ On January 9, 1930, Pratt sailed from New York as a delegate to the ]London Naval Conference 1930
The London Naval Treaty, officially the Treaty for the Limitation and Reduction of Naval Armament, was an agreement between the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Italy, and the United States that was signed on 22 April 1930. Seeking to address is ...
, leaving Nulton to act in his stead from the date of Pratt's departure until his return in May 1930. As acting CINCUS, Nulton commanded the combined fleets during the winter maneuvers in the Caribbean.[ Relieved by Admiral ]Frank H. Schofield
Frank Herman Schofield (January 4, 1869 – February 20, 1942) was a decorated admiral in the United States Navy, where he served with distinction in the Spanish–American War and World War I. He was also acting governor of Guam from January ...
on May 24, 1930,[ Nulton reverted to his permanent rank of rear admiral and was assigned as commandant of the First Naval District. He retired from the Navy on September 1, 1933, upon reaching the statutory retirement age.][
]
Personal life
He married the former Minnie Clark Evans on September 5, 1895, and they had two daughters. In retirement, he and his wife resided in Winchester, Virginia from 1933 to 1946.[ He died on November 11, 1954, at his home in ]Maysville, Kentucky
Maysville is a home rule-class city in Mason County, Kentucky, United States and is the seat of Mason County. The population was 8,782 as of 2019, making it the 51st-largest city in Kentucky by population. Maysville is on the Ohio River, north ...
,[ and was buried in the U.S. Naval Academy Cemetery in ]Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
.[
His decorations include 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 ...
, awarded for exceptionally meritorious service as commandant of midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy and later as commanding officer of ''Pennsylvania''.[Navy Cross citation]
/ref> As commander of the battleship divisions of the Pacific Fleet in 1929, he was commended in a letter from President Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...
for "attain ngthe highest merit in battle efficiency of any division of its class." A collection of Nulton family genealogical material and memorabilia from Nulton's naval career is archived at the Handley Regional Library in Winchester, Virginia.[Handley Regional Library - Louis M. Nulton Collection: 874 THL WFCHS]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nulton, Louis M.
United States Naval Academy alumni
Superintendents of the United States Naval Academy
United States Navy admirals
Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States)
Burials at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery
People from Winchester, Virginia
1869 births
1954 deaths