Ralph Eugene Davison (12 September 1895 – 13 February 1972) was an early

United States Naval Aviator A naval aviator is a commissioned officer or warrant officer qualified as a crewed aircraft pilot in the United States Navy or United States Marine Corps. United States Coast Guard crewed aircraft pilots are officially designated as "Coast Guar ...

who later became one of Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher's Fast Carrier Admirals in the Pacific theatre during

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 opposing ...

Early life and education

Ralph Davison was born and raised in North St. Louis,

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

. His parents were George Whittier Davison and Laura Maude Wilson. He attended 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 Annapolis, Maryland, graduating in 1916.

Career

In September 1919, Davison entered flight school at Naval Aeronautical Station Pensacola along with his Naval Academy classmate

Frank Wead Frank Wilbur "Spig" Wead (24 October 1895 – 15 November 1947) was a U.S. Navy aviator who helped promote United States Naval aviation from its inception through World War II. Commander Wead was a recognized authority on early aviation. Followi ...

. Davison completed his flight training on 17 March 1920. In May 1942, Davison was serving as the Assistant Chief of the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics. In October 1942, Rear Adm. John McCain replaced Rear Adm. John Towers as Chief of the Bureau. On 17 November 1942, Davison was promoted to rear admiral, but continued to serve as Assistant Chief of the Bureau into 1943. Davison went on to command Task Group 38.4 during the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944 and Task Group 58.2 during the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. He was awarded two Distinguished Service Medals after completing these assignments. He was aboard his flagship when it was hit by a ''

kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending t ...

'' during the battle of Leyte Gulf and again when it was hit by a dive bomber during an airstrike against

Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...

on 19 March 1945 in preparation for the invasion of Okinawa. After leading TG 58.2, Davison was reassigned to

Naval Air Station Jacksonville Naval Air Station Jacksonville (NAS Jacksonville) is a large naval air station located approximately eight miles (13 km) south of the central business district of Jacksonville, Florida, United States., effective 2007-10-25 Location NAS Jac ...

, where he led the Naval Air Advanced Training Command until July 1948. While there, Admiral

Chester Nimitz Chester William Nimitz (; February 24, 1885 – February 20, 1966) was a fleet admiral in the United States Navy. He played a major role in the naval history of World War II as Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet, and Commander in C ...

asked Davison to select the first commanding officer for a new naval aviation demonstration squadron. Lieutenant Commander Butch Voris became the first leader of the

Blue Angels The Blue Angels is a flight demonstration squadron of the United States Navy.

in 1946. Davison was promoted to vice admiral at the time of his retirement from active duty in July 1948.

Personal

Davison was married to Elisabeth Dunham (14 April 1901 – 2 December 1971). They had a daughter, son and six grandchildren. Davison and his wife are buried in Barrancas National Cemetery in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. Their son David Dunham Davison (22 July 1928 – 13 May 2019) was a 1952 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davison, Ralph Eugene 1895 births 1972 deaths People from St. Louis United States Naval Academy alumni Aviators from Missouri United States Naval Aviators United States Navy World War II admirals Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal United States Navy vice admirals People from Pensacola, Florida Burials at Barrancas National Cemetery