Robert Ellington Dixon (April 22, 1906 – October 21, 1981) was a United States Navy admiral and aviator, whose radio message "Scratch one flat top" during the Battle of the Coral Sea became quickly famous, as his unit of dive bombers contributed to the first sinking of a Japanese aircraft carrier in the Pacific theater of the

Second World War 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 ...

. Dixon would go on to serve on four other carriers during the war and commanded during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. Dixon was a 1927 graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy. He was awarded two

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 ...

es. The first was awarded for scouting operations against Japanese forces over Lae and Salamaua, New Guinea in March 1942 The second Navy Cross was awarded for his success in the Battle of the Coral Sea. He also received three Legions of Merit: (1) for airstrikes against the Buka-Bonis area, Bougainville, and at Rabaul in November 1943; as commanding officer of the USS Valley Forge from January to June 1953; and (3) for services as Chief, Bureau of Aeronautics from July 1957 to November 1959. Promoted to

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

on July 1, 1955, Dixon served as Assistant Chief for Plans and Programs at the

Bureau of Aeronautics The Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) was the U.S. Navy's material-support organization for naval aviation from 1921 to 1959. The bureau had "cognizance" (''i.e.'', responsibility) for the design, procurement, and support of naval aircraft and relate ...

. As Assistant Chief, he was responsible for all development work on the new

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bow ...

jet fighter. Dixon later served as Chief of the Bureau from July 1957 to November 1959. He died on October 21, 1981 at the age of 75 at

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

, and was later buried at Woodlawn Memorial Gardens at

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dixon, Robert E. 1906 births 1981 deaths United States Naval Academy alumni United States Naval Aviators United States Navy personnel of World War II Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) United States Navy personnel of the Korean War United States Navy rear admirals Recipients of the Legion of Merit