Alfred Melville Pride (September 10, 1897 – December 24, 1988) was a

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 ...

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, ...

and pioneer

naval aviator Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...

, who distinguished himself during World War II as an

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

commander. He served during the late 1940s as Chief of 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 ...

and 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 ...

as Commander of the

U.S. Seventh Fleet The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of th ...

. Pride's career was remarkable for its time, in that he achieved flag rank without having 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 ...

or even completing college. (He did, however, later complete advanced studies in aeronautical engineering.) A native of

Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total population of 81, ...

, he studied engineering at

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

Medford, Massachusetts Medford is a city northwest of downtown Boston on the Mystic River in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 59,659. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus alo ...

, for several years before

dropping out Dropping out refers to leaving high school, college, university or another group for practical reasons, necessities, inability, apathy, or disillusionment with the system from which the individual in question leaves. Canada In Canada, most ind ...

to enlist in the Navy 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 ...

. He served first as a machinist's mate in the Naval Reserve, but was soon given the chance to receive flight training and gain a commission as an ensign. Pride was sent to France, where he served briefly during the latter part of the war. In the early 1920s, having joined the Regular Navy, Pride became involved in the experiments to develop U.S. aircraft carriers. He served aboard the ''USS Langley'', the converted coaling ship that became the Navy's first aircraft carrier, and also took part in the development of the carriers ''USS Saratoga'' and ''USS Lexington'', as a member of the original crews. Pride continued his work in Naval Aviation testing for the rest of the interwar period. He went on to study aeronautical engineering at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

(MIT). In 1931, he became the first person to land an Autogiro (precursor to the helicopter) on an aircraft carrier. From 1934–1936 he headed the Flight Test Section at

Naval Air Station Anacostia Anacostia is a historic neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. Its downtown is located at the intersection of Good Hope Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. It is located east of the Anacostia River, after which the neighborhood is nam ...

, Washington, D.C., at that time the Navy's center for aircraft testing. During World War II, Pride served as first commanding officer of the carrier ''USS Belleau Wood'' (CVL-24). He received promotion to rear admiral and became commandant of 14th Naval District, at

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu, Hawaii, 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 ...

. He then was moved out to fleet jobs, including command of Carrier Division Six and Carrier Division Four. After the war, Rear Admiral Pride held important positions relating to Naval Aviation's technical development. From 1947 to 1951 he served as chief of the

, the Navy's material organization for aviation. From 1952 to 1953, he commanded the Naval Air Test Center,

Patuxent River, Maryland The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington, D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast ...

. He returned to the Pacific in 1953, when he received promotion to vice admiral, command of the U.S. Seventh Fleet (December 1, 1953 – December 19, 1955) and the first commander of the

United States Taiwan Defense Command The United States Taiwan Defense Command (USTDC; zh, t=美軍協防台灣司令部) was a sub-unified command of the United States Armed Forces operating in Taiwan. History The United States Taiwan Defense Command was originally formed as the ...

(USTDC). During this time, he was featured on the cover of the ''Time'' magazine (February 7, 1955, issue). Pride served as head of the Seventh Fleet until 1956, when he became Commander, Air Forces, Pacific Fleet. Pride retired in 1959 as a full admiral and settled in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

, where he died in 1988, aged 91. He is buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

. Many of his papers are stored at the Archives Division of the Smithsonian Institution's

National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, also called the Air and Space Museum, is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States. Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, it opened its main building on the Nat ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Awards and honors

Navy Distinguished Service Medal The Navy Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps which was first created in 1919 and is presented to sailors and Marines to recognize distinguished and exceptionally meritoriou ...

with gold star *

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

with combat "V" device *

Navy Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

with combat "V" device * Presidential Unit Citation with star * World War I Victory Medal with clasp *

American Defense Service Medal The American Defense Service Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces, established by , by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, on June 28, 1941. The medal was intended to recognize those military service members who had served ...

with clasp *

American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had perfo ...

* Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with silver

battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...

World War II Victory Medal The World War II Victory Medal is a service medal of the United States military which was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945. The Wor ...

Philippine Liberation Medal The Philippine Liberation Medal is a military award of the Republic of the Philippines which was created by an order of Commonwealth Army of the Philippines Headquarters on 20 December 1944, and was issued as the Philippine Liberation Ribbon. The d ...

His honors included being a Companion of the

Naval Order of the United States The Naval Order of the United States was established in 1890 as a hereditary organization in the United States for members of the American sea services. Its primary mission is to encourage research and writing on naval and maritime subjects and pr ...

and a member of the National Museum of Naval Aviation's Hall of Honor. The Navy Department also established the Admiral Alfred M. Pride Frigate ASW Readiness Award, for excellence in Anti-Submarine Warfare in the Navy's surface force. In 1961, Pride was retroactively designated the ninth recipient of the

Gray Eagle Award The Gray Eagle Award is presented to the Naval Aviator on continuous active duty in U.S. Navy or Marine Corps who has held that designation for the longest period of time. A similar trophy, the Gray Owl Award, is also presented to the Naval Flight ...

, as the most senior active naval aviator from July 1959 until his retirement later that year.

References

Alfred M. Pride Biography
from Justin Museum of Military History: Oral History, Navy Biographies

edited by R.D. Fread, Justin Museum of Military History

Interview with William Gutter about his recollections of serving as aboard ''USS Belleau Wood'' during Pride's time as commanding officer

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20050208131944/http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,1101550207,00.html ADM Pride on the cover of the February 7, 1955 issue of ''Time'' magazinebr>Reference to the Admiral Alfred M. Pride Frigate ASW Readiness Award, from the Navy's ''Surface Force Training Manual'', Revision E 12/17/99
– From the Federation of American Scientists (FAS)
Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS)
– Search the Archives, Manuscripts and Photographs Catalog for information on Pride's papers {{DEFAULTSORT:Pride, Alfred M. 1897 births 1988 deaths People from Somerville, Massachusetts Military personnel from Massachusetts American aerospace engineers United States Naval Aviators United States Navy admirals United States Navy personnel of World War I United States Navy World War II admirals Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Engineers from Maryland Engineers from Massachusetts 20th-century American engineers United States Navy reservists