James Sargent Russell (March 22, 1903 – April 14, 1996) was an admiral 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 ...

Biography

Russell was born in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

, the son of noted architect

Ambrose J. Russell Ambrose J. Russell (October 15, 1857 – March 6, 1938) was an architect in Tacoma, Washington, Tacoma, Washington (state), Washington. He was Scottish but born to parents on mission in the East Indies, in the town of Trivandram, India. He was ...

and Loella Janet (Sargent) Russell. He attended DeKoven Hall School and graduated from

Stadium High School Stadium High School is a public high school in Tacoma, Washington, and a historic landmark. It is part of Tacoma Public Schools, or Tacoma School District No. 10 and is located in the Stadium District, near downtown Tacoma. The original building ...

in 1918. He joined the Merchant Marine as an ordinary seaman, before entering 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 1922. He graduated, and was commissioned as

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

, on 3 June 1926. Russel served aboard the battleship . He entered the flight training program at

Naval Air Station Pensacola Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United State ...

, and was designated a

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 ...

in 1929. In the next decade he was assigned to tours of aviation duty both aboard ship and ashore, and also obtained a Master of Science degree in

Aeronautical Engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: Aeronautics, aeronautical engineering and Astronautics, astronautical engineering. A ...

from the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

. In July 1941 Russell joined Patrol Squadron 42 (VP-42), a

PBY The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served w ...

squadron based in the

Aleutians The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a chain of 14 large vo ...

, and on August 16 of that same year, assumed command. When the United States entered World War II he led VP-42 into action against Japanese forces in the Aleutian Islands Campaign, receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross and the

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

for his actions in leading his squadron against the enemy in "extremely hazardous weather conditions". Later that same year he was awarded the

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 ...

for his "exceptionally meritorious" services in establishing advanced bases in the area and operating his squadron from them. His squadron was itself also awarded a

Navy Unit Commendation The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944. History Navy and U.S. Marine Corps commands may recommend any Navy or Marine Co ...

. While in command of VP-42, Russell played a key role in the capture of the

Akutan Zero The Akutan Zero, also known as Koga's Zero (古賀のゼロ) and the Aleutian Zero, was a type 0 model 21 Mitsubishi A6M Zero Japanese fighter aircraft that crash-landed on Akutan Island, Alaska Territory, during World War II. It was found ...

. Russell returned to Washington for duty in the office of the

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...

and 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 ...

. He then returned to the Pacific as chief of staff to the commander of Carrier Division 2, part of the

Fast Carrier Task Force The Fast Carrier Task Force (TF 38 when assigned to Third Fleet, TF 58 when assigned to Fifth Fleet), was the main striking force of the United States Navy in the Pacific War from January 1944 through the end of the war in August 1945. The tas ...

. For his planning and coordination of the Striking Group in action against the Japanese he was awarded a Gold Star in lieu of a second Legion of Merit. After the war, he commanded the

escort carrier The escort carrier or escort aircraft carrier (U.S. hull classification symbol CVE), also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the United States Navy (USN) or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft ...

. He then reported to the

U.S. Atomic Energy Commission The United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by U.S. Congress to foster and control the peacetime development of atomic science and technology. President ...

for duty as commander of the commission's task group during the "

Operation Sandstone Operation Sandstone was a series of nuclear weapon tests in 1948. It was the third series of American tests, following Trinity in 1945 and Crossroads in 1946, and preceding Ranger. Like the Crossroads tests, the Sandstone tests were carried ou ...

" atomic bomb tests of 1948. For his contribution to the successful completion of these tests, he was awarded a second Gold Star in lieu of a third Legion of Merit. From 1951 until March 1952 Russell commanded the aircraft carrier as a unit of the

Sixth Fleet The Sixth Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy operating as part of United States Naval Forces Europe. The Sixth Fleet is headquartered at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy. The officially stated mission of the Sixth Fleet in ...

in the Mediterranean. Following this duty he again served in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, as head of the Military Requirements and New Development Branch, Air Warfare Division, until July 1953, when he assumed duty as director of the Air Warfare Division. He was promoted to the rank of rear admiral in 1953. On 16 May 1954 he became commander of Carrier Division 17, and in October of that year transferred to command of Carrier Division 5. On 4 March 1955, he assumed the duties of chief of the

. In that position he was awarded the 1956

Collier Trophy The Robert J. Collier Trophy is an annual aviation award administered by the U.S. National Aeronautic Association (NAA), presented to those who have made "the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to im ...

, along with Mr. C. J. McCarthy of Chance Vought Aircraft, for their work in the development of the

Vought F-8 Crusader The Vought F-8 Crusader (originally F8U) is a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft built by Vought for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps (replacing the Vought F7U Cutlass), and for the Frenc ...

supersonic fighter – the outstanding contribution to aviation in that year. From June 1957 Russell served as deputy commander in chief of the Atlantic Fleet with the rank of vice admiral before being appointed Vice Chief of Naval Operations on 21 July 1958 with the four-star rank of admiral. He served in that post until 1962, and then as Commander-in-Chief of NATO's

Allied Forces Southern Europe Allied Joint Force Command Naples (JFC Naples) is a NATO military command based in Lago Patria, in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy. It was activated on 15 March 2004, after effectively redesigning its predecessor command, Allied Forces Sou ...

(CinCAFSOUTH) before retiring in 1965.

Decorations

Apart from his US military medals Russell was awarded French

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

; Greece's

Order of George I The Royal Order of George I ( el, Βασιλικόν Τάγμα Γεωργίου Α') is a Greek order instituted by King Constantine I in 1915. Since the monarchy's abolition in 1973, it has been considered a dynastic order of the former Greek r ...

; Italy's

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking ...

; Peru's Great Cross of Naval Merit; and Brazil's Order of Naval Merit.

References

External links

Mention of his death in the US Congressional Record
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, James Sargent United States Navy admirals 1903 births 1996 deaths United States Navy pilots of World War II Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Order of George I Recipients of the Order of Naval Merit (Brazil) Recipients of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic People from Lakewood, Washington Recipients of the Air Medal Vice Chiefs of Naval Operations