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Historical records matching Admiral George D. Murray
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About Admiral George D. Murray
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_D._Murray
George Dominic Murray (July 6, 1889 – June 18, 1956) was a vice admiral of the United States Navy and early naval aviator.
Biography
Murray was born in Boston, Massachusetts, attended the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1910 and became a naval aviator in 1915. During World War II, he commanded the aircraft carrier Enterprise (CV-6), from 21 March 1941 to 30 June 1942, which included the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo and the Battle of Midway. At the end of the war, he was the commander of the Mariana Islands, and accepted the Japanese surrender of the Caroline Islands aboard his flagship, the cruiser Portland (CA-33).
He commanded the First Fleet from August 1947 to August 1948.
He retired as Vice Admiral in 1951, died in San Francisco, California on 18 June 1956, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
In 1961, Murray was posthumously designated the third recipient of the Gray Eagle Award, as the most senior active naval aviator from 1947 until his retirement.
US Navy Admiral. He is probably best remembered as the commander of the aircraft carrier battle group that launched the famous Doolittle Raid, the first US airstrike on Japan after the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii by Japanese aircraft on December 7, 1941. In 1906 he was selected to attend the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, graduating in 1910. In 1914 he attended flight training at Pensacola, Florida and received his aviator wings the following year. In 1924 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant commander and was designated Commander, VT-20, in the Philippines. In October 1939 he was promoted to the rank of commander and became the Director, Flight Division, Bureau of Aeronautics in Washington DC. He was then promoted to the rank of captain in March 1941 and commanded the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, when the US entered World War II. In April 1942 he brought a battle group of the aircraft carriers USS Enterprise and USS Hornet undetected to within 600 miles of Japan. On board the USS Hornet were 16 B-17 bombers which could only take off on a one way bombing mission over Tokyo, Japan, now known as the Doolittle Raid. He also played a major part in the Battle of Midway in June 1942 which halted the Japanese Western expansion in the Pacific Theater. In June 1942 he was promoted to the rank or rear admiral and was given command of Carrier Division 3 of the US Pacific Fleet. In September 1942 he came close to losing the USS Hornet off Guadalcanal, when it was spared two torpedo hits only because a patrolling aircraft dropped a depth charge in the paths of the torpedoes. He continued to risk his force in submarine-infested waters, for which he drew criticism during the investigation of the torpedoing of aircraft carrier USS Wasp. In 1943 he returned to the US and became the Chief, Naval Air Intermediate Training Command at Pensacola, Florida, followed in August 1944 as Commander, Naval Air Forces, Pacific Fleet, at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, California. In late 1944 he served on a Naval Board of Inquiry that investigated Admiral William Halsey's sailing of the Third Fleet into a typhoon. At the end of the war, he was the military commander of the Mariana Islands, and accepted the Japanese surrender of the Caroline Islands aboard his flagship, the cruiser USS Portland. In July 1945 he was promoted to the rank of vice admiral and became Commander, 14 Naval District at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. From August 1947 until August 1948 he commanded the Naval First Fleet. He retired at the rank of vice admiral in 1951, with 41 years of continuous military service. Among his military decorations and awards include the Navy Cross, and the World War II Victory Medal. He died at the age of 66. Upon his death and internment, he was promoted to the rank of admiral for having been especially commended in combat in accordance with an Act of Congress passed on March 4, 1925 and February 23, 1942 (colloquially known as a "tombstone promotion"). In 1961 he was posthumously designated the third recipient of the Gray Eagle Award, which is presented to a naval aviator on continuous active duty in US Navy or Marine Corps who has held that designation for the longest period of time, as the most senior active naval aviator from 1947 until his retirement.
Bio by: William Bjornstad
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Admiral George D. Murray's Timeline
| 1889 |
July 6, 1889
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Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States
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| 1930 |
1930
Age 40
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London, England, Consular Service, USA
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| 1956 |
June 18, 1956
Age 66
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San Francisco, San Francisco County, California, United States
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June 22, 1956
Age 66
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Arlington National Cemetery, 1 Memorial Avenue, Arlington, Arlington County, VA, 22211, United States
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