He graduated with distinction on 30 January, 1905, ranking 7th out of the 114 in that class. Chester William Nimitz, Sr., was born 24th February 1885,to Chester and Anna Nimitz. His influence, expert knowledge of submarines, and support of Captain Hyman G. Rickover’s proposal for a nuclear submarine led to the building of the first nuclear powered submarine, the USS Nautilus. While bolstering his education with naval command training at the Navy War College in the 1920s, Nimitz worked on a hypothetical plan for how to win engagements in a Pacific War. Chester A. Arthur was the 21st president of the United States. Check out this biography to know about his birthday, childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about him. Admiral Chester Nimitz and his Family at a celebration in Washington, DC. His story, along with others from the most dramatic days of World War II is now told in the 2019 film Midway with Woody Harrelson playing Chester Nimitz. © 2020 Biography and the Biography logo are registered trademarks of A&E Television Networks, LLC. In 1944, he was promoted to fleet admiral. His next notable stint was at the University of California where he established the first Naval Reserve Officers’ training unit. “I got frightfully seasick, and must confess to some chilling of enthusiasm for the sea,” he would later recall. Nimitz wanted to apply for West Point to become an Army officer, but no appointments were available at the time. It was the first diesel engine used in a surface Navy vessel. From 1940 to 1941, Nimitz worked in Virginia as President of the Army Navy Country Club. In 1945 he was named Commander in Chief of the United States Fleet. Nimitz is featured on a United States stamp and several things have been named after him including ships, schools, foundations, museums, freeways, military institutions, hills, summits, a glacier, musical compositions, eight schools, and even the town of Nimitz, WV. From 1919 to 1920, Nimitz served in the battleship South Carolina as an executive officer. Wikimedia CommonsPortrait of Admiral Chester Nimitz at the National Portrait Gallery. A fast learner, he started instruction in the First Submarine Flotilla in January of 1909 and had command of the flotilla by May. Despite enduring losses in terms of total damage suffered, he was successful in turning back a Japanese invasion of Port Moresby. Wikimedia CommonsAdmiral Chester Nimitz and his Family at a celebration in Washington, DC. The USS Nimitz, the first of her class of ten nuclear-powered supercarriers, was commissioned in 1975. After WWII, he served as chief of naval operation. He was also the father of George W. Bush, the 43rd President. The battle, much like the Battle of Coral Sea, was fought almost entirely by air and resulted in an overwhelming American victory. San Diego Air and Space Museum/FlickrAdmiral Nimitz taking aim. He later recounted, “I was asked once how we were able to fight the war in the Pacific, and I said that we fought it just as we had fought it all on paper in the Naval War College. The Hottest Male Celebrities With The Best Abs, The Top 25 Wrestling Announcers Of All Time, Celebrities Who Are Not In The Limelight Anymore. Chester Nimitz received many decorations and awards, both nationally and internationally. He graduated in 1905 with distinction. Adm. Chester W. Nimitz pins the Navy Cross on Doris Miller at Pearl Harbor on May 27, 1942. That October, he was appointed a senior member of the Board of Submarine Design. He served as Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet in World War II and commanded all air, sea, and land forces in the central Pacific area. Nimitz retired from his Chief of Naval Operations position in 1947, but the rank of Fleet Admiral is an appointment for life. Walsh, a second-class fireman from drowning. General George Patton led the Third Army in a very successful sweep across France during World War II in 1944. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz looms large in the story of the U.S. Navy in World War II. His father had died six months before Chester was born. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Nimitz participated in fund raising to help restore the Japanese Imperial Navy battleship, the Mikasa, with the intention of restoring goodwill with Japan. 1. Naval Academy at Annapolis Place of Birth Fredericksburg, Texas Founder and lead singer of Guns N' Roses, Axl Rose is a celebrated but controversial figure in the world of rock. Wikimedia CommonsThe Battle of Midway. Chester William Nimitz (/ˈnɪmɪts/; February 24, 1885 – February 20, 1966) was a fleet admiral of the United States Navy. The Battle of Midway. Nimitz initially served as head of the Navy's Bureau of Navigation in 1939 and later as Chief of Naval Operations in 1945. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/chester-w-nimitz-8519.php. Nimitz may have yielded and withdrawn the fleet to husband his carrier strength, but he made the strategic decision to use the intelligence of the impending attack to create an ambush. President Harry Truman shaking Admiral Chester Nimitz’s hand at a ceremony in which he was given the Distinguished Navy Service Medal. Wikimedia CommonsThe destroyer, USS Decatur. His boyhood home in Fredericksburg, Texas is now incorporated into the National Museum of the Pacific War. On June 15, 1939, Nimitz was appointed Bureau of Navigation’s chief. We would like to express to you our deepest thanks for your contribution. He returned to the U.S. soon after, and he began schooling in the First Submarine Flotilla. The best way to get along with either is to learn all you can, then do your best and don’t worry – especially about things over which you have no control.”. Chester W. Nimitz interesting facts, biography, family, updates, life, childhood facts, information and more: Yerba Buena Island in San Francisco Bay, California. The next year he courted and wed Catherine Vance Freeman. It will tell you what to do.” The ship was saved. His father, Chester Bernhard Nimitz died of a rheumatic heart condition some five months before he was born. Admiral Nimitz at the ceremony at which Japan gave its unconditional surrender. The first, the May 4 – 8, 1942 Battle of the Coral Sea, was a tactical win for the Japanese. After the attack on Pearl Harbor (7th December 1941), President Roosevelt appointed Charles W. Nimitz Commander-in-Chief, United States Pacific Fleet.