Charles Horatio "Soc" McMorris (August 31, 1890 – February 11, 1954) was an American rear admiral during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, most notably commanding forces at the

Battle of the Komandorski Islands A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

during the

Aleutian Islands Campaign The Aleutian Islands campaign () was a military campaign fought between 3 June 1942 and 15 August 1943 on and around the Aleutian Islands in the American theater (World War II), American Theater of World War II during the Pacific War. It was t ...

Early life and career

Born in

Wetumpka, Alabama Wetumpka () is a city in and the county seat of Elmore County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,220. In the early 21st century, Elmore County became one of the fastest-growing counties in the state. The city i ...

, McMorris attended public schools in Wetumpka for several years before entering the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

on June 26, 1908. After graduating fifth in his class on June 8, 1912, McMorris served as an ensign aboard several battleships and cruisers, including the , , and , later taking part in the occupation of Veracruz in 1914 as part of the United States' intervention into Mexico. He also served aboard the battleship , which salvaged the submarine following its sinking off the coast of

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

in 1915.

World War I

A junior officer during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, McMorris saw combat in the Atlantic aboard the destroyers and prior to his promotion to lieutenant in 1918. During the interwar years, he was stationed in various sea and shore posts before his graduation from the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associa ...

in 1938, serving as operations officer to the Hawaiian-based US fleet from 1939 until 1941.

World War II

Appointed war plans officer to the

United States Pacific Fleet The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor� ...

following the attack on Pearl Harbor, McMorris remained in this post until April 1942 when he was assigned command of Task Force 8 led by the cruiser . After engaging the Imperial Japanese Navy several times, both in the

, specifically at the

and (as well as winning distinction for bravery and the award of the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's 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 equivalent to the Army ...

during the

Battle of Cape Esperance The Battle of Cape Esperance, also known as the Second Battle of Savo Island and in Japanese sources as the , took place on 11–12 October 1942, in the Pacific War, Pacific campaign of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and United ...

on October 11–12, 1942), McMorris was named Chief of Staff of the Pacific Fleet in June 1943, as well as a personal advisor to Admiral

Chester Nimitz Chester William Nimitz (; 24 February 1885 – 20 February 1966) was a Fleet admiral (United States), fleet admiral in the United States Navy. He played a major role in the naval history of World War II as Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Co ...

, a post he retained until the end of the war.

Post-war

Briefly serving as vice admiral from September 23, 1944 until July 1948, McMorris commanded the

United States Fourth Fleet The U.S. Fourth Fleet is a United States Navy numbered fleet. It is the Naval Component Command of U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM). The Fourth Fleet is headquartered at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida. It is responsible fo ...

and presided over the

General Board The General Board of the United States Navy was an advisory body of the United States Navy, somewhat akin to a naval general staff. The General Board was established by general order 544, issued on March 13, 1900 by Secretary of the Navy John ...

before assuming command of

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

Fourteenth Naval District United States Naval Districts is a system created by the United States Navy to organize military facilities, numbered sequentially by geographic region, for the operational and administrative control of naval bases and shore commands in the Unit ...

on August 25, 1948. He eventually commanded the Pearl Harbor naval base before retiring to

Marietta, Pennsylvania Marietta is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,633 at the 2020 census. It is located on the east bank of the Susquehanna River, northwest of Columbia. Geography Marietta is located in western Lan ...

, where he lived until his death in 1954.

Namesake

The destroyer escort was named for McMorris.

Decorations

References

* Parrish, Thomas and S. L. A. Marshall, ed. ''The Simon and Schuster Encyclopedia of World War II'', New York: Simon and Schuster, 1978.

External links

USS McMorris – Vice Admiral Charles Horatio McMorris, USN
{{DEFAULTSORT:McMorris, Charles 1890 births 1954 deaths People from Wetumpka, Alabama United States Navy vice admirals United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy personnel of World War I United States Navy World War II admirals Aleutian Islands campaign Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit