Frederick Carl Sherman (May 27, 1888 – July 27, 1957) was a highly decorated admiral of 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 ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Early life

Sherman was born in

Port Huron, Michigan Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administered separately. Located along the St. Clair ...

on May 27, 1888. His grandfather, Loren Sherman, was the longtime editor and publisher of ''The Daily Times'' in Port Huron. His father, Frederick Ward Sherman, sold the newspaper in 1907 and moved to California, where he was editor and publisher of ''The Daily Independent'' in Santa Barbara in 1911.

Naval career

Sherman graduated from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) 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 Secretary of ...

in 1910. He served as commanding officer of submarines and during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. After becoming a naval aviator, Sherman served as executive officer of in 1937, and of Naval Air Station San Diego to 1938. He commanded from 1940 until her loss in the

Battle of the Coral Sea The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, the batt ...

. Captain Sherman was the last man to leave the sinking ship. His wife wrote a book titled ''Admiral Wags'' which told the story of the family cocker spaniel who accompanied Sherman during his command of ''Lexington''. The dog can be seen in war footage used in the John Wayne movie ''In Harm's Way''. Promoted to rear admiral, he served as assistant chief of staff to Commander in Chief Atlantic Fleet, Admiral Ernest King until the end of 1942. He served in the Fast Carrier Task Force, as Commander, Carrier Division 2 in 1943, and as Commander, Task Group 38.3 in 1944–45. Sherman was a three-time recipient of the Navy Cross. Promoted to vice admiral in 1945, he became Commander, United States Fifth Fleet before retiring in 1947. Upon retirement, he was promoted to admiral on the retired list.

Later life and legacy

Sherman wrote ''Combat Command'', a history of the Pacific Theater of World War II, drawing on his personal experiences. ''Combat Command'' was published in 1950 by E.P. Dutton Inc, and again by Bantam Books in 1982. Sherman appeared on the Groucho Marx radio game show You Bet Your Life on January 4, 1950, where he mentioned his greatest thrill as being on the bridge of the USS Missouri in

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populous ...

, watching the Japanese sign surrender terms at the end of

. He and a recent naval recruit contested the major prize of $1000 but were unsuccessful. Sherman died on 27 July 1957 in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

, and the Frederick C. Sherman Field on nearby San Clemente Island was dedicated in his honor on 11 January 1961.

Decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Vice Admiral Frederick C. Sherman:

References

: *
History of St. Clair County, Michigan
by William Lee Jenks, 1911

External links

– from Microworks.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Sherman, Frederick 1888 births 1957 deaths People from Port Huron, Michigan Military personnel from Michigan United States Naval Aviators United States submarine commanders United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy vice admirals United States Navy personnel of World War I Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Navy World War II admirals