Patrick J. Hannifin (January 26, 1923 – January 9, 2014) was an American

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

vice admiral. Hannifin was born in 1923 in Oklahoma to Steven Patrick and Elizabeth (née Flanagan) Hannifin. He attended the

New Mexico Military Institute New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) is a public military junior college and high school in Roswell, New Mexico. Founded in 1891, NMMI operates under the auspices of the State of New Mexico, under a dedicated Board of Regents that reports t ...

prior to going to 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 ...

, in which he graduated in 1944. Hannifin served in

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 ...

on the submarine USS ''Balao'' (SS-285), and after the war he served on multiple submarines including U-858, SEA ROBIN (SS-407), GRAMPUS (SS-523), RASHER (SSR-269), and he eventually held commands of the USS ''Diodon'' (SS-349), USS ''George Washington'' (SSBN-598), USS ''Lafayette'' (SSBN-616) as well as Submarine Squadron 15, in 1968, which he was given responsibility for all the ''Polaris'' submarines in the Pacific Fleet in Guam. From September 1969 to October 1971, following his promotion to rear admiral, Hannifin served as Commandant of the Thirteenth Naval District. Other flag posts he served included commanding Submarine Group Eight in

Naples, Italy Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, Commander of Submarine Flotilla Eight, as well as Commander Submarines Mediterranean, which he took charge of the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

submarine forces. He returned to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

in 1973 when he served in multiple positions within the

Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, which advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and ...

. Following a promotion in 1976 to vice admiral for him to assume the position of director of plans and policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in 1977, Hannifin was given the position of

Director of the Joint Staff The director of the Joint Staff (DJS) is a three-star officer who assists the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a cabinet of senior military officers within the United States Armed Forces who advise the secretary of defense and the president on milita ...

. He served in this capacity until his retirement in 1978. Vice Admiral Hannifin was a recipient of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit and the Navy Commendation Medal with one Gold Star and a 'V' for VALOR device. In retirement Hannifin lived in

Solana Beach, California Solana Beach (''Solana'', Spanish language, Spanish for "sunny side") is a beach city in San Diego County, California, on the South Coast (California), South Coast. Its population was at 12,940 at the 2020 U.S. census, up from 12,867 at the 2010 ...

and served as president of HANESCO, Co., in the oil and gas industry. He was married to Mary (née Snyder), whom he married July 12, 1944. They had 3 children. One son, Steven Patrick II also served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. He has also served as a consultant on naval matters that include submarines, appearing on television and news panels to provide analysis on current matters. He also possesses a business degree, which he obtained from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

in 1968. He is a member of the New Mexico Military Institute Hall of Fame, in which he was inducted on October 25, 1985, and he has also received the 2012 Distinguished Submariner Award from the Naval Submarine League. He died in Solana Beach on January 9, 2014.Patrick J. Hannifin's obituary
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hannifin, Patrick J. 1923 births 2014 deaths People from Cotton County, Oklahoma United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy personnel of World War II United States submarine commanders George Washington University School of Business alumni United States Navy vice admirals Businesspeople from California People from Solana Beach, California Burials at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery