(2 of 6)
At 49, when he had been a captain for five years, he qualified as a naval aviator, then had a series of air commands until he was given the new Atlantic Patrol Force last year. Characteristically, he did not fare so well on shore duty, when he was first Assistant Chief, and later Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics (after famed Rear Admiral William Adger Moffett went down with the dirigible Akron).
When the Navy reorganized its combat forces into three fleets last February, and Ernest King was put in command of the Atlantic Fleet, he joined a distinguished pair: Admiral Husband Edward Kimmel with the main Fleet in the Pacific, and Thomas Charles Hart in command of the Asiatic Fleet. Last week the Navy recognized Admiral Hart's success in his job, and its critical importance, by extending his tour beyond the normal retirement age of 64.
Congressmen, the President, the Secretary of the Navy, the Chief of Naval Operations and kibitzers in his office generally have a hand in choosing subordinate commanders for duty with the fleets.
Admirals King, Kimmel and Hart had all but complete discretion in selecting their key officers. In battle order of succession to the Fleet command, Admiral King's topmost subordinates are: Rear Admiral David McDougal Le Breton, 56, a greying, bandy-legged bantam who holds six decorations. He is generally rated one of the Navy's ablest tacticians, by his partisans is considered a coming CINCUS (Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet). His disparagers say that he is adept at polishing topside apples. He commands the Atlantic Fleet's single division of three old battleships (Arkansas, Texas, New York),* whose 12-and 14-in. guns were so short of range that Congress last year authorized their elevation to a point where they could at least match modern cruisers.
Rear Admiral Arthur Byron ("Cookie") Cook, 59, commands an unannounced number of shore-based aircraft which patrol with the Fleet, at least two carriers (Ranger, the recently added Wasp), and perhaps a third (the Saratoga). Like his chief, he switched to air duty after more than 20 years in surface vessels, had a tour as Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics.
In a Navy where two suits of civvies is considered affectation, "Cookie" is a double-breasted dandy when he is ashore.
Rear Admiral Ferdinand Louis Reichmuth, 57, is an even-tempered foil to his boss. Admiral Reichmuth (pronounced Rike-muth) has in his destroyer command 60 to 75 destroyers (in two flotillas), at least 25 fewer than there were when the U.S. turned 50 destroyers over to Great Britain last year.
Rear Admiral Randall Jacobs, 55, commands the train of tankers, transports, tenders which any fleet needs for extended operations. Admiral Jacobs is one of three officers for whom Admiral King reached far down the seniority list, promoting them over the heads of many an older captain. The others (also in command succession):
Rear Admiral Richard Stanislaus Edwards, 56, commands 20 to 24 submarines (two squadrons) which have been added since last June.
Rear Admiral Robert Carlisle Giffen, 55, is the tall (6 ft. 2 in.) buckarooly commander of the Fleet's one division of four heavy cruisers. Last though he is in battle succession, "Ike" Giffen thus has a command second only in importance to that of Admirals King and Le Breton.