Synopsis: Chester W. Nimitz went from Fredericksburg, Texas, to the top of the Navy by pairing technical mastery with calm command presence.
-A standout at Annapolis and an early submarine specialist, he was tapped nine days after Pearl Harbor to lead a Pacific Fleet he privately feared was at the bottom of the sea.
A US Navy (USN) F/A-18E Super Hornet aircraft, Strike Fighter Squadron 115 (VFA-115), Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore, California (CA), launches from catapult three during flight operations on board the USN Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. Note the file name does not match description above. However the separation above the deck suggests landing or a touch and go. Also catapult 3 is the shoulder position. Deck forward of this position will be visible.
-Nimitz rebuilt readiness, empowered talent, and helped drive the carrier-centered victories that turned the war—Midway, the Philippine Sea, and Leyte Gulf.
-After 1945, as Chief of Naval Operations, he backed nuclear submarines, refused postwar celebrity, and let his legacy sail on in the Nimitz-class carriers for decades.
Admiral Chester W. Nimitz’s Leadership Playbook: From Pearl Harbor to Midway
“Leadership consists of picking good men and helping them do their best.”—That quote belongs to Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, one of the most revered heroes and senior leaders in the hallowed history of the United States Navy.
We’ve written more about Nimitz-class supercarriers—both their strengths and weaknesses—than you can shake a stick at. Now we take a brief look at the life story of the flesh-and-blood human being who inspired the ship’s name.
(June 4, 2020) The Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) transit the Atlantic Ocean, June 4, 2020, marking the first time a Ford-class and a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier have operated together underway. Gerald R. Ford is underway conducting integrated air wing operations and the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group remains at sea in the Atlantic Ocean as a certified carrier strike group force ready for tasking in order to protect the crew from the risks posed by COVID-19, following their successful deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ruben Reed/Released
ARABIAN SEA (May 24, 2012) The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) transits the Arabian Sea. Abraham Lincoln is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and support missions as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Amanda L. Kilpatrick/Released)
Aerial overhead view of US Navy (USN) Sailors aboard the USN Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN 72) spelling out RIMPAC 2006 on the flight deck of the ship during a photo exercise during Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2006 in the Pacific Ocean (POC). The exercise is designed to increase the tactical proficiency of participating units in a wide array of combined sea operations. RIMPAC 2006 brings together military forces from Australia (AUS), Canada (CAN), Chile (CHL), Peru (PER), Japan (JPN), the Republic of Korea (KOR), United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US).
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman James R. Evans (RELEASED)
Early Life
Chester William Nimitz was born on February 24, 1885, in Fredericksburg, Texas, to Anna Josephine (née Henke) and Chester Bernhard Nimitz, in the hotel belonging to his paternal grandfather, Charles Henry Nimitz, who had been a seaman in the German Merchant Marine. Alas, Chester Bernhard died six months before his son was born, and in 1890, Anna married William Nimitz (1864–1943), Chester B. Nimitz’s brother.
The USS Arizona (BB-39) burning after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941.
Charles Henry instilled in his grandson a fascination with the sea at an early age, so it was apropos that young Chester would eventually seek an appointment to the United States Naval Academy (USNA) in Annapolis, Maryland. In 1901, he received that appointment courtesy of Congressman James Luther Slayden (D-TX).
Annapolis
Ironically, Chester skipped his senior year of high school to attend Annapolis.
That lack of a secondary school proved to be no handicap, as Midshipman Nimitz excelled both academically (especially in mathematics) and athletically (stroking the crew team in his first-class year). He graduated with distinction from the Academy on January 30, 1905, seventh in a class of 114.
Junior Officer, WWI, and Interwar Years
As noted by his official Naval Heritage and History Command (NHHC) biography, “After graduation, he joined USS Ohio in San Francisco and cruised in her to the Far East. On January 31, 1907, after the two years’ sea duty then required by law, he was commissioned Ensign, and took command of the gunboat USS Panay. He then commanded USS Decatur and was court martialed for grounding her, an obstacle in his career which he overcame.”
However, it was in submarines that Chester W. Nimitz established himself as a subject-matter expert, beginning in 1907. Among other things, he worked as an Aide and Chief of Staff to COMSUBLANT during WWI.
Route followed by the Japanese fleet to Pearl Harbor and back.
On April 9, 1913, he married Catherine Vance Nimitz, née Freeman. With whom he had four children: Catherine Vance “Kate”, Chester William “Chet” Jr., Anna Elizabeth “Nancy”, and Mary Manson.
Fast-forward to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and by this time, Chester W. Nimitz was a rear admiral holding the billet of Chief of the Bureau of Navigation.
WWII: Cementing His Legendary Legacy
It was on December 16, 1941, a mere nine days after the Pearl Harbor raid, that Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox tabbed RADM Nimitz as Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet (CinCPac) and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas, commanding Allied air, land, and sea forces in the region.
As noted by Dr. Tyler Bamford, “Knox answered, ‘You’re going to take command of the Pacific Fleet, and I think you will be gone a long time.’ Nimitz was stunned. That night, as he packed his things for the trip to Hawaii … Catherine noticed that he was lost in thought and commented that he must be gratified to have been given command of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Unable to bear the weight of the nation’s secret any longer, Nimitz turned to her and confided, ‘Darling, the fleet’s at the bottom of the sea. Nobody must know that here, but I’ve got to tell you.’”
Despite his unease, he persevered and ultimately triumphed. Via the skillful employment of carrier-borne naval airpower, submarines, and surface warships alike, Nimitz went on to immortalize himself in smashing American naval victories over the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the Battle of Midway. The Battle of the Philippine Sea (AKA “The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot“), and the Battle of Leyte Gulf (to name just a few examples).
On December 19, 1944, he was promoted to the newly created rank of Fleet Admiral (5 stars).
More than A Quote: Life After WWII and Death
In December 1945 (three months after Imperial Japan’s surrender), Nimitz became the tenth Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). During his CNO stint, Nimitz eagerly endorsed the construction of nuclear-powered submarines, a mantle that would be picked up by ADM Hyman G. Rickover (“Father of the Nuclear Navy”).
He retired on December 15, 1947, thus becoming the last living U.S. Navy officer to hold the rank of Fleet Admiral. He eschewed multiple requests to write his memoirs and offers to join the boards of private companies.
Aerial view of warships at the base piers of Norfolk Naval Base, Virginia (USA), circa August 1944. Among them are: the battleship USS Missouri (BB-63), the largest ship; the battlecruiser USS Alaska (CB-1), on the other side of the pier; the escort carrier USS Croatan (CVE-25), and two destroyers, a Fletcher-class destroyer at the pier and a Clemson/Wilkes-class-destroyer moored outboard.
He passed away on February 20, 1966, after a stroke complicated by pneumonia.
He was buried with full military honors at Golden Gate National Cemetery (which is a Veterans Administration [V.A.] national cemetery) in San Bruno, California, alongside his beloved Catherine (who lived ’til February 1, 1979). and his lifelong friends ADM Raymond A. Spruance, ADM Richmond K. Turner, and Vice Admiral (VADM) Charles A. Lockwood (a fellow submariner) and their wives.
Admiral Nimitz’s Lasting Legacy
USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is the lead ship of the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, built by HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) in Newport News, Virginia. She was ordered on March 31, 1967; laid down on June 22, 1968; launched on May 13, 1972 (christened by Catherine Nimitz, appropriately enough); and commissioned on May 3, 1975.
Her motto is “Teamwork, a Tradition.” A total of 10 of these warships have been built and commissioned, and none have been retired yet, as their successors, the Gerald F. Ford-class supercarriers, are coming along rather slowly.
A view from the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) of the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), USS Ramage (DDG 61) and USS McFaul (DDG 74) as the ships steam in formation during a drill while underway as part of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group March 5, 2023. Ford Carrier Strike Group is underway in the Atlantic Ocean executing its Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), an intense, multi-week exercise designed to fully integrate a carrier strike group as a cohesive, multi-mission fighting force and to test their ability to carry out sustained combat operations from the sea. As the first-in-class ship of Ford-class aircraft carriers, CVN 78 represents a generational leap in the U.S. Navy’s capacity to project power on a global scale. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Malachi Lakey)
Appropriately, the National Museum of the Pacific War is located in the spot of his paternal grandfather’s hotel.
Naturally, Hollywood filmmakers and actors have taken their own turn at immortalizing (and embellishing) the Admiral. The two best-known examples are the 1976 film “Midway,” in which he was played by Oscar winner Henry Fonda, and the 2019 film “Midway,” in which it was Woody Harrelson’s turn to portray him.
About the Author: Christian D. Orr, Defense Expert
Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He is also the author of the newly published book “Five Decades of a Fabulous Firearm: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Beretta 92 Pistol Series.”
