{{short description|United States Navy admiral}} {{Use American English|date=January 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2020}} {{Infobox military person | name = Robert L. Ghormley | image = Ghormley;g12864.jpg | alt = | caption = Ghormley in 1942 | nickname = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1883|10|15}} | birth_place = [[Portland, Oregon]], US | death_date = {{Death date and age|1958|6|21|1883|10|15}} | death_place = [[Walter Reed National Military Medical Center|Naval Hospital]], [[Bethesda, Maryland]], US | burial_place = [[Arlington National Cemetery]] | allegiance = [[United States of America]] | branch = [[File:United States Department of the Navy Seal.svg|25px]] [[United States Navy]] | service_years = 1906–1946 | rank = [[File:US-O9 insignia.svg|38px]] [[Vice admiral (United States)|Vice Admiral]] | service_number = | unit = | commands = [[14th Naval District]]<br />[[South Pacific Area]]<br />[[Vice Chief of Naval Operations|Assistant Chief of Naval Operations]]<br />{{USS|Nevada|BB-36}}<br />{{USS|Sands|DD-243}}<br />{{USS|Niagara|SP-136}} | battles = [[Philippine–American War]]<br/>[[Occupation of Nicaragua]]<br/>[[World War I]]<br />[[Turkish War of Independence]] * [[Bombardment of Samsun]]<br />[[World War II]] * [[Guadalcanal campaign]] | awards = [[Navy Distinguished Service Medal]]<br />[[Army Distinguished Service Medal]]<br />[[Legion of Merit]] | relations = | other_work = }} [[Vice admiral (United States)|Vice Admiral]] '''Robert Lee Ghormley''' (October 15, 1883 – June 21, 1958) was an admiral in the [[United States Navy]] who served as commander, [[South Pacific Area]] during [[World War II]].<ref name=vadmbt>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uYJfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kTAMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6048%2C6906641 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=Idaho |agency=Associated Press |title=Vice Adm. Ghormley dead at 74 |date=June 22, 1958 |page=1}}</ref> Ghormley was long considered to be an ineffective leader–overly cautious, pessimistic, and even defeatist–but recent scholarship has argued that while he may not have been an inspiring leader, he performed well enough under difficult circumstances.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Reardon |first1=Jeff T. |date= October 2022|title= Reevaluating Ghormley and Halsey at Guadalcanal|url= |journal= The Journal of Military History|volume= 86|issue= |pages= 915–948|doi= |access-date=}}</ref>
==Early years== Born in [[Portland, Oregon]], Ghormley was the oldest of six children to a Presbyterian missionary.<ref name=ghormley6>{{cite web|url=http://pwencycl.kgbudge.com/G/h/Ghormley_Robert_L.htmley_robertl.htm|title=The Pacific War Encyclopedia – Ghormley, Robert Lee (1883–1958)|access-date=April 30, 2014}}{{Dead link|date=February 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref> While attending the [[University of Idaho]] in [[Moscow, Idaho|Moscow]],<ref name=ghormley1>{{cite web|url= http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/ghormley_robertl.htm|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120716224309/http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/ghormley_robertl.htm|url-status= dead|archive-date= July 16, 2012|title=Biographies in Naval History – Vice Admiral Robert Lee Ghormely, US Navy|access-date=April 30, 2014}}</ref> he was appointed to the [[U.S. Naval Academy]] at [[Annapolis, Maryland]], and entered there on September 23, 1902, and graduated in June 1906.
Among his classmates were many future admirals including [[Arthur L. Bristol]], [[William L. Calhoun (admiral)|William L. Calhoun]], [[William A. Glassford]], [[Charles Conway Hartigan|Charles C. Hartigan]], [[Aubrey W. Fitch]], [[Frank J. Fletcher]], [[Isaac C. Kidd]], [[John S. McCain Sr.]], [[Leigh Noyes]], [[Ferdinand L. Reichmuth]], [[John H. Towers]], [[Russell Willson]], [[Thomas Withers]], Roland M. Brainard, Milo F. Draemel, and Sherwoode A. Taffinder.<ref name="Lucky Bag">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/luckybag1906unse|title= Lucky Bag - USNA Class of 1906|publisher=United States Naval Academy|access-date=July 10, 2018}}</ref>
He served on [[cruiser]]s during the next five years, including {{USS|West Virginia|ACR-5|6}},<ref name=ghormley2>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w6/west_virginia-i.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040315061342/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w6/west_virginia-i.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 15, 2004 |title=[USS] West Virginia|access-date=April 30, 2014}}</ref> the auxiliary cruiser {{USS|Buffalo|1893|6}},<ref name=ghormley3>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w6/west_virginia-i.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040315061342/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w6/west_virginia-i.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 15, 2004 |title=[USS] Buffalo|access-date=April 30, 2014}}</ref> {{USS|Charleston|C-22|6}},<ref name=ghormley4>{{cite web|url= http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/c6/charleston-iii.htm|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20040314044515/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/c6/charleston-iii.htm|url-status= dead|archive-date= March 14, 2004|title=[USS] Charleston|access-date=April 30, 2014}}</ref> and {{USS|Maryland|ACR-8|6}}.<ref name=ghormley5>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/m5/maryland-ii.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040329022009/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/m5/maryland-ii.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 29, 2004 |title=[USS] Maryland|access-date=April 30, 2014}}</ref> From 1911 to 1913, [[Lieutenant (navy)|Lieutenant]] Ghormley was aide and flag lieutenant to the commander in chief, Pacific Fleet, participating in the 1912 campaign in Nicaragua. That was followed by duty at the U.S. Naval Academy starting in June 1913. He was assigned to the [[battleship]] {{USS|Nevada|BB-36|6}} in June 1916.
Ghormley was promoted to [[Lieutenant commander (United States)|lieutenant commander]] on May 23, 1917, and spent most of [[World War I]] on ''Nevada'' and as a flag aide. Late in the conflict, he was promoted to [[Commander (United States)|commander]] and became assistant director of the Overseas Division of the [[Naval Overseas Transportation Service]]. In 1919 he was awarded the [[Distinguished Service Medal (U.S. Army)|Army Distinguished Service Medal]] for his service in this position.<ref name="Valor awards for Robert L. Ghormley">{{cite web | url = https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/17572#174122 | access-date = June 19, 2018 | work = valor.militarytimes.com | title = Valor awards for Robert L. Ghormley | publisher = Militarytimes Websites}}</ref>
From 1920 to 1922, he commanded the patrol vessel {{USS|Niagara|SP-136|6}} and the [[destroyer]] {{USS|Sands|DD-243|6}}, including [[Mediterranean Sea]] duty in the latter.
==Mid-career== Promoted to the rank of commander in July 1921, Ghormley served as aide to the Assistant [[Secretary of the Navy]] from 1923 to 1925 and as [[Executive officer#United States Navy and United States Coast Guard|executive officer]] of the battleship {{USS|Oklahoma|BB-37|2}} for the next two years. In 1927 he became secretary of the [[General Board of the United States Navy|Navy's General Board]], in Washington, D.C., [[Captain (United States O-6)|Captain]] Ghormley was chief of staff to the commanders of the Battle Force and [[U.S. Fleet]] during the early 1930s.
After working with the [[Chief of Naval Operations]], he became commanding officer of the battleship {{USS|Nevada|BB-36|2}} from June 25, 1935, to June 23, 1936. In 1936, he returned to the U.S. Fleet staff. By 1938, he completed the senior course at the [[Naval War College]]. Rear Admiral Ghormley became director of the War Plans Division and Assistant Chief of Naval Operations, remaining in those positions until August 1940. He then was sent to the United Kingdom as a special naval observer for President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]. He was subsequently promoted to vice admiral on September 18, 1941, having been promoted to [[Rear admiral (United States)|rear admiral]] on October 1, 1938.<ref>{{Cite web| title=Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps | url=https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AMH/USN/Naval_Registers/1942.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111229224508/http://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AMH/USN/Naval_Registers/1942.pdf | archive-date=2011-12-29}}</ref>
==World War II== ===Pearl Harbor attack and selection for South Pacific command=== The [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] on December 7, 1941, by the [[Imperial Japanese Navy|Japanese Imperial Navy]] using fast offensive [[aircraft carrier]] forces wrought destruction on the American battleships there at anchor. This dramatically changed the strategic and tactical (doctrinal) emphasis of the U.S. Navy for the rest of World War II. Until the attack on Pearl Harbor, the battleship was widely accepted and held as the supreme weapon of naval power. The attack from aircraft launched by carriers made it clear that air power had instantly superseded the battleship as the primary asset of naval power. In the days after the Pearl Harbor attack, the U.S. Navy attempted to immediately reinforce [[Wake Island]], and dispatched Vice Admiral [[William Halsey Jr.]]<ref name="Wukovits">{{cite book|last=Wukovits|first=John|year=2010|title=Admiral "Bull" Halsey – The Life and Wars of the Navy's Most Controversial Commander|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|location=New York, New York|isbn=978-0-230-60284-7}}</ref> on raids against various enemy-held islands.
In March and April 1942, as the Japanese were surging through Southeast Asia, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff developed plans for U.S. operations over the rest of the year and the governments of the Allied nations negotiated a division of Pacific Ocean operating areas and commands. Among the areas and commands established was the South Pacific Area, a subdivision of the Pacific Ocean Area. In April, Vice Admiral Ghormley was recalled from London and informed by [[United States Fleet|Commander-in-Chief, United States Fleet]], and [[Chief of Naval Operations]] Admiral [[Ernest J. King]] that he would command the South Pacific Force and Area.<ref>{{cite book|last=Morison|first=Samuel Eliot|year=1949|title=History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Volume IV, Coral Sea, Midway, and Submarine Actions, May 1942–August 1942|pages = 248–251|publisher=Castle Books|location=Edison, NJ|isbn=0-7858-1305-5}}</ref>
Ghormley was chosen for the command on the recommendations of Admiral [[Chester Nimitz]], [[United States Pacific Fleet|Commander-in-Chief, United States Pacific Fleet]], and Admiral King. It is possible that he was appointed to the position over other commanders with superior carrier and aviation expertise and experience because of his association with President Roosevelt. Nimitz's first choice was Admiral [[William S. Pye]], but since Pye had recalled the [[Battle of Wake Island#Aborted USN relief attempt|Wake Island relief attempt]], Admiral King was hostile to Pye.<ref name="Hornfischer">{{Cite book|author=Hornfischer, James D.|year=2012|title=Neptune's Inferno, The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal|publisher=Bantam Books Trade Paperback Edition|isbn=978-0-553-80670-0}}</ref> Vice Admiral Ghormley had last held sea command in 1938 on the battleship ''Nevada'' and had not been back to a sea command since. And, in addition, he had never commanded a carrier.
On May 3, the Japanese occupied the island of [[Tulagi]] and its seaplane base, in the [[Solomon Islands]].<ref>Morison, p. 22.</ref> On May 4–8, the [[Battle of the Coral Sea]] was fought and ended in a tactical victory for the Japanese but a strategic victory for the Allies.<ref>Morison, p. 63.</ref> In early May, Vice Admiral Ghormley conferred with Admiral Nimitz at Pearl Harbor and then, on May 17, moved to [[Naval Base Noumea]] at [[Nouméa]], [[New Caledonia]], to assume his new command.<ref>Morison, pp. 252-53.</ref>
===South Pacific command and Guadalcanal=== [[File:VADMsNov1943.jpg|thumb|left|Naval Academy Classmates, now admirals, in Pacific in November 1943: [[William L. Calhoun (admiral)|Calhoun]], [[John H. Towers|Towers]], Ghormley and [[Aubrey W. Fitch|Fitch]].]] In early July, a U.S. reconnaissance flight observed that the Japanese were building an airfield on [[Guadalcanal]], across Ironbottom Sound from Tulagi.<ref>Morison, p. 261.</ref> Thus, on July 10, Admiral Nimitz ordered the undertaking of [[Operation Watchtower]], to immediately attack, seize, and hold the Solomon Islands of Guadalcanal and Tulagi.<ref name="Schom">{{cite book|last=Schom|first=Alan|year=2003|title=The Eagle and the Rising Sun – The Japanese-American War 1941–1943|publisher=W.W.Norton & Company|location=New York, New York|isbn=978-0-393-04924-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/eaglerisingsunja00scho}}</ref><ref>Morison, p. 264. The Joint Chiefs had decided to undertake ''Watchtower'' just before the discovery of the Japanese building the airfield on Guadalcanal. Morison, p. 260.</ref> As COMSOPAC, Ghormley would command the operation, with the landing on Guadalcanal to take place on August 7.
Forces assigned to Ghormley for ''Watchtower'' included the [[1st Marine Division (United States)|1st Marine Division]] (11,000 men) commanded by Marine Major General [[Alexander Vandegrift]] and three carrier groups under Vice Admiral Fletcher: {{USS|Saratoga|CV-3|2}}, {{USS|Wasp|CV-7|2}}, and {{USS|Enterprise|CV-6|2}}. They were joined by the South Pacific Amphibious Force of escorts and transports commanded by Rear Admiral [[Richmond Kelly Turner]]. They were supported by Land-Based Air, South Pacific Force, under Rear Admiral McCain, and Allied Air Forces, Southwest Pacific, under General [[Douglas MacArthur]] and Lt. General [[George Kenney]].<ref>Morison, pp. 270-75.</ref>
Ghormley's performance in command was lackluster and pessimistic, as reflected in his continuing reports to Admiral Nimitz at Pearl Harbor, of which Admiral King took exceptional note. Ghormley had been directed through original operational orders by Admiral King to "personally oversee" the [[Battle of Guadalcanal|Guadalcanal]]/Tulagi attacks by U.S. forces, meaning he was expected to be on site or in the immediate area of conflict.<ref name="Hornfischer" /> However, Ghormley was either absent in the early planning phases and subsequent invasions or else holed up in his headquarters once he finally moved to Nouméa, more than {{convert|900|mi|km|-2}} from Guadalcanal. He was overwhelmed by the quick developments of the overall operation as well as lack of immediate resources, paperwork, myriad details and petty political squabbling caused by New Caledonia's French government hosts, rather than being present in the immediate conflict areas. It was noted that Ghormley failed to set foot on Guadalcanal or to make himself 'visible' to combat forces as a leadership presence.
Ghormley also conveyed weak or indecisive communications to his commanders and was absent at critical planning meetings, which were marked by vociferous arguments between Admirals Fletcher and Turner over the length of time that carriers would be able to provide air cover to landing forces and supply ships. Fletcher seemed to place more concern on protecting the aircraft carriers and on the overall fuel needs of the fleet over the immediate support requirements of the invasion force. Part of the problem was also due to Fletcher's attempts to interpret Admiral Nimitz's dictum against over-exposure of carriers to attack unless more damage could be inflicted upon the enemy; Admiral Fletcher was left to interpret this rather than Vice Admiral Ghormley, and Fletcher's interpretation was seen as over-cautious. The heated arguments aside, Ghormley had assigned Fletcher as the commander, Expeditionary Force who had overriding authority to move carrier air support out of the battle area. After only 36 hours, and with at least two to three days (estimate as high as five by Turner) needed to unload supplies to the Marines fighting on Guadalcanal, Fletcher ordered carriers to pull out of the immediate critical invasion operation, leaving many supply ships remaining to be unloaded and vulnerable to Japanese attack, and without carrier air support for ground forces.
As a result of all these errors and misjudgments, both Admirals Nimitz and King became highly concerned with the precarious state of the conflict and Ghormley's ability to command in a sound manner. In consequence, Vice Admiral William F. Halsey flew to Nouméa on October 16, 1942, to interview Ghormley and his staff. It became apparent to Admiral Nimitz that Ghormley and his staff did not have answers to serious questions that they should have had. [[File:80-G-244238 (30004701852).jpg|thumb|right|Ghormley during an inspection of the fire equipment at Manana Naval Barracks, Hawaii, August 1944.]] Dismayed by Ghormley's shortcomings, on October 18 Admiral Nimitz replaced him with Vice Admiral Halsey, who quickly and decisively took leadership command and fully restored the balance of trust. Placing Halsey in charge demonstrated that the job had required a decisive, aggressive, competent and battle-trained carrier admiral. As Ghormley should have done from the beginning, Halsey had no problem with making frequent numerous appearances and taking the lead.<ref>{{cite book |last=Smith |first=W. Thomas |chapter=Guadalcanal |title=Decisive 20th Century American Battles |publisher=Alpha Bravo Delta |location=Indianapolis, IN |year=2003 |page=[https://archive.org/details/alphabravodeltag00smit_0/page/57 57] |isbn=1-592-57147-6 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/alphabravodeltag00smit_0/page/57 }}</ref> Some time later, according to [[E. B. Potter|Elmer B. Potter]], the biographer of Nimitz, Ghormley "was found to be suffering from abscessed teeth, possibly the main cause of his shortcomings as ComSoPac."<ref>{{Cite book|title=Nimitz|last=Potter|first=E.B.|publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=1976|isbn=9781591145806|location=Annapolis, Maryland|pages=222}}</ref>
===Later service===
Following his dismissal from South Pacific Force, Ghormley served in [[Washington, D.C.]], attached to the headquarters, [[United States Fleet]] under Admiral [[Ernest J. King]], before he was ordered to [[Hawaii]] as commandant of the [[14th Naval District]] in February 1943. While in this capacity, he was responsible for the defense of the [[Hawaiian Islands]], and islands to westward, including [[Midway Atoll|Midway]], and [[Johnston Atoll|Johnston]]. Ghormley served in this capacity until October 1944, when he was relieved by Rear Admiral [[William R. Furlong]] and ordered to [[European Theater of Operations]] for new assignment. He was decorated with [[Legion of Merit]] for his service on Hawaii.<ref name="Valor awards for Robert L. Ghormley" /><ref name="All Hands May 1946">{{cite web | url = https://ipv6.navy.mil/ah_online/archpdf/ah194605.pdf| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161220234205/http://ipv6.navy.mil/ah_online/archpdf/ah194605.pdf| url-status = dead| archive-date = December 20, 2016| access-date = February 11, 2017 | work = navy.mil | title = All Hands - The Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin; May 1946, page 59 | publisher = United States Navy Websites}}</ref>
In December 1944, Ghormley became commander, [[United States Naval Forces Germany]] with additional duty as senior naval member of the Group Control Council for [[Germany]], and served in that position for the rest of the War and was responsible for the directing of effective organization in carrying out the demilitarization of the [[Kriegsmarine|German Navy]] and the collection of valuable intelligence material. He was decorated with [[Navy Distinguished Service Medal]] and returned to the United States in December 1945. He spent his last months of active duty as a member of the [[General Board of the United States Navy|General Board]], at the Navy Department, and retired on August 1, 1946, completing 40 years on active duty.<ref name="Valor awards for Robert L. Ghormley" /><ref name="All Hands May 1946" />
==Retirement and death==
While recovering from surgery in 1958 at [[Walter Reed National Military Medical Center|Bethesda Naval Hospital]], Ghormley died at age 74 on June 21,<ref name=vadmbt/> and was buried with full military honors at [[Arlington National Cemetery]], [[Virginia]]. His wife, Lucile Lyon Ghormley (1890–1966) is buried beside him. They had two children, a daughter Alicia Ghormley Robards (1914–2001) and a son Robert Lee Ghormley Jr. (1923–2012), who also served in the Navy and retired as [[Commander (United States)|commander]].
==Legacy== A small city park in [[Moscow, Idaho]], near the [[University of Idaho]], is named for Admiral Ghormley.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ghormley Park|url=http://www.ci.moscow.id.us/parks-rec/parks/Pages/ghormley.aspx|publisher=City of Moscow|access-date=March 2, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140430061702/http://www.ci.moscow.id.us/parks-rec/parks/Pages/ghormley.aspx|archive-date=April 30, 2014}}</ref> ({{coord|46.732|-117.01}})
==Awards== *[[Navy Distinguished Service Medal]] *[[Army Distinguished Service Medal]] *[[Legion of Merit]] *[[Navy Expeditionary Medal]] *[[Nicaraguan Campaign Medal]] *[[World War I Victory Medal (United States)|World War I Victory Medal]] *[[American Defense Service Medal]] *[[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]] with one [[battle star]] *[[European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal]] *[[World War II Victory Medal]] *[[Navy Occupation Medal]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{cite web| last = Dillard| first = Nancy R.| date = May 20, 1997| url = https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA325157.pdf| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110604203353/http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA325157&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf| url-status = live| archive-date = June 4, 2011| title = Operational Leadership: A Case Study of Two Extremes during Operation Watchtower| format = Academic report| publisher = Joint Military Operations Department, [[Naval War College]]| access-date = August 4, 2009}} *[http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-g/r-ghorml.htm history.navy.mil: Robert L. Ghormley] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050217103823/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-g/r-ghorml.htm |date=February 17, 2005 }} *[http://digital.lib.ecu.edu/special/ead/findingaids/1153/ Robert L. Ghormley Papers (#1153), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University] *[https://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19420817,00.html ''Time''] – cover – August 17, 1942
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghormley, Robert L.}} [[Category:1883 births]] [[Category:1958 deaths]] [[Category:Military personnel from Portland, Oregon]] [[Category:United States Navy vice admirals]] [[Category:American Presbyterians]] [[Category:United States Naval Academy alumni]] [[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War I]] [[Category:United States Navy World War II admirals]] [[Category:Burials at Arlington National Cemetery]] [[Category:Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal]] [[Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)]] [[Category:Military personnel of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)]] [[Category:Phi Delta Theta members]]