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Contact Info
Home Town Fredericksburg, TX
Last Address Yerba Buena Island, CA
Date of Passing Feb 20, 1966
Location of Interment Golden Gate National Cemetery (VA) - San Bruno, California
A defining characteristic of Admiral Nimitz's life was his devotion to the Navy. After the war, he was to remark, "Being a part of the Navy is honorable and soul-satisfying work." In 1913, Nimitz was sent to Germany to study diesel engines and upon his return was instrumental in supervising the building of engines for the Navy's first diesel-powered ship, the MAUMEE. Aware of Lt. Nimitz's skill, a leading American engineering firm, offered him a job for $25,000 a year (his Navy pay was $3,456 at the time. He refused the offer, preferring the "honorable, soul-satisfying" duties of a Naval Officer.
Because the rank of Fleet Admiral was a lifetime appointment, FADM Nimitz retired on Decmeber 15,1947 yet remained on the active rolls until his death in 1966.
Other Comments:
Decorations and awards from foreign governments include:
Britain - Order of Knight Grand Cross of the Bath
Greece - Grand Cross of the Order of George I
China - Order of the Grand Cordon of Pao Ting (Tripod) Special Class
Guatemala - LaCruz de Merito Military de Primera Clase
Great Britain - Pacific Star
The Netherlands - Order of Orange-Nassau with Swords in the Degree of
the Knight Grand Cross
France - Grand Officer in the National Order of the Legion of Honor
Cuba - Grand Cross of the Order of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes
Argentina - Order of the Liberator
Belgium - Grand Cross of the Order of the Liberator, Grand Cross Order of
the Crown with Palm, Croiz de Guerro with Palm
Italy - Knight of the Grand Cross of the Military Order of Italy
Philippines - Medal of Valor
Ecuador - Star of Abdon Calderson (1st Class)
Other Memories With the emergence of fuel oil as the fuel of choice, the Navy built a diesel powered oiler the USS Maumee (AO 2)in 1916. The oiler was designed to transfer fuel oil to warships while at anchor. Small ships came alongside the oiler, but the oiler went alongside the battleships. The USS Maumee's crew discussed and developed a plan to refuel ships while underway, but had no opportunity to test the plan. At the outbreak of World War I, USS Maumee was sent to the mid-Atlantic 300 miles south of Greenland. This location was a rendezvous position to refuel US destroyers enroute to England who could not transit across the Atlantic unless they refueled. The destroyers would approach USS Maumee who would pass a 10-inch manila hawser which was then secured to the destroyer. The destroyer would slow to maintain good steering control-and a spacing of about 50 feet would result. A four-inch fueling hose was then passed to the destroyer and supported by a wooden saddle suspended from cargo booms on the USS Maumee. The hose was lead directly to the-destroyer's fueling bunker,and fuel was pumped by USS Maumee. In addition to fuel, stores and personnel could be transferred using the cargo booms. The whole UNREP took about two hours per destroyer. USS Maumee refueled 34 destroyers enroute to Europe while on station approximately three months in 1917.
