This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Robert Cox, YNCS
to remember
Ofstie, Ralph, VADM USN(Ret).
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Last Address Everett, Washington
Date of Passing Nov 19, 1956
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I created this profile of Admiral Ofstie as part of my research of the Battle Off Samar. Ofstie was the Commander of Carrier Division 26 assigned to Task Unit 77.4.3 (Taffy III). The little escort carriers (CVEs) he commanded were an intergal part of winning the war in the Pacific.
Please add ADM Ofstie to your list of shipmates and visit often.
This profile is about 70% complete.
Please visit my Battle Off Samar famous Naval officer profiles:
Ralph Andrew Ofstie was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin on November 16, 1897. His hometown was Everett, Washington.
He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis in June 1918.
During World War 1 he served on the USS WHIPPLE (DD-15) and USS CHATTANOOGA (CL-18) where he saw duty in the Eastern Atlantic and in European Waters. He was promoted to Lieutenant (junior grade) in August 1918. After the war he was transferred to USS O'BANNON (DD-177).
In 1920 Ofstie reported to Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida for Navy Pre-Flight School. Upon completion he attended Naval Flight Training school which he completed in 1921. His first air squadron was Fighter Squadron VF-1 "Wolfpack" where he served from 1922 to 1924. With other Navy pilots in the 1920s Ofstie participated in annual flight competitions with Army pilots in the Curtiss Marine aircraft.
In 1924-1925 he was assigned as Commanding Officer of Scouting Squadron VS-6. From 1927 to 1929 he served as Aviation Officer of USS DETROIT (CL-8).
From 1929 to 1933 Ofstie served in the Flight Test Division at Naval Air Station Anacostia.
Returning to sea aboard the carrier USS SARATOGA (CV-3) in 1933 Ofstie took command of Fighter Squadron VF-6 for the next two years.
Promoted to Lieutenant Commander he was assigned as Assistant naval attaché in Tokyo, Japan and upon completion of that duty he returned to sea as Navigator on the carrier USS ENTERPRISE (CV-6). As an interim assignment he served on staff duty aboard the carrier USS SARATOGA (CV-3) in 1939 before returning to the carrier ENTERPRISE.
Before the United States entered World War 2 Ofstie served on staff duty on the carrier USS YORKTOWN (CV-5) in 1940. With the war in Europe already underway, he next served as Assistant Naval Attache in London, England.
Ofstie's first war-time assignment in the United States was as a Commander on the staff of Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander United States Pacific Fleet, at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Promoted to Captain, from November 6, 1943 to August 7, 1944 he commanded the large carrier ESSEX (CV-9). During his tenure on ESSEX Ofstie saw plenty of combat. ESSEX took part in her first amphibious assault, the landing on Tarawa. Her second amphibious assault delivered in company with TG 58.2 was against the Marshalls in January–February 1944. As part Task Group 68.2 she participated in the attack against Truk in February 1944. ESSEX struck Marcus and Wake Islands in May 1944, and finally deployed with Task Force 58 to support the occupation of the Marianas in June 1944.
In August 1944 Ofstie was promoted to Rear Admiral and was assigned as Commander Task Group 32.7/Carrier Division 26 with his flag in USS KITKUN BAY (CVE-71) for the invasion of Palau in September 1944.
Keeping his flag in KITKUN BAY, Carrier Division 26 moved to the Philippines to support the invasion of Leyte Gulf. Ofstie was assigned to Rear Admiral Clifton Sprague's Task Unit 77.4.3 code name "Taffy III" where his unit was heavily involved in the Battle Off Samar. During the battle Ofstie's COMCARDIV 26 escort carrier USS GAMBIER BAY (CVE-73) was sunk by Japanese Naval gunfire. For this service at Samar Ofstie was awarded the Navy Cross.
Rear Admiral Ofstie's last sea command in World War 2 was as COMCARDIV 26 at the invasion of Lingayen, Philippines in January 1945. He was next assigned to the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey of Japan where he interviewed many of the surviving Japanese officials. In 1946 he detached and was reassigned to the Joint Chiefs of Staff Evaluation Group and served at the Bikini Nuclear tests.
On October 11, 1949 Rear Admiral Ofstie testified before a committee stated, "strategic air warfare, as practiced in the past and as proposed for the future, is militarily unsound and of limited effect, is morally wrong, and is decidedly harmful to the stability of a post-war world." This discussion was related to Admiral Arthur Radford's infamous "Revolt of the Admirals".
During the Korean War from 1950 to 1951 Ofstie was Commander of Task Force 77. After the Korean War he served as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Air).
Ofstie’s last tour of duty was as Commander, Sixth Fleet in European waters from 1955 to 1956. After only a year, however, Ofstie fell ill and returned to Bethesda Naval Hospital where he died on November 19, 1956.
Vice Admiral Ralph Andrew Ofstie and his wife, Captain Joy Bright Little Hancock Ofstie, are buried together in Section 30, Grave 2138, at Arlington National Cemetery.
Other Memories USS Detroit (CL-8) was an Omaha-class light cruiser of the United States Navy. She was the fourth Navy ship named for the city of Detroit, Michigan.
Detroit was launched 29 June 1922 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Quincy, Massachusetts; sponsored by Miss M. Couzens, daughter of James J. Couzens, the Mayor of Detroit, Michigan; and commissioned 31 July 1923, Captain J. Halligan, Jr., in command.
After a shakedown cruise to the Mediterranean Detroit joined the Scouting Fleet for exercises and maneuvers along the east coast and in the Mediterranean. In September and October 1924 she was on lifeguard station for the Army round-the-world flight, then served as Flagship for Commander, Light Cruiser Divisions, until 23 November. After overhaul at Boston, she sailed 2 February 1925 for the west coast and fleet maneuvers along the coast and in Hawaiian waters. She returned to Boston 10 July 1925 with the Scouting Fleet.
As flagship for Commander, Light Cruiser Division 3, between July 1925 and March 1926 and between July and December 1926, Detroit continued to participate in maneuvers and fleet problems along the east coast and in the Caribbean. During March-April 1927, she patrolled off the coast of Nicaragua to protect American interests during political disturbances there.
Detroit sailed from Boston on 16 June 1927 as flagship for Commander, U.S. Naval Forces in Europe. She made goodwill visits to various ports in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, and received official visits from the Kings of Norway, Denmark, and Spain, and the President of the Irish Free State. She also transported Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg between Ireland and France for the talks which led the following year to the signing of the Kellogg-Briand Peace Pact.
The cruiser returned to Norfolk, Virginia, on 12 September 1928, for duty with the Scouting Fleet, serving as flagship for Commander, Light Cruiser Divisions, from 6 July 1929 to 29 September 1930. In January 1931, she sailed for a combined fleet problem off Balboa, then became flagship for Commander, Destroyer Squadrons, Battle Force, on 19 March 1931, based on San Diego, California. Detroit's operations included exercises along the west coast and maneuvers in Alaskan and Hawaiian waters. Except for a fleet problem in the Atlantic in 1934 she remained in the Pacific with the Battle Force, operating from her base at San Diego.
In 1941 Detroit's home port became Pearl Harbor. She was moored at her base with Raleigh (CL-7) and Utah (AG-16) when the Japanese attacked on 7 December. The other two ships bore the brunt of an attack by six torpedo planes, and despite several strafing passes Detroit, was able to get underway safely and set up an Anti-aircraft fire which accounted for several planes. She was ordered to sail at once to investigate the west coast of Oahu for any indications of a landing by the Japanese, then to join the search for the retiring Japanese force.
Returning to Pearl Harbor 10 December 1941, Detroit took up Convoy escort duty between her home port and the West coast. On one of these voyages, she took on board 9 tons of gold and 13 tons of silver from the submarine Trout (SS-202) (which had evacuated it from Corregidor) and delivered the Bullion to the U.S. Treasury Department at San Francisco. In September, 1942, Detroit escorted two convoys to Pago Pago, Samoa, rescuing the crew of a downed PBY during one passage.
Detroit sailed from San Francisco 10 November 1942 for Kodiak, Alaska, to become Flagship for Commander, Task Group 8.6, and patrol between Adak and Attu to prevent further enemy penetration of the Aleutians. On 12 January 1943, she covered the unopposed landings made on Amchitka to gain a base from which to cut the Japanese Supply line, and after repairs at Bremerton in February and March, returned to patrol duty to intercept reinforcements trying to reach the Japanese garrisons on Kiska and Attu. In April, she bombarded Holtz Bay and Chicago Harbor on Attu, returning the next month to join in the assault and capture of the island. In August she took part in the bombardments of Kiska, then covered the landings of 15 August which revealed that the island, the last outpost held by the Japanese in the Aleutians, had been secretly evacuated.
Detroit remained in Alaskan waters until 1944 operating with the covering group for the western Aleutian bases. In June, 1944, she saw action with TF 94 during the bombardment of shore installations in the Kuriles. She sailed from Adak25 June, and after repairs at Bremerton, arrived at Balboa on 9 August to serve as temporary flagship of the Southeast Pacific Force. She patrolled on the west coast of South America until December.
Clearing San Francisco on 16 January 1945, Detroit arrived at Ulithi 4 February for duty with the 5th Fleet. She acted as flagship for the replenishment group serving the fast carrier task forces until the end of the war, and entered Tokyo Bay on 1 September. Detroit was one of two ships present at both Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 and at the signing of the Japanese surrender (the other was the USS West Virginia). Detroit continued to direct replenishment operations for the Occupation fleet and in addition, the repatriation of Japanese to the home islands from Pacific bases. She left Tokyo Bay on 15 October for the United States with returning servicemen on board as part of Operation Magic Carpet. Detroit was decommissioned at Philadelphia 11 January 1946, and sold 27 February 1946.
Detroit received six battle stars for World War II service.
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