George Fleming Davis
| George Fleming Davis | |
|---|---|
Commander George F. Davis
|
|
| Born |
March 23, 1911 Manila, Philippines |
| Died | January 6, 1945 (aged 33) † at sea off Luzon, Philippines |
| Burial at sea | off Luzon, Philippines |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Navy
|
| Years of service | 1934 - 1945 |
| Rank |
 Commander
|
| Commands held | USS Walke (DD-723) |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
George Fleming Davis (March 23, 1911 – January 6, 1945) was a United States Navy officer and a recipient of America's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for actions during World War II.
George F. Davis was born in Manila, Philippines, on March 23, 1911.
Davis was appointed to the United States Naval Academy from the Naval Reserve in 1930 and graduated in May 1934. Ensign Davis' first duty station was the new heavy cruiser USS Tuscaloosa (CA-37). While in that ship he served as an aircraft gunnery observer with her embarked aviation units. From 1939 to 1941 Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Davis served as an officer of the destroyer USS Broome (DD-210) and fast minesweeper USS Hopkins (DD-249).
Following promotion to the rank of lieutenant in mid-1941 he was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma (BB-37), which was sunk on December 7, 1941 when Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor opened the Pacific War.
In January 1942, Lieutenant Davis was transferred to the light cruiser USS Honolulu (CL-48), in which he participated in operations in the Aleutian Islands, the hard fighting over Guadalcanal and the Central Solomons, and the campaign to recover Guam. He was promoted to lieutenant commander and commander while serving in Honolulu, which he left in mid-1944. Following training in advanced surface warfare techniques, he was given command of the destroyer USS Walke (DD-723) in late November 1944. On 6 January 1945 his ship was covering minesweeping operations in advance of the Lingayen Gulf invasion when she was attacked by four Japanese Kamikazes. Though Walke shot down two, the third plane struck the ship, enveloping her bridge area in burning gasoline. Though horribly burned, Commander Davis remained on his feet, conned the ship, directed damage control efforts and saw to the destruction of the fourth suicide plane. Only when Walke's survival was assured did he relinquish his post to be taken below, where he died a short time later.
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