Thomas C. Kinkaid | |
---|---|
Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid
|
|
Birth name | Thomas Cassin Kinkaid |
Born |
Hanover, New Hampshire |
3 April 1888
Died | 17 November 1972 Bethesda, Maryland |
(aged 84)
Buried at | Arlington National Cemetery |
Allegiance | United States of America |
Service/branch | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1908–1950 |
Rank | Admiral |
Commands held |
Eastern Sea Frontier Sixteenth Fleet Seventh Fleet USS Indianapolis USS Isherwood |
Battles/wars |
World War I |
Awards |
Navy Distinguished Service Medal (3) Army Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit Companion of the Order of the Bath (Australia) Grand Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau (Netherlands) Grand Cordon of the Order of Precious Tripod (China) Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold (Belgium) Croix de guerre with Palm (Belgium) |
Relations |
Husband E. Kimmel (brother in law) Manning Kimmel (nephew) |
Other work |
National Security Training Commission American Battle Monuments Commission |
World War I
Dominican Republic (1916)
Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)
World War II:
Thomas Cassin Kinkaid (3 April 1888 – 17 November 1972) served as an admiral in the United States Navy during World War II. He built a reputation as a "fighting admiral" in the aircraft carrier battles of 1942 and commanded the Allied forces in the Aleutian Islands Campaign. He was Commander Allied Naval Forces and the Seventh Fleet under General of the Army Douglas MacArthur in the Southwest Pacific Area, where he conducted numerous amphibious operations, and commanded an Allied fleet during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, largest naval battle of World War II and the last naval battle between battleships in history.
Born into a naval family, Kinkaid was ranked in the lower half of his class on his graduation from the United States Naval Academy in June 1908. His early commissioned service was spent aboard battleships. In 1913, he began instruction in ordnance engineering and served in that field for many years. He saw action during the 1916 United States occupation of the Dominican Republic. During World War I, he was attached to the Royal Navy before serving as Gunnery Officer aboard the battleship USS Arizona. After the war, he was Assistant Chief of Staff to the Commander U.S. Naval Detachment in Turkey. Kinkaid received his first command, the destroyer USS Isherwood, in 1924. He was Executive Officer of the battleship USS Colorado when the 1933 Long Beach earthquake struck, and participated in relief efforts. He received his second command in 1937, the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis.