- Robert P. Briscoe
.
Military career
World War I and between the wars
Admiral Briscoe graduated from the
United States Naval Academy in June 1918. DuringWorld War I he served on the battleship USS Alabama (BB-8) of theU.S. Atlantic Fleet and on the destroyerUSS Roe (DD-24) , operating fromBrest, France . At the end of hostilities, he made the first postwar Midshipmen cruise in theUSS Kearsarge (BB-5) and in 1919 returned to destroyer duty as Engineer Officer of theUSS Humphreys (DD-236) , stationed in Near East waters atConstantinople . During the Turko-Greek fighting in 1920-1921, he commanded a naval landing force at Derindge,Turkey .After further destroyer duty in the USS Flusser (DD-289) and
USS Henderson (AP-1) , and recruiting duty atLittle Rock, Arkansas , he served as Senior Assistant Engineer of the battleshipUSS West Virginia (BB-48) from 1926 to 1929, then returned to the Naval Academy as an instructor inMechanical Engineering . From 1931 to 1933 he was onChina Station, assigned first as Executive Officer of theUSS Edsall (DD-219) , onYangtze River patrol during theJapan ese occupation of Woosung andManchuria , and later as Communication Officer of theUSS Houston (CA-30) , flagship of the Commander in Chief, Asiatic Fleet. He again returned to the Naval Academy in June 1934, and for three years served as head of the Department ofChemistry .Sea duty as navigator of the battleship
USS Mississippi (BB-41) preceded a tour during the prewar period as Assistant Director of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and Navy Department Liaison Officer with the National Defense Research Committee. He has been identified as one of the pioneers of modern electronics development in the Navy.World War II
In May 1942 he assumed command of the
USS Prometheus (AR-3) , a recommissionedWorld War I repair ship. Under his command she joined theU.S. 3rd Fleet atNoumea ,New Caledonia , where he was detached to command Destroyer Squadron 5 and operated as escort commander for Task Forces 67, 68 and 70. In the intervening periods when the battleships and cruisers were not at sea, Admiral Briscoe operated Commander Task Group 675 (Cactus Striking Force) inGuadalcanal waters.He was transferred to command of the
USS Denver (CL-58) in July 1943 and was in command during the NorthernSolomon Islands campaign. During a thirty six hour battle with Japanese naval forces his ship assisted in the sinking of five enemy warships, damaging four others and routing the enemy's surface forces. His ship's guns had barely fired their last salvo when she was attacked by sixty-sevendive bomber s. Under his command, the ship downed seventeen enemy planes and thwarted the raid. He sailed the cruiser to theUnited States after she suffered severe battle damage offRabaul in November 1943.In February 1944 he joined the staff of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet, in
Washington, D.C. , as head of New Developments, and with his promotion toflag rank in April 1945, assumed command of Amphibious Group 14.Victory over Japan Day found him inManila , working on plans for the invasion of the Japanese homeland.Post war
In September 1945 he took command of the Operational Development Force, Atlantic Fleet with headquarters at
Norfolk, Virginia . After two years there, and a tour of duty as AssistantChief of Naval Operations (Readiness), he became Commander Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet, onNovember 1 ,1950 .Ordered in January 1952 to command the
U.S. 7th Fleet inKorea n waters, he retained this command until designated Commander Naval Forces,Far East , in June of that year. During this tenure, he recommend an amphibious feint to drawNorth Korea n combatants from their dug in front line positions to cover potential landing zones. This resulted in a significant shift of troop concentrations by enemy forces over a period of three months.Two years later he reported as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, for Fleet Operations and Readiness, and on
2 July ,1956 , became Commander in Chief, Allied Forces, Southern Europe.Decorations and awards
*
Legion of Merit with Gold Star.
*Navy Cross for actions in the Northern Solomon Islands campaign.
*Distinguished Service Medal in his capacity as CinC of Allied Forces, Southern Europe fromJuly 2 ,1956 toDecember 31 ,1958 .Civilian life
On
1 January ,1959 he was transferred to the Retired List of the United States Navy. He died on14 October ,1968 inLiberty, Mississippi . He was buried with full military honors inArlington National Cemetery .Namesake
USS Briscoe (DD-977) , aSpruance class destroyer was named in his honor.ee also
References
*USS Briscoe (DD-977) website circa 2001 archived at [http://web.archive.org/web/20010610042616/www.briscoe.navy.mil/adm.htm]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.