- Walden L. Ainsworth
Infobox Military Person
name= Walden Lee Ainsworth
born= birth date|1886|11|10
died= death date and age|1960|8|7|1886|11|10
placeofbirth=Minneapolis, Minnesota
placeofdeath=Washington, D.C.
placeofburial=
caption=
nickname= "Pug"
allegiance= United States of America
branch=United States Navy
serviceyears= 1910-1948
rank= Vice Admiral
commands=Destroyer Squadron 2 USS "Mississippi" "Ainsworth Express"5th Naval District
unit=
battles= Occupation of VeracruzWorld War I World War II *Battle of Kula Gulf *Battle of Guam
awards=Navy Cross Distinguished Service MedalLegion of Merit (2)
laterwork=Walden Lee "Pug" Ainsworth (
10 November 1886 –7 August 1960 ) was an admiral of theUnited States Navy . For his role in commanding destroyer and cruiser task forces in the Pacific duringWorld War II , he was awarded theNavy Cross , theNavy Distinguished Service Medal , and theLegion of Merit .Early life and career
Ainsworth was born on
10 November 1886 inMinneapolis, Minnesota . He entered theUnited States Naval Academy on21 June 1906 and graduated on3 June 1910 . Following successive two-year tours at sea in "Iowa" (BB-4) and in transport "Prairie", he shifted to "Florida" (BB-30) during the spring of 1914, just in time to act as the adjutant of one of the battalions that landed at Veracruz,Mexico , on21 April . Upon the successful completion of that operation, he returned to "Florida" and served in her until sent to "DeKalb" (Id. No. 3010) in May 1917. During the participation of the United States inWorld War I , he served in transports "DeKalb" and "America" (Id. No. 3006). During the last months of the conflict, he found himself in "Frederick" (ACR-8).Interwar assignments
In February 1919, the young officer went to
Charles Town, West Virginia , for two years as inspector of ordnance at the Navy's Armor and Projectile Plant before returning to sea as executive officer of the transport "Hancock" (AP-3). Then, after a brief stint holding the same post in thelight cruiser "Birmingham" (CL-2), he commanded thedestroyer "Marcus" (DD-321) for a year before becoming inspector of ordnance atPittsburgh, Pennsylvania . In August 1924, orders sent him to theNew York Navy Yard .By the end of 1925, Ainsworth's growing stature in the field of ordnance won him the position of gunnery officer on the staff of the Commander, Destroyer Squadrons, Asiatic Fleet. In July 1927, he took command of "Paul Jones" (DD-230), but left that destroyer late in the summer of 1928 to begin three years at the Naval Academy as an instructor in the Department of Navigation.
At the end of the 1930–31 academic year, Ainsworth returned to sea in "Idaho" (BB-42) to serve as that battleship's navigator. Next came a tour in
heavy cruiser "Pensacola" (CA-24) and one as communication officer for the14th Naval District before he reported to theNaval War College atNewport, R.I. , for the senior course. In June 1936, Ainsworth became the executive officer of "Mississippi" (BB-41) and, two years later, he became Professor of Naval Science and Tactics atTulane University inNew Orleans, Louisiana .World War II
World War II in Europe was almost a year old when he took command ofDestroyer Squadron 2 (DesRon 2) on22 July 1940 , and the United States had just entered that conflict when he returned to "Mississippi" as her commanding officer on19 December 1941 . Ainsworth promptly took that veteran battleship to thePacific to strengthen the Navy's surface force in that ocean which had been seriously weakened by the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.On
4 July 1942 , Ainsworth took administrative command of all Pacific Fleet destroyers. On10 December of that year, AdmiralWilliam F. Halsey gave him the additional duty of commanding Task Force 67 (TF 67) which had been badly mauled in the recentBattle of Tassafaronga ; and, under his leadership that cruiser-destroyer force was soon winning renown as the "Ainsworth Express" for its fierce fighting in support of the final American drive to push Japanese troops offGuadalcanal . Its bombardment of the new Japanese air base at Munda on the island ofNew Georgia would be, in the words of naval historian,Samuel Eliot Morison , "... long regarded as a model...."Transferred to command of TF 18 and Cruiser Division 9 (CruDiv 9), Ainsworth continued his success during a prolonged series of runs up the long, narrow body of water between the central
Solomon Islands which American bluejackets had nicknamed "the Slot ". These operations parried the thrusts by Japanese warships challenging Allied control of the area. At the end of June, the tempo of American fighting in the southwestern Pacific picked up since the Navy had finally managed to assemble enough amphibious shipping in that theatre to resume the offensive. On the night of 4–5 July , TF 18 moved up "the Slot" and bombarded Japanese positions atVila onKolombangara and atBaiko on New Georgia. The next afternoon, while Ainsworth's force was retiring from this action, word reached him that a large Japanese force was heading toward "the Slot". In an effort to meet and check this new threat, his warships again reversed course and headed toward the enemy. Ainsworth's "... outstanding leadership, brilliant tactics and courageous conduct ..." in the ensuingbattle of Kula Gulf won him aNavy Cross . He also received the Distinguished Service Medal for his overall performance in theSouthwest Pacific .About a year later, Ainsworth won the
Legion of Merit Medal by his "... exceptionally meritorious conduct ..." while commanding the fire support group during operations which recaptured Guam. Finally, he received a gold star in lieu of a second Legion of Merit for his display of "... exceptional ability and aggressiveness in handling the organization and administration of thecruiser s,destroyer s,destroyer escort s, andpatrol frigate s of the Pacific Fleet."Post-war life
After returning to the United States in the summer of 1945, Vice Admiral Ainsworth commanded the
Fifth Naval District until retiring on1 December 1948 . He died inWashington, D.C. , on7 August 1960 .Namesake
In 1972, the
destroyer escort USS "Ainsworth" (DE-1090) was named in his honor.ee also
References
:DANFS
Further reading
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/ar/alfa/ainsworth.htm Papers of Vice Admiral Walden L. Ainsworth, USN (1936-1951)] ,
Naval Historical Center .
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