Willis A. Lee

Willis Augustus "Ching" Lee, Jr. (May 11, 1888 – August 25, 1945) was a Vice Admiral of the United States Navy during World War II. Lee commanded the American ships during the second night of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (August 14-15, 1942) and turned back a Japanese invasion force headed for the island. The victory ended Japanese attempts to reinforce their troops on Guadalcanal, and thus marked a turning point in both the Guadalcanal Campaign and the Pacific War itself.

Lee was also a skilled sport shooter, and won 7 medals in the 1920 Olympics shooting events, tied with teammate Lloyd Spooner for the most anyone had ever received in a single games. Their record stood for 60 years.

Early life through World War II

Willis Lee was born in the rural town of Natlee in Owen County, Kentucky, on 11 May 1888. He entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1904. While at the Naval academy, his Chinese-sounding last name earned him the nickname "Ching" Lee.

Following graduation, Lee joined the academy's rifle team twice. He was assigned to the USS Idaho from October 1908 to May 1909, before returning to the naval academy and re-joining the rifle team. From November 1909 until May 1910, Lee served aboard the USS New Orleans, and then transferred to the USS Helena. Upon being detached back to the United States, Lee re-joined the Academy shooting team a third time. In July 1913, Lee re-joined the Idaho, and later transferred to the USS New Hampshire to participate in the occupation of Veracruz. [ [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/dl-dlg/dl4.htm Haze Gray & Underway Biography of Lee] ]

During World War I, Lee served on the destroyers USS O'Brien and USS Lea.

1920 Olympics

Lee participated in 14 events at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp. He won 7 medals (5 gold, 1 silver, and one bronze), all in team events. His teammates for the various events were Dennis Fenton, Lawrence Nuesslein, Arthur Rothrock, Oliver Schriver, Morris Fisher, Carl Osburn, Lloyd Spooner, and Joseph Jackson.

Lee and Spooner ended the 1920 Olympics with 7 medals each, the most anyone had ever received in a single games. It would not be until Alexander Dityatin in the 1980 games that anyone would beat that record. (Boris Shakhlin was the next person to reach 7, in 1960)

Interwar Years

Lee attended the Naval War College in the late 1920s [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w9/willis_a_lee.htm Navy Historical Center biography of Lee] ] , and was promoted to the rank of Captain in 1936. [http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/walee.htm Arlington Cemetry Biography of Lee] ]

During the 1930s and early 1940s, Lee was several times assigned to the Fleet Training Division, commanded the light cruiser "Concord" (CL-10), and served on the staff of Commander, Cruisers, Battle Force. In early 1942, following his promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral, Lee became Assistant Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet.

World War II

In August 1942, Rear Admiral Lee was sent to the Pacific to command battleship division six, consisting of the USS Washington and USS South Dakota.

Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

Flying his flag in the battleship "Washington" (BB-56), Lee fought the Japanese during the second night of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on the night of 14–15 November 1942.

Lee, who "knew more about radar than the radar operators" [Ronald H. Spector. Eagle Against The Sun. 1985. ISBN 978-0394741017. Page 212. Quoted from Samuel Eliot Morison, Struggle for Guadalcanal, 270] , used the SG radar installed aboard the Washington to skillfully maneuver his ships during the night.

To Willis Lee went many accolades. "Audacious planning and execution" marked his operations, commented Halsey... Unlike Callaghan, Lee never allowed the action to degenerate into a nautical brawl, because he formulated a workable plan and adhered to it, even after every ship in his task force except Washington was sunk or forced to retire. Lee was never more incisive than in his own evaluation of his success: "We realized then and it should not be forgotten now, that our entire superiority was due almost entirely to our possession of radar. Certainly we have no edge on the japs in experience, skill, training, or performance of personnel. [cite book
last = Frank
first = Richard
authorlink = Richard B. Frank
year = 1990
title = Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle
publisher = Random House
location = New York
id = ISBN 0-394-58875-4 Page 486]

Lee was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions at the battle.

After Guadalcanal

Lee was promoted to Vice Admiral in 1944 and placed in charge of the Pacific Fleet's fast battleships, as Commander Battleships Pacific Fleet.

In May 1945, he was sent to the Atlantic to command a special unit researching defenses against the Kamikaze threat. While serving in that position on 25 August 1945, Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee died suddenly after suffering a heart attack.

The "Mitscher"-class destroyer USS "Willis A. Lee" was named for him.

Family

"Willis Lee Jr. was a distant relative of Gen. Robert E. Lee and the great-great-grandson of the third Attorney General of the United States, Charles Lee. [ [http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/le/willis-lee-1.html Sports-reference.com biography of Lee] ] He married Mabelle Allen Elspeth (1894-1949) on July 14, 1919. They had no children.

References

External links

* http://neveryetmelted.com/index.php/category/willis-a-lee/
* http://usswashington.com/profil24.htm