- Royal E. Ingersoll
Infobox Military Person
name=Royal E. Ingersoll
born = Birth date |1883|6|20
died = Death date and age |1976|5|20 |1883|6|20
caption=Admiral Royal E. Ingersoll
nickname=
placeofbirth=Washington, D.C.
placeofdeath=
branch= United States Navy
serviceyears=1905–1946
rank= Admiral
unit=
commands=Western Sea Frontier
Atlantic Fleet
battles=World War I World War II
awards=Navy Cross
relations=Royal R. Ingersoll (father)Royal R. Ingersoll II (son)
laterwork=Royal Eason Ingersoll was a
United States Navy four star admiral who served as Commander in Chief,U.S. Atlantic Fleet (CINCLANT) from 1941 to 1944; Commander, Western Sea Frontier from 1944 to 1946; and Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet/DeputyChief of Naval Operations (DCOMINCH/DCNO) from 1944 to 1945.Ingersoll was born in
Washington, D.C. , on20 June 1883 . He was second in a line of three generations of naval officers: his father, Rear AdmiralRoyal R. Ingersoll United States Naval Academy Class of 1868, and his son, LieutenantRoyal Rodney Ingersoll II , Class of 1934, was killed in action onJune 4 ,1942 , in theBattle of Midway , aboard the USS "Hornet" (CV-8).1905 – 1937
Ingersoll graduated from the Naval Academy in 1905 and reported as a Passed Midshipman to the
battleship USS "Missouri" (BB-11). In August of that year, he was one of the young officers assigned special temporary duty to attend theRussia n-Japan ese Peace Conference, held at thePortsmouth Naval Shipyard , inKittery, Maine . When detached from the "Missouri" in May 1906, he was assigned briefly to the "Marietta" (PG-15), and later the "Hancock" (AP-3), then assisted in fitting out the "Connecticut" (BB-18) at theNew York Navy Yard . He served on board that battleship from her commissioning onSeptember 29 1906 , until October 1907.He served as an instructor of Seamanship and International Law, and later of English, at the Naval Academy between 1911 and 1913, preceding his assignment to the
Asiatic Station . There he joined thearmored cruiser "Saratoga" (ACR-2), theflagship of the Asiatic Fleet. He served briefly as her First Lieutenant, then became Aide and Flag Lieutenant on the Staff of the Commander-in-Chief.He returned to the United States, and on
June 1 ,1916 , reported as Assistant for Communications, and Communication Officer, in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Navy Department. Concerning that assignment, he subsequently wrote: "The work in this office began to pick up as the tension in the diplomatic relations with Germany increased, and overwhelmed us onFebruary 2 ,1917 , when diplomatic relations with that country were broken...." For organizing the greatly expanded Naval Communications Office duringWorld War I , he was awarded theNavy Cross and cited "for distinguished service in the line of his profession in organizing, developing, and administering the Communication Office of the Navy Department."After the Armistice in November 1918, he was ordered to join Admiral
William S. Benson , USN, then Chief of Naval Operations, concerning the establishment of a communication office for that commission. In February 1919, he returned home in the "George Washington" with the Presidential party, handling messages for PresidentWoodrow Wilson on the voyage across the Atlantic.In March 1919 he again joined the "Connecticut", serving this time as her Executive Officer until September 1920, then transferring to the "Arizona" (BB-39). In June 1921, he reported to the Navy Department for a tour of duty in the
Office of Naval Intelligence , and onMarch 26 ,1924 , assumed command of the "Nokomis". Under his command, thatgunboat was fitted out as asurvey ship and cruised in theCuba n–Haiti an area, making new charts of the north coast of Cuba.Completing the Senior Course at the
Naval War College inNewport, Rhode Island in June 1927, he served the following year as a member of that staff. In June 1928, he reported for duty as Assistant Chief of Staff to CommanderBattle Fleet , in the "California" (BB-44) and continued similar duty on the Staff when AdmiralWilliam V. Pratt became Commander in Chief,United States Fleet , with his flag in the "Texas" (BB-35). In August 1930, he was assigned to the Division of Fleet Training, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Navy Department, where he served until May 1933. He then reported as Commanding Officer of theheavy cruiser "Augusta" (CA-31), and in November 1933, was transferred to theMare Island Naval Shipyard to fit out the "San Francisco" (CA-38). He commanded that cruiser from her commissioning onFebruary 10 ,1934 until June 1935.The following three years of duty in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, as Director of the War Plans Division, included his assignment in June 1936 as Technical Assistant to the American Delegation at the
London Naval Conference in 1935–1936. He again went to London in December 1937, concerned with requirements growing out of theLondon Naval Treaty limiting naval armament.1938 – 1946
On
July 16 ,1938 , he took command of Cruiser Division Six of the Scouting Force, his flag in the cruiser "Minneapolis" (CA-36). Two years later, he returned to the Office of theChief of Naval Operations as Assistant to the Chief, and onJanuary 1 ,1942 , with the rank of Vice Admiral, he was designated Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, with the "Augusta" as hisflagship .He was advanced to the rank of Admiral the following July 1. Having organized the movements of the thousands of ships across the Atlantic in order to have men and supplies on hand at the precise hour for the North African landing in November 1942, he also had the responsibility of planning the composition of the naval escort forces which insured the troop convoys' safe arrival.
Following the African invasion, the Atlantic Fleet was employed in running troop
convoy s and transporting stores, munitions, and fuel to theUnited Kingdom and theMediterranean . As a side issue, it ran the convoys on the coast ofBrazil and continuously waged the antisubmarine war which had been a matter of primary concern since the outbreak of hostilities. Ingersoll is generally credited with solving theU-boat and Atlantic logistics problems. In addition, he had the responsibility of defense of the Western Hemisphere by U.S. naval forces and made changes in the disposition of air and surface forces stationed at various points in North and South America. For his services in this command, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal and cited as a "...forceful and resolute leader under the critical conditions existing throughout a period of approximately three years...against a determined and ruthless enemy intent on world domination...."In November 1944, he was detached from command of the Atlantic Fleet and became Commander Western Sea Frontier, with Headquarters at San Francisco. In addition to commanding the naval forces engaged in protecting shipping in coastal waters, he managed the flow of supplies to the Pacific Fleet through West Coast ports. In carrying out this assignment, he had the status of a Deputy Commander in Chief,
U.S. Fleet , and Deputy Chief of Naval Operations. After the reorganization of the Navy in October 1945, he continued to serve as Commander Western Sea Frontier untilApril 10 ,1946 , when he was relieved of all active duty pending his retirement onAugust 1 ,1946 .Honors and family
In addition to the Navy Cross and the Distinguished Service Medal, Ingersoll was awarded the World War I Victory Medal; the
American Defense Service Medal ;European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal ; and theWorld War II Victory Medal . He was also awarded the Chevalier of theLegion of Honor by the French Government and the Order of Naval Merit (Grand Cross) by the Government of Brazil.Ingersoll was married in 1910 to Louise Van Harlingen of Atlanta, Georgia and had two children. Ingersoll died on
May 20 ,1976 . In 1979, Mrs. Louise Ingersoll was the sponsor for USS "Ingersoll" (DD-990); their daughter, Alice Jean Ingersoll Nagle, acting as proxy sponsor. Their son, Royal Rodney II, had been (with Admiral Ingersoll's father) the namesake of the USS "Ingersoll" (DD-652).Reference
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.