John McCain Sr.

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John "Slew" McCain Sr. (1884-1945) was an admiral in the United States Navy. He had a long career in naval aviation, eventually commanding Fast Carriers Pacific Fleet in the Second World War in the Pacific.

He was the father of Admiral John McCain Jr. and grandfather of presidential candidate and Navy Captain John McCain [III]; John McCain IV is a Naval Academy student. John McCain Sr. is half of the only father-son pair of full admirals in U.S. Navy history.

After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1906, he was first assigned to the Asiatic Squadron and then the force at Veracruz. In 1936, at the age of 51, he was designated a Naval Aviator, and from 1937 to 1939 he commanded carrier USS Ranger (CV-4), developing naval air tactics.

For the first year of World War II McCain served as Commander of Air Forces for Western Sea Frontier and the South Pacific Force. Richmond Kelly Turner criticized him "for failing to conduct land-based air searches up "The Slot" following the Guadalcanal landings and then failing to notify Turner that the searches had not been carried out; Turner considered this a contributing factor to the disastrous Battle of Savo Island. However, McCain was a favorite of Ernest J. King and escaped censure for the debacle at Savo Island.^[1]

In October 1942 McCain became Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics and in August 1943 rose to the rank of Vice Admiral as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Air).^[2]

In 1944 he returned to the Pacific, to command a fast carrier task group, the first ordered to assist at the Action off Samar. His protecting USS Canberra (CA-70) and USS Houston (CA-81) in October 1944 earned him the Navy Cross.

Both he and William Halsey were censured, by a board of inquiry, for sailing the United States Third Fleet, twice, into a typhoon. McCain did not have Halsey's visibility, and was soon replaced by John Tower.^[1]

While he attended the Japanese surrender ceremonies, he wanted only to go home. Vice Admiral McCain died 6 September 1945, just after arriving back in the United States, and was later appointed Admiral effective that date. For his outstanding performance as an air planner and carrier task force commander he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal with two Gold Stars, Secretary James Forrestal commented: "He was a fighting man all the way through."

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