Norman Scott (admiral)
Norman Scott | |
---|---|
United States of America | |
Service/ | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1911 – 1942 |
Rank | Rear Admiral |
Battles/wars | |
Awards | Medal of Honor Purple Heart |
Norman (Nicholas) Scott (August 10, 1889 – November 13, 1942) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy. He was killed along with many of his staff when the ship he was on – the light cruiser USS Atlanta – was hit by gunfire from the heavy cruiser USS San Francisco during the nighttime fighting in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. He was the second of five US Navy admirals killed in battle during WWII, including: Isaac C. Kidd (1941, Attack on Pearl Harbor); Daniel J. Callaghan (later on same night, in same battle, as Scott); Henry M. Mullinnix (1943, Battle of Makin); and Theodore E. Chandler (1945, invasion of Lingayen Gulf).
Scott posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Pacific Theater of World War II.[1]
Biography
Scott was born August 10, 1889, in
During the first years of the 1920s, Norman Scott served afloat in destroyers and in the battleship USS New York and ashore in Hawaii. From 1924 to 1930, he was assigned to the staff of Commander Battle Fleet and as an instructor at the Naval Academy. He commanded the destroyers USS MacLeish and USS Paul Jones in the early 1930s, then had further Navy Department duty and attended the Naval War College's Senior Course. After a tour as executive officer of the light cruiser USS Cincinnati, Commander Scott was a member of the U.S. Naval Mission to Brazil in 1937–39. Following promotion to the rank of captain, he was commanding officer of the heavy cruiser USS Pensacola until shortly after the United States entered World War II in December 1941.[2]
Captain Scott was assigned to the Office of the
A month later, on November 13, he was second-in-command during the initial night action of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. Many felt, at the time and with hindsight, that the fighting-minded and experienced Scott would have made a more effective overall commander of the US force than inexperienced first-in-command Daniel J. Callaghan, and that Scott perhaps would not have made some of Callaghan's mistakes.[3] During that engagement, Rear Admiral Scott was killed in action when the bridge of his flagship, the light cruiser USS Atlanta, was inadvertently struck by gunfire from Callaghan's flagship, the heavy cruiser USS San Francisco, which joined with an enemy torpedo to fatally damage the Atlanta. For his "extraordinary heroism and conspicuous intrepidity" in the October and November battles, he posthumously received the Medal of Honor.[2][4]
As was his fellow Admiral Callaghan (killed later the same night), Admiral Scott was buried at sea.
Namesakes
The U.S. Navy ships USS Norman Scott (DD-690), 1943–1973, and USS Scott (DDG-995), 1981–1998, were named in honor of Rear Admiral Scott.[2] The Scott Center Annex, adjacent to Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth Virginia, is named for him. The Norman Scott Natatorium at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland is named for him for being instrumental in introducing intercollegiate swimming to the Naval Academy as a midshipman. Norman Scott Road on Naval Base San Diego and Training Support Center Great Lakes also honors his memory.
Medal of Honor citation
For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty during action against enemy Japanese forces off Savo Island on the night of 11–12 October and again on the night of 12–13 November 1942. In the earlier action, intercepting a Japanese Task Force intent upon storming our island positions and landing reinforcements at Guadalcanal, Rear Adm. Scott, with courageous skill and superb coordination of the units under his command, destroyed 8 hostile vessels and put the others to flight. Again challenged, a month later, by the return of a stubborn and persistent foe, he led his force into a desperate battle against tremendous odds, directing close-range operations against the invading enemy until he himself was killed in the furious bombardment by their superior firepower. On each of these occasions his dauntless initiative, inspiring leadership and judicious foresight in a crisis of grave responsibility contributed decisively to the rout of a powerful invasion fleet and to the consequent frustration of a formidable Japanese offensive. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.[5]
See also
- List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II
- List of United States Naval Academy alumni (Medal of Honor)
References
- This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Naval History and Heritage Command.
- ^ Keegan, John (1999). "Scott, Rear Admiral Nicholas, 1889–1942". Who's Who in World War II.
- ^ Naval Historical Center. January 4, 2002. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-553-80670-0
- ^ "Atlanta III (CL-51)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command.
- ^ "Medal of Honor recipients". World War II (M - S). United States Army Center of Military History. August 3, 2009. Archived from the original on April 30, 2008. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
External links
- "Norman Scott". Hall of Valor. Military Times. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
- "USS Atlanta (CL-51), 1941–1942". Online Image Library. Naval Historical Center. October 11, 2003. Retrieved September 23, 2010.