Ernest J. King

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Adm. Ernest J. King Admiral Ernest King relieved Admiral Harold R. Stark as the American Chief of Naval Operations following the Pearl Harbor disaster. King had a reputation for being a cold-hearted, tough-minded leader who stood for no nonsense from anyone. He was well suited to the vicious political infighting in Washington, D. C. His acerbic disposition was a positive harbinger for his effectiveness in fighting for the Navy's needs against the Congress and the entrenched interests of the Army and its fast-growing and powerful wing, the United States Army Air Corps. With the blame-game over Pearl Harbor in full swing, the American navy badly needed a leader with King’s abilities.

America was now in a full-fledged worldwide war against powerful foes. In addition, the demands for her armed services to be in many places continued unabated. There were not enough men, ships, guns, aircraft, and supplies to meet every need. After British Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited Washington over Christmas 1941, the two nations’ political and military leaders agreed to a Europe-first strategy. The threat from Nazi Germany was far greater to the survival of western civilization than from the Japanese. Nevertheless, the Japanese had attacked the Americans first. The clamor to do something about that continued at a fever pitch.

The war in the European Theater was to be one fought primarily on the ground and in the air. The Pacific Ocean’s vast distances meant the war there would be a naval conflict. Nevertheless, all the theaters’ needs had one common thread – they all needed men, ammunition, guns, aircraft, food, medical supplies, and other materiel needed to keep large fighting forces far away from home struggling against implacable enemies. Since the emphasis on Europe thrust the Pacific Theater into the background, all priorities for fighting the war shifted to the East. The discussions among the American armed services and with their British allies were spirited and contentious. In addition, King was right there fighting for the Navy.

Meanwhile, the Japanese were not standing still. Knowing that their fight for New Guinea had to succeed for them to isolate General Douglas MacArthur’s forces in Australia to prevent him from recapturing the Philippines, they landed troops and construction equipment on Guadalcanal to build an airfield there. They also setup a seaplane base on neighboring Tulagi Island. If they successfully completed the airstrip and placed bombers on Guadalcanal, they could prevent the Americans from supplying MacArthur in Australia and their New Zealand allies. When Australian coastwatchers reported the Japanese construction on Guadalcanal, alarms spread throughout the Navy Department in Washington.

King immediately began his drumbeat for an invasion of the southern Solomons. However, he had a difficult internal fight ahead of him. The Americans and British had begun the planning for an invasion of North Africa in November 1942 designed to kick out the Germans and Italians from the African continent. The demands for everything needed for the first major landing of a large invasion force made every resource scarcer than ever. Nevertheless, King never abandoned his fight for a Guadalcanal invasion. He met with General George Marshall, the Army’s chief of staff and the most influential military man in Washington, and convinced the general that, with careful planning, the Navy could indeed invade Guadalcanal and still satisfy the logistics needs for the North African operation.

The planning departments at the Navy Department in Washington and at Admiral Chester W. Nimitz’s CINCPAC command at Pearl Harbor began the difficult job of pulling together the ships, aircraft, men, and supplies for the invasion. A hastily assembled force left various American ports and bases and sailed for the Solomon Islands. Many senior officers were not positive about the success of such an operation. The operation’s code name was Operation WATCHTOWER. The nickname given by many of these officers had a far less complementary tone – “Operation SHOESTRING.”

The invasion would never have happened if it were not for King’s determination. It was his spirit and commitment that continued into the war and resulted in the building of the greatest naval presence the world would ever see.