Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Class of 1905 Chief of Naval Operations, 1945-1947

After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1905, Nimitz held many prominent positions within the Navy chain of command. He established himself as an expert in submarine propulsion and built the submarine base at Pearl Harbor. He founded one of the first Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps units and was pivotal in the introduction of the carrier into the battle group. He commanded the flagship of the Asiatic Fleet and was appointed commander of Battleship Division ONE. Along the way he shifted his focus from engineering to personnel. At the outbreak of World War II, he was Chief of the Bureau of Navigation.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, instructions were sent from President Roosevelt for Nimitz to assume command of the Pacific Fleet on Dec. 31, 1941. From that day on, he carried the fight to the enemy. Four years later, his superb leadership and the valor of more than two million American fighting men culminated on the deck of the USS MISSOURI as Nimitz signed the Japanese surrender as Commander-in-Chief of the largest naval armada ever assembled. On Dec. 15, 1945, Admiral Nimitz relieved Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King as Chief of Naval Operations. One of his final acts as CNO was the introduction of the naval nuclear propulsion program, laying the groundwork that led to the development of the Nimitz class of aircraft carriers.