If Chester Nimitz was the Pacific's cool planner, William Halsey was its fighter. Aggressive, plain-spoken and adored by his crews, "Bull" Halsey gave the US Navy a morale it badly needed in 1942, and his boldness brought both great victories and real controversy.
Fight back
In the grim months after Pearl Harbor, Halsey led carrier raids across the Pacific and helped launch the1Doolittle bombers toward Tokyo. Taking over the hard-pressed South Pacific command in late 19421, he steadied the campaign for Guadalcanal with a promise to attack2.
Jimmy Doolittle's B-25 bomber takes off from the carrier USS Hornet on 18 April 1942, part of the task force Halsey commanded for the raid on Japan. Public domain
Leyte Gulf
By 1944 Halsey led the powerful Third Fleet. At the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle of the war, the Japanese used a decoy force of carriers to lure him north3, and Halsey took his fast carriers after them, leaving the strait behind him open. A separate Japanese force fell on the light American ships off Samar, which fought a desperate action until the enemy turned back. It was a US victory, but Halsey's choice is debated to this day2.
US Army map of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, October 1944, showing the Japanese forces converging on Leyte and Halsey's Third Fleet turning north after the decoy carriers. Public domain
The typhoon and after
In December 1944 his fleet was caught in4Typhoon Cobra; three destroyers capsized and hundreds of sailors drowned5, and an inquiry faulted his handling of the storm5. Yet Halsey remained one of the war's most popular commanders, was made a five-star Fleet Admiral, and his flagship hosted the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay2.
Admiral William Halsey (left) and Vice Admiral John S. McCain talk on board USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay after the Japanese surrender ceremony, 2 September 1945. Official US Navy photograph. Public domain
Bob Drury and Tom Clavin, Halsey's Typhoon: The True Story of a Fighting Admiral, an Epic Storm, and an Untold Rescue (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2007). ↩
He was an aggressive American carrier admiral in the Second World War (1882 to 1959), nicknamed 'Bull,' who commanded in the South Pacific and led the Third Fleet.
Why is Halsey famous?
For his fighting spirit that lifted US Navy morale in 1942 and for commanding the Third Fleet at the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944.
What was the controversy at Leyte Gulf?
A Japanese decoy of carriers lured Halsey north with his fast carriers, leaving San Bernardino Strait unguarded; a Japanese battleship force then attacked light US ships off Samar, and his decision is still debated, though the battle was an American victory.
What was Typhoon Cobra?
In December 1944 Halsey's fleet sailed into a typhoon; three destroyers sank and hundreds of sailors died, and a US Navy inquiry criticised his handling of the storm.
How does Halsey compare to Nimitz?
Nimitz was the calm strategist who ran the whole Pacific theatre; Halsey was one of his hard-charging fleet commanders, bolder and more willing to gamble.
What rank did Halsey reach?
He was promoted to five-star Fleet Admiral, and Japan's formal surrender was signed aboard his flagship, USS Missouri, in Tokyo Bay.
Take the fleet on the attack
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