Thomas C. Kinkaid

Thomas Cassin Kinkaid (3 April 1888 – 17 November 1972) was an <a href="/facts/Admiral_(United_States)/4EnHN4bR">admiral</a> in the <a href="/facts/United_States_Navy/xYK0fUou">United States Navy</a>, known for his service during <a href="/facts/World_War_II/2efV5L1U">World War II</a>. He built a reputation as a "fighting admiral" in the aircraft carrier battles of 1942 and commanded the <a href="/facts/Allies_of_World_War_II/YzCdtjDY">Allied</a> forces in the <a href="/facts/Aleutian_Islands_Campaign/pJKt7hRK">Aleutian Islands Campaign</a>. He was Commander Allied Naval Forces and the <a href="/facts/United_States_Seventh_Fleet/hk1eMdtK">Seventh Fleet</a> under <a href="/facts/General_of_the_Army_(United_States)/6TVpXKev">General of the Army</a> <a href="/facts/Douglas_MacArthur/roDnxxbj">Douglas MacArthur</a> in the <a href="/facts/South_West_Pacific_Area_(command)/B25T3pQH">Southwest Pacific Area</a>, where he conducted numerous <a href="/facts/Amphibious_warfare/1Povrhpm">amphibious operations</a>, and commanded an Allied fleet during the <a href="/facts/Battle_of_Leyte_Gulf/xpCyVT54">Battle of Leyte Gulf</a>, the largest naval battle of World War II and the last <a href="/facts/List_of_naval_battles_between_battleships/2aK9UpzK">naval battle between battleships</a> in history.
Born into a naval family, Kinkaid was ranked in the lower half of his class on his graduation from the <a href="/facts/United_States_Naval_Academy/zKBGBBUC">United States Naval Academy</a> in June 1908. His early commissioned service was spent aboard <a href="/facts/Battleship/PjjTspo5">battleships</a>. In 1913, he began instruction in ordnance engineering and served in that field for many years. He saw action during the <a href="/facts/1916_United_States_occupation_of_the_Dominican_Republic/rV0FATcJ">1916 United States occupation of the Dominican Republic</a>. During <a href="/facts/World_War_I/vITTUanQ">World War I</a>, he was attached to the <a href="/facts/Royal_Navy/Xdy8YCH7">Royal Navy</a> before serving as gunnery officer aboard the battleship <a href="/facts/USS_Arizona/EoaVGeoM">USS Arizona</a>. After the war, he was assistant chief of staff to the Commander U.S. Naval Detachment in <a href="/facts/Turkey/KIYAWAs0">Turkey</a>. Kinkaid received his first command, the <a href="/facts/Destroyer/bkYL7bI8">destroyer</a> <a href="/facts/USS_Isherwood_(DD-284)/SKpob5Lx">USS Isherwood</a>, in 1924. He was <a href="/facts/Executive_officer/NXUK7sW7">executive officer</a> of the battleship <a href="/facts/USS_Colorado_(BB-45)/87Yx7o73">USS Colorado</a> when the <a href="/facts/1933_Long_Beach_earthquake/6vT8qaSw">1933 Long Beach earthquake</a> struck, and participated in relief efforts. He received his second command in 1937, the <a href="/facts/Heavy_cruiser/b3v3YdQH">heavy cruiser</a> <a href="/facts/USS_Indianapolis_(CA-35)/VrJzU6Wy">USS Indianapolis</a>.
From 1938 to 1941, Kinkaid was a <a href="/facts/Military_attach%25C3%25A9/qlaEdntl">naval attaché</a> in <a href="/facts/Kingdom_of_Italy/X5hxYBvF">Italy</a> and <a href="/facts/Kingdom_of_Yugoslavia/IRNUtvxW">Yugoslavia</a>. In the months prior to U.S. entry into World War II, he commanded a destroyer <a href="/facts/Squadron_(naval)/9ERnHH3Q">squadron</a>. Promoted to <a href="/facts/Rear_Admiral_(United_States)/wGa6RoC0">rear admiral</a> in 1941, he assumed command of a <a href="/facts/United_States_Pacific_Fleet/aFwzSbeU">U.S. Pacific Fleet</a> cruiser division. His cruisers defended the <a href="/facts/Aircraft_carrier/90vrSN0V">aircraft carrier</a> <a href="/facts/USS_Lexington_(CV-2)/6mLk9huu">USS Lexington</a> during the <a href="/facts/Battle_of_the_Coral_Sea/HbpVNGIf">Battle of the Coral Sea</a> and <a href="/facts/USS_Hornet_(CV-8)/X56bP8EE">USS Hornet</a> during the <a href="/facts/Battle_of_Midway/f8gBT8Ax">Battle of Midway</a>. After that battle, he took command of <a href="/facts/Task_Force_16/lcls075r">Task Force 16</a>, a task force built around the carrier <a href="/facts/USS_Enterprise_(CV-6)/bya59ceo">USS Enterprise</a>, which he led during the long and difficult <a href="/facts/Solomon_Islands_campaign/uu5tcJXe">Solomon Islands campaign</a>, participating in the <a href="/facts/Battle_of_the_Eastern_Solomons/hxs2w0a4">Battles of the Eastern Solomons</a> and the <a href="/facts/Battle_of_the_Santa_Cruz_Islands/066E1sjj">Santa Cruz Islands</a>. Kinkaid was placed in charge of the North Pacific Force in January 1943 and commanded the <a href="/facts/Aleutian_Islands_Campaign/pJKt7hRK">operations that regained control of the Aleutian Islands</a>. He was promoted to <a href="/facts/Vice_Admiral_(United_States)/nsagebYR">vice admiral</a> in June 1943.
In November 1943, Kinkaid became Commander Allied Naval Forces <a href="/facts/South_West_Pacific_Area/B25T3pQH">South West Pacific Area</a>, and commander of the <a href="/facts/Seventh_Fleet/hk1eMdtK">Seventh Fleet</a>, directing U.S. and <a href="/facts/Royal_Australian_Navy/AkYhdo4B">Royal Australian Navy</a> forces supporting the <a href="/facts/New_Guinea_campaign/w7o1LhyT">New Guinea campaign</a>. During the <a href="/facts/Battle_of_the_Surigao_Strait/xpCyVT54">Battle of the Surigao Strait</a>, he commanded the Allied ships in the last naval battle between battleships in history. Following the demise of Japanese naval power in the region, the Allied navies supported the campaigns in the <a href="/facts/Philippines_campaign_(1944%25E2%2580%259345)/vSYPhqQs">Philippines</a> and <a href="/facts/Borneo_campaign_(1945)/GA14f0SY">Borneo</a>. Kinkaid was promoted to admiral on 3 April 1945. After the <a href="/facts/Pacific_War/yNu6op98">Pacific War</a> ended in August 1945, the Seventh Fleet assisted in operations on the <a href="/facts/Korea/cj2kDBzc">Korean</a> and China coasts. Admiral Kinkaid was Commander Eastern Sea Frontier and the <a href="/facts/United_States_Navy_reserve_fleets/8m49IA5K">Sixteenth Fleet</a> from 1946 until his retirement in May 1950. He was a member of the National Security Training Commission for much of the rest of the decade. He also served with the <a href="/facts/American_Battle_Monuments_Commission/ytjSc2Yv">American Battle Monuments Commission</a> for 15 years.

Thomas C. Kinkaid open-in-new

Thomas C. Kinkaid