John S. McCain Sr. | |
---|---|
Birth name | John Sidney McCain |
Nickname(s) | "Slew" |
Born |
Carroll County, Mississippi |
August 9, 1884
Died | September 6, 1945 Coronado, California |
(aged 61)
Place of burial | Arlington National Cemetery |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1906–1945 |
Rank | Admiral |
Commands held |
USS Ranger Air Forces for Western Sea Frontier and the South Pacific Force Bureau of Aeronautics Second Fast Carrier Force Task Group 38.1 Task Force 38 |
Battles/wars | |
Awards |
Navy Cross Navy Distinguished Service Medal (3) |
Spouse(s) | Catherine Davey Vaulx |
Relations |
ADM (USN) John S. McCain, Jr. (son) CAPT (USN)/Sen. John S. McCain III (grandson) BG (USA) William Alexander McCain (brother) PVT (CSA) William Alexander McCain (grandfather) |
John Sidney "Slew" McCain Sr. (August 9, 1884 – September 6, 1945) was a U.S. Navy admiral. He held several command assignments during the Pacific campaign of World War II.
McCain was a pioneer of aircraft carrier operations. Serving in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II, in 1942 he commanded all land-based air operations in support of the Guadalcanal campaign, and in 1944-45 he aggressively led the Fast Carrier Task Force. His operations off the Philippines and Okinawa, and air strikes against Formosa and the Japanese home islands, caused tremendous destruction of Japanese naval and air forces in the closing period of the war. He died four days after the formal Japanese surrender ceremony.
He was the father of Admiral John S. McCain, Jr.; they became the first father-son pair ever to achieve four star admiral rank in the U.S. Navy. He was the grandfather of U.S. Senator from Arizona and 2008 Republican presidential nominee Navy Captain John S. McCain III and the great-grandfather of John S. McCain IV. All four generations graduated from the United States Naval Academy.