Admiral Frederick Joseph Horne (February 14, 1880 – October 18, 1959) was a four-star admiral in the United States Navy. As the first Vice Chief of Naval Operations, he directed all Navy logistics during World War II.
Early career Horne was born in New York City, New York, on February 14, 1880, to George Edward Horne and the former Marguerite Agnes Cooper.Who's Who In America, p. 1294. He was appointed from the state of New York to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, on May 20, 1895.
As a naval cadet,U.S. Naval Academy undergraduates were titled "naval cadets" between 1882 and 1902, and "midshipmen" thereafter. he served in the Spanish–American War aboard the gunboat and the battleship during the summer of 1898; he participated in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba on July 3, 1898. He graduated from the academy on January 28, 1899. He fulfilled the two years' sea duty required before he could be commissioned as an officer as a passed midshipman aboard the protected cruiser , the gunboat , the gunboat , the gunboat , the distilling ship , and the hospital ship . During those assignments, he participated in 15 engagements of the Philippine–American War. He was commissioned ensign with date of rank January 28, 1901.Schuon, pp. 116–117.
After receiving his commission, he continued to serve at sea aboard the gunboat , the wooden screw sloop , and as chief engineer of the gunboat . In 1904, he returned to the Naval Academy as an instructor in the Department of Engineering. From May 25, 1906, he was senior engineer of the monitor . In September 1906, he was transferred to the battleship , where he performed similar duties until November 28, 1908. He then served two years as executive officer of the protected cruiser , operating with the Asiatic Fleet, until October 8, 1910. He reported again to the Naval Academy as an instructor in the Department of Navigation between November 1, 1910, and June 10, 1912, a tour that included service as senior engineer officer of the battleship for the practice cruise of Summer 1911.
He then served as navigator of the battleships and . He reported to the Naval Training Station for duty in charge of a draft of men to Manila; then served as navigator of the armored cruiser , operating with the Asiatic Fleet. Upon reaching Naval Station, Olongapo, Philippine Islands, he spent three months as captain of the yard. From June to November 1914, he commanded the distilling ship , which departed Manila Bay in July and surveyed the French Frigate Shoals, Hawaii, while en route to the Mare Island Naval Shipyard for decommissioning.
World War I
As a lieutenant commander, Horne was assigned duty with the naval attaché in Tokyo, Japan, before serving as naval attaché himself from January 15, 1915, to March 15, 1919. He was awarded the Navy Cross for "distinguished service ... as Naval Attaché ... in which capacity he had remarkable success in establishing and maintaining friendly relations with the Japanese authorities in supplying valuable information to the Office of Naval Intelligence and to the Commander in Chief of the Asiatic Fleet ... [and] with the purchase and building of ships in Japan for the United States Government." He also became the first American naval officer to be decorated by the Japanese government, which awarded him the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class, for "his splendid service as Naval Attaché." Upon returning to the United States, Horne reported to the Office of Naval Intelligence in Washington, D.C., for a month of special duty.
He assumed command of the troop transport on May 17, 1919; the ship ferried troops home from France before being decommissioned in October of that year, whereupon Horne transferred to the destroyer tender , operating with the Pacific Fleet. He remained with Buffalo until June 1920, except for a month commanding the cruiser —flagship of Destroyer Squadrons, Pacific Fleet—then commanded the fleet repair ship for a year.
Returning ashore in June 1921, he reported as aide to the commandant of the Portsmouth Navy Yard in New Hampshire, then attended the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, and the Army War College in Washington, D.C.
He commanded the light cruiser from June 14, 1924, to January 16, 1926, after which he had duty in connection with the Naval Reserve in the Third Naval District, New York City, until March 1926.
Naval aviation observer
From March to June 1926, Horne was a member of the first class of captains persuaded by Bureau of Aeronautics chief William A. Moffett to undergo flight training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. A new law restricted the command of aircraft carriers, tenders, squadrons, and aviation shore establishments to qualified naval aviators or naval aviation observers. Qualification as a naval aviator required a demanding 200 hours in the air, so most older officers opted for the less rigorous designation of naval aviation observer, which required only 100 hours in the air. Horne qualified as a naval aviation observer along with most of the other captains in his class, which included future three- and four-star admirals Joseph M. Reeves, Harry E. Yarnell, Alfred Wilkinson Johnson, and Henry V. Butler.King and Whitehill, p. 187–190, 193.
After serving as a member of the Naval Examining Board in the Navy Department, Horne temporarily relieved Captain Ernest J. King as commanding officer of the aircraft tender on January 3, 1927. Moffett had assigned King to Wright before he had received the necessary flight training in order to ensure King got command of the tender; Horne served as a caretaker captain while King qualified as a naval aviation observer at Pensacola. King resumed command of Wright on June 6, 1927. As Wrights captain, Horne had additional duty as senior aide on the staff of Commander Aircraft Squadrons, Scouting Fleet.
From June 1927 to April 1929, Horne served as chief assistant to Rear Admiral Frank Schofield, head of the War Plans Division of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. Horne's experience with aviation and as naval attaché in Tokyo proved invaluable when updating War Plan Orange, the prewar blueprint for a projected war with Japan. His "down-to-earth, old shoe" personality helped soothe relations with Army counterparts on the Joint Army and Navy Board.Miller, p. 136.
Horne commanded the aircraft carrier from April 20, 1929, to September 5, 1930, then served as Commander Aircraft Squadrons, Scouting Fleet from September 20, 1930, to June 5, 1931. His title was changed to Commander Carrier Division 1, U.S. Fleet, in October 1930, then changed again on February 13, 1931, to Commander Aircraft, Scouting Force, and Commander Division 1. He reported to the Fourteenth Naval District, Pearl Harbor on July 18, 1931, as chief of staff to the commandant, a position he held for two years.
Flag officer
As a rear admiral, Horne served as Commander Train Squadron, Base Force, and as Commander, Base Force, from June 1933 to June 1934; as a member of the Naval Examining Board until March 1935; as Commander Cruiser Division 6, Scouting Force from April 1, 1935, to June 18, 1935; and as Commander Aircraft, Base Force, until June 9, 1936, when he was relieved by King, who was now a rear admiral as well.King and Whitehill, p. 266.
Commander Aircraft, Battle Force
Promoted to the temporary rank of vice admiral, Horne served as Commander Aircraft, Battle Force (COMAIRBATFOR), from June 9, 1936, to January 29, 1938.
Horne's tour as COMAIRBATFOR was marked by Fleet Problem XVIII, one in a series of annual fleet exercises that developed and tested naval doctrine between the wars. In one early simulation, Horne faced off against King in a simulated air assault on San Diego, California. Horne's carriers, USS Saratoga and , were tasked with attacking the city, which was defended by King's shore-based patrol planes and the aircraft of the carrier . King's patrol planes located Horne's carriers during the night. In the morning, Horne was frustrated by a heavy fog that prevented all carrier aircraft from taking off, while clear skies over San Diego allowed King to launch heavy bombing attacks that "sank" both of Horne's carriers before the exercise ended at 10:00 a.m.Clark, pp. 63–64.
King succeeded Horne as COMAIRBATFOR in January 1938,Buell, p. 97. and Horne reverted to his permanent rank of rear admiral.
General Board From March 15, 1938, Horne was a member of the General Board of the Navy, where he became the admiral designated to handle aviation problems.King joined him on the General Board a year later.King and Whitehill, p. 295.
In 1939, Horne headed an influential board that established personnel policies for the expansion of naval aviation. Convened on June 29, 1939, by the Secretary of the Navy "to study matters concerning the regular and reserve aviation personnel of the Navy and Marine Corps," the Horne Board's other members were Commander George D. Murray, Commander Edwin T. Short, Marine Lieutenant Colonel L. C. Merritt, and Lieutenant Commander Walton W. Smith. The rapid expansion of naval aviation had created a demand for pilots far in excess of the supply of qualified Naval Academy graduates. After six months of study, the Board submitted its report on December 22, 1939. "Naval aviation is an essential part of the fleet. ... Naval Aviators should be required to maintain qualification for general duty in the line", the Horne Board declared, rejecting proposals to create a separate Aviation Corps within the Navy,Analogous to the Army's Air Corps, or to designate officers for Aviation Duty Only.Analogous to the restricted line officers designated for Engineering Duty Only. The Board instead recommended commissioning a number of reserve naval aviators and transferring them to the regular line of the Navy, which was the approach eventually adopted by the Navy Department.Richardson, pp. 191–193.
World War II In late 1940, King left the General Board to become commander-in-chief of the Atlantic Fleet. A year later, in the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, King was elevated to Commander in Chief, United States Fleet, and promptly forced Chief of Naval Operations Harold R. Stark to release his assistant, Rear Admiral Royal E. Ingersoll, to succeed King in command of the Atlantic Fleet.
To take Ingersoll's place, King suggested Stark select either Horne, who was awaiting retirement on the General Board, or Rear Admiral Russell Willson, the superintendent of the Naval Academy: "Take the one you want to replace Ingersoll and I will take the other as my chief of staff."Buell, p. 141. Stark picked Horne, who served as assistant to the chief of naval operations from December 27, 1941, to March 25, 1942, Horne was promoted to vice admiral on March 10, 1942.
Vice Chief of Naval Operations
On March 12, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9096, which unified the titles of Commander in Chief, United States Fleet (COMINCH) and Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). COMINCH wielded supreme command over the operating forces of the Navy, while the CNO was responsible for their training and logistical support. The order also established a three-star Vice Chief of Naval Operations (VCNO), who would head the CNO staff and act as CNO in the absence of the COMINCH-CNO. The result was that Stark was sent to Europe, King became COMINCH-CNO, and Horne became the first VCNO.Buell, pp. 161–162, 500–502.