Years of service 1917–1952 Died May 18, 1953 | Name Carl Holden Rank Vice Admiral | |
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Born May 25, 1895
Bangor, Maine ( 1895-05-25 ) Allegiance United States of America Commands held USS Mason
USS New Jersey Battles/wars World War I
World War II Education United States Naval Academy, Harvard University | ||
Service/branch United States Navy Battles and wars World War I, World War II | ||
Carl Frederick Holden (May 25, 1895 – May 18, 1953) was an officer of the United States Navy who retired with the rank of Vice Admiral.
Biography
Born in Bangor, Maine, Holden graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1917. He saw service in World War I on destroyers based in Queenstown, Ireland. Lieutenant Commander Holden was given command of the destroyer Mason in 1920. In 1922-1924 he took a master's degree in Electrical Communications Engineering from the Naval Academy and Harvard University, and spent the next ten years on communications-related assignments, including a posting with the Naval Mission to Brazil. He commanded the destroyer Tarbell in 1932-34, and in 1935-36 was sent to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as District Communications Officer.
On the morning of December 7, 1941, Holden was serving as Executive Officer with the rank of Commander on the battleship Pennsylvania when it was attacked and damaged by Japanese aircraft at Pearl Harbor. In January 1942 he was made Fleet Communication Officer on the Staff of the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Fleet, and was then appointed Director of Naval Communications in September 1942, replacing Joseph Redman. In 1943 he became the first captain of the battleship New Jersey, a position he held for most of the war. In 1945 he was made Rear Admiral in charge of Cruiser Division Pacific, and witnessed the Japanese surrender from the deck of the Missouri in Tokyo Bay. He subsequently became Commander of US Naval Forces in occupied Germany, retiring from that position (and the Navy) in 1952.