Willis A. Lee
Encyclopedia
Willis Augustus "Ching" Lee, Jr. (May 11, 1888 – August 25, 1945) was a Vice Admiral
of the United States Navy
during World War II. Lee commanded the American ships during the second night of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
(November 14–15, 1942) and turned back a Japanese invasion force headed for the island. The victory ended Japanese attempts to reinforce their troops on Guadalcanal, and thus marked a turning point in both the Guadalcanal Campaign
and the Pacific War
itself.
Lee was also a skilled sport shooter
, and won 7 medals in the 1920 Olympics shooting events
(including five gold medals), tied with teammate Lloyd Spooner
for the most anyone had ever received in a single games. Their record stood for 60 years. He was the most successful athlete at the 1920 Olympics.
General Robert E. Lee, was born in the rural town of Natlee in Owen County, Kentucky
, on May 11, 1888. The son of Judge Willis Augustus Lee and Susan Arnold, he was known as "Mose" Lee to family and friends.
He entered the U.S. Naval Academy
in 1904. While at the Naval academy, his Chinese-sounding last name, compounded by his fondness for the Far
East
earned him the nickname "Ching" Lee.
Following graduation, Lee joined the academy's rifle team twice. He was assigned to the battleship from October 1908 to May 1909, before returning to the naval academy and re-joining the rifle team. From November 1909 until May 1910, Lee served aboard the protected cruiser
, and then transferred to the gunboat
. Upon being detached back to the United States, Lee re-joined the Academy shooting team a third time. In July 1913, Lee re-joined the Idaho, and later transferred to the battleship to participate in the occupation of Veracruz.
During World War I, Lee served on the destroyers and .
. He won 7 medals (5 gold, 1 silver, and one bronze), all in team events. His teammates for the various events were Dennis Fenton
, Lawrence Nuesslein
, Arthur Rothrock
, Oliver Schriver, Morris Fisher
, Carl Osburn
, Lloyd Spooner
, and Joseph Jackson
.
Lee and Spooner ended the 1920 Olympics with 7 medals each, the most anyone had ever received in a single games. It would not be until Alexander Dityatin
in the 1980 games that anyone would beat that record. (Boris Shakhlin
was the next person to reach 7, in 1960)
in the late 1920s, and was promoted to the rank of Captain in 1936.
During the 1930s and early 1940s, Lee was several times assigned to the Fleet Training Division, commanded the light cruiser
, and served on the staff of Commander, Cruisers, Battle Force. In early 1942, following his promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral
, Lee became Assistant Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet.
and adapted his expertise to the new age of technology. When Admiral Lee engaged IJN Admiral Kondo
's battleship Kirishima
on the evening of 14 November 1942 in the waters off Guadalcanal
, he became naval history's first battleship commander to conduct a "gunfight" primarily by radar
remote control
.
In August 1942, Rear Admiral Lee was sent to the Pacific to command Battleship Division Six, consisting of the battleships and .
Flying his flag in the Washington, Lee engaged an IJN
surface fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondō during the second night of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
on the night of 14–15 November 1942. While riding in the battleship Washington, which served as his flagship
during this sea-fight, Lee's battleship decisively gunned the IJN battleship Kirishima into a wreck, resulting in her scuttling shortly afterwards. With 300 Imperial sailors still entombed within her hull, she slid into Ironbottom Sound
, leaving Admiral Lee's flagship Washington America's only battleship during World War II to sink an enemy battleship in a "one on one" gunfight.
Lee, who "knew more about radar than the radar operators", used the SG radar installed aboard the Washington to skillfully maneuver his ships during the night.
Lee was awarded the Navy Cross
for his actions at the battle.
's fast battleship
s, as Commander Battleships Pacific Fleet.
In May 1945, he was sent to the Atlantic to command a special unit researching defenses against the Kamikaze
threat. While serving in that position on 25 August 1945, Vice Admiral
Willis A. Lee died suddenly after suffering a heart attack.
and possibly descended from the third Attorney General of the United States, Charles Lee
. He married Mabelle Allen Elspeth (1894–1949) on July 14, 1919. They had no children.
Willis' father, Judge Willis Augustus Lee Sr., was one of fourteen children of Nathaniel Wiley Lee (aka Nat Lee, founder of Natlee) and Frances Abbott, of Owen County, Kentucky.
His great-grandparents were early Kentucky settlers, Joseph R. Lee and Mary Wiley. His grandfather Nathaniel W. Lee operated a distillery at his namesake village of Natlee. In 1893, Nat Lee's sour mash whiskey was taken to the Chicago World's Fair where it won the Gold Medal over 5000 other entries.
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War II. Lee commanded the American ships during the second night of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, The Battle of Friday the 13th, or, in Japanese sources, as the , took place from 12–15 November 1942, and was the decisive engagement in a series of naval battles...
(November 14–15, 1942) and turned back a Japanese invasion force headed for the island. The victory ended Japanese attempts to reinforce their troops on Guadalcanal, and thus marked a turning point in both the Guadalcanal Campaign
Guadalcanal campaign
The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II...
and the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
itself.
Lee was also a skilled sport shooter
Shooting sports
A shooting sport is a competitive sport involving tests of proficiency using various types of guns such as firearms and airguns . Hunting is also a shooting sport, and indeed shooting live pigeons was an Olympic event...
, and won 7 medals in the 1920 Olympics shooting events
Shooting at the 1920 Summer Olympics
At the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, 21 events in shooting were contested. The competitions were held from July 22, 1920 to August 3, 1920.-Medal summary:-Medal table:...
(including five gold medals), tied with teammate Lloyd Spooner
Lloyd Spooner
Lloyd Spencer Spooner was an American sports shooter and Olympic Champion.He won four Gold medals, one silver medal and two bronze medals at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp...
for the most anyone had ever received in a single games. Their record stood for 60 years. He was the most successful athlete at the 1920 Olympics.
Early life through World War II
Willis Lee, a distant relative of ConfederateConfederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
General Robert E. Lee, was born in the rural town of Natlee in Owen County, Kentucky
Owen County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,547 people, 4,086 households, and 2,995 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 5,345 housing units at an average density of...
, on May 11, 1888. The son of Judge Willis Augustus Lee and Susan Arnold, he was known as "Mose" Lee to family and friends.
He entered the U.S. Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in 1904. While at the Naval academy, his Chinese-sounding last name, compounded by his fondness for the Far
Far
Far or FAR may refer to:- Organizations :* Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias, part of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces* Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias , a guerrilla group in Argentina...
East
East
East is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.East is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of west and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the right side of a map is east....
earned him the nickname "Ching" Lee.
Following graduation, Lee joined the academy's rifle team twice. He was assigned to the battleship from October 1908 to May 1909, before returning to the naval academy and re-joining the rifle team. From November 1909 until May 1910, Lee served aboard the protected cruiser
Protected cruiser
The protected cruiser is a type of naval cruiser of the late 19th century, so known because its armoured deck offered protection for vital machine spaces from shrapnel caused by exploding shells above...
, and then transferred to the gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
. Upon being detached back to the United States, Lee re-joined the Academy shooting team a third time. In July 1913, Lee re-joined the Idaho, and later transferred to the battleship to participate in the occupation of Veracruz.
During World War I, Lee served on the destroyers and .
1920 Olympics
Lee participated in 14 events at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
. He won 7 medals (5 gold, 1 silver, and one bronze), all in team events. His teammates for the various events were Dennis Fenton
Dennis Fenton
Dennis Fenton was an American sports shooter and Olympic Champion.He was born in Ventry, Ireland and died in Denver, Colorado.In 1920 he won three gold and one bronze medal...
, Lawrence Nuesslein
Lawrence Nuesslein
Lawrence Adam Nuesslein was an American sports shooter who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics. He won a total of five olympic medals: two gold medals, one silver and two bronze medals....
, Arthur Rothrock
Arthur Rothrock
Arthur Dale Rothrock was an American sport shooter who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics.In 1920 he won the gold medal as member of the American team in the team small-bore rifle competition and the silver medal in the individual small-bore rifle...
, Oliver Schriver, Morris Fisher
Morris Fisher
Morris Fisher was an American sports shooter who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics and in the 1924 Summer Olympics.-Early life:Fisher was Jewish, and was born in Youngstown, Ohio, and died in Honolulu, Hawaii....
, Carl Osburn
Carl Osburn
Carl Townsend Osburn was an United States Navy officer and sports shooter from Jacksontown, Ohio. After graduating from the United States Naval Academy in 1907, Osburn went on to reach the rank of commander...
, Lloyd Spooner
Lloyd Spooner
Lloyd Spencer Spooner was an American sports shooter and Olympic Champion.He won four Gold medals, one silver medal and two bronze medals at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp...
, and Joseph Jackson
Joseph Jackson (sport shooter)
Joseph Jackson was an American sports shooter and Olympic champion. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri.He won three gold medals, all in team events, at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp.-External links:...
.
Lee and Spooner ended the 1920 Olympics with 7 medals each, the most anyone had ever received in a single games. It would not be until Alexander Dityatin
Alexander Dityatin
Alexander Nikolaevich Dityatin is a Russian gymnast, three-time Olympic Champion, and Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR. Winning eight medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics, he set the record for achieving the most medals of any type at a single Olympic Games. The American swimmer Michael Phelps...
in the 1980 games that anyone would beat that record. (Boris Shakhlin
Boris Shakhlin
Boris Anfiyanovich Shakhlin was a Soviet gymnast who was the 1960 Olympic all-around champion and the 1958 all-around World Champion. He won total of 13 medals including seven gold medals at the Summer Olympics, and was the most successful athlete at the 1960 Summer Olympics...
was the next person to reach 7, in 1960)
Interwar Years
Lee attended the Naval War CollegeNaval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
in the late 1920s, and was promoted to the rank of Captain in 1936.
During the 1930s and early 1940s, Lee was several times assigned to the Fleet Training Division, commanded the light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
, and served on the staff of Commander, Cruisers, Battle Force. In early 1942, following his promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
, Lee became Assistant Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet.
World War II
Lee's specialty in life was gunnery. At the age of 19 in 1907 "he became the only American to win both the US National High Power Rifle and Pistol championships in the same year." In 1914 during the Vera Cruz campaign in Mexico he drew the fire of three enemy snipers, thereby exposing their positions and then shot them at long range. He understood the powerful guns of a battleship as an extension of the law of ballisticsBallistics
Ballistics is the science of mechanics that deals with the flight, behavior, and effects of projectiles, especially bullets, gravity bombs, rockets, or the like; the science or art of designing and accelerating projectiles so as to achieve a desired performance.A ballistic body is a body which is...
and adapted his expertise to the new age of technology. When Admiral Lee engaged IJN Admiral Kondo
Kondo
Kondō is a Japanese surname, and is sometimes used in other contexts.People named Kondo:* Koji Kondo, musician, composer* Dorinne K...
's battleship Kirishima
Kirishima
Kirishima is a Japanese surname may refer to* Kirishima City, a city in Kagoshima prefecture, Kyūshū, Japan* Kirishima National Park, a Japanese national park in both Miyazaki and Kagoshima Prefectures on the island of Kyūshū...
on the evening of 14 November 1942 in the waters off Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
, he became naval history's first battleship commander to conduct a "gunfight" primarily by radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
remote control
Remote control
A remote control is a component of an electronics device, most commonly a television set, used for operating the television device wirelessly from a short line-of-sight distance.The remote control is usually contracted to remote...
.
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
In August 1942, Rear Admiral Lee was sent to the Pacific to command Battleship Division Six, consisting of the battleships and .
Flying his flag in the Washington, Lee engaged an IJN
IJN
The abbreviation IJN may refer to:* International Justice Network or IJNetwork, a Human Rights Organization* Imperial Japanese Navy, the navy of Japan from 1868 until it was dissolved in 1947* Institut Jean Nicod, a French interdisciplinary research center...
surface fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondō during the second night of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, The Battle of Friday the 13th, or, in Japanese sources, as the , took place from 12–15 November 1942, and was the decisive engagement in a series of naval battles...
on the night of 14–15 November 1942. While riding in the battleship Washington, which served as his flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
during this sea-fight, Lee's battleship decisively gunned the IJN battleship Kirishima into a wreck, resulting in her scuttling shortly afterwards. With 300 Imperial sailors still entombed within her hull, she slid into Ironbottom Sound
Ironbottom Sound
"Ironbottom Sound" is the name given by Allied sailors to Savo Sound, the stretch of water at the southern end of The Slot between Guadalcanal, Savo Island, and Florida Island of the Solomon Islands, because of the dozens of ships and planes that sank there during the Battle of Guadalcanal in...
, leaving Admiral Lee's flagship Washington America's only battleship during World War II to sink an enemy battleship in a "one on one" gunfight.
Lee, who "knew more about radar than the radar operators", used the SG radar installed aboard the Washington to skillfully maneuver his ships during the night.
To Willis Lee went many accolades. "Audacious planning and execution" marked his operations, commented Halsey... Unlike CallaghanDaniel J. CallaghanDaniel Judson Callaghan was a United States Navy officer who received the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. In a career spanning just over 30 years, he served his country in two wars...
, Lee never allowed the action to degenerate into a nautical brawl, because he formulated a workable plan and adhered to it, even after every ship in his task force except Washington was sunk or forced to retire. Lee was never more incisive than in his own evaluation of his success: "We realized then and it should not be forgotten now, that our entire superiority was due almost entirely to our possession of radar. Certainly we have no edge on the Japs in experience, skill, training, or performance of personnel.
Lee was awarded the Navy Cross
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...
for his actions at the battle.
After Guadalcanal
Lee was promoted to Vice Admiral in 1944 and placed in charge of the Pacific FleetUnited States Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet is a Pacific Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its home port is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. It is commanded by Admiral Patrick M...
's fast battleship
Fast battleship
Historically, a fast battleship was a battleship which emphasized speed without - in concept - undo compromise of either armor or armament. The term is especially appropriate when applied to a design which was not only faster than the preceding battleship class, but faster than subsequent classes...
s, as Commander Battleships Pacific Fleet.
In May 1945, he was sent to the Atlantic to command a special unit researching defenses against the Kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
threat. While serving in that position on 25 August 1945, Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
Willis A. Lee died suddenly after suffering a heart attack.
Family
Willis Lee Jr. was a distant relative of Gen. Robert E. LeeRobert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
and possibly descended from the third Attorney General of the United States, Charles Lee
Charles Lee (Attorney General)
Charles Lee was an American lawyer from Virginia. He served as United States Attorney General from 1795 until 1801....
. He married Mabelle Allen Elspeth (1894–1949) on July 14, 1919. They had no children.
Willis' father, Judge Willis Augustus Lee Sr., was one of fourteen children of Nathaniel Wiley Lee (aka Nat Lee, founder of Natlee) and Frances Abbott, of Owen County, Kentucky.
His great-grandparents were early Kentucky settlers, Joseph R. Lee and Mary Wiley. His grandfather Nathaniel W. Lee operated a distillery at his namesake village of Natlee. In 1893, Nat Lee's sour mash whiskey was taken to the Chicago World's Fair where it won the Gold Medal over 5000 other entries.