Francis Stuart Low

Francis Stuart Low CBE (August 15, 1894 – January 22, 1964) was a decorated officer of the United States Navy with the rank of four-star admiral. An expert in submarine warfare, Low is credited with the idea that twin-engined Army bombers could be launched from an aircraft carrier. This idea was later adopted for the planning of the Doolittle Raid.

Low distinguished himself as Chief of Staff, U.S. Tenth Fleet, during the anti-U-boat campaign in the Atlantic Ocean and completed his career in 1956 as Commander, Western Sea Frontier, and Commander Pacific Reserve Fleet.

Early career

Francis S. Low was born on August 15, 1894, in Albany, New York, the son of late Commander William Franklin Low, USN, and Mrs. Anna (Stuart) Low. His family later moved to Newton, Massachusetts, and young Francis attended high school there.

He subsequently received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, in summer of 1911. While at the Academy, Low was active in the swimming team and held record in 220-yard swimming. He was nicknamed "Frog" by his classmates and graduated with a bachelor's degree in June 1915.

Low was commissioned ensign at the time of his graduation and attached to the battleship . He was later transferred to the heavy cruiser . While aboard that ship, he participated in the Veracruz Expedition and Haitian Campaign.

Following his first sea duties, he was then attached to the submarine and began training at Naval Submarine Base New London, Connecticut. After six months of training, Low was attached to the , under the command of Lieutenant j.g. Robert H. English and served as his deputy in patrols protecting the Atlantic coast from U-boats. She departed Newport November 2, 1918, for European waters, but the termination of hostilities brought the submarine back to the United States.

Interwar period Following the end of the war, Low was appointed commanding officer of and led her during training cruises off the coast of Hampton Roads, Virginia. He was transferred to the command of at the end of January 1920 and took part in the submarine experiments with torpedo and undersea detection techniques along the Atlantic coast.

Low assumed command of the newly commissioned at the end of April 1923 and sailed to Guantanamo, Cuba, and then via the Panama Canal to Hawaii. He left in summer of 1925 to attend the junior course at the Naval War College at Newport, Rhode Island. Following his graduation one year later, Low was appointed an instructor in the Department of Seamanship at the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. He was then attached to the battleship and participated in training exercises in the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans.

He was appointed officer in charge of the Recruiters' Training School, Naval Station, Hampton Roads, Virginia, in 1929, serving until the summer of 1932. Low was then attached to the Staff, Submarine Squadron 5, for a brief period and subsequently assumed command of destroyer in June 1932. He commanded that ship during the Yangtze River Patrol and then took part in patrolling along the China coast, while making occasional voyages to and from Manila.

Low returned to the United States in March 1934 and was assigned to the Bureau of Navigation. He was later transferred to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, under Admiral William H. Standley. He returned to sea in summer of 1937, when he was appointed commander of Submarine Squadron 13 and held this command during the Neutrality Patrol in 1939.

World War II Low (far left) during the surrender of Japanese Forces in Southern Korea: U.S. delegates Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid and Lieutenant General John R. Hodge sign surrender documents, September 9, 1945. Low (right) with Admirals Nimitz (second from right) and Lockwood during the visit of submarine in June 1957. Low returned to Washington, D.C., in December 1940 and served again in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, under Admiral Harold R. Stark. Following the appointment of Admiral Ernest J. King as Chief of Naval Operations in March 1942, Low remained in his office and served as Operations Officer, as well as Assistant Chief of Staff for antisubmarine warfare.

Low remained in this capacity until the beginning of September 1942 and received the Navy Commendation Medal for his service in Washington. He was subsequently ordered to New York Navy Yard and assumed command of the heavy cruiser , which was there for repairs. Low led his vessel during training off the Virginia Capes for the rest of the month, after which she steamed to Casco Bay in Maine for further maneuvers.

Admiral Low was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Tenth Fleet and also maintained the liaison with the General Staff of the United States Army, the British Admiralty and the Canadian Naval Headquarters to insure maximum efficiency in combined operations. He coordinated and directed the activities of Allied anti-submarine forces as they systematically tracked down and destroyed German undersea marauders ranging the Atlantic. Low was also responsible for the protection of Allied shipping in the Eastern, Gulf and Caribbean Sea Frontiers and exercised close control over all convoys under United States cognizance.

He remained in this capacity until January 1945, when he was replaced by Rear Admiral Allan R. McCann and ordered to the Pacific theater. For his service with the Tenth Fleet, Low was decorated with the Navy Distinguished Service Medal. He was also appointed a commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Later career

Following the end of War, Low was in charge of the surrender and neutralization of all Japanese naval installations in Korea until November 1945, when he was appointed Commander, Destroyers Pacific Fleet. Low remained in this capacity until March 1947, when he assumed command of Service Forces, Pacific. He was also promoted to the rank of vice admiral at that date.

Retirement

Upon his retirement from the Navy, Low settled in Oakland, California, where he died on January 22, 1964, at Naval Hospital Oakland.

Decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Admiral Francis S. Low: