Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-28
ADMIRAL KING A TRIPLE-THREAT' LEADER
Navy Chief Skilled Submarine, Surface and Air Combat
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Admiral Ernest j. King commander in
chief of the United States Fleet and
chief OF naval operations, is a determined
man and tough naval officer.
Earnest Endeavor would have been
fitting Christian names for the man
who plans and directs this country's
naval strategy in the war. His whole
life, since he was born in Lorain, Ohio,
81 years ago, the son of master me-
chanic of the Baltimore & Ohio Rail-
road, has been willfully fashioned to
make the greatest use of his capacities.
What he has done for himself he de-
mands Of his subordinates, which is typ
flied by his current instructions: do
the best you can with what you have"
In his high assignment the admiral
averages well over 10 hours work day
and at times he is on the job 18 to 20
hours. AS sea going man accustomed
to unusual hours, he fortifles himself
with coffee. Before he was forced to
abandon his Well-regulated schedule OF
living he rose at 7 am. and retired be-
tween 10 and II pm. In these days Of
strain he complains if his few social en-
gagements keep him out after II.
Proud of his SPARKLE six-foot figure,
the admiral usually takes 10 minutes ex-
ercise before sitting down to his favorite
breakfast OF orange juice and kippers.
On shipboard he used to take a brisk
walk before breakfast on "the admiral's
country" cleared space which other Of
f1cers could tread only on invitation Of
the admiral In Washington he walks
after breakfast part Of the way to his
ONCE.
His Mornings Busy.
At his office In the Navy Building he
works most of the forenoon on dis
patches which have been received and
decided through the night; confers with
officers OF his two stats, one for the
admiral Of the feet, the other for the
chief of naval operations; meets with
various ranking naval officers and rep
resentatives of the United Nations re-
ports to President Roosevelt, the Com
mander in Chief confers with Secretary
OF the Navy Knox and General George
C. Marshall, the Army chief of staff,
and talks with other official callers
In the afternoon he continues these
duties and makes his official appearances
with the joint and combined chiefs of
staff, and has more conferences.
In normal times, the admiral, especial
ly when at sea, liked half-hour nap
after luncheon. Those brief snatches of
sleep are out for the duration. Also for
relaxation he would leave ship about 4
O'Clock in the afternoon for a walk and
a glass of sherry. These, too, are out.
Like most persons with responsible
positions in Washington, his only periods
for prolonged concentrated study and
work are in the evening. This night
work is no hardship to King, who was
never a carpet warrior. On his occa-
sional social evenings, he loved to dance,
and it was byWord in the Navy that
he could Guidance any of the younger
officers and show up brighter at work
the next morning. At night on ship
board reading of history biography
Napoleon was and is a favorte-and
modern fiction was diversion; another
=.
If the picture for the evening was not
amusing, he would leave.
Tough, But Fair.
Throughout the Navy King has the
reputation as a tough but fair minded
taskmaster. He insists on rigid discip-
line and his obsessions are against lazi-
ness and lack Of intelligence He knows
and is seemingly proud of this reputa-
ton as hard man, and he has disclosed
that one of his heroes is Sir John Jervis,
Earl Of st. Vincent, who in 1897 stamped
out mutiny on the British warship
Marlborough by ordering the chief mu-
tineers hanged on board by their own
shipmates, who had sworn never to per-
nit a comrade to die. Jervis, when told
his order would incite wholesale mutiny,
surrounded the Marlborough with long
boats from nearby ships and ordered the
men to proceed with the hanging. They
did so. There was no incident and the
mutiny was stopped. King has said that
he approved Jervis' action.
To balance this picture, his friends like
to quote an old boatswains mate who
Idu DeeIl dSSlRlleu SllOlI llIHe 10 hmg S
ship. The mates friends had expected
him to complain, but he responded to
their queries as to the hard discipline
with The captains a good man to a
good man. Him and me-we gets along
fine
In Navy parlance, the admiral always
has insisted on "taut ship" as COM
pared with happy ship" One reason
for his unpopularity in a small circle is
that he broke up Navy weekend cocktail
parties and golf matches by sailing his
ships on Sunday afternoon rather than