Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-07-15
Biggest Admiral, $50 Pounds,
Directs Fleet Smelling of Japan
Shufroth Thinks Fost
And Once Was Noted
Hiqh-HurdIe Runner
Rv LEIF ERICKSON.

Associated Press War Correspondent.
GUAM, July 14-When it came
to picking the man to give the
Japanese homeland its first feet
Smelling of the century, the United
States Navy chose its biggest adj
miral-280 pound. quick : on = the
Trigger John F. Shafroth of Denver
and Washington, d. @.
The Navy men who know him
best describe him simply as 1.-The
sort of fat man who does his think
ing fast"
He wasn't always so bulky. At
Annapolis in 1908 he set a new
high hurdles record. He was the
academy's heavyweight boxing and
wrestling champion and played
football for three seasons.
Rear Admiral Shafroth had been
at sea this time only four months
as commander of. the battleship di-
vision. But bluff Admiral William
F.. Halsey knew well the man he
chose for the history-making as
signment of pouring shells into
Japan's steel city of Kamaishi.
Shafroth had been Halseys right
hand man from June %, 1943, to
February IL, 1874. AS deputy COM
mander of the South Pacific area
and South Pacific force he cared for
myriad of administrative details
in the days when Admiral HalSey
was emerging to fame.
Admiral Shafroth left the post to
undertake one of the most tedious,
painstaking tasks any seagoing naval
officer could have forced on him
Pacific feet inspector general.
It was his job to investigate such
accidents as explosions which blew
up munitions on LISTS in Pearl
Harbor on the eve of their departure
for the invasion of Saipan.
1t is rather fitting that after
years of such relatively prosaic work
as administrator and investigator
Admiral Shafroth should have been
rewarded with command of the first
big guns loosing their shells against
Japan's homeland soil in this war,
The honor came to him at the
age of So. He Is the son OF the late
United States Senator and Mrs.
John F. Shafroth of Colorado. His
father was one of the leading Demo-
cratic politicians of Colorado. Shat
roth was appointed to the Naval
Academy in 1904 from Colorado.
In the World War he commanded
the destroyer Terry on Atlantic con-
voy duty and received the Navy
/ Gross.
/ The citation said he served with
distinction in the important. exact
! ing, hazardous duty of patrolling
waters infested with enemy subms-
rines and mines, and in escorting
and protecting vitality important
conveys of troops and supplies
through these waters"
He was executive officer of the
battleship West Virginia and was
/ skipper OF the cruiser Indianapolis
! for two years before going to the
Bureau of Navigation nov Bureau
of PersonneD as director of the
Naval Reserve division in 1910 That
was just when the Navy was begin
ming to recruit reserve officer per-
sonnet in preparation for the war
to come.
In June, 1s41. Shafroth became
assistant chief of the bureau. then
headed by Admiral Chester w.
Nimitz
Within a week after Admiral
Nimitz took over command of the
Pacific fleet, Admiral Shafroth went
to sea as a rear admiral command
ing Cruiser Division Three. From
this job he went to Noumea as Ad-
miral Halsey's deputy in the South
Pacific.
Admiral Shafroth has been mar