Evening star., 1951-07-23
Continued From First Page.)

morale was at low ebb, Sapped
by the row on unification.
He jumped over nine senior ad-
mirals to replace Admiral Louis
Denfeld, outspoken critic of top
defense policies.
Was Youngest Navy Chief.
AS the youngest chief in naval
history, Admiral Sherman lived up
to past performances in healing
the wounds and winning the con-
f1dence of the entire Navy.
Recently he testified at the Sen
ate hearing on the Macarthur
controversy. defending for the
most part the position of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff as opposed to Gen.
MacArthur's war policies. How
eyer, he agreed with the general
that, a naval blockade of Red
China was desirable, but only
through United Nations auspices.
Admiral Sherman was known as
q trouble-shooting compromise
expert" 1t was bis record in the
long controversy over unification
that first fastened attention on
him for possible appointment as
Admiral Denfeld's successor.
Work Out Compromise.
He and 1t. Gen. Lauris Nor
stad of the Air Force had found
common ground in 1947 on which
to work out a compromise. Both
were, air officers. Large sections
of the Navy were opposing a plan
to unity the armed services.
Admiral Sherman was the ne
gotiator for the Navy when rep
resentatiyes of the Navy, the Army
and the then Army Air Forces
sought to produce a compromise
bill that would meet some of the
Navy objections.
- The proposals produced by this
small group of high officers re-
ceived the approval of President
Truman. The compromise version
became the unif1cation law with
passage by Congress.
Admiral Sherman had a bril-
liant Navy record. Skipper of the
aircraft carrier Wasp when it was
sunk by a japanese submarine of
the Solomons early in World War
II he was. credited with saving
many lives through a trick of sea-
manship. He executed that from a
bridge blistering with the heat OF
the ships own burning gasoline
and torn by the steel of its own
exploding shells.
Three torpedoes had hit the
ship and started fires near the
stores of five-inch shells in the
forward starboard quarter. These
fires set off the ammunition which
in turn fed the flames and built
up terrific heat.
Fire Spreads on Ship.
At the time of the hits the Wasp
had just taken on a flight OF
planes that had shot down Jap
enese airplane and as a result
was headed into the wind. The
effect was to rush the spread OF
the fire over the entire vessel
after the explosions.
Admiral Sherman ordered the
direction reversed SO that the
flames would be largely concen-
trated in the bow. However, abou,
13o men there were doomed if thai
shift was made too quickly. TIC
allow space and time for them to
escape. the skipper maneuvereo
the ship to put it at angle for a
time. That shifted the flames and
provided a path. to safer part OF
the ship.
The Wasp finally sank. but about
90 per cent of the crew survived
Admiral Sherman was the last
man to go over the side.
Admiral Sherman first learned
about ships from his grandfather
an old New Bedford, Mass. whal-
ing captain. While still a very
small boy, he knew the name OF
every line and spar on fully
rigged ship. From the time he
was years old he wanted to be
an admiral.
Descendant of Pilgrims.
Forrest Percival Sherman was
born October 80, 1896. at Merri-
mack, N. H, a descendant of John
and Priscilla Alden, who came tc
America with the Plymouth Pill
grims in 1920.
After being graduated from Mel.
rose (Mass.) High School, he at
tended Massachusetts, Institute O.
Technology for year. The cal
of the sea was strong. however
and he passed a competitive
examination for the Naval Acad
emy. He was graduated will
distinction in 1917. second in hi
class of 1879 midshipmen.
Almost Immediately after re.
ceiving his ensign's commission
Admiral Sherman saw service il
World War I. He was assigned Il
American naval forces in the Med
tterranean. s
From 1917 to 1922 he was I
Junior officer aboard a number o
destroyers, cruisers and battle
ships. In the latter year. he cas-
his fortunes with naval aviation
then a tiny fraction of seapower
He received his training at tt,
Naval Air Station, Pensacola. Fla
Admiral Sherman held a variet
of assignments and did consider
able defense planning prior to tn
United States entry into Worl
War II, in which he distinguishe'
himself. +
Joined Surrender Farley.
After the Wasp was sunl
Admiral Sherman served as chic
of staff to Admiral John Henr
Towers, commander of the Pacifi
Fleet air forces, and lately as dep
uty chief of staff to Admiral Ches
ter w. Nimitz.
He took part in the initial SUI
render conference with the jap
anese. at Manila and watched tn
formal surrender aboard the bat
floeh;,, NF;ceo,,,.{ ~, FTnLvfo Row a