page_title: Frederick J. Horne
section_title: Naval aviation observer
hierarchical_section_title: Frederick J. Horne / Early career / Naval aviation observer
caption_attribution_description: USS Saratoga (CV-3) dressed with flags on Navy Day, 27 October 1932.
context_page_description: Admiral Frederick Joseph Horne was a four-star admiral in the United States Navy. As the first Vice Chief of Naval Operations, he directed all Navy logistics during World War II.
context_section_description: From March to June 1926, Horne was a member of the first class of captains persuaded by Bureau of Aeronautics chief William A. Moffett to undergo flight training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. A new law restricted the command of aircraft carriers, tenders, squadrons, and aviation shore establishments to qualified naval aviators or naval aviation observers. Qualification as a naval aviator required a demanding 200 hours in the air, so most older officers opted for the less rigorous designation of naval aviation observer, which required only 100 hours in the air. Horne qualified as a naval aviation observer along with most of the other captains in his class, which included future three- and four-star admirals Joseph M. Reeves, Harry E. Yarnell, Alfred Wilkinson Johnson, and Henry V. Butler.
  After serving as a member of the Naval Examining Board in the Navy Department, Horne temporarily relieved Captain Ernest J. King as commanding officer of the aircraft tender USS Wright (AV-1) on January 3, 1927. Moffett had assigned King to Wright before he had received the necessary flight training in order to ensure King got command of the tender; Horne served as a caretaker captain while King qualified as a naval aviation observer at Pensacola. King resumed command of Wright on June 6, 1927. As Wright's captain, Horne had additional duty as senior aide on the staff of Commander Aircraft Squadrons, Scouting Fleet.
  From June 1927 to April 1929, Horne served as chief assistant to Rear Admiral Frank Schofield, head of the War Plans Division of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. Horne's experience with aviation and as naval attaché in Tokyo proved invaluable when updating War Plan Orange, the prewar blueprint for a projected war with Japan. His "down-to-earth, old shoe" personality helped soothe relations with Army counterparts on the Joint Army and Navy Board.
  Horne commanded the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3) from April 20, 1929 to September 5, 1930, then served as Commander Aircraft Squadrons, Scouting Fleet from September 20, 1930 to June 5, 1931. His title was changed to Commander Carrier Division 1, U.S. Fleet, in October 1930, then changed again on February 13, 1931 to Commander Aircraft, Scouting Force, and Commander Division 1. He reported to the Fourteenth Naval District, Pearl Harbor on July 18, 1931 as chief of staff to the commandant, a position he held for two years.
caption: USS Saratoga (CV-3)
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