page_title: John S. McCain Sr.
section_title: Death
hierarchical_section_title: John S. McCain Sr. / Death
caption_attribution_description: Vice Admiral John S. McCain, USN (center) with his son, Commander John S. McCain, Jr., on board a U.S. Navy ship (probably USS Proteus, AS-19) in Tokyo Bay, circa 2 September 1945. Admiral McCain died a few days after this photo was taken. Note Japanese submarine in background, just to left of Admiral McCain.
context_page_description: John Sidney "Slew" McCain was a U.S. Navy admiral and the patriarch of the McCain military family. He held several command assignments during the Pacific campaign of World War II. McCain was a pioneer of aircraft carrier operations. Serving in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II, in 1942 he commanded all land-based air operations in support of the Guadalcanal campaign, and in 1944–45 he aggressively led the Fast Carrier Task Force. His operations off the Philippines and Okinawa and air strikes against Formosa and the Japanese home islands caused tremendous destruction of Japanese naval and air forces in the closing period of the war. He died four days after the formal Japanese surrender ceremony.
  Several of McCain's descendants were also graduated from the United States Naval Academy. He and his son, John S. McCain Jr., were the first father–son pair to achieve four-star admiral rank in the U.S. Navy during World War II. His grandson, John S. McCain III, served as a Navy captain in the Vietnam War, and later served in Congress until his death in 2018. His great-grandsons, John S. McCain IV and James McCain, currently serve in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army, respectively.
context_section_description: By war's end in August 1945, the stress of combat operations, lifelong anxiety, and probable heart disease had taken its toll on McCain. He requested home leave to recuperate, but Halsey insisted that he be present at the Japanese surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay on September 2. Departing immediately after the ceremony, McCain died just four days later of a heart attack at his home in Coronado, California; his death was front-page news, and he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
  In 1949, McCain was posthumously promoted to full admiral (O-10) by a resolution of Congress. This followed a recommendation of Secretary of the Navy Francis P. Matthews, who said that McCain's combat commendations would have earned him the promotion had he not died so soon after the war.  During his career McCain was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal and two Gold Stars in lieu of subsequent awards.
caption: John S. "Slew" McCain Sr. and John S. "Jack" McCain Jr., on board a U.S. Navy ship in Tokyo Bay, c. September 2, 1945. The senior McCain died four days later.
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