Norman Scott ( Medal of Honor ) Norman Scott ( August 10 , 1889 – November 13 , 1942 ) was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy , and was one of only two U . S . Navy admirals killed in action during a surface battle in World War II . Scott posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Pacific Theater of World War II . Biography . Scott was born August 10 , 1889 in Indianapolis , Indiana . Appointed to the Naval Academy in 1907 , he graduated four years later and received his commission as Ensign in March 1912 . During 1911 - 13 , Ensign Scott served in the battleship , then served in destroyer s and related duty . In December 1917 , he was Executive Officer of when she was sunk by a German submarine and was commended for his performance at that time . During the rest of World War I , Lieutenant Scott had duty in the Navy Department and as Naval Aide to President Woodrow Wilson . In 1919 , while holding the temporary rank of Lieutenant Commander , he was in charge of a division of Eagle Boats ( PE ) and commanded " Eagle " PE - 2 and " Eagle " PE - 3 . During the first years of the 1920s , Norman Scott served afloat in destroyers and in the battleship and ashore in Hawaii . From 1924 to 1930 , he was assigned to the staff of Commander Battle Fleet and as an instructor at the Naval Academy . He commanded the destroyers and in the early 1930s , then had further Navy Department Duty and attended the Naval War College ' s Senior Course . After a tour as Executive Officer of the light cruiser , Commander Scott was a member of the U . S . Naval Mission to Brazil in 1937 - 39 . Following promotion to the rank of Captain , he was Commanding Officer of the heavy cruiser until shortly after the United States entered World War II in December 1941 . Captain Scott was assigned to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations during the first months of 1942 . After becoming a Rear Admiral in May , he was sent to the south Pacific , where he commanded a fire support group during the invasion of Guadalcanal and Tulagi in early August . Rear Admiral Scott continued to lead surface task units for the next three months , as the campaign to hold Guadalcanal intensified . On 11 - October 12 , 1942 , he commanded a cruiser - destroyer force in the Battle of Cape Esperance , the U . S . Navy ' s first surface victory of the campaign . A month later , on November 13 , he was second - in - command during the initial night action of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal . In that wild and brutal fight , Rear Admiral Norman Scott was killed in action when his flagship , the light cruiser , was fatally damaged by gunfire , possibly from the heavy cruiser , as well as an enemy torpedo . For his " extraordinary heroism and conspicuous intrepidity " in the October and November battles , he posthumously received the Medal of Honor . As with his fellow Admiral Callaghan , Admiral Scott was buried at sea . Namesakes . The U . S . Navy ships , 1943 – 1973 , and , 1981 – 1998 , were named in honor of Rear Admiral Scott . Medal of Honor citation . For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty during action against enemy Japanese forces off Savo Island on the night of 11 – 12 October and again on the night of 12 – 13 November 1942 . In the earlier action , intercepting a Japanese Task Force intent upon storming our island positions and landing reinforcements at Guadalcanal , Rear Adm . Scott , with courageous skill and superb coordination of the units under his command , destroyed 8 hostile vessels and put the others to flight . Again challenged , a month later , by the return of a stubborn and persistent foe , he led his force into a desperate battle against tremendous odds , directing close - range operations against the invading enemy until he himself was killed in the furious bombardment by their superior firepower . On each of these occasions his dauntless initiative , inspiring leadership and judicious foresight in a crisis of grave responsibility contributed decisively to the rout of a powerful invasion fleet and to the consequent frustration of a formidable Japanese offensive . He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country .