John L . Hall , Jr . John Lesslie Hall , Jr . ( 11 April 1891 – 6 March 1978 ) was an admiral of the United States Navy , who served during World War II . Biography . Education . Hall , son of the literary scholar John Lesslie Hall , was born in Williamsburg , Virginia , and attended The College of William & Mary for three years before transferring to the U . S . Naval Academy where he graduated in 1913 . He starred in American football for three seasons at William and Mary and four years at the Naval Academy . As a matter of fact , he excelled in three sports at the Academy and was awarded the coveted " Academy Sword " for athletic excellence . Early career . As a junior officer he served in the battleships and . During World War I he trained engineering personnel on the battleship , and was engineering officer of the destroyer . During the years following the war he had sea duty , mainly in destroyers , and served ashore as a Naval Academy instructor . From the mid - 1920s until 1934 , Hall was successively an Aide to the Naval District commandant at Charleston , South Carolina , Executive Officer of the submarine tender , Commanding Officer of the destroyer , spent three years with the Naval Academy ' s physical training and athletics programs , and was a Navigation Officer on the battleship . Promoted to Commander in 1934 , he went to the Far East to serve in heavy cruiser , and then commanded the gunboat , and a destroyer division . During the late 1930s Hall was at the Naval War College , initially as a student , then as a member of the staff . In July 1940 he achieved the rank of Captain and was given command of the battleship . This was followed by staff duty with elements of the Atlantic Fleet . World War II . In mid - 1942 Hall was appointed Rear Admiral for the invasion of Morocco , and was the Chief of Staff of the Western Naval Task Force during the North African landings in 1942 , receiving the Distinguished Service Medal for opening ports and preventing sabotage while Commander Northwest African Sea Frontier . In February 1943 , he became Commander Amphibious Force , North African Waters ( Eighth Fleet ) , expertly cross - training Army artillery men and Navy gunners so that his ships ' call - fire missions could be conducted in direct support of troop advances rather than at " targets of opportunity . " His concept proved devastating to enemy forces and tank divisions as he led one of the major assault forces engaged in the Sicilian Occupation ( 9 – 12 July 1943 ) and the bitterly contested landings at Salerno ( 9 – 21 September 1943 ) . These bold achievements brought him two awards of the Legion of Merit . In November 1943 , he took command of the 11th Amphibious Force in the United Kingdom , earning the Army ' s Distinguished Service Medal for his superb leadership of this amphibious Force " O " which landed and so effectively supported the Army V Corps on the Omaha Beach sector off the coast of Normandy in June 1944 . He received a second Navy Distinguished Service Medal for command of the Southern Attack Force ( Task Force 55 ) during the Okinawa campaign . In October 1945 , he became Commander Amphibious Force , Pacific Fleet , receiving the rank of Vice Admiral a few months later . Post - war . He was later Commandant of the Fourteenth Naval District and Commander of the Armed Forces Staff College at Norfolk , Virginia . From August 1951 until his retirement in May 1953 , he was Commander , Western Sea Frontier , with additional duty as Commander Pacific Reserve Fleet . On leaving active duty , he was advanced to the rank of Admiral on the basis of his combat awards . General Dwight D . Eisenhower gave him the nickname " Viking of Assault " . General George Patton , tough critic of fellow military leaders , heaped high praise on him . Admiral Hall died on 6 March 1978 at the age of 87 . The papers of Admiral Hall can be found in the Special Collections Research Center at the College of William & Mary . Namesakes . The guided - missile frigate ( launched 1981 ) was named in his honor .