Roy L . Johnson Admiral Roy Lee Johnson ( March 18 , 1906 – March 20 , 1999 ) served as Commander - in - Chief , United States Pacific Fleet , from 1965 – 1967 . In his previous post as Commander , United States Seventh Fleet , he gave the orders to the and to return fire , in what became known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident . Admiral Johnson was the first captain of the first of the new supercarrier s , commissioned in 1955 . Early life and career . Born in Eunice , Louisiana to John Edward Johnson and the former Hetty Mae Long , Admiral Johnson was the eldest of 12 children . He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy as a Midshipman on June 15 , 1925 . At Annapolis he played varsity baseball and was on the staff of academy yearbook , the " Lucky Bag " . He graduated from the Naval Academy on June 6 , 1929 and married the former Margaret Louise Gross ( November 26 , 1910 – July 4 , 1998 ) , on the same day . His first assignment as a junior officer was aboard the battleship . In May 1930 , he was transferred to the battleship for duty on the Staff of Commander Battleship Divisions , Battle Fleet . During 1930 , he underwent preliminary flight training at the Naval Air Station North Island , San Diego . On January 28 , 1931 he began flight training at the naval flight school at Naval Air Station Pensacola , known as the " Cradle of US Naval Aviation " . One year later he was designated a Naval Aviator . In June 1940 he was ordered to Patrol Squadron Twelve and one year later on March 28 , 1941 he was assigned to the Bureau of Aeronautics Navy Department in Washington , D . C . World War II . He remained with the bureau through the early portion of World War II and in May 1943 he was transferred to Fleet Air Command , Naval Air Station Quonset Point as Commander Carrier Air Group Two . In early 1944 , the Air Group joined the aircraft carrier . Johnson later became the Executive Officer of that ship , which would later become known as the " Grey Ghost " . As Air Group Commander ( " CAG " ) , he directed and led attacks against Japanese forces at Palau , Woleai , Wake Island and Truk , striking against enemy aircraft , airfields , shipping and shore installations . For his service as Air Group Commander he was awarded the Air Medal . Later , he received the Bronze Star and a second Legion of Merit Medal , with Combat " V " for his service in action which included campaigns against Japanese forces in the Philippines , Iwo Jima and Okinawa . He also wore a Presidential Unit Citation , which was awarded to " Hornet " for her part in these campaigns . Post - war . On October 3 , 1945 he was assigned to the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff where he served until July 1947 , when he became the Aviation Operations Officer on the Staff of Commander Second Fleet in Norfolk , Virginia . In January 1950 , he was assigned as Training Officer on the Staff of the Chief of Naval Air Reserve Training at Naval Air Station Glenview , Illinois . Korean War . On November 15 , 1951 , during the Korean War , Johnson became the Commanding Officer of the escort carrier ; affectionately known by her crew as the " Bing Ding " . She was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation . He was the " CO " until July 1952 . Post - Korean War , through mid - 1950s . In July 1952 , he was assigned to the National War College in Washington D . C . for a year ' s course in modern warfare techniques and strategies . For two years after completing the War College program , he served as the head of the Air Weapons System Analysis Staff and in the office of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations , ( Air ) . In May 1955 he reported to Norfolk , Virginia as the Prospective Commanding Officer , ( PCO ) of the Navy ' s first " supercarrier " , under construction . Therefore , Johnson became the first Commanding Officer of the 60 , 000 - ton attack aircraft carrier on her commissioning day , October 1 , 1955 , at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company , Newport News , Virginia . Flag assignments . Three months later , on January 1 , 1956 , he was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral . In June of that year , Admiral Johnson was named director of the Long Range Objectives Group , in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations . In December 1958 , he assumed command of Carrier Division Four and a year later , on January 25 , 1960 , he was named Assistant Chief of Naval Operations for Plans and Policy . On December 15 , 1961 , he was promoted to Vice Admiral and a month later became Deputy Director of Joint Strategic Target Planning , headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base , Omaha , Nebraska . On July 30 , 1963 , he assumed the duties of Deputy Commander in Chief of the US Pacific Fleet , at Pearl Harbor , Hawaii . Admiral Johnson served as Commander United States Seventh Fleet for eleven months ( June 15 , 1964 – March 1 , 1965 ) . For this service he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal . Admiral Johnson then served as the Commander in Chief US Pacific Fleet for the period March 30 , 1965 – November 30 , 1967 . Awards and honors . In addition to the above named medals , Admiral Johnson was also awarded the American Defense Medal with Fleet Clasp , American Campaign Medal , Asiatic - Pacific Campaign Medal , World War II Victory Medal , United Nations Service Medal , Philippine Liberation Medal with two stars , and the Korean Presidential Unit Citation . Post - Navy career . Admiral Johnson retired from the United States Navy , in 1967 to Virginia Beach , Virginia . He was active in local civic affairs , as chairman of the board of Virginia Beach General Hospital and chairman of numerous Naval organizations , including the US Naval Academy Alumni Association and the Golden Eagles . He and Mrs . Johnson had two children . Their son , Roy L . Johnson , Jr . , b . February 25 , 1939 predeceased them in 1995 . Their daughter , Jo - Anne L . Coe , ( Jo - Anne Lee Johnson , b . July 19 , 1933 ) d . September 27 , 2002 , served as the first woman Secretary of the United States Senate and as Chief of Staff to Senator Bob Dole . Admiral Roy L . Johnson , USN ( Ret ) , died on Navy Day , March 20 , 1999 , two days after his 93rd birthday .