Flag Officer
After the war, he was commander of Cruiser Division Twenty in 1946; chief of Navy General Plans from 1947 to 1948; Force Commander, Operational Development Force, Atlantic Fleet from 1949 to 1950; and assistant chief of naval operations (readiness) from 1951 to 1953.
From 1953 to 1955 he went to sea as Commander Cruisers-Destroyers, Pacific, where his career was stalled temporarily by Secretary of the Navy Charles S. Thomas. Chief of Naval Operations Robert B. Carney was selecting members of an upcoming promotion board and picked Curts for his skill and contacts in the fields of electronics and communications. However, "Mr. Thomas vetoed when I brought the slate in, and said that he didn't want him around Washington. I couldn't get from him any expression of reason as to this prejudice, but it was perfectly obvious that I couldn't bring back. It was also perfectly obvious that I'd better not nominate him for three stars, which I had planned to do...But about a year later, I was looking for a replacement in the Second Fleet, and I brought in a nomination. Thomas said that he wasn't particularly impressed with the person I was suggesting and said it seemed to him that I'd do better if I put someone like in." Queried as to his change of heart, Thomas initially denied ever having vetoed Curts, then, when pressed by an incredulous Carney, "finally said he couldn't understand why he had done it, except that somebody must have told him something." Carney immediately nominated Curts for his third star.
Curts returned to Pearl Harbor in 1955 as deputy commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet with the rank of vice admiral. He was promoted to admiral on April 29, 1957 upon assuming command of that fleet, though he continued to be titled deputy commander in chief since the title of Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT) remained dual-hatted with the title of Commander in Chief, Pacific (CINCPAC), and both were held by Admiral Felix B. Stump. The titles were finally separated on January 14, 1958, and Curts became CINCPACFLT in his own right for the two weeks remaining before his relief on February 1 by Admiral Herbert G. Hopwood.
Upon relinquishing command of the Pacific Fleet, Curts reverted to the rank of vice admiral for his final assignment as Commander, Western Sea Frontier and Commander, Naval Defense Force, Eastern Pacific. He retired on April 1, 1960 as a full admiral and became director for telecommunications policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense until retiring for a second time in 1965.
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Famous quotes containing the words flag and/or officer:
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