George Dominic Murray

Admiral, U.S. Navy

George Dominic Murray was born on 6 July 1889 in Boston, MA. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1910 and became a Naval Aviator in 1915.

During World War II, he commanded the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), from 21 March 1941 to 30 June 1942, which included the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo and the Battle of Midway. Murray very nearly lost USS Hornet off Guadalcanal on 7 September 1942, when it was spared two torpedo hits only because a patrolling aircraft dropped a depth charge in the paths of the torpedoes. When he reported the incident to Ghormley, Ghormley was astounded to discover that Murray had violated a direct order to remain east of longitude 166 East. Murray continued to risk his force in submarine-infested waters, for which he drew criticism during the investigation of the torpedoing of USS Wasp. This likely contributed to the decision to send him to a training command in 1943. He never again held a combat command. At the end of the war, he was the Commander of the Mariana Islands, and accepted the Japanese surrender of the Caroline Islands aboard his flagship, the cruiser USS Portland (CA-33).

Upon his retirement in August 1951, he was advanced in rank to four-star Admiral. *

* The Act of Congress of 4 March 1925, allowed Navy officers to be promoted one grade upon retirement if they had been specially commended for performance of duty in actual combat. These promotions were colloquially known as "tombstone promotions" because they conferred the prestige of the higher rank but not the additional retirement pay, so their only practical benefit was to allow recipients to engrave a loftier title on their business cards and tombstones. An Act of Congress on 23 February 1942, enabled tombstone promotions to three- and four-star grades.

Medals and Awards

Navy Cross

Honors

In 1961, Murray was posthumously designated the third recipient of the Gray Eagle Award, as the most senior active naval aviator from 1947 until his retirement in August 1951.

Death and Burial

Admiral George Dominic Murray died in San Francisco, CA, on 18 June 1956. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA.