Carl Frederick Holden

Carl Frederick Holden was an officer of the United States Navy who retired with the rank of Vice Admiral.

Born in Bangor, Maine, Holden graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1917. He saw service in World War I on destroyers based in Queenstown, Ireland. Lieutenant Commander Holden was given command of the destroyer USS Mason (DD-191) in 1920. In 1922-1924 he took a Master's degree in Electrical Communications Engineering from the Naval Academy and Harvard University, and spent the next ten years on communications-related assignments, including a posting with the Naval Mission to Brazil. He commanded the destroyer USS Tarbell (DD-142) in 1932-34, and in 1935-36 was sent to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as District Communications Officer.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, Holden was serving as Executive Officer with the rank of Commander on the battleship USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) when it was attacked and damaged by Japanese aircraft at Pearl Harbor. In January 1942 he was made Fleet Communication Officer on the Staff of the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Fleet, and was then appointed Director of Naval Communications in September 1942, replacing Joseph Redman. In 1943 he became the first captain of the battleship USS New Jersey (BB-62), a position he held for most of the war. In 1945 he was made Rear Admiral in charge of Cruiser Division Pacific, and witnessed the Japanese surrender from the deck of the USS Missouri (BB-63) in Tokyo Bay. He subsequently became Commander of US Naval Forces in occupied Germany, retiring from that position (and the Navy) in 1952.