Admiral Chester Nimitz was born this day in 1885, in the German immigrant community Fredricksburg, Texas. Nimitz would rise to the rank of 5 star Admiral during World War II, and would be the top commander of the evolving US Navy Submarine fleet.

Nimitz father passed away before Chester was born. His paternal grandfather Charles Nimitz raised Chester and had quite the influence. Charles Nimitz was a former seamen in the German Merchant Marine. Chester Nimitz applied originally to West Point, but there were no appointments available. The congressman from Nimitz district, James Slayden, informed Nimitz that he had one appointment for the Naval Academy, that would be awarded to the best qualified candidate. Nimitz believed that this could be his best, if only, opportunity to further his education, so he threw himself fully into his studies, and was rewarded with the appointment.

Nimitz would attend the Academy from 1901 until his graduation in 1905. Nimitz would graduate 7th out of 114 midshipmen.

Nimitz joined the crew of the battleship Ohio, and immediately sailed to the far east. After serving on the cruiser Baltimore, he was commissioned an ensign and served on destroyers. On the destroyer Decatur, Nimitz made a navigational error and accidentally grounded the ship on a sandbar in the Philippines. The ship was towed off the sandbar the following day. Nimitz was court-martialed, and was found guilty of duty neglect. A letter of reprimand was issued to Nimitz.

Nimitz returned to the United States and began training in submarines. In May of 1909 he was given command of the submarine flotilla in addition to command of the USS Plunger. Over the next few years Nimitz commanded several new submarines. Nimitz was working at the Boston Naval Yard outfitting the Skipjack. Nimitz would earn a tremendous amount of respect from the enlisted men, along with a lifesaving medal, for his actions on 20 March 1912. Fireman Second Class W J Walsh had fallen overboard and Nimitz, an officer, dove into the water to save Walsh. The enlisted adopted Nimitz as one of their own, not just as someone in authority.

Nimitz did not see much action in World War I, he mainly served as an aide to Admiral Samuel Robison. Between the Wars, Nimitz held several commands, and even founded the first Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of California, Berkeley.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Nimitz was promoted to Admiral, and was selected as Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet. Under the leadership of Nimitz, the Allied forces would rally and even though in the early stages were severely short on resources, they were able to start turning back the Imperial Japanese Navy. As men and material started to be made available to the Pacific Fleet, Nimitz was able to move from a defensive mode to one of attack. The battle that turned the tide against the Japanese was the battle of Midway – staged 4 June to 7 June 1942.

The United States Congress in December of 1944 created a Fleet Admiral of the US Navy rank – basically the naval equivalent of the army 5 star general. The next day President Roosevelt awarded the rank to Nimitz.

Nimitz would accept the Japanese surrender on 2 September 1945, aboard the USS Missouri. Postwar Nimitz would serve one term as the Chief of Naval Operations. Nimitz faced a daunting task in reducing the wartime navy down to one of a much smaller status. Nimitz lasting status from being the Navy Chief was to move the submarine fleet from a diesel fleet to a nuclear powered one. Due to being given the rank of Fleet Admiral, a lifetime appointment, Nimitz never really retired from active duty. He remained on active duty with full pay and benefits for the remainder of his life.

Nimitz would serve on the University of California Board of regents from 1948-1956. Nimitz suffered a stroke in 1965 and would pass away 20 February 1966 just shy of his 81 birthday. Nimitz is interred at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.