In 1941, he was the first commander of the USS Long Island, the Navy's first escort aircraft carrier.
As the air operations officer to Admiral Ernest J. King, he assisted with the planning for the Doolittle Raid, and was the one who proposed the use of both the B-25 Mitchell bombers and the Hornet (CV-8) for the raid.
He was then appointed to be the first commanding officer of the Essex (CV-9).
He was the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Air) from 6 March 1947 to 20 January 1948.
He commanded the 2nd Task Fleet after 1948, and was the Vice Chief of Naval Operations from 1951 to 1956.
An oral history recorded in 1964 is in the Butler Library at Columbia University.