Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Battleship Commander: The Life of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee Jr. Hardcover – October 15, 2021
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length376 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherNaval Institute Press
- Publication dateOctober 15, 2021
- Dimensions6.2 x 1.3 x 9.1 inches
- ISBN-10168247593X
- ISBN-13978-1682475935
Frequently bought together

Customers who bought this item also bought
Quiet Warrior: A Biography of Admiral Raymond A. Spruance (Classics of Naval Literature)Estate of Thomas B. BuellPaperback$17.10 shippingGet it as soon as Wednesday, Jul 31Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Battleship Commander is a fair, balanced view of Lee’s life and highlights his superb reputation as a marksman, ship handler, and loyal shipmate. In summary, the author concentrates on Lee’s lasting accomplishments in improving the Navy’s readiness in the areas of shipboard radar, fire control systems, anti-air gunnery, proximity fuses for 5-inch projectiles, and perhaps most important, the development of the CIC concept. VADM Lee is indeed worthy of the title “Battleship Commander,” given his recognized leadership during three years of intense fighting at sea in WWII. I recommend this book, filled with vignettes from family, friends, and shipmates, to learn more about the battleship admiral who spent three years in the Pacific during WWII, and whose total focus was on the readiness of the U.S. Navy.” —Hampton Roads Naval Museum
“Battleship Commander not only demonstrates Lee’s importance to American naval professionalism in his own day, but also his legacy of leadership for today’s Navy…. The biography is top notch.” —The Strategy Bridge
“Battleship Commander by Paul Stillwell is one of those books that you start it and just can’t put down until it’s finished – then you pick it back up and read it again!.... If you want an insight into Admiral Lee’s interactions with Naval personnel – his peers and superiors as well as subordinates – this will work for you.” —Guns, Food, and More
“Compelling reading ... [and] a balanced look at the man and officer.” —Virtual Mirage
“Battleship Commander is a long-overdue book that Illuminates the life of W.A. ‘Ching’ Lee Jr. This book will appeal to students of naval history with its perspective on the battles of Savo Island and Leyte Gulf, but also for its insights into how the relationships between officers shape the decisions and performance of the task forces and fleets. It’s a good study in leadership. The work is an excellent example showing that there is more than one way to lead and succeed within an organization. Lee’s life demonstrates how elements of servant leadership help an organization succeed. Stillwell’s book has earned a spot on the bookshelf next to Potter’s biographies of Nimitz and Halsey.” —Armchair General
"Admiral Lee deserves to be more widely known than he is today, and this book is a fitting tribute to his naval career. The author takes us from Lee's humble beginning in Natlee, Kentucky, to his tragic death aboard a navy small boat transporting him to his office on Great Diamond island near Portland, Maine. Between these two events lies a tale of a professional sailor who did his job well and deserves recognition for his skilled service.” —WWII History
“In Battleship Commander, Paul Stillwell brings to life one of the U.S. Navy’s most unusual admirals of WWII. Shunning the spotlight, Willis A. Lee Jr. fashioned a quiet leadership style that produced momentous results. Stillwell has sketched a rich portrait of a unique admiral who doesn’t fit the stereotype of an admiral.” —Elliot Carlson, author of Joe Rochefort's War: The Odyssey of the Codebreaker Who Outwitted Yamamoto at Midway
“Finally, a biography of Admiral Lee Stillwell has made a great contribution to the historical record. Through personal interviews and letters, he gives us insight into the U.S. Navy’s foremost battleship commander. Lee’s many talents, great effectiveness, and quiet humility are all detailed in this thoroughly researched and engaging account.” —Trent Hone, author of Learning War: The Evolution of Fighting Doctrine in the U.S. Navy, 1898-1945 and co-author of Battle Line: The United States Navy, 1919-1939
“Admiral Willis Lee fought and won arguably the most important naval battle of the pivotal Guadalcanal campaign. Paul Stillwell’s superb biography gives us an intimate look at a uniquely human commander, and one of the most gifted surface warfare officers the U.S. Navy has ever produced.” —Jon Parshall, co-author of Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway
“What an extraordinary achievement by Paul Stillwell in bringing alive this wonderfully told and compelling story of a truly important hero of World War II. From Lee's early years as a young hellion to the pivotal naval battle he won at Guadalcanal, this is a book to savor. Filled with fascinating anecdotes, it shows us the path to greatness and the cost of war on a man and his family.” —Robert J. Mrazek, award-winning author of The Indomitable Florence Finch: The Untold Story of a War Widow Turned Resistance Fighter and Savior of American POWs
“Behind an outward façade of country manners and a notably untidy uniform,Vice Admiral Willis Augustus ('Ching') Lee wielded an acute intelligence and a preternatural ability to work a complex tactical plot in his head. A world class-marksman whether aiming a pistol or 16-inch guns–he relaxed by checking firing table math in publications. In November 1942, he gained immortality as the victor in one of the most desperate battles in U.S. Navy history that decided the struggle for Guadalcanal. With relentless research, deep immersion in the Navy of World War II and an agile pen, Paul Stillwell’s superb biography installs Lee as one of the greatest admirals in U.S. history.” —Richard B. Frank, author of Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire
“A fascinating description of a true naval hero of the Second World War, whose combat experiences in fast battleships and early understanding of radar became part of the DNA of the surface Navy. Paul Stillwell brings a lifetime of experience as a naval historian to bear in this well written and timely biography.” —Adm. James Stavridis, 16th Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and author of The Sailor's Bookshelf: Fifty Books to Know the Sea
“Paul Stillwell writings on any World War II naval subject produced is an absolute must read for anyone interested in the field. His life of Willis Lee is one of the most anticipated books of the season and will deserve the close attention of anybody who cares about the U.S. Navy in the Pacific during World War II and its flowering as a war-winner. His work lives and breathes as a testament to the professionalism and rigors of naval operational arts and the spectacular ends which they can be put.” –James D. Hornfischer, author of Neptune's Inferno and The Fleet at Flood Tide
Paul Stillwell has written a detailed account of the life and career of a typical US naval officer in the first half of the twentieth century. His attention to his subject's education, training, service, and life in general is so meticulous that readers will walk away feeling they have known Lee personally. While other historians may provide additional insights into Lee's tactical decision-making and contributions to the Navy's technical progress, Battleship Commander will remain the definitive biography of Admiral Willis A. Lee. — Michigan War Studies Review
—Winner of the John Lyman Book Award in the category of “Naval and Maritime Biography and Autobiography”
"Throughout the work, Stillwell emphasizes how Lee’s staff worked and related to one another. This emphasis reflects the extensive interviews and correspondence Stillwell conducted with those who knew Lee well. This wide-ranging research allows Stillwell to bring Lee to life and gives the reader a clear picture of Lee’s personality. The book is well written and provides a thoughtful portrayal of a lesser-known actor in the Pacific theater in World War II. Battleship Commander is recommended for interested general readers and scholars interested in the naval aspects of World War II." — International Journal of Naval History
“Battleship Commander is well-researched, and well-written. The descriptions of the battles Lee fought are fast-paced and exciting. It is a highly informative account of a man whose naval career has been long underappreciated.” ― Nautical Research Journal Published On: 2022-08-22
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Naval Institute Press (October 15, 2021)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 376 pages
- ISBN-10 : 168247593X
- ISBN-13 : 978-1682475935
- Item Weight : 1.62 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.2 x 1.3 x 9.1 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #85,266 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #145 in Naval Military History
- #201 in WWII Biographies
- #733 in World War II History (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book an excellent, deeply researched read that's beautifully told. They also describe the content as a portrait of a very human being.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book easy to read, detailed, and factual. They also say it's beautifully told and deeply researched.
"...I want to thank the Author for writing this incredible book...." Read more
"This biography is reasonably well written and is informative about Admiral Lee’s life, which has not been well documented previously...." Read more
"Stillwell was produced a readable, informative and accurate biography of VADM Lee...." Read more
"This book is well written and truly shows the man and his service in the US Navy in a way that is easy to read but detailed and factual...." Read more
Customers find the book well researched, beautifully told, and enjoyable. They also say it's detailed and factual.
"What more can I say that isn’t written in this book. An enjoyable biography and definitely a must read for anyone interested in steel ship naval..." Read more
"Stillwell was produced a readable, informative and accurate biography of VADM Lee...." Read more
"Thanks to the author for a masterful telling of the career of one of the most remarkable admirals in US Navy history...." Read more
"...man and his service in the US Navy in a way that is easy to read but detailed and factual.Bravo Zulu" Read more
Customers find the book's content well researched and a fitting biography of a human being.
"...book is not just a recounting of his naval career, but a portrait of a very human being as well...." Read more
"...book was refreshingly free of them, and was a most excellent look at a fascinating individual." Read more
"Very well researched and a fitting biography to one of the US Navy’s fighting admirals...." Read more
-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
These men, during the War in the Pacific literally created a new aspect of Naval Warfare due to the onset of Radar. It is incredible to me that some of the best and brightest minds were tasked with this all while fighting a very dangerous foe. I had not realized for all of these years what Adm. Lee contributed to our modern Navy. In a very real sense, he is called Uncle Ching during his time but for me he was Grandfather Ching. Unless you have Served, you cannot appreciate the feeling of incredible Honor when it comes to these amazing men and women of that generation.
While deployed at sea, I was able to do my job and I did really like my job. I could be in any number of places like outside above the Bridge as a lookout, Navigation Plotroom, CIC or on the Bridge. Yes, we learned how to write backwards for the glass boards. For me, CIC was the place to be because of how high I'd rated at NTDS School at Damneck, VA. For seven months, eight hours on and eight hours off, no days off, no holidays, we tracked EVERYTHING and we were damned good at it. From time to time, we would get the Flag and the Admiral and some were decent and some were not so decent. I could only imagine what it would have been like to serve under Adm. Lee.
I want to thank the Author for writing this incredible book. I have read most of the books cited by the author and this one, for me personally is at the very top. While Ching Lee and his Dwarves were figuring out how best to utilize the technology, they were creating a job description, tactics and standards that are still in use today. Damn, I like Ching Lee. I liked Halsey and Nimitz and Jack Kennedy and Lockwood (I did start out in Sub School) but Lee takes the cake.
Many old salts of the day really did not understand radar and how it worked or trusted this new fangled technology...it took guys like Lee, Hooper, Mustin and others to get the fleet to understand this stuff and he led the way here.
Lee would look at these criticisms and yawn...thinking these guys are more interested in my dress and attire, my not double knotted tie than the real meat of the story....





