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Battleship Commander: The Life of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee Jr. Hardcover – October 15, 2021

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 160 ratings

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This is the first-ever biography of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee Jr., who served a key role during World War II in the Pacific. Recognizing the achievements and legacy of one of the war's top combat admirals has been long overdue until now. Battleship Commander explores Lee's life from boyhood in Kentucky through his eventual service as commander of the fast battleships from 1942 to 1945. Paul Stillwell draws on more than 150 first-person accounts from those who knew and served with Lee from boyhood until the time of his death. Said to be down to earth, modest, forgiving, friendly, and with a wry sense of humor, Lee eschewed the media and, to the extent possible, left administrative details to others. Stillwell relates the sequential building of a successful career, illustrating Admiral Lee's focus on operational, tactical, and strategic concerns. During his service in the Navy Department from 1939 to 1942, Lee prepared the U.S. Navy for war at sea, and was involved in inspecting designs for battleships, cruisers, aircraft carriers, and destroyers. He sent observers to Britain to report on Royal Navy operations during the war against Germany and made plans to send an action team to mainland China to observe conditions for possible later Allied landings there. Putting his focus on the need to equip U.S. warships with radar and antiaircraft guns, Lee was one of the few flag officers of his generation who understood the tactical advantage of radar, especially during night battles. In 1942 Willis Lee became commander of the first division of fast battleships to operate in the Pacific. During that service, he commanded Task Force 64, which achieved a tide-turning victory in a night battle near Guadalcanal in November 1942. Lee missed two major opportunities for surface actions against the Japanese. In June 1944, in the Marianas campaign, he declined to engage because his ships were not trained adequately to operate together in surface battles. In October 1944, Admiral William Halsey's bungled decisions denied Lee's ships an opportunity for combat. Continuing his career of service near the end of the war, Lee, in the summer of 1945, directed anti-kamikaze research efforts in Casco Bay, Maine. While Lee's wartime successes and failures make for compelling reading, what is here in this biography is a balanced look at the man and officer.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Stillwell obviously admires Lee, whose ‘folksy’ manner and often dishevelled appearance hid a brilliant and analytical mind, and whose major contribution to the US Navy was in developing gunnery and tactics. This book is recommended to everyone with an interest in the Pacific war, and the role of an influential but little-known admiral in forming the fleet that fought it." —Warship

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. Ba
ttleship 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

Paul Stillwell is an independent historian and retired naval officer. He worked for thirty years at the U.S. Naval Institute as an oral historian and editor of Naval History magazine. He is the author or editor of thirteen books, including four on battleships and an award-winning volume on the Navy's first African American officers, The Golden Thirteen.

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
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 160 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
160 global ratings

Customers 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.

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11 customers mention "Readability"11 positive0 negative

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

8 customers mention "Research"8 positive0 negative

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

3 customers mention "Content"3 positive0 negative

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 from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2024
I was an Operations Specialist onboard the USS Independence CV-62 early to mid 1980's. As I made my way through this incredible book, I can clearly see the embryo of my job description being created on the Washington, Lee's Flagship. Surface Search Radar, Air Search Radar, Sound Powered phone circuits, Mo Boards, DRT, glass plot boards and many other items which became my Rating in the Navy. The Washington had at that time, the closest thing to a CIC (Combat Information Center) and this was one of my modern work places. We had to qualify for the highest Security Clearance and on my carrier, we had NTDS (Naval Tactical Data Systems) along with interfacing with the Air Controllers, E2C Hawkeye, P-3 Orion and CIC's on other task force ships.

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.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2024
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 history. I hope all commanding officers in the navies of the free world follow this man’s example.
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2022
"Ching" Lee badly needed a decent biography- well, any biography- to put him in context with other more well known admirals from the Pacific war in WWII. Stillwell's book neatly fills the bill. Lee was a quiet man who shunned publicity, did not make outrageous public statements, and went about the job that needed doing. He was considerably overshadowed by more colorful personalities in WWII. To be fair, he was also a gunfighter, a surface warfare expert, in the days when battleships were rapidly becoming obsolete as the backbone of the fleet. That being said he recognized very early on that greatly increased AAA was going to be a necessity on capital ships and argued for it from the mid-1930s on. He also was very early to recognize the huge step forward that radar controlled gunfire represented. Something he got to prove beyond a doubt at Guadalcanal when his flagship USS Washington demolished the Japanese battleship Kirishima in a night battle. Throughout his career Lee was a forward thinker, constantly looking for ways to improve performance on many fronts in naval warfare. AAA and radar were but two of the areas in which he recommended improvements. Stillwell had access to a great deal of material from both Lee's family and people that had known him since he was a child. So the book is not just a recounting of his naval career, but a portrait of a very human being as well. Always calm no matter what was happening- a good quality when a battleship is shooting at you at what amounts to point blank range. I came away very impressed with Lee the man, as well as Lee the gunfighter.
6 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2022
This biography is reasonably well written and is informative about Admiral Lee’s life, which has not been well documented previously. There is a little too much hagiography here but it’s still entertaining.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2022
Stillwell was produced a readable, informative and accurate biography of VADM Lee. An outstanding naval officer and expert in his field Lee won a Navy Cross for his action off Guadalcanal. Stillwell does an excellent job from birth to death in bringing Lee into view as a person, naval officer and shipmate. The detail and breadth of the people in Lee’s life and their recollections and first hand accounts attest to this modest yet thoroughly professional American hero. A must read for anyone interested in the US Navy and WW2 history.
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2022
Thanks to the author for a masterful telling of the career of one of the most remarkable admirals in US Navy history. I really enjoyed stepping back into the time of my father again, who was also in the South Pacific at the same time as Lee, only as an enlisted man in his early 20’s. I grew up in the 1960’s and ‘70’s reading books about WWII and of course had heard of Ching Lee, but in no great depth. Ironic that some of the best WWII books are only now coming out, and I put this one on that list as a must read.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2022
Folks that criticize this book or run on sentences and saint hood image are over looking what this man contributed to during the war. Several really bright guys, Mustin, Hooper, Ward etc....tackled the secret stuff for fire control and gunnery and Lee was there at its begging and implementation.

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....
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