World War II Database

Contributor: David Stubblebine

ww2dbaseWalden Lee Ainsworth, known for most of his life as "Pug," was born 10 Nov 1886 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. He had two great-great-great-grandfathers who fought in the Revolutionary War; on his father's side, Daniel Ainsworth served in the Connecticut Militia and on his mother's side, Jacob Walden sailed with John Paul Jones in the Continental Navy.

ww2dbaseWalden Ainsworth attended the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis where he was described as a "hot-air artist" but also recognized for his ingenuity. He graduated in 1910 with Marc Mitscher and Frederick Sherman among his classmates. During World War I, he served as the gunnery officer on three different Navy ships and after the war, he was given shore duty as an ordnance inspector. In 1922, Lieutenant Commander Ainsworth's first command was as captain of the destroyer USS Marcus. After 21 months, he returned to an assignment as an ordnance inspector. In 1926, he was assigned as a staff gunnery officer in a destroyer squadron operating in Chinese waters. Beginning in 1928, Commander Ainsworth spent two years as an instructor at the Naval Academy teaching navigation. Two years at sea followed, where he served as navigator for the battleship USS Idaho and then the cruiser USS Pensacola. From 1933 through 1935, he was stationed in the Panama Canal Zone as the district's communications officer. After attending the Naval War College, Commander Ainsworth was appointed as the Executive Officer of the battleship USS Mississippi. After two years in that post, he was promoted to Captain and spent two more years teaching Naval Science and Tactics at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.

ww2dbaseBeginning in July 1940, Captain Ainsworth commanded Destroyer Squadron Two operating with the Atlantic Neutrality Patrols. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Captain Ainsworth was given command of USS Mississippi and brought her from the Atlantic to the Pacific to reinforce the depleted Pacific battleship force. Mississippi spent the next six months along the Pacific coast of the United States guarding against invasion. On 27 Jun 1942, Captain Ainsworth was relieved as captain of the battleship and, at the age of 55, he was promoted to Rear Admiral with duties as Commander, Destroyers, Pacific Fleet based at Pearl Harbor.

ww2dbaseWith the Battles of Coral Sea and Midway already behind them, the US Navy's attention shifted to the Solomon Islands. In four successive engagements north of Guadalcanal near Savo Island, fourteen American cruisers and one Australian cruiser were taken out of action due to being sunk or badly damaged. As part of stiffening and reinforcing the remaining forces in the region, on 10 Dec 1942 Rear Admiral Ainsworth was given command of a cruiser force operating from Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides.

ww2dbaseWith USS Nashville as his flagship, Admiral Ainsworth quickly made a name for himself on 5 Jan 1943 with the nighttime bombardment of the airstrip and staging area at Munda Point on New Georgia. In essence, this was a shore bombardment by surface ships, which was nothing new for the Navy, but Ainsworth's plan was daring and instituted a number of firsts. This was the first bombardment of Munda and great care went into the navigational planning due to the reefs and shoals protecting the point. The plan of attack was very detailed and printed copies were distributed to every ship in the operation (the lack of sufficiently detailed or adequately communicated attack plans had hampered some of the earlier engagements with dire consequences). In the shoal waters, surface radar was used for nighttime navigation to an extent not seen before. A submarine was employed to serve as a navigational beacon in the approach channel to Munda. Bombardment spotting was to be done by "Black Cat" radar-equipped PBY Catalina night patrol aircraft. Thus, this was to be the Navy's first use of combined surface, sub-surface, and airborne resources in a coordinated offensive night action. Not only was this a good plan and a comprehensive plan, but it went off without a hitch. The navigation was flawless; the bombardment coverage was considered excellent; communications were clear; and the retirement went as planned - almost. The only glitch in the whole scheme happened during retirement just after daylight when the formation was surprised by ten Japanese dive-bombers west of Guadalcanal. Three bombs exploded close aboard the cruiser USS Honolulu, causing no damage, and one bomb struck cruiser HMNZS Achilles on one of her gun turrets, killing thirteen. Most of the attacking planes were shot down.

ww2dbaseFor the plan's comprehensiveness coupled with its nearly flawless execution, Rear Admiral Ainsworth received many accolades from Admirals Halsey and Nimitz, as well as from more than a few naval historians.

ww2dbaseNaturally, Halsey and Nimitz wanted more of the same from Ainsworth, and so he delivered. Three weeks after Munda, Ainsworth led a similar force on a nighttime bombardment of a similar staging area and airstrip at Vila-Stranmore Plantation on Kolombangara Island. The geography was different and so the planning addressed different challenges but the results were much the same, including repelling an air attack during withdrawal. The challenge at Vila was that the target area was deep inside Kula Gulf and could not be approached without fully committing the attacking force into the gulf's restricted waters. Nevertheless, Ainsworth and other commanders entered Kula Gulf many times in the weeks to come. Of course, the waters were equally restricted for the Japanese. Reinforcements and provisions bound for Vila had to run the same gauntlet or come through the even more restricted Blackett Strait. Much as it had been at Guadalcanal, it was these supply deliveries, known as the "Tokyo Express," that were the primary targets for the Allied naval forces.

ww2dbaseAdmiral Ainsworth and these Japanese supply groups had significant exchanges on two consecutive nights in Jul 1943. In the first, in the early morning darkness of 5 Jul 1943, the Japanese were denied their wish to land troops at Vila while the Americans successfully landed troops on the other side of Kula Gulf at Rice Anchorage. On the next night, 6 Jul 1943, the two forces engaged outside the gulf in what would later be called the Battle of Kula Gulf. In the exchange of American cruiser fire and Japanese torpedoes, the cruiser USS Helena and the destroyer Niizuki were sunk while another Japanese destroyer was damaged and beached. The Japanese reprovisioning ships slipped by and were able to make their deliveries, but the American landing forces at Rice Anchorage were unmolested.

ww2dbaseFrom the American perspective, compared to the thrashing received in the four 1942 Savo Island engagements, these results were seen as a resounding improvement. For his courage and leadership, Rear Admiral Ainsworth was awarded the Navy Cross for these actions.

ww2dbaseThe Battle of Kula Gulf scenario nearly repeated itself barely two weeks later in the Battle of Kolombangara. Ainsworth's cruiser force met smaller but better armed Japanese destroyer force with one cruiser. The superior but still underrated Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedo caused significant damage to all three of Ainsworth's cruisers, including his flagship, USS Honolulu. An American destroyer was also lost to a torpedo and the lone Japanese cruiser was sunk by cruiser fire. Again, the Japanese landed their reinforcements.

ww2dbaseThe cruisers withdrew for repairs. Ainsworth had his staff to shift to USS St. Louis because that ship was headed directly to the United States for repairs while Honolulu, his usual flagship, was slated to begin repairs in the forward area. The Admiral himself flew from Espiritu Santo to Nouméa to meet with Admiral Halsey. He then caught up with St. Louis in San Francisco, California. St. Louis entered the Mare Island Naval Shipyard while Ainsworth and his staff operated from the Federal Building in San Francisco. Once repairs to St. Louis were completed, he sailed with her to Espiritu Santo.

ww2dbaseAdmiral Ainsworth's cruiser force returned to their journeyman work supporting the island assaults on Bougainville, Green Islands, Saipan, Guam, Peleliu, and Leyte. At Leyte Gulf in the Philippines on 20 Oct 1944, Ainsworth's flagship, Honolulu, was damaged by a Japanese torpedo once again.

ww2dbaseThe Admiral flew to Pearl Harbor with the intention of shifting his flag to another cruiser in his division, but it was not to be. At Pearl Harbor, Admiral Ainsworth was reassigned as the commander of the Pacific Fleet's cruisers and destroyers, a post he held until Jul 1945. He then took command of the Naval Operating Base at Norfolk, Virginia and the Fifth Naval District. He remained in that post for three years until his retirement in 1948. On his last day of active duty, he was elevated to Vice-Admiral.

ww2dbaseWalden Ainsworth retired at the age of 62 after spending 38 years on active duty. He had amassed an impressive collection of decorations that included the Navy Cross, the Legion of Merit with Combat 'V', Victory Medals from two world wars, and a Pacific Campaign Medal with eight battle stars. In retirement, he and his wife settled in Wonalancet, New Hampshire. On 7 Aug 1960 at Bethesda, Maryland, Vice-Admiral Walden Ainsworth passed away at the age of 73. He was buried with full honors at the Arlington National Cemetery.

ww2dbaseOn 15 Apr 1972 at Westwego, Louisiana, Ainsworth's widow, Katherine Ainsworth, christened the Knox-class frigate Ainsworth, named for the late Vice-Admiral. USS Ainsworth was commissioned on 31 Mar 1973 and served for 21 years before being transferred to the Turkish Navy. A year after the frigate's christening, Katherine Ainsworth passed away and was buried next to her husband.

Walden Ainsworth Interactive Map

Photographs

Walden Ainsworth Timeline