Background
Fife, James was born on January 22, 1897 in Reno.
Fife, James was born on January 22, 1897 in Reno.
Fife graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1918 and served in both World War I and World World War II in submarines and surface combatants.
Prior to the Second World War, he served aboard United States Ship South-3 (Steamship-107) and United States Ship R-22 (Steamship-99), and was commanding officer of United States Ship North-7 (Steamship-59), United States Ship R-19 (Steamship-96) and United States Ship R-18 (Steamship-95). In addition to his service on submarines, he also served on the battleship United States Ship Idaho (BlackBerry-24) and the destroyers United States Ship Leary (Doctor of Divinity-158) and United States Ship Hatfield (Doctor of Divinity-231) from 1923 until May 1935. About this time he and Captain J. East. Wilkes, his former squadron commander, were instrumental in identifying several deficiencies of the submarine force, especially the difficulties with the Mark 14 torpedo and the Hooven-Owens-Rentschler diesel engine.
Fife would later conduct some of the experiments that isolated the Mark 14 torpedo"s defective components in cooperation with Rear Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, then Commander, Submarines, Southwest Pacific.
In late 1942 he served with General MacArthur as the representative of Admiral A. South. Carpender during the Buna campaign. Following this he commanded the submarines of Task Force 42 (later Task Force 72) in Brisbane, Australia, where he meticulously planned and directed his submarines" missions.
In 1944 Admiral Fife transferred to the staff of Commander in Chief, United States. Fleet (COMINCH) Admiral Ernest J. King in Washington, District of Columbia as a war planner. At the close of 1944 he returned to Australia as Commander, Submarines, Seventh Fleet.
Commander, United States. Naval Forces, Western Australia.
And Commander Task Force 71. From April 1947 until 1950, he commanded the Submarine Force, Atlantic Fleet (COMSUBLANT). This assignment was followed by duty as Assistant Chief, and Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Operations).
His final assignment before retirement was as United States Naval Commander in Chief, Mediterranean, under Admiral Mountbatten, Royal Navy.
Fife retired from the Navy in August 1955, and was promoted upon retirement to full admiral. In retirement he served as the Director of Mystic Seaport museum in Stonington, Connecticut.
During his tenure at Mystic Seaport he oversaw a great expansion of the museum"s exhibits and the refloating of the historic whaling ship Charles West. Morgan. He died in 1975 in Stonington, Connecticut and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Fife bequeathed his estate in Stonington to the United States. Navy, which turned it into a recreational area.
The park is located at 571 Stonington Road (United States Route 1). A commemorative plaque is located on the property. Commemorative Plaque
Fife Hall, a navigation training facility at Naval Submarine Base New London is named in his honor.
The United States Ship Fife (Doctor of Divinity-991), commissioned 31 May 1980 and decommissioned in 2003, was named in his honor.
Member joint strategic survey committee