Background
McKee was born in Louisville, Kentucky on August 14, 1929 and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1951.
McKee was born in Louisville, Kentucky on August 14, 1929 and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1951.
He graduated from nuclear power training in 1958 and joined the commissioning crew of United States Ship Skipjack (Social Security Number-585), the Navy"s first high performance nuclear-powered attack submarine.
He also served as Superintendent, United States Naval Academy from 1975 to 1978. He served in the Pacific fleet destroyer United States Ship Marshall (Doctor of Divinity-676) during the Korean War and in eight submarines of the Atlantic fleet since that time. After completion of submarine training in 1953, he served in three diesel-powered submarines: United States Ship Picuda (Steamship-382), United States Ship Sea Cat (Steamship-399), and United States Ship Marlin (Special Security Team-2).
In 1956, Admiral McKee was ordered to command of United States Ship X-1, a small experimental submarine.
Assignment as Executive Officer of United States Ship Nautilus (Social Security Number-571) followed in 1961, then of the United States Ship Sam Houston (SSBN-609) in late 1962. After three deterrent patrols on the SAM HOUSTON, he served in the Naval Reactors Division of the Atomic Energy Commission from 1964 to 1966.
Admiral McKee served as Commanding Officer of the nuclear-powered attack submarine United States Ship Dace (Social Security Number-607) from 1966 through 1969. The ship was twice awarded the Navy Unit Commendation and three times the Battle Efficiency Pennant for operations during that period.
Following command of DACE, Admiral McKee served in the office of the Director, Navy Program Planning, where his responsibilities included strategic warfare, research and development, and submarine and anti-submarine warfare systems
In 1970, he was assigned to the immediate staff of the Chief of Naval Operations, where he established the CNO Executive Panel. As Commander, Submarine Group Eight, Admiral McKee served as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and United States. submarine commander in the Mediterranean from 1973 to 1975. On August 1, 1975, he became the forty-eighth Superintendent of the United States. Naval Academy.
Promoted to three-star rank in March 1978, Admiral McKee served as Commander, Third Fleet with headquarters in Pearl Harbor.
From there he was assigned as Director, Naval Warfare, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations concurrent with the expansion of the directorate from its original concentration on anti-submarine warfare to responsibility for all aspects of naval warfare. He developed and implemented the new organization.
On February 1, 1982, he relieved Admiral Hyman G. Rickover as the Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion. On March 2, 1982, he was confirmed by the United States. Senate for promotion to four-star rank.
Admiral McKee retired on October 31, 1988, after 41 years of service to his country.
He died after a long illness on December 30, 2013.