Naval History and Heritage Command

Finding aid (Word)

Biographical Note:

Ainsworth graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1910 and served on USSDeKalb in World War I. During World War II, he commanded USS Mississippi and destroyer and cruiser divisions in the Pacific. After the war, he commanded the Fifth Naval District until retiring in 1948.

Scope and Content Note:

These papers have been arranged into five series: official correspondence, personal correspondence, awards and citations, and narratives. The official correspondence series includes various unit and individual ship citations and Ainsworth's permanent appointment to Rear Admiral. In the personal correspondence series are letters between Rear Admiral Ainsworth and Admirals Halsey and Nimitz describing the battles of Kula Gulf and Kolombangara in July 1943, personal letters from the captain of HMNZSLeander, a thank-you letter regarding Vice Admiral Ainsworth's attendance at a commissioning ceremony, and a letter concerning information used in Samuel Eliot Morrison's book Breaking the Bismark's Barrier. All correspondence is arranged in chronological order.

The awards and citations folder contains his certificate of completion from the Naval War College, citations from his Navy Cross, Legion of Merit, and Gold Star awards, and two poems dating from World War II.

In the narratives series is a description by Ainsworth of the Solomon Islands campaign and a copy of his biography.

Preferred Citation:

This collection should be cited as Papers of Vice Admiral Walden L. Ainsworth, USN, Archives Branch, Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, D.C.

Subject Headings (LCSH):

United States. Navy--History.
United States. Navy--Officers.
World War, 1939-1945--Naval Operations.