Early assignments Taylor was appointed in 1886 to the
United States Naval Academy, where he was an outstanding
halfback on the first
football team the school fielded. He graduated in 1890, and was to have trained aboard the armed
steamer , but she was wrecked before he could join her. He spent the next two years aboard the
screw sloop , the screw sloop , and finally the
protected cruiser . and took part in the
Battle of Manila Bay on 1 May 1898. • Commanding officer, gunboat , from 1903 to 1905.
Buffalo cruised through the
Caribbean Sea and along the west coast of
Central America before being ordered to
Alaska. While in port at
Kodiak, Alaska, Taylor learned that
World War I had broken out in Europe in 1914. After graduating in 1916, he was promoted to
captain on 16 August 1916 He took command of the battleship in 1918.
Florida operated in cooperation with the British
Grand Fleet during the war, and Taylor received the
Navy Distinguished Service Medal for this service. to 1921. In June 1922 he became commander of the
15th Naval District and of the Naval Operating Base at
Coco Solo in the
Panama Canal Zone. he was appointed commander of the Control Fleet, a unit consisting of submarines, destroyers, and Marine Corps units designed to control sea lanes after they had been cleared of enemy forces by the Navy
Battle Fleet.
Admiralty Taylor was promoted to
rear admiral on 1 October 1922. In September 1927, Taylor made
Joseph J. Clark (later an admiral himself who played a significant role in the
Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944) his division chief of staff. Taylor was given command of the
Scouting Fleet on 30 March 1926. The Scouting Fleet, based in the Atlantic Ocean, was an operational step down for Taylor. Although it contained two divisions of battleships, these were some of the Navy's oldest battleships, and the Scouting Fleet primarily consisted of
cruiser and
destroyer divisions. The old aircraft carrier was also attached to the Scouting Fleet for aircraft training purposes. Taylor's job was to train the Scouting Fleet for scouting missions. He was promoted to
vice admiral in the summer of 1928. Although energetic, deeply interested in Asia and the Pacific region, and a student of blockades and invasions, Taylor contributed little to war planning in these crucial years. According to naval historian Edward S. Miller, Taylor believed that Japan (a rising naval power in the Pacific) "deserved" American friendship, and that Japanese attempts to control
Manchuria were a positive development. Naval historian Robert Love agrees, noting that Taylor deeply distrusted the Chinese and believed the
Nationalist Government unwilling to defend its own territory. During this period, Taylor became good friends with Japanese Admiral
Kichisaburo Nomura. While serving in the War Plans office, Taylor was appointed to the navy board assigned with selecting officers for promotion to admiral, commander, and captain. He also was appointed to the board of inquiry into comments made by Major General
Smedley Butler (USMC) about an alleged crime committed by
Benito Mussolini. Butler retired before the board finished its work.
Command of the Asiatic Fleet Taylor was promoted to admiral and appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Asiatic Fleet (CICAF) on April 2, 1931. His command became effective September 1, 1931. He won the position based on a reputation for quick thinking and making decisions without waiting for approval by superiors. Admiral Taylor believed that the role of the United States Navy in the Far East was "sitting tight" and not getting involved. and believed that Japan could not be convinced to give up her war-won possessions on the mainland without coercion. Nonetheless, he acted decisively to ensure that the United States was positioned to intervene if necessary. The Asiatic Fleet was based in
Manila in the
Philippines. After the
Mukden Incident, Taylor dispatched four fast destroyers to
Shanghai without orders. He then ordered (again without approval from superiors) a troop of U.S. Marines to board his remaining ships so that the Asiatic Fleet had a ground force to use as well. As he prepared to sail, only then did U.S. Fleet Admiral
William V. Pratt order him to proceed to Shanghai. Taylor's tenure as commander-in-chief of the Asiatic Fleet was a tumultuous one. On February 24, 1932, Taylor helped Italy and China avoid an international incident. An artillery shell from the mainland hit the Italian Navy ship
Libia, leading the Italians to threaten retaliation. Taylor convinced the Italians that, in the absence of any intentional shelling, they should consider the matter closed. His advice was taken, and Admiral Pratt publicly praised him for his quick thinking. On March 5, 1932, Taylor joined a joint British, French, and Italian committee sponsored by the
League of Nations to investigate the war between China and Japan. The Asiatic Fleet returned to Manila in late March 1932. In May 1933, Taylor ordered the Asiatic Fleet to make a goodwill tour of Japan. He was cordially received by
Emperor Hirohito. Admiral Taylor became nationally known for his tact and diplomacy in dealing with the Japanese. ==Retirement and death==