| Original caption: “Vice Admiral John S. McCain, left, and Admiral William F. Halsey, Commander Third Fleet, hold conference on board USS New Jersey (BB-62), en route to the Philippines.” United States Navy Vice Admiral John S. “Slew” McCain Senior (August 9, 1884 – September 6, 1945), Commanding Officer, Task Force 38, discusses the upcoming Mindoro operation and the kamikaze threat with United States Navy Admiral William F. “Bull” Halsey Junior (October 30, 1882 – August 16, 1959) in Halsey’s stateroom on USS New Jersey (BB-62), flagship of United States Navy 3rd Fleet. McCain assumed command of Task Force 38 on October 30, 1944, as the chosen admiral of Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Ernest J. King (November 23, 1878 – June 25, 1956) after 2 years of desk duty in Washington as the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Air. This was unexpected among the “Aviators” who were ascendant in the dogma and tactics of the United States Navy. A relative latecomer, McCain was an outsider at 1st. But Halsey quickly came to depend entirely on him. “As much as my right arm,” he famously remarked. The primary threat during the invasion of Mindoro was the new Japanese weapon, shimpu, mistranslated as “kamikaze” by the Americans – “Divine Wind.” These “special attack” weapons – a euphemism for suicide aircraft – caused deep psychological distress that outweighed their military accomplishments. Despite a kamikaze hit on USS Nashville (CL-43) that killed over a 130 men and wounded a 190, and kamikaze hits on 2 Landing Ship Tanks (LSTs), Mindoro was secure in 48 hours. The “big blue blanket” of fighters would sweep over Luzon and Mindoro, destroying as many fighters as possible on the ground. McCain was demoted, effective September 1, 1945, from command of Task Force 38 for failing to allow ships to sail freely during the June 1944 hurricane “Connie,” the 1st of 4 hurricanes the Pacific Fleet would endure in 1944-1945. He was actually following Halsey’s orders, but Halsey was too famous to reprimand; it was believed it would hurt the reputation of the Navy. McCain died of a heart attack just a few days after the surrender of Japan, at home, so he received accolades instead of castigation for his work during the Pacific War. United States Navy Lieutenant Commander Charles Fenno Jacobs (December 14, 1904 – June 27, 1974) was recruited by United States Navy Commander Edward Steichen (March 27, 1879 – March 25, 1973) to join his Naval Aviation Photographic Unit, 1 of the original 6 photographers to join him. Fenno Jacobs, renowned for his offbeat sense of humor, excelled at portraying soldiers’ bodies as comparable to the steel weapons they served. When the war ended, the Steichen 6 marched into Fortune Magazine in uniform and suggested they be hired and given an area of the world to photograph. Jacobs received Europe as his photographic domain. He went on to present 3 exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art postwar. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1630.jpg |
| Image Size | 876.79 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2412 x 2478 |
| Photographer | Charles Fenno Jacobs |
| Photographer Title | United States Navy |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | December 13, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | Luzon |
| Country | Philippines |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-80-G-470859 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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