TURNER-STANSFIELD

SOURCE: U.S. NAVAL INSTITUTE

AN  ILLUSTRIOUS  CAREER

Stansfield M. Turner was born and grew up in the Chicago area.  He spent a year at Amherst College prior to entering the Naval Academy in 1943.  His class of 1947 graduated a year early because the academy’s curriculum was shortened in World War II.  After brief service on the escort carrier USS Palau (CVE-122) and the light cruiser USS Dayton (CL-105), he was at Oxford University in England from 1947 to 1950 as a Rhodes Scholar.  During 1950-51 he was assigned as gunnery officer of the destroyer USS Stribling (DD-867).  He next served in 1951-52 as aide to CinCNELM/CinCSouth, and in 1952-53 as operations officer of the destroyer USS Hanson (DD-832).  During 1953-54 he was aide to Commander Destroyer Flotilla Six, and in 1954-56 was assigned in OP-61, the Politico-Military Division of OpNav. 

From 1956 to 1958, Turner commanded the minesweeper USS Conquest (MSO-488), was on the staff of CinCPac from 1958 to 1960, and served as executive officer of the destroyer USS Morton (DD-948) in 1960-62.  He commanded the destroyer USS Rowan (DD-782) in 1962-63, from 1963 to 1966 served in the office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Systems Analysis), and in 1966 attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.  Turner was the first commanding officer of the guided missile frigate USS Horne (DLG-30), 1966-68, including combat operations off the coast of Vietnam.  He served as executive assistant to Secretaries of the Navy Paul Ignatius and John Chafee, 1968-70.  He developed Project 60 initiatives in 1970 when Admiral Elmo Zumwalt became CNO. 

After being selected for flag rank, Turner commanded Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla Eight in 1970-71 and in 1971-72 headed OP-96, the Systems Analysis Division of OpNav.  As president of the Naval War College from 1972 to 1974, Turner made fundamental changes in the college’s curriculum and requirements on student officers.  He commanded the Second Fleet from August 1974 to July 1975 and then served 1975-77 as Commander in Chief Allied Forces Southern Europe.  In his final tour of service, Admiral Turner was Director of Central Intelligence and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, 1977-81.

ADM Stansfield M. Turner died on January 18, 2018, in Redmond, Washington, survived by his wife, four stepchildren, twelve grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)