During World War II, Davis served aboard the in the Pacific Theater, which participated in nine major campaigns. He qualified as a Naval Aviator in May 1946 and then served in several carrier-based fighter squadrons, including VF-51, the Navy's first operational jet squadron. At the start of the Korean War, Davis' squadron, aboard the, was sent from the Mediterranean to Korea. Here he flew 51 combat missions and was awarded two Air Medals. In 1952, Davis was ordered to Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nevada. Here, he helped train Air ForceF-86 pilots on lessons learned while flying missions in Korea. Following his assignment with the Air Force, Davis became Commanding Officer of Fighter Squadron Two Hundred Eleven in 1957 and made Western Pacific deployments aboard the and the. After his WESTPAC tours, Davis reported for duty in Washington, D.C., where he served as Aide and Special Assistant to the Undersecretary of the Navy. In February 1962, he became Commander of Carrier Air Group Five. While serving as Air Group Commander, he made a South American transit cruise aboard the aircraft carrier. During the years 1964–66, Davis served as the Senior Navy Project Officer for the F-111 aircraft in the Air Force Systems Command. Davis was the first Naval Aviator to fly an F-111. He also received the Legion of Merit in the development of the aircraft. On 3 June 1966, Davis assumed command of the which recently participated in numerous amphibious operations off the coast of Vietnam. He then commanded the from 28 August 1967 to 30 September 1968. In 1969–70, Rear Admiral Davis was Commander, Task Force 130, the Pacific Recovery Forces for the Manned Spacecraft Missions Apollo 11 and Apollo 13. In 1974 Rear Admiral "Red Dog" Davis was Commander of Task Force 77 in the US Pacific Fleet. Davis was a recipient of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for service as the Director, Navy Program Planning, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations from May 1975 to February 1978. Subsequently, promoted to Vice Admiral, and later Admiral, Davis was Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet from 1978 to 1981, retiring on 1 August 1981.
Role in Apollo 11 success
In November 2016, a report re-emerged that credited Davis with being a significant part of the success of Apollo 11. Just days before the mission was to launch, Captain Willard S. "Sam" Houston Jr. took command of the Pacific Fleet Weather Centre, Hawaii. He took immediate interest in the mission's splashdown position, and took the initiative to seek out data from the top secret Corona satellite station. Houston was warned by the Corona station commander, Major Hank Branli, that the intended splashdown area would be subject to a gathering storm. Without revealing the Corona source, Houston took this information to the commander of the recovery fleet, Davis, and convinced him of the need to change the recovery site. Davis ordered the fleet to change position, and together they then convinced NASA of the need to change the landing area. The U.S. Navy flew an aircraft over the original site during the landing, and found a major storm which would have been disastrous for Apollo 11.
