Монтгомери Мейгс Тейлор: Американдық Әскери-теңіз күштерінің адмиралы

Montgomery Meigs Taylor (13 October 1869 – 21 October 1952) was an admiral in the United States Navy. He served in the Navy from 1890 to 1933, fought in the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War in 1898, and later commanded the Control Fleet and the Scouting Fleet. He served as commander in chief of the United States Asiatic Fleet from 1931 to 1933.

Taylor was born on October 13, 1869, in Washington, D. C., to Joseph Hancock and Mary Meigs Taylor. He was born in the house of his grandfather, Montgomery C. Meigs, Quartermaster General of the United States Army during the American Civil War, for whom he was also named. His brother was John R. M. Taylor, an officer in the United States Army during the Philippine–American War.

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 Galena, but she was wrecked before he could join her. He spent the next two years aboard the screw sloop Richmond, the screw sloop Enterprise, and finally the protected cruiser Chicago. and took part in the Battle of Manila Bay on 1 May 1898. Commanding officer, gunboat Hopkins, 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 Florida 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.

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 Langley 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.

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.

Montgomery M. Taylor retired from the U. S. Navy due to age restrictions on November 1, 1933. Retirement did not end Taylor's public service, however. He was appointed to serve on the United States Maritime Commission on September 26, 1936, replacing Admiral Harry G. Hamlet. He remained on the commission until 1938, and then resigned. Thomas M. Woodward was appointed to fulfill the remainder of Taylor's term, which was due to end on September 26, 1939. Taylor never married. After a lengthy illness, he died at Bethesda Naval Medical Center of a stroke on October 21, 1952. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

His awards and medals included the Dewey Medal, Spanish Campaign Medal, Philippine Campaign Medal, World War I Victory Medal, and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal. He was a member of the Aztec Club of 1847 by right of his relationship to Major General Zachary Taylor.