Maurice E. Curts
Maurice Edwin Curts (March 25, 1898 – February 15, 1976) was a United States Navy admiral who led the Pacific Fleet in 1958.
He was born in Flint, Michigan, and went to the United States Naval Academy. He served in World War I aboard the battleship Nevada and graduated in 1919. His early career included assignments on destroyers and the aircraft carrier Saratoga, as well as shore work in the Navy Department.
In the late 1920s, Curts studied radio technology at the Naval Postgraduate School and Harvard University. He later worked at the Naval Research Laboratory, where his radar work earned him a commendation. He commanded the destroyer Case from 1938 to 1939. During World War II, he served as communications officer for the Pacific Fleet, helping improve joint Army-Navy communications and earning the Bronze Star.
Curts returned to sea in 1944 as captain of the light cruiser USS Columbia. He earned the Navy Cross for commanding Columbia during the Leyte Gulf operations, including supporting landings and helping sink enemy ships. Columbia also fought off kamikaze attacks during the Lingayen Gulf operations.
After the war, Curts held several high-level posts, including helping to standardize fleet organization and serving as deputy commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet. He was promoted to admiral in 1957 and briefly served as CINCPACFLT in 1958. He finished his active career as Commander of the Western Sea Frontier and the Naval Defense Force in the Eastern Pacific, retiring in 1960. He later worked on telecommunications policy for the Defense Department until 1965.
Curts married Nina Irvine in 1919; she died in 1965. He later married Fayette Hobbs Purcell in 1967. They had two sons. His decorations included the Navy Cross, two Distinguished Service Medals, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, three Legions of Merit, the Purple Heart, and foreign honors. The guided-missile frigate USS Curts was named after him.
He died at his home in Las Gaviotas, Baja California, Mexico, at age 77 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:18 (CET).