Charles Perry Mason (January 12, 1891 – August 15, 1971) was a highly decorated officer in the United States Navy with the rank of vice admiral.

An early naval aviator, he distinguished himself as commanding officer of aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8), which was sunk during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands in late October 1942.

[1][2] He retired from the Navy following the war and served as deputy state director of Florida Civil Defense, before he was appointed the mayor of Pensacola, the office which he held two times from 1947 to 1957 and again from 1963 to 1965.

He graduated from the high school in Columbia, Pennsylvania, in summer 1908 and received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland.

Mason was then transferred to Long Island, New York and briefly held command of Naval Air Station Bay Shore there.

[6][1] Mason was transferred to Washington, D.C., in December 1917, and served in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations under Admiral William S. Benson until April 1918.

He was then ordered to Europe and assumed duty as officer-in-charge of inspection and test of airplanes at the Naval Air Station at Pauillac, France.

Mason returned to the United States in January 1919 and assumed command of Naval Air Station Key West, Florida.

Mason later organized the first seaplane patrol squadron of the Pacific Fleet and led his unit during the successful flight from San Diego, California, to Panama Canal Zone in January–March 1921.

He remained in that assignment until December that year, when he was transferred to Naval Air Station Anacostia in Washington, D.C., for duty in connection with organizing of Scouting Plane Squadron 3.

During his tenure there, Mason's planes took part in the providing assistance during the 1929 floods in Alabama and Southern Florida, dropping food, clothing and medicine to isolated towns.

On June 30, 1933, Mason was promoted to commander and transferred to the Naval Air Station Norfolk, Virginia, where he assumed duty as executive officer under Captain Aubrey W. Fitch.

Mason was appointed his executive officer and took part in her shakedown cruise to the Caribbean, visiting Culebra, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; Gonaïves, Haiti; Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Cristóbal, Panama Canal Zone.

[15] He served in that assignment until he was promoted to captain on July 1, 1939, and appointed commander, Patrol Wing One subordinated to the Aircraft, Scouting Force under Rear Admiral Arthur B. Cook.

[16][17][18] Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the United States entry into World War II, Mason was still serving in Jacksonville.

He remained in that assignment until mid-June 1942, when he was ordered to South Pacific and relieved Captain Marc A. Mitscher as commanding officer of aircraft carrier Hornet.

Mason led Hornet to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and spent next six weeks with replenishing her stores, having minor repairs performed, and having additional light anti-aircraft guns and the new air-search radar fitted.

Mason then commanded air raids against two enemy beached transports at Kekata Bay which destroyed several landing barges, fuel dumps, anti-aircraft installations and shot down 12 seaplanes.