He was also active in coast survey and hydrographic duties, was an instructor at the Naval Academy, commanded the cruiser Albany, and served as a flag aide, in addition to other assignments.

Promoted to the rank of admiral in 1916, his responsibilities greatly expanded when the United States entered World War I in April 1917.

Over the next year and a half, he oversaw a huge expansion of the navy, the extension of its operations to European waters, and the transportation of the United States Army's American Expeditionary Forces to France.

[2] Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt, though, reversed the decision because he believed naval aviation might someday be "the principal factor" at sea with missions to bomb enemy warships, scout enemy fleets, map mine fields, and escort convoys.

Naval aviation later proved to be the decisive advantage for the United States Navy that ensured victory during World War II and the duration of the Cold War, and it remains today as the centerpiece of the combat striking arms of the United States Navy.