Andrew Cunningham

Cunningham planned and executed a carrier-based air strike on the Italian fleet at Taranto harbor. The attack sank one battleship and damaged two others, demonstrating the effectiveness of naval air power and influencing the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Cunningham commanded the British Mediterranean Fleet in a night action off Cape Matapan, Greece. The fleet sank three Italian heavy cruisers and two destroyers, establishing British naval dominance in the Mediterranean and crippling the Italian Regia Marina.

Cunningham commanded the naval evacuation of Allied forces from Crete after the German airborne invasion. Despite heavy losses from air attacks, including three cruisers and six destroyers sunk, he extracted over 15,000 troops, stating 'It takes three years to build a ship, but three centuries to build a tradition.'

Cunningham was appointed First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, the professional head of the Royal Navy. He served until 1946, overseeing the Navy's operations in the final years of World War II, including the Normandy landings and the defeat of Japan.