Kimmel graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1904 with a solid but unexceptional academic record. The argument is that such steadiness could be a useful leadership foundation, since classroom dominance did not automatically translate into an ability to understand or command other people. Posting to battleships placed Kimmel in the Navy's prestigious battle line as the Great White Fleet prepared its global cruise. USS Georgia's unusual Virginia-class arrangement, including a turret mounted above another turret, provides a visual example of early U.S. battleship design. Aboard Georgia, Kimmel travelled around the world, visited Japan, and gained early exposure to the places and conditions in which the U.S. Navy might later operate.
Chapter · 7:40-10:47
From the Naval Academy to the Great White Fleet
Kimmel's solid Naval Academy record and global cruise aboard USS Georgia began a career built on steady professional competence rather than classroom brilliance.