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- [S927] Obituary.
Published: June 21, 1985
Russell S. Berkey, a retired four-star admiral and one-time commander of Navy forces in the Far East died Monday at the age of 91.
Admiral Berkey, a 1916 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, commanded the 12,000-ton light cruiser Santa Fe in the Pacific in World War II.
In World War I, his first assignment was aboard the battleship New York. Between the two world wars he took part in patrols of the Yangtze River in China aboard the gunboat Panay.
As a Navy captain in November of 1942 he commissioned and assumed command of the Santa Fe, which put to sea the following year. In 25 months of combat, he rose to rear admiral.
The Santa Fe steamed more than 221,000 miles, sank seven Japanese ships and downed seven Japanese planes.
He was promoted to vice admiral in mid-1948 and served as commander of United States naval forces in the Far East for 13 months.
He retired with the rank of admiral in September 1950 after 34 years of Navy duty. He is survived by a nephew and two nieces
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