Pratt's work with the U.S. Fleet was interrupted in early 1930 by a trip to England to participate in the London conference that further limited the size of the world's major navies. He became Chief of Naval Operations in September 1930 and spent nearly three years in that post, during a time when Depression-era demands for economy made it very difficult to maintain the Navy's size and readiness. During his tenure, he also helped Coast Guard Commandant Harry G. Hamlet in discouraging President Franklin D. Roosevelt from merging the Navy and Coast Guard. Pratt agreed with President Herbert Hoovers's emphasis on disarmament and went along with postponement of new construction and cutting the fleet. Other naval officers disagreed sharply with Hoover's policies. Later life Retired at the beginning of July 1933, Pratt lived thereafter in Maine and New York City. During World War II, he wrote a regular column for a nationally circulated magazine and spent several months on active Navy Department duty in 1941 studying measures to counter the German submarine threat. Pratt died in 1957. Like his father, Pratt was a companion of the District of Columbia Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. Legacy In 1960, the destroyer USS William V. Pratt (DLG-13, later DDG-44) was named in honor of Admiral Pratt. References External links Admiral William Veazie Pratt, U. S. Navy (book by Gerald E. Wheeler) Photos William V. Pratt Memoirs, 1939 MS 514 held by Special Collections & Archives, Nimitz Library at the United States Naval Academy 1869 births 1957 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War I People from Belfast, Maine Military personnel from Maine United States Naval Academy alumni Presidents of the Naval War College United States Navy admirals Chiefs of Naval Operations Naval War College faculty Naval War College alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal