Carl Frederick Holden was an officer of the United States Navy who retired with the rank of Vice Admiral. Born in Bangor, Maine, Holden graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1917. He saw service in World War I on destroyers based in Queenstown, Ireland. Lieutenant Commander Holden was given command of the destroyer Mason in 1920. In 1922-1924 he took a Master's degree in Electrical Communications Engineering from the Naval Academy and Harvard University, and spent the next ten years on communications-related assignments, including a posting with the Naval Mission to Brazil. He commanded the destroyer Tarbell in 1932-34, and in 1935-36 was sent to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as District Communications Officer.