I liked Herman Wouk’s assessment of Halsey in “War and Remembrance.” Yes, Halsey made many blunders. But when he took over the Fleet in 1942 his leadership reversed an atmosphere of defeatism that had overtaken the Pacific Fleet. Sometimes you need someone who will raise the Flag and charge at the enemy.
Halsey was the closest thing the Navy had to Patton. Both made mistakes and were perhaps over-aggressive at times, but they each got the job done when there seemed to be no-one else to do it. Decades later we have the luxury to armchair quarterback these officers.