As one of the American people, I would say that 98% of us are ignorant of world history to the degree necessary to make an intelligent response to your question about Nelson and DeRuyter. 50% may recognize the name Nelson, maybe 10% have heard of DeRuyter (the Mrs. and I are not among that 10%, although we consider ourselves fairly well-educated).
With respect to Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz (I may have been named after him . . . who knows . . . 
), he was certainly a great admiral under difficult circumstances. Having read some accounts of the Midway battle, I think that much of his success was a direct result of Divine providence, and the ability of the American people to produce enough war material in a short period of time to give him an advantage over the Japanese.
Chester 
