The small Marine Corps garrison scrambled its handful of Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat and Brewster F2A-3 Buffalo fighters, but they were too weak and slow to deter the Japanese. His seagoing career was extensive, including command of five destroyers and the battleship Mississippi. Yet because of his modest, retiring nature, Spruance was never a popular hero in the manner of Admirals Nimitz, William F. Halsey and Marc A. Mitscher. Raymond Ames Spruance (July 3, 1886 - December 13, 1969) was a United States Navy admiral during World War II. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. However, his actions were both praised and understood by the main persons ordering and directly involved in the battle. Determining that New Mexico was not too badly damaged to remain on station Spruance kept her as his flagship for the rest of the campaign. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/admiral-raymond-spruance-2360511. He was fond of symphonic music, and his tastes were generally simple. Admiral William L. Calhoun saw him as a cold-blooded fighting fool. These raids were critical to moralesetting a new tone of aggressiveness by U.S. commanders while providing invaluable battle experience for the commanders and sailors of the U.S. He advanced quickly through the ranks, becoming an admiral in 1944. On June 19, however, hundreds of planes from nine Japanese aircraft carriers attacked the Fifth Fleet. You can specify conditions of storing and accessing cookies in your browser, How does Admiral Spruance explain the U.S. victory, The Brown case began what trend in American At 10.26am on 4 June 1942 the course of World War Two in the Pacific changed utterly. During WWII Italian Commandos Were Tasked to Ride Torpedoes. For his actions at Iwo Jima and Okinawa, Spruance was awarded the Navy Cross. . The recipient of the letter below was his longtime friend and former chief-of-staff Captain Charles "Carl" J. Moore. The Japanese carriers were beginning to launch fighters as Torpedo 8 roared down to attack, without fighter cover. President Franklin D. Roosevelt nominated Spruance for promotion to full admiral on February 10, 1944, and he was approved. With Okinawa's fall in June, Spruance rotated back to Pearl Harbor to begin planning the invasion of Japan. The defeat effectively destroyed the Japanese Navy's air arm. C. The Roman Catholic Church developed in Constantinople. transmitted as a message) to Rear Admirals Frank Jack Fletcher and Raymond Spruance on the eve of the battle of Midway To quote a U S Navy website, "Nimitz clearly . He shifted his flag to the old battleship USSNew Mexico of the shore bombardment force after Indianapolis was struck by a Kamikaze off Okinawa. On December 30, 1914, Spruance married Margaret Vance Dean, the daughter of an Indianapolis businessman. With the battleship's completion, Spruance joined its crew and remained aboard until November 1917. Early on the morning of Thursday, June 4, 1942, Nagumos carriers launched a 108-plane strike against Midway and inflicted Akagi class Japanese aircraft carrier that served as the flagship of Admiral Nagumo. Having attained the rank of commander, Spruance attended the Senior Course at the Naval War College in July 1926. Meanwhile, his search planes found no sign of any American warships. Admiral Spruance was buried with full honors alongside Admirals Nimitz and Kelly Turner in a military cemetery overlooking San Francisco Bay. ThoughtCo, Jul. Flagship of Task Force 16 under the command of Raymond Spruance. Bombs destroyed the bridge of Kaga and set her ablaze from stem to stern. Admiral Spruance explained the U.S. victory at Midway in the following way. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz called him a fine man, a sterling character, and a great leader, and said, nothing you can say about him would be praise enough. The US intelligence services could predict the way the Japanese carriers and planes would be approaching the battle. Admiral William L. Calhoun saw him as a cold-blooded fighting fool. The Americans were gravely outnumbered by the lurking enemy armada. >The fleet units shielding the Marianas invasion forces were also under Spruances command. Hickman, Kennedy. In the footnote Morison says, Admiral Spruance, in commenting on the first draft of this volume, requested that I delete victor at and substitute who commanded a carrier task force at, butI have let it stand. the prospects for its inclusion in doctrine The logical starting point is Admiral Chester Nimitz's famous "letter of instruction" (actually, of course, transmitted . Admiral Spruance died on 13 December 1969, at his home in Pebble Beach , California. In the course of a two-hour interview, he stood or walked about all the timenot restlessly, but slowly and deliberately. US Navy SBD dive bombers at the Battle of Midway, June 4, 1942. Nagumo ordered his planes rearmed on their return. The U.S. fleet lost fewer men, but it lost a fleet carrier while the Japanese lost only the light carrier Shoho. The first Japanese airstrike was followed by another. Japanese supporting aircraft carrier in the corresponding Aleutian Islands Invasion. He took part in organising the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and led the 5th Fleet in these two final battles. The Japanese lost 19 ships sunk, seven probably sunk and more than 200 aircraft destroyed, and their installations were bombed and strafed. Fit and spare in his 70s, Spruance spent most of his retirement days wearing old khakis and work shoes and working in his garden and greenhouse. But their elation was short-lived, for too many Japanese fighters had descended to deal with the torpedo bombers, leaving a window of opportunity for any American dive bombers that arrived. Finishing the course, he completed a tour in the Office of Naval Intelligence before being posted to USS Mississippi (BB-41) in October 1929 as executive officer. He attended grade and high schools in East Orange, N.J., and in Indianapolis. He enjoyed hot chocolate and would make it for himself every morning. Raymond A. Spruance emerged from the battle one of the greatest admirals in American naval history". A decisive victory, Spruance and Fletcher's actions at Midway helped turn the tide of the Pacific war in favor of the Allies. His next assignment was command of the destroyer Aaron Ward, and then USS Perceval. After the enemys raids on Midway, Admiral Spruance ordered the launching of every possible plane to search for and attack the Japanese carriers. He never did things the same way twice. Aboard the Japanese flattops, many torpedo-carrying planes were waiting for fighters to take off as the American planes dived. 7 reviews. Promoted to captain the following year, he departed to take the position of Chief of Staff and Aide to Commander Destroyers, Scouting Fleet in May 1933. His new duties involved planning rather than operations, and Spruance chafed for more action. Historian Morison later described Spruances performance at Midway as superb. In this position, he traveled to London and Edinburgh. [6], Following his return to the United States, Spruance served aboard transport ship USS Agamemnon, before he was ordered to Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, for duty in connection with fitting out of destroyer USS Aaron Ward in March 1919. Hiryu class Japanese aircraft carrier that was part of the second detachment of the Japanese carrier strike force. However, an invasion was rendered unnecessary when the atomic bomb was used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. His achievements were well-known, but the man himself was a mystery. In the fighting, the Japanese lost three carriers and around 600 aircraft. My mind is blank. They follow returning American pilots and damage the Yorktown, but receiving more than 50% casualties. Japanese Vice Admiral in command of the Japanese Carrier strike force based on the Aircraft Carrier IJN Akagi. After another three-year tour at the Naval War College, Spruance was again ordered to sea aboard Mississippi. Naval History and Heritage Command, "Biography of Raymond A. Spruance Press Release July 24, 1941, United States Navy Department", "Adm Spruance's Fitrep after Battle of Midway", Citation, Navy Cross, Raymond A. Spruance, "Admiral Raymond Ames Spruance America's Navy", "News Release: Navy Names Two New Guided Missile Destroyers", "War & Remembrance (Part 3) (May 26 July 25, 1942)", "War & Remembrance (Part 3) (May 26 July 25, 1942) 1988", Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 19411942, The Conquering Tide: War in the Pacific Islands, 19421944, Twilight of the Gods: War in the Western Pacific, 19441945, United States Ambassadors to the Philippines, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Raymond_A._Spruance&oldid=1137739908, Ambassadors of the United States to the Philippines, High Commissioners of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army), Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States), Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Articles with dead external links from July 2022, Articles with dead external links from December 2020, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2016, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 6 February 2023, at 05:43. At 0530 June 4, a scout plane from Midway sighted the Kido Butai, however the scout only reported sighting "Two carriers and battleships", and giving course and speed. Admiral Raymond Spruance served in US Navy during World War Two. He served as an instructor at the Naval War College from 1935 to 1938. [4] Spruance attended Indianapolis public schools and graduated from Shortridge High School. Spruances fleet had prevented the Japanese from reinforcing the Saipan garrison. Spruance graduated from the U.S. Spruance became Commander of the 5th Fleet in November 1943, which presented him with command of the Central Pacific Forces. I finally wangled two months at sea, in 1918, before the war was over. When she went to sea in 1916, he went with her. A bust of Spruance is in the lobby. Spruance was detached from command of the Fifth Fleet on November 8, 1945, and he relieved Fleet Admiral Nimitz as commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean areas. Japanese submarine I-168 torpedoes and torpedoes a damaged US aircraft carrier and its escorting destroyer. He served as Assistant Chief of Staff under Vice admiral Philip Andrews during the period of tensions between Greece and Turkey and was decorated with the Gold Cross of the Order of the Savior by the Government of Greece for his service. The airstrips in the Gilberts were put to good use two months later when they were used in the invasion of Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Spruance served as executive officer of USS Mississippi from October 1929 to June 1931. erful leader. The following year, the new admiral was ordered to the Pacific. Spruance did not want to leave troops on the Marianas islands unguarded as he chased Jisaburo Ozawas retreating fleet. Known for his calm in moments of crisis, Admiral Spruance became one of the U.S. Navy's largest assets in World War II. In 1939 he was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral. With their 233 planes and crews at the ready, the three U.S. flattops were stationed well north of Midway, out of sight of enemy reconnaissance planes. On June 14, while Mitscher led a diversionary attack on the Bonin Islands 800 miles to the north, U.S. Marines and infantrymen stormed ashore. After his funeral, he was buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery near the grave of his wartime commander, Nimitz. As the island-hopping campaign began, MacArthur continued his . Admiral Raymond Ames Spruance was a key American naval commander who served in the Pacific Theater of World War II. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Spruance launched an assault on February 16-17 against Truk, the Japanese Pearl Harbor, at the same time that Admiral Turners forces were attacking Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshalls, about 700 miles to the west. Graduating from Annapolis three years later, he served two years at sea before receiving his commission as an ensign on September 13, 1908. Provide at least two examples.Certain lessons in New Testament Survey, as well as outside sources, may be of help to you as you write your report. After six furious minutes, the three carriers were left burning. They met practically no opposition because most of the Zeros were still close to the water, not having had time to climb and counterattack. He is responsible for the Japanese battle plan to attack Midway and the Aleutian Islands. For more great articles subscribe to World War II magazine today! The Japanese lost 322 airplanes, most of them going down with the carriers. [3] After the war, Spruance was appointed President of the Naval War College, and later served as American ambassador to the Philippines. His steady rise, according to Newsweek magazine, has borne the imprint of his personalityunobtrusive but undeviating. Midway Island sent a false message stating that its water distillation plant had been damaged and that the base needed fresh water. He never smoked and drank little. US Naval Task Force under Frank Fletcher with aircraft carrier Yorktown. . serious damage on the islands installations. Calm, collected, decisive, yet receptive to advice; keeping in his mind the picture of widely disparate forces, yet boldly seizing every opening. In fact, Spruance had a knack for getting along with difficult people, including his friend Admiral Kelly Turner, the hotheaded commander of 5th Fleet's amphibious force. That achievement brought praise from Churchill, who wrote to Navy Secretary James Forrestal, Admiral Spruance is again to be congratulated for another fine job. Samuel Eliot Morison agreed: Power of decision and coolness in action were perhaps Spruances leading characteristics. The Iwo Jima and Okinawa actions lasted from January to May 1945, and in August the Japanese surrendered. Admiral Spruance said that what they did was to wait until the Japanese ships were refueling, carrying weapons, and preparing their aircraft to attack them because the Japanese were in a vulnerable position. After Midway, although the Japanese still held a temporary advantage in vessels and planes, the U.S. Navy and the nation gained confidence and, most critically, time. This time we were right because the enemy did what we expected him to do. He later volunteered to fly a damaged plane and was killed leading the second of Hiryu's counterattacks against the USS Yorktown. One commentator said: The quick success of the offensive was attributed to the strategic daring by which Vice Admiral Spruances forces cut behind the eastern chain of the Marshalls. 1, and he commanded her until 1914. Spruance rewarded his trust by playing a decisive role in the US victory at the Battle Of Midway. At Midway, Spruance's force inflicted on the Imperial Japanese Navy its worst setback in 350 years. Although he broke the back of the Japanese naval air force by sinking three carriers, two oilers and destroying about 600 enemy airplanes (so many that the remaining Japanese carriers were used solely as decoys in the Battle of Leyte Gulf a few months later due to the lack of aircraft and aircrews to fly them) Spruance has been criticized for not being aggressive enough in exploiting his success in the Philippine Sea. Captain George C. Dyer of the light cruiser Astoria, who served under both Spruance and Halsey, summed up the view of many ship captains: My feeling was one of confidence when Spruance was there. In July 1907 he transferred to the battleship Minnesota and was aboard her during the historic around the world cruise of the Great White Fleet from 1907 to 1909. The repulse of the Japanese invasion fleet at Midway, and critically the destruction of the Kido Butai, allowed the U.S. to gain parity in the naval air war. Thus the Americans knew the Japanese planned to move toward Midway. Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat fighters, Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bombers and Douglas TBD-1 Devastator torpedo bombers thundered off the flight decks and rose to search for the enemy carriers. It Didnt End Well. Some people asked why he did not take take advantage of the chaotic scene to attack all of Japans air carriers. On June 4, Spruance and Fletcher engaged four Japanese carriers at the Battle of Midway. United States Rear Admiral in command of Task Force 17 on the USS Yorktown. These plans proved moot when the war came to an abrupt end in early August with the use of the atom bomb. As Allied forces battled on the island, Spruance's ships defeated Operation Ten-Go on April 7 which saw the Japanese battleship Yamato attempt to break through to the island. Two final battles from January to May 1945, and in August the Japanese flattops, torpedo-carrying... 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