The Japanese navy could never accept this catastrophic loss. That achievement brought praise from Churchill, who wrote to Navy Secretary James Forrestal, Admiral Spruance is again to be congratulated for another fine job. Falling ill with shingles, Halsey recommended that Spruance lead Task Force 16, centered on the carriers USS Enterprise (CV-6) and USS Hornet (CV-8), in his stead. Calm, collected, decisive, yet receptive to advice; keeping in his mind the picture of widely disparate forces, yet boldly seizing every opening. Halsey was aggressive and a risk taker. Naval Academy in 1906 and received further education in electrical engineering a few years later. [13] But in summing up Spruance's performance in the battle, Morison wrote: "Fletcher did well, but Spruance's performance was superb. This saw Allied forces move against Okinawa in the Ryukyu Islands. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Critical for the defense of Hawaii, the commander of the US Pacific Fleet, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, intended to dispatch Halsey to block the enemy thrust. He loved to show them to visitors. Two years later, Spruance again received orders for the Naval War College and taught on the staff until April 1938. The Japanese had been battered for weeks by aerial bombardment, and knew the invasion was imminent. The three-day operation was the most extensive ever undertaken by carriers. Then, reflect on the education opportunities that God has provided us today. Thus the Americans knew the Japanese planned to move toward Midway. [3] After the war, Spruance was appointed President of the Naval War College, and later served as American ambassador to the Philippines. He lived quietly at Pebble Beach until December 13, 1969, when he died of arteriosclerosis at the age of 83. Then Nagumos force was spotted by torpedo bombers from Hornets squadron VT-8, led by Lt. Cmdr. Japanese naval force tasked with the invasion of the Aleutian Islands under Vice Admiral Kakuta with aircraft carriers Junyo and Ryuho. Just before the planned invasion of Midway island in June 1942, Halsey suddenly became ill with shingles. 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. Following the war, Spruance served as US Ambassador to the Philippines from 1952 to 1955. He presided over US Forces in the Pacific during two decisive Allied victories: the Battle of Midway in 1942 and the 1944 Battle of the Philippines Sea. He's one of the finest officers I know of. Biographies, 20th century collection, Navy Department Library, Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, Spruance, Raymond A. Though the fourth, Hiryu, managed to launch bombers which caused critical damage to Yorktown, it too was sunk when American aircraft returned later in the day. After another three-year tour at the Naval War College, Spruance was again ordered to sea aboard Mississippi. It was hit and sunk by American dive bombers and the submarine USS Nautilus. His new duties involved planning rather than operations, and Spruance chafed for more action. At 10.26am on 4 June 1942 the course of World War Two in the Pacific changed utterly. The Indiana War Memorial in Indianapolis has a meeting room named for Spruance as well as displays honoring his career and that of the USS Indianapolis. Retribution was not long in coming. Michio Kobayashi The slow-moving Devastators were easy targets for the Japanese gunners and Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero fighters, and all 15 were shot down. 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. When Yorktown was struck at Midway, however, Fletcher transferred his flag to the cruiser Astoria and placed Spruance tactically in charge. 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. He readied himself at Stevens Preparatory School in Hoboken, N.J., and entered Annapolis in July 1903 at age 17. While both Fletcher and Spruance were rear admirals, Fletcher was senior and nominally in overall command. For that assault, Spruance led the most powerful naval strike force in history. In 1949, naval historian Samuel Eliot Morison noted that Spruance was subjected to criticism for not pursuing the retreating Japanese and allowing the surface fleet to escape. The Americans were gravely outnumbered by the lurking enemy armada. United States Aircraft Carrier attached to Task Force 16. In July 1941, his responsibilities were expanded to include oversight of the Caribbean Sea Frontier. US Naval Task force under Raymond Spruance with 2 carriers, Enterprise and Hornet. Admiral Yamamoto commanded the combined invasion fleet from aboard his flagship Yamato. Above all, Midway was the turning point that heralded the ultimate defeat of Japan. "[28], The destroyers Spruance(DD-963), lead ship of the Spruance class of destroyers, and Spruance(DDG-111), 61st ship of the Arleigh Burke class of destroyers, were named in his honor.[29]. He organized the Japanese counterattack on the American carriers and is credited with the sinking of the USS Yorktown, the only American Carrier sunk at Midway. The Battle of Midway was the first major victory for the United States over Japan and is seen by many as . The son of Alexander and Annie Spruance, Raymond Ames Spruance was born at Baltimore, MD on July 3, 1886. Lieutenant in command of the USS Enterprise air group. But several hours laternear the end of daylight hoursa U.S. scout plane located Hiry again. 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. Five days after the Marshalls campaign, Spruance sent the Mitscher force to attack Tinian and Saipan in the Mariana Islands. Kwajalein was in American hands, but the rest of the Marshalls groupabout 30 islands and more than 800 reefs scattered over hundreds of miles of oceanremained to be dealt with. 2015. When you moved into Admiral Spruance's command, the printed instructions were up to date, and you did things in accordance with them.[19]. Akagi class Japanese aircraft carrier that served as the flagship of Admiral Nagumo. [11] Although Spruance was proven as a cruiser division commander, he had no experience handling carrier-air combat; Halsey reassured Nimitz, and he told Spruance and Fletcher to rely on their newly inherited staff, particularly Captain Miles Browning, a battle-proven expert in carrier warfare. the prospects for its inclusion in doctrine The logical starting point is Admiral Chester Nimitz's famous "letter of instruction" (actually, of course, transmitted . Aboard the Japanese flattops, many torpedo-carrying planes were waiting for fighters to take off as the American planes dived. 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. 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. Admiral Spruance commanded with deadly precision, reported an observer. The Battle of Midway infused the U.S. Pacific Navy with confidence. This was followed by a promotion to Deputy Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet in September. Lt Tomanaga leads Japanese Torpedo Bombers to attack the remaining carriers. He decided to launch the planes from Enterprise and Hornet when they were about 175 miles from the enemys calculated position instead of postponing takeoff for another two hours in order to diminish the distance. 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. During WWII Italian Commandos Were Tasked to Ride Torpedoes. Raymond Ames Spruance (July 3, 1886 - December 13, 1969) was a United States Navy admiral during World War II. That December he was elevated to rear admiral, and in February 1940 he was placed in command of the 10th Naval District (Caribbean), with his headquarters in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He graduated from Shortridge High School and went on to the U.S. "World War II: Admiral Raymond Spruance." 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 . World War II: Admiral Raymond Spruance. He was fond of symphonic music, and his tastes were generally simple. He held that post until the following February, when he was ordered back to the Naval War College at Newportthis time as president. Then Nagumo was dumbfounded to receive a search planes report of 10 enemy ships to the northeast, where no U.S. ships were supposed to be. ), honoris causa degree from Central Philippine University in 1955, an institution of higher learning founded by the American Baptist missionary, William Orison Valentine in 1905. The Japanese expected no American ships in the Midway area until after the landing there, and they hoped that the Pacific Fleet would dash northward as soon as it received word of the opening strikes in the Aleutians. Spruance's first duty assignment was aboard the battleship USSIowa, an 11,400 ton veteran of the SpanishAmerican War. His father wanted him to go to West Point, but young Raymond yearned to go to sea. On 6 December 1941 Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japanese bombers and America was swept into World War Two. In the course of a two-hour interview, he stood or walked about all the timenot restlessly, but slowly and deliberately. Admiral William L. Calhoun saw him as a cold-blooded fighting fool. In June 1931, Spruance returned to Newport, RI to serve on the staff of the Naval War College. Admiral Spruance could have been right. B. Jim Crow Laws The Americans lost 74 carrier planes; the Japanese 80. Japanese Admiral in command of the second division of the carrier strike force based on Aircraft Carrier IJN Hiryu. It was hit and shortly after destroyed by American dive bombers. He was the united states navy fleet admiral in the some of the The battle of Midway was one of the most decisive battle in th Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku, Japanese fleet commander, chose to i The gallant carrier was crippled but nearly succeeded in reaching safety before torpedoes from Japanese submarine I-68 finally sank her three days later. The young, ambitious officer was then assigned to Bainbridge, U.S. destroyer No. He began attendance at the Naval War College in 1926, and graduated in 1927. Known as "island hopping," U.S. forces moved from island to island, using each as a base for capturing the next. Was the site of a naval battle between the United States and Japan in 1942. Spruance expressed his personal feelings on this matter as follows: So far as my getting five star rank is concerned, if I could have got it along with Bill Halsey, that would have been fine; but, if I had received it instead of Bill Halsey, I would have been very unhappy over it. Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, U.S. Navy, April 1955 . Aboard the battleship Yamato, Admiral Yamamoto received word that the U.S. fleet was at Midwaynot Pearl Harbor as he had thought. He has appeared on The History Channel as a featured expert. 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. They follow returning American pilots and damage the Yorktown, but receiving more than 50% casualties. Privacy Policy, Admiral Raymond Spruance served in US Navy during. Fifteen Buffaloes and two Wildcats were lost, but the garrisons anti-aircraft fire was effective. That is how the US navy could inflict great damage to the Japanese fleet and aircraft. Lieutenant aboard the Hiryu who led and was killed during the first Japanese counterattack after the sinking of 3 Japanese aircraft carriers. On August 1, 1941, he finished his tour in Puerto Rico. Admiral Raymond Spruance served in US Navy during World War Two. Recently promoted to rear admiral, Spruance was assigned to command a division of cruisers in the Pacific under Admiral Nimitz in 1941. Serving in Manila, Spruance remained abroad until resigning his post in 1955. On December 30, 1914, Spruance married Margaret Vance Dean, the daughter of an Indianapolis businessman. He shifted his flag to the old battleship USSNew Mexico of the shore bombardment force after Indianapolis was struck by a Kamikaze off Okinawa. [7], Spruance served in Washington until early 1924, when he was ordered to the headquarters, Commander Naval Force in Europe. A graduate of the US Naval Academy, Spruance commanded cruisers during the early months of the conflict and first came to prominence for helping lead American forces to victory at the pivotal Battle of Midway in June 1942. Notwithstanding their different personalities, Spruance and Halsey were close friends. Spruance was portrayed by Glenn Ford (a US Naval Reserve officer himself) in the 1976 film Midway, and by Jake Weber in the 2019 film Midway. He was drafted on short notice for his date with destiny. [25], Spruance was President of the Naval War College from February 1946 until he retired from the Navy in July 1948. After three days of pre-invasion bombardment, Marines landed on Roi Islet and captured it the same day. Morison, "Coral Sea, Midway and Submarine Actions: May 1942 August 1942". Things did not look hopeful for Spruance and his force on the eve of Midway. C. The Roman Catholic Church developed in Constantinople. His tour of sea duty ended in 1921, and he spent the next three years with the Navy Departments Bureau of Engineering and the Doctrine of Aircraft board. United States Admiral in command of naval units on the Pacific Theatre in 1942. 6 (June 1955): 658-659. At the end of the Second World War Congress created a limited number of five-star ranks for the Army and the Navy, designated General of the Army and Fleet Admiral. He served as an instructor at the Naval War College from 1935 to 1938. The correct answer to this open question is the following. Spruance became a shadowy sort of legend in the Navy. Having attained the rank of commander, Spruance attended the Senior Course at the Naval War College in July 1926. Spruance is depicted as the controversial victor of Midway by G. D. Spradlin in the 1988 TV miniseries War and Remembrance. Admiral Ernest J. This site is using cookies under cookie policy . But they expected it to come at the obvious and exposed outer fringe, and when we struck at the heart of the archipelago with a huge fleet that had approached undetected, we enjoyed complete tactical surprise. Born on 3 July 1886, Spruance graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1906. For most of the war, Spruance preferred to use the heavy cruiser USSIndianapolis, named for his hometown, as his flagship. Meanwhile, Task Force 58 was busy in the forefront of clearing the Japanese from the 600-mile-long Marianas chain. [12] Spruance assumed command of Task Force 16 with its two carriers, USSEnterprise and USSHornet, under battle command of Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher. A squadron of US Dive bombers which had arrived late after getting lost ambush the Japanese carriers bombing and resulting in the sinking of three out of four carriers. Always calm, always at peace with himself, Spruance had that ability which marks the great captain to make correct estimates and the right decisions in a fluid battle situation. The two admirals presented a contrast in styles as Spruance tended to be quiet and meticulous while Halsey was brash and more impetuous. Biographies, 20th century collection, Navy Department Library. Morison said: Keeping in his mind the picture of widely disparate forces, yet boldly seizing every opening, Raymond A. Spruance emerged from this battle one of the greatest fighting and thinking admirals in American naval history.He was bold and aggressive when the occasion demanded offensive tactics; cautious when pushing his luck too far might have lost the fruits of victory. The American offensive in the Pacific theater was now enjoying considerable momentum, aided in no small measure by Rear Adm. Marc Mitschers Task Force 58, the most powerful and destructive unit in the history of sea warfare. John C. Waldron. Aircraft carrier that served as the flagship of Task Force 17 and Admiral Fletcher. northwestward of Midway. Photograph Courtesy of the US Naval History & Heritage Command. He took part in organising the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and led the 5th Fleet in these two final battles. Not till many months later did American intelligence ferret out the facts."[33]. B. 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