It was his job to protect the landing force.[8]. The US intelligence services could predict the way the Japanese carriers and planes would be approaching the battle. C. The Roman Catholic Church developed in Constantinople. Covered by fog and lashed by storms most of the time, they were generally unsuitable for air or naval bases. Spruance succeeded Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz as Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas in November 1945, a few months after the end of the war. Admiral Raymond Spruance served in US Navy during World War Two. Two minutes later, 37 dive bombers from Enterprise, led by Lt. Cmdr. B. By shortly after 9 a.m., planes from Yorktown were also on their way. Japanese Admiral in command of the second division of the carrier strike force based on Aircraft Carrier IJN Hiryu. 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. 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. The Japanese intercepted this and soon started sending messages that "AF was short on water. "When I look at myself objectively," he wrote in retirement, "I think that what success I may have achieved through life is largely due to the fact that I am a good judge of men. Admiral Spruance explained the U.S. victory at Midway in the following way. The defeat effectively destroyed the Japanese Navy's air arm. The Saipan campaign began with air attacks on June 10, 1944. That achievement brought praise from Churchill, who wrote to Navy Secretary James Forrestal, Admiral Spruance is again to be congratulated for another fine job. 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. Carrier units of his force penetrated waters of the Japanese homeland and Nansei Shoto. On October 16, 1946, the former Secretary of War, Robert P. Patterson, presented the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Admiral Spruance, with citation as follows: Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, U.S. Navy, as Task Force Commander during the capture of the Marshall and Marianas Islands, rendered exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services from January to June 1944. In July 1941, his responsibilities were expanded to include oversight of the Caribbean Sea Frontier. Serving in Manila, Spruance remained abroad until resigning his post in 1955. He withdrew his ships westward, still hoping to draw Spruance into a trap. The main auditorium of the U.S. He wrote the day after the attack and the same day he attended funeral services for the 54 Sailors and Marines killed in the attack. He was survived by his wife and a daughter, Mrs. Gerald S. Bogart of Newport, R.I. His only son, Navy Captain Edward D. Spruance, who served for 30 years, was killed in a car accident in Marin County, Calif., in May 1969. It faced a Japanese invasion fleet organized into two groups: the air-attack task force of four carriers with support ships under command of Admiral Chichi Nagumo, and the surface and occupation forces under Admiral Nobutake Kond and others. In the first months of World War II in the Pacific, Spruance commanded the four heavy cruisers and support ships of Cruiser Division Five from his flagship, the heavy cruiser USSNorthampton. Furthermore, Spruance ordered that the air squadrons fly directly to their targets before assembling every squadron into a proper formation, gambling that the attacks would leave the enemy carriers in disarray and delay the launching of their own counterstrike. Launched the planes that were responsible for the sinking of nearly all 4 Japanese Carriers at Midway. 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 commanded U.S. naval forces during two of the most significant naval battles that took place in the Pacific Theatre: the Battle of Midway and the Battle of the Philippine Sea. During the operation, the Fifth Fleet burned up 630 million gallons of fuelmore than the entire Pacific Fleet used in 1943. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. The assault began at dawn on November 20, 1943, and the fighting raged for 76 hours. Spruances fleet had prevented the Japanese from reinforcing the Saipan garrison. In the opening weeks of the conflict, Spruance's cruisers served under Vice Admiral William "Bull" Halsey and took part in raids against the Gilbert and Marshall Islands before striking Wake Island. Raymond Ames Spruance (July 3, 1886 - December 13, 1969) was a United States Navy admiral in World War II. The defenders fought fiercely but were unable to inflict any damage on the U.S. vessels. The Battle of Midway was fought June 4-7, 1942, during World War II (1939-1945) and was the turning point of the war in the Pacific. On April 22, Task Force 58s guns and planes supported the U.S. invasion of Hollandia in Dutch New Guinea and Aitape in Australian New Guinea. As the island-hopping campaign began, MacArthur continued his . After serving aboard the battleship Iowa, Spruance went on a world cruise aboard the battleship Minnesota. Meanwhile, his search planes found no sign of any American warships. Notwithstanding their different personalities, Spruance and Halsey were close friends. He held that post until the following February, when he was ordered back to the Naval War College at Newportthis time as president. 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. Spruance became a shadowy sort of legend in the Navy. As his staff worked, Halsey used the fleet to win the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The American toll was 1,100 dead and almost 2,300 wounded. Retribution was not long in coming. northwestward of Midway. I finally wangled two months at sea, in 1918, before the war was over. 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. [7], Spruance ran a quiet bridge, without chit-chat; he demanded that orders be given concisely and clearly. He commanded U.S. naval forces during one of the most significant naval battles that took place in the Pacific Theatre: the Battle of the Philippine Sea. President Harry S. Truman appointed him ambassador to the Philippines in January 1952, and he served until March 1955. He was dragged out of his flagship Akagi before it sank against his will. A number of strategic and tactical errors contributed to the Japanese defeat: Yamamotos virtual isolation on the bridge of Yamato and his failure to maintain an overall grip on the strategic situation; a loss of nerve on the part of Nagumo; tradition that led Yamaguchi and other enemy commanders to go down with their ships instead of trying to recover the initiative; insufficient reconnaissance against the U.S. carriers; a lack of high-altitude fighter cover; inadequate fire precautions aboard the ships; and the launching of airstrikes from all four fleet carriers at the same time, so that there was a critical period when the Japanese carrier force had little defensive capability. Bombs destroyed the bridge of Kaga and set her ablaze from stem to stern. https://www.historynet.com/admiral-raymond-a-spruance-modest-victor-of-midway/, Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot, How Operation Homecoming Was Sprung into Action to Repatriate American POWs. Admiral Raymond Ames Spruance was a key American naval commander who served in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Mounting a tenacious defense, the Japanese held out for over a month. The U.S. Navy's decisive victory in the air-sea battle (June 3-6, 1942) and its successful defense of the major base located at Midway Island dashed Japan's hopes of neutralizing the United. His father wanted him to go to West Point, but young Raymond yearned to go to sea. That is how the US navy could inflict great damage to the Japanese fleet and aircraft. This was followed by a promotion to Deputy Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet in September. [27], Spruance was an active man who thought nothing of walking eight or 10 miles a day. Once theBattle of the Philippine Sea came to an end, Spruance returned to Pearl Harbour to help plan other landings in the future. On November 24, Spruance relieved Nimitz as Commander, US Pacific Fleet. Admiral Ernest J. The Americans lost only 17 planes and no ships. Japanese supporting aircraft carrier in Aleutian islands campaign. United States Rear Admiral in command of Task Force 17 on the USS Yorktown. Commanding the battleship for nearly two years, Spruance was aboard when World War II began in Europe. He shifted his flag to the old battleship USSNew Mexico of the shore bombardment force after Indianapolis was struck by a Kamikaze off Okinawa. Nimitz had no battleships left after the Pearl Harbor attack, and after the Battle of the Coral Sea there were only two flattops ready for action, Enterprise and Hornet. The attack fails to destroy any airfields or major targets. He graduated from the U.S. So the US navy had a good idea of what to expect from the Japanese fleet and how to counterattack it. >On March 29, 1944, Admiral Spruance took tactical command of a three-pronged assault against the Palau Islands, 550 miles east of the Philippines, and against Yap Island and Ulithi Atoll in the western Carolines. Spruance died in Pebble Beach, California, on December 13, 1969, and was buried with full military honors at Golden Gate National Cemetery near San Francisco. While screening the American invasion of Saipan in June 1944, Spruance defeated the Japanese fleet in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. She went down with Admiral Yamaguchi, an outstanding flag officer who, it was said, would have been Yamamotos successor had he lived. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. My mind is blank. Spruance is depicted as the controversial victor of Midway by G. D. Spradlin in the 1988 TV miniseries War and Remembrance. It is still the largest warship built to date and survived the battle undamaged as it never came near the battlefield despite Yamamoto's protests. "Well, pick it up and put it back," was Spruance's measured response.[8]. 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 At 10.26am on 4 June 1942 the course of World War Two in the Pacific changed utterly. [Admiral Spruance wrote this foreward for Mitsuo Fuchida's book, Midway, The Battle That Doomed Japan; The Japanese Navy's . From 1952 to 1955 Spruance served as the American ambassador to Philippines. I am lazy, and I never have done things myself that I could get someone to do for me. Things did not look hopeful for Spruance and his force on the eve of Midway. Shortly after the Midway battle, Spruance became chief of staff to Admiral Nimitz, and in September 1942 was appointed as Deputy Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet. Spruance's first duty assignment was aboard the battleship USSIowa, an 11,400 ton veteran of the SpanishAmerican War. 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 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. 2015. His air group is credited with the sinking of 4 Japanese aircraft carriers during Midway. He enjoyed hot chocolate and would make it for himself every morning. 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. Returning to Newport, Spruance remained at the college until retiring from the US Navy on July 1, 1948. Admiral Yamaguchi and the Hiryu's captain decide to stay aboard the ship. His squadron successfully ambushed and sank 3 Japanese Aircraft Carriers, Lieutenant in command of the USS Hornet air group. In June 1942 the United States and Japan fought for control of Midway Island in the South Pacific. Only 17 of the islands 4,690 Japanese defenders survived to become prisoners. Meanwhile, Task Force 58 was busy in the forefront of clearing the Japanese from the 600-mile-long Marianas chain. Then, reflect on the education opportunities that God has provided us today. Historian Samuel Eliot Morison believed he was one of the greatest fighting and thinking admirals in American naval history. Official Navy historian Samuel Eliot Morison characterized Spruance's performance as "superb", and he was nicknamed "electric brain" for his calmness even in moments of supreme crisis, a reputation enhanced by his successful tactics. From the remaining enemy carrier, Hiryu, Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi launched bombers and torpedo planes against Yorktown. Spruance's achievements were acknowledged by the unique distinction of a special act of Congress awarding him Admiral's full pay for life. United States Aircraft Carrier attached to Task Force 16. The slow-moving Devastators were easy targets for the Japanese gunners and Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero fighters, and all 15 were shot down. He graduated from Shortridge High School and went on to the U.S. Spruances performance at Midway so impressed Admiral Nimitz that he made him his chief of staff. For most of the war, Spruance preferred to use the heavy cruiser USSIndianapolis, named for his hometown, as his flagship. Moving into position near Midway, Spruance's force was later joined by Rear Admiral Frank J. Fletcher's TF 17 which included the carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5). On 6 December 1941 Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japanese bombers and America was swept into World War Two. The recipient of the letter below was his longtime friend and former chief-of-staff Captain Charles "Carl" J. Moore. Although some historians and many newsmen have written many words about Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, U.S. Navy and his brilliant career in the Pacific in World War II, the complete story of this reserved and self-effacing man . Biographies, 20th century collection, Navy Department Library, Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, Spruance, Raymond A. I can thank heredity for a sound constitution, and myself for taking care of that constitution." Early on, Halsey had led his task force on hit-and-run raids against the Japanese in the western Pacific: striking the Gilbert and Marshall islands in February 1942, Wake Island in March, and projecting the air power of the Doolittle Raid against the Japanese homeland in April. Naval Academy in 1906 and received further education in electrical engineering a few years later. Was the site of a naval battle between the United States and Japan in 1942. He managed to gain an appointment from Indiana to the U.S. Its commanding officers Admiral Yamaguchi and the ship's captain both stayed aboard their ship. Before the Battle of the Coral Sea on 7-8 May 1942, the Imperial Navy of Japan had swept aside all of its enemies from the Pacific and Indian oceans. The Turning Point in the Pacific. To the Aleutians, the Japanese dispatched an invasion task force of three transports carrying 2,400 troops, supported by two heavy cruisers, a two-carrier support force and a covering group of four battleships. Fletcher would command Task Force 17, but the task force flag ship, USSYorktown, had been badly damaged at the Battle of the Coral Sea and the formation's other carrier, Lexington, had been sunk, but at Nimitz's behest Yorktown was patched-repaired in "rush" time purposefully to join the Midway operation.[11]. 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 further schooling at the Stevens Preparatory School in New Jersey, Spruance applied to and was accepted by the US Naval Academy in 1903. In August 1943, Spruance, now a vice admiral, returned to sea as Commander Central Pacific Force. The Navy honored Spruance by giving his name to a new class of 30 destroyers, the first of which, USS Spruance, was launched in 1973. Though this gamble paid off, Enterprise air squadrons would pay a heavy price, flying in piece-meal and mostly without fighter escort. And with this battle the American forces gained, and afterwards continued to gain, hard combat experience; so the Japanese lost that crucial advantage as well. 7 reviews. He envied no one, rivaled no man, won the respect of almost everyone with whom he came in contact, and went ahead in his quiet way, winning victories for his country.When we come to the admirals who commanded at sea, and who directed a great battle, there was no one to equal Spruance. HistoryLearning.com. Japanese Admiral and a pioneer in aircraft carrier warfare. 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. 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.