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. His chance would come. Unites States Rear Admiral in command of Task Force 16 on the USS Enterprise. Naval Academy in 1906 and received further education in electrical engineering a few years later. Raymond Spruance was born in Baltimore on July 3, 1886, the son of Alexander and Annie Spruance. Four fleet carriers and the heavy cruiser Mikuma were sunk; a cruiser, three destroyers, an oiler and a battleship were damaged. He was in this post on June 4, 1942, when the Japanese navy attacked Midway Island in force. On April 1, Spruance began the Battle of Okinawa. 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. [7], Spruance ran a quiet bridge, without chit-chat; he demanded that orders be given concisely and clearly. 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. But his service was not yet finished. Some people asked why he did not take take advantage of the chaotic scene to attack all of Japans air carriers. B. Jim Crow Laws As the war progressed, Spruance became one of two primary fleet commanders, the other being Admiral William "Bull" Halsey, employed by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. 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. The struggle by the U.S. Marine 2nd Division for Betio Islet on Tarawa Atoll was the bloodiest single action in the Corps long history. 108 planes under Juichi Tomanaga bomb and strafe Midway. A. Desegregation of Society At 10.26am on 4 June 1942 the course of World War Two in the Pacific changed utterly. Halsey was aggressive and a risk taker. On 6 December 1941 Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japanese bombers and America was swept into World War Two. He attended grade and high schools in East Orange, N.J., and in Indianapolis. Since US intelligence had reported the possibility that the Kido Butai would be operating in two separate task forces, that meant that Fletcher only knew the location of half of the carrier force. >A few days later, Mitscher rejoined Spruance and the Fifth Fleet. 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. After the enemys raids on Midway, Admiral Spruance ordered the launching of every possible plane to search for and attack the Japanese carriers. 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 first Japanese airstrike was followed by another. Just before the planned invasion of Midway island in June 1942, Halsey suddenly became ill with shingles. On June 19, however, hundreds of planes from nine Japanese aircraft carriers attacked the Fifth Fleet. Notwithstanding their different personalities, Spruance and Halsey were close friends. In May 1914, Spruance received a posting as Assistant to the Inspector of Machinery at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. Spruance became a shadowy sort of legend in the Navy. 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. Most historians consider Midway the turning point of the Pacific War.[1]. Hiryu class Japanese aircraft carrier that was part of the second detachment of the Japanese carrier strike force. Born on 3 July 1886, Spruance graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1906. US Naval Task Force under Frank Fletcher with aircraft carrier Yorktown. He shifted his flag to the old battleship USSNew Mexico of the shore bombardment force after Indianapolis was struck by a Kamikaze off Okinawa. 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. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. Traveling to the Pacific, he was in this post when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7 forcing the US to enter the war. The attack fails to destroy any airfields or major targets. Though this gamble paid off, Enterprise air squadrons would pay a heavy price, flying in piece-meal and mostly without fighter escort. The Battle of Midway infused the U.S. Pacific Navy with confidence. Spruance had earned a restful retirement at his home in Pebble Beach, Calif., 125 miles south of San Francisco, with his wife, son and daughter. U.S. losses were low: 25 airplanes and 18 lives. Meanwhile, his search planes found no sign of any American warships. Ambassador to the Philippines in 1952-55. This site is using cookies under cookie policy . Then Nagumos force was spotted by torpedo bombers from Hornets squadron VT-8, led by Lt. Cmdr. Summing up his appraisal of this outstanding sailor, Morison noted: Spruance in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, overriding Mitscher the carrier expert in letting the enemy planes come at him instead of going in search of them, won the second most decisive battle of the Pacific war. Graduating from Annapolis three years later, he served two years at sea before receiving his commission as an ensign on September 13, 1908. My personal congratulations. How did Paul's education The Japanese navy could never accept this catastrophic loss. Spruance was a dedicated sailorthorough in his absorption of all aspects of training and techniques. Japanese aircraft carrier attached to the Main Body of the fleet and saw close to no action. 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. Hiryu class Japanese aircraft carrier that was the flagship of the second detachment of the carrier strike force. Flagship of Kakuta. Historian Samuel Eliot Morison believed he was one of the greatest fighting and thinking admirals in American naval history. This was in July 1938, and this time he was the battleships commander. 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. Naval Academy at Annapolis. In this position, he traveled to London and Edinburgh. His wife, Margaret Dean (18881985), is buried alongside him, as are Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, his longtime friend Admiral Richmond K. Turner, and Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, an arrangement made by all of them while living. 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. He was modest and candid about himself. In January 1945, Spruance resumed command of the fleet and began moving against Iwo Jima. Yet the decision is hailed by the series's narrator as instrumental in sealing the American victory. On December 30, 1914, Spruance married Margaret Vance Dean, the daughter of an Indianapolis businessman. I finally wangled two months at sea, in 1918, before the war was over. [13] But in summing up Spruance's performance in the battle, Morison wrote: "Fletcher did well, but Spruance's performance was superb. Raymond A. Spruance emerged from the battle one of the greatest admirals in American naval history". They were hurled back decisively, and the losses353 enemy planes downed, 21 U.S. aircraft lostamazed the Americans. The gloomy reports from Nagumo and his other commanders led Yamamoto to suspend his assault on Midway. The young, ambitious officer was then assigned to Bainbridge, U.S. destroyer No. [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. It was hit and sunk by American dive bombers and the submarine USS Nautilus. Admiral Spruances last campaigns were the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and he was awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism. 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. Known as "island hopping," U.S. forces moved from island to island, using each as a base for capturing the next. But what was important about this actionthe first naval battle in history fought by fleets that never came within sight of each otherwas that the U.S. Navy had thwarted the enemys planned capture of Port Moresby in strategic New Guinea. Hickman, Kennedy. It was the only aircraft carrier in the presence of Midway Island to survive the dive bomber attack and launched two and a half waves of planes against the United States Navy. The score was 402 Japanese planes and six ships, with a loss of 122 planes from Mitschers flattops. [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. 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 is now being told for the first time by one of his close friends and wartime associates. US Naval Task force under Raymond Spruance with 2 carriers, Enterprise and Hornet. He disliked personal publicity and had a reputation for freezing reporters who invaded his privacy. Following the campaign, Spruance turned the fleet over to Halsey and began planning operations to capture Iwo Jima. Raymond Ames Spruance as Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher, Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee - 1945 This saw him win a victory at Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944 as part of the Allied "island-hopping" campaign across the Pacific. He was uniquely modest and candid about himself all his life. He commanded that vessel during the patrols with the Atlantic Fleet until January 1920, when he assumed command of newly commissioned destroyer USS Percival in San Francisco, California. 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. In the seven-week campaign, 55 Japanese ships were sunk, five probably sunk and 74 damaged. Biographies, 20th century collection, Navy Department Library. 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. He was a diligent, neat and gentle boy. "[16] Both Fletcher and Nimitz recommended Spruance for the Distinguished Service Medal for his role in the battle. After six furious minutes, the three carriers were left burning. He did not discuss his private life, feelings, prejudices, hopes or fears, except with his family and his closest friends. 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. And, off Okinawa, Spruance never faltered in face of the destruction wrought by the kamikazes. When you moved into Admiral Spruance's command, the printed instructions were up to date, and you did things in accordance with them.[19]. 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. Locating the Japanese carriers as they were rearming and refueling their aircraft, American bombers inflicted massive damage and sank three. 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. Richmond Kelly Turner and Harry W. Hill and Marine Generals Holland M. Smith and Julian C. Smith. Raymond Ames Spruance (July 3, 1886 - December 13, 1969) was a United States Navy admiral during World War II.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.He also commanded Task Force 16 at the Battle of Midway, comprising the carriers Enterprise and Hornet. . Japanese submarine I-168 torpedoes and torpedoes a damaged US aircraft carrier and its escorting destroyer. [30] He is shown to be at loggerheads with his staff on numerous occasions and corrected by them once. Enterprise dive bombers critically damaged two Japanese carriers including Nagumo's flagship Akagi; while the Yorktown air group, launched after Fletcher was confident that all Japanese carriers were accounted for, crippled the Soryu. Japanese Vice Admiral in command of the Japanese Carrier strike force based on the Aircraft Carrier IJN Akagi. It's commanding officer, Captain Yanagimoto, volunteered to stay aboard and go down with his ship. They would draw them north to deal with a Japanese invasion in the bleak Aleutian Islands, and then strike at unprotected Midway. 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. That is how the US navy could inflict great damage to the Japanese fleet and aircraft. The American losses were Yorktown, destroyer Hammann and 147 planes. On April 28, the last day of the invasion, Spruances command was redesignated as the Fifth Fleet. Landing troops on Saipan on June 15, he defeated Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa at the Battle of the Philippine Sea a few days later. The carriers were on station on June 2, and the following day Japanese transport ships were spotted 600 miles west of Midway Island. But due to a printing error on the executive calendar of nominations, Spruance was officially promoted only to his former rank of vice admiral. This time we were right because the enemy did what we expected him to do. It was June 4, Admiral Raymond A. Spruance and Admira Fletcher had to engage four Japanese ships in the Battle of Midway. Admiral Spruance commanded with deadly precision, reported an observer.[20]. 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. His next assignment was command of the destroyer Aaron Ward, and then USS Perceval. Was the site of a naval battle between the United States and Japan in 1942. 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. Inflict great damage to the Inspector of Machinery at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company to., ambitious officer was then assigned to Bainbridge, U.S. destroyer no as instrumental in sealing American! 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