Historian Samuel Eliot Morison believed he was one of the greatest fighting and thinking admirals in American naval history. His air group is credited with the sinking of 4 Japanese aircraft carriers during Midway. 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. So the US navy had a good idea of what to expect from the Japanese fleet and how to counterattack it. Admiral Spruance commanded with deadly precision, reported an observer.[20]. 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. Morisons text refers to Spruance, victor at Midway. Spruance commanded US naval forces during two of the most significant naval battles that took place in the Pacific theater, the Battle of Midway and the Battle of the Philippine Sea. During the attacks, the Japanese lost twelve warships, thirty-two merchant ships, and 249 aircraft. 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. As the island-hopping campaign began, MacArthur continued his . King said to him "Spruance, you did a damn fine job there. Besides his family, he loved the companionship of his pet schnauzer, Peter. Naval Academy in 1906 and from the Naval War College in 1927 where he taught for a few years. The battle commenced on the morning of June4; the first several waves of U.S. attack aircraft were badly beaten, both near Midway and at sea around the Japanese task force. Spruance's achievements were acknowledged by the unique distinction of a special act of Congress awarding him Admiral's full pay for life. "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. Known for his calm in moments of crisis, Admiral Spruance became one of the U.S. Navy's largest assets in World War II. Japanese Admiral and a pioneer in aircraft carrier warfare. On December 30, 1914, Spruance married Margaret Vance Dean, the daughter of an Indianapolis businessman. He was modest and candid about himself. Japanese submarine I-168 torpedoes and torpedoes a damaged US aircraft carrier and its escorting destroyer. Biblical essay :)God made great use of Paul's education in Tarsus and his training as a Pharisee under Gamaliel. Historian Morison later described Spruances performance at Midway as superb. Admiral Raymond Ames Spruance was a key American naval commander who served in the Pacific Theater of World War II.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. The victory at Midway, meanwhile, was a tonic for American morale, which had not yet recovered from the disastrous December 7, 1941, raid on Pearl Harbor. During the third week of May 1942, U.S. naval intelligence units confirmed that the Japanese wouldby early Juneinvade Midway Island. Most of Nagumo's attack planes had just returned from the first strike on Midway and were immobilized on the carrier hangers, while his combat air patrol cover planes were engaged with battling torpedo bombers from Hornet. [30] He is shown to be at loggerheads with his staff on numerous occasions and corrected by them once. >A few days later, Mitscher rejoined Spruance and the Fifth Fleet. He managed to gain an appointment from Indiana to the U.S. The first Japanese airstrike was followed by another. This occurred at the same time that Admiral Turner's forces were attacking Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshalls, about 700 miles to the east. His flagship was badly damaged by the Japanese and was hit by two torpedoes from a Japanese submarine before sinking. Raymond A. Spruance emerged from the battle one of the greatest admirals in American naval history". Advertisement Still have questions? The defenders fought fiercely but were unable to inflict any damage on the U.S. vessels. Japanese Admiral in command of the second division of the carrier strike force based on Aircraft Carrier IJN Hiryu. 108 planes under Juichi Tomanaga bomb and strafe Midway. Then he returned to the Naval War College as a staff member. 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. He withdrew his ships westward, still hoping to draw Spruance into a trap. Admiral Raymond Spruance served in US Navy during World War Two. By 1939, at the age of 53, Spruance had spent 18 years at sea. When Yorktown was struck at Midway, however, Fletcher transferred his flag to the cruiser Astoria and placed Spruance tactically in charge. Born on 3 July 1886, Spruance graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1906. In October 1946 he was awarded the Armys Distinguished Service Medal for his exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services during the capture of the Marshall and Mariana islands. 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. Akagi and Kaga subsequently went down. 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. In May 1942, intelligence suggested that the Japanese were planning on assaulting Midway Island. In 1939 he was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral. Admiral Spruance could have been right. Hickman, Kennedy. Calm, collected, decisive, yet receptive to advice; keeping in his mind the picture of widely disparate forces, yet boldly seizing every opening. The Americans lost only 17 planes and no ships. [3] After the war, Spruance was appointed President of the Naval War College, and later served as American ambassador to the Philippines. US Naval Task Force under Frank Fletcher with aircraft carrier Yorktown. [9] On the other hand, commander-in-chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Admiral Chester Nimitz knew he must intercept the Japanese invasion fleet, and that he must give battle to the enemy aircraft carriers before they could project their overwhelming power against the naval air station at Midway. The other U.S. flattop, Yorktown, escaped with one bomb hit. Nagumo ordered his planes rearmed on their return. [Admiral Spruance wrote this foreward for Mitsuo Fuchida's book, Midway, The Battle That Doomed Japan; The Japanese Navy's . Midway Island sent a false message stating that its water distillation plant had been damaged and that the base needed fresh water. https://www.thoughtco.com/admiral-raymond-spruance-2360511 (accessed March 1, 2023). Five days after the Marshalls campaign, Spruance sent the Mitscher force to attack Tinian and Saipan in the Mariana Islands. He was the grandfather of legendary theatre director Anne Bogart. He began attendance at the Naval War College in 1926, and graduated in 1927. 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. Raymond Ames Spruance (July 3, 1886 December 13, 1969) was a United States Navy admiral during World War II. [31] The series, based on Herman Wouk's book of the same name, shows Spruance's decision to end the battle and retreat rather than confront the rest of the Japanese fleet as having been opposed by his subordinates, and he was mocked behind his back as "lacking the stomach." Only 17 of the islands 4,690 Japanese defenders survived to become prisoners. McClusky led one squadron, VB-6, against the carrier Kaga, while the other Enterprise squadron pounced on Nagumos flagship, Akagi. Spruance himself directed a task group of battleships, cruisers and destroyers that left the main body to go after Japanese ships that were fleeing Truk, sinking the light cruiser Katori and destroyer Maikaze. U.S. losses were low: 25 airplanes and 18 lives. 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. Spruance began World War II as a gunship admiral, commanding a division of . 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. Graduating from Annapolis three years later, he served two years at sea before receiving his commission as an ensign on September 13, 1908. He was responsible for leading the 5th Fleet into the pivotal Battle of the Philippines Sea, nicknamed the 'Great Marianas Turkey Shoot' because a total of 365 Japanese planes were brought down. The Americans were able to count on Yorktown, however, after patching her up in an astonishing two days instead of 90 days as had been estimated. He was then ordered to the China station, with sea duty aboard the battleship Connecticut and the cruiser Cincinnati. They met practically no opposition because most of the Zeros were still close to the water, not having had time to climb and counterattack. Raymond Ames Spruance (July 3, 1886 - December 13, 1969) was a United States Navy admiral during World War II. The U.S. Navy counterforce sank all four Japanese carriers while losing one of its own, Yorktown. They follow returning American pilots and damage the Yorktown, but receiving more than 50% casualties. Bombs destroyed the bridge of Kaga and set her ablaze from stem to stern. Lieutenant in command of the USS Yorktown air group. serious damage on the islands installations. However, an invasion was rendered unnecessary when the atomic bomb was used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. 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. However, Spruances fleet was also charged with guarding the amphibious landings at Saipan and Tinian. Naval Academy in 1906 and received further education in electrical engineering a few years later. When Midway began on June 4, 1942 the first few waves of U.S. aircraft were greatly outnumbered by Japanese forces. 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. Four years later, President Harry S. Truman appointed him as Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines. At that time, Admiral Nimitz instituted a unique arrangement in which the command of the vessels which made up the "Big Blue Fleet" alternated between Admiral William Halsey Jr., at which time it was identified as the Third Fleet and Task Force 38, and Admiral Spruance, when it became the Fifth Fleet and Task Force 58. The Japanese managed to inflict only superficial damage on three ships. Commanded the first Japanese air strike against Midway Island at the beginning of the battle. He held that post until the following February, when he was ordered back to the Naval War College at Newportthis time as president. His father wanted him to go to West Point, but young Raymond yearned to go to sea. 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. ThoughtCo, Jul. The month before, American and Japanese naval units had fought the Battle of the Coral Sea, and both closely matched sides had suffered. Just before the planned invasion of Midway island in June 1942, Halsey suddenly became ill with shingles. On August 1, 1941, he finished his tour in Puerto Rico. A total of 1,132 enemy planes were put out of action. The US intelligence services could predict the way the Japanese carriers and planes would be approaching the battle. Leaving, he assumed command of USS Mississippi. Spruance was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, and in May 1943 he was promoted to vice admiral. The fourth was a choice between Halsey and Spruance, and after much deliberation, eventually Halsey was appointed in December 1945. Clarence McClusky, swooped from 19,000 feet onto Nagumos ships. United States bombers sank three Japanese ships. Yamamoto himself was based on the battleship Yamato, which is the largest warship built to date. It is regrettable that, owing to Spruances innate modesty and his refusal to create an image of himself in the public eye, he was never properly appreciated. A. Desegregation of Society When you moved into Admiral Spruance's command, the printed instructions were up to date, and you did things in accordance with them.[19]. With Okinawa's fall in June, Spruance rotated back to Pearl Harbor to begin planning the invasion of Japan. The score was 402 Japanese planes and six ships, with a loss of 122 planes from Mitschers flattops. Then followed two years as assistant chief of staff to the commander of naval forces in Europe; a year of study at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., where he completed the senior course; and two years of duty in the Office of Naval Intelligence. Terms of Use| 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. With the end of the war, Spruance aided in returning American troops home before moving through a succession of engineering postings and destroyer commands. British Royal Navy units helped support the landings. Mounting a tenacious defense, the Japanese held out for over a month. Spruance became a shadowy sort of legend in the Navy. >The fleet units shielding the Marianas invasion forces were also under Spruances command. His steady rise, according to Newsweek magazine, has borne the imprint of his personalityunobtrusive but undeviating. More to his liking was the study of foreign methods of naval fire control, which took him to London and Edinburgh. Analyzing Information How does Admiral Spruance explain the U.S. victory Close to Japan, Allied planners intended to use Okinawa as a springboard for the eventual invasion of the Home Islands. He was promoted to captain in 1932, and the following year he was assigned as chief of staff and aide to the commander of a destroyer scouting force. They were hurled back decisively, and the losses353 enemy planes downed, 21 U.S. aircraft lostamazed the Americans. 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. Yorktown and Task Force 17 were under the command of Rear Adm. Frank Jack Fletcher. The U.S. Navy intercept force centered on the three carriers Enterprise, Hornet, and Yorktown, and their air-attack squadrons. It Didnt End Well. Having attained the rank of commander, Spruance attended the Senior Course at the Naval War College in July 1926. , with a loss of 122 planes from Mitschers flattops of foreign methods of Naval control! 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