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. His torpedo bombershaving switched to bombs for the attack on Midwaywere away, and most of his protective fighters were out on patrol. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. My personal congratulations. While in that capacity he assumed additional duty as a member of the board on doctrine of aircraft in connection with fleet fire control. 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. 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. In August 1943, Spruance, now a vice admiral, returned to sea as Commander Central Pacific Force. The assault began at dawn on November 20, 1943, and the fighting raged for 76 hours. 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. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Was the site of a naval battle between the United States and Japan in 1942. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. It was a cool, clear day. He was fond of symphonic music, and his tastes were generally simple. The Japanese lost 322 airplanes, most of them going down with the carriers. It was his job to protect the landing force.[8]. In June 1942 the United States and Japan fought for control of Midway Island in the South Pacific. He was then ordered to the China station, with sea duty aboard the battleship Connecticut and the cruiser Cincinnati. Biblical essay :)God made great use of Paul's education in Tarsus and his training as a Pharisee under Gamaliel. Commanded the first Japanese air strike against Midway Island at the beginning of the battle. All three were eventually scuttled. Only 17 of the islands 4,690 Japanese defenders survived to become prisoners. The attack fails to destroy any airfields or major targets. This was followed by an assault on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands on January 31, 1944. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. That same month, he directed Operation Hailstone which saw American carrier aircraft repeatedly strike the Japanese base at Truk. B. Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, U.S. Navy, April 1955 . These attacks were followed by a raid against Marcus Island. The U.S. fleet lost fewer men, but it lost a fleet carrier while the Japanese lost only the light carrier Shoho. Besides, the Japanese only had 35 serviceable planes left, rendering her carriers toothless. Spruance was put in command of Task Force 16, which included two carriers: USS Enterprise and USS Hornet, and was instrumental in the decisive US victory in the Battle of Midway. . Spruance was calculating and cautious. In January 1945, Spruance resumed command of the fleet and began moving against Iwo Jima. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. Serving in Manila, Spruance remained abroad until resigning his post in 1955. 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. 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. Before Midway, a small and fractional U.S. Navy faced an overwhelmingly larger and battle-hardened Japanese Combined Fleet. About us| 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. After another three-year tour at the Naval War College, Spruance was again ordered to sea aboard Mississippi. 1, and he commanded her until 1914. After air assaults, two rocky islands, Kiska and Attu, were occupied by Japanese ground forces. The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the Pacific War. Towards the end of that year, Spruance commanded a cruiser division supporting Admiral Halsey's carrier, the 'Enterprise', at Wake Island. The American losses were Yorktown, destroyer Hammann and 147 planes. He was decorated with Order of Leopold and Croix de guerre with Palm by the Government of Belgium for his service for the Allied cause.[26]. And, off Okinawa, Spruance never faltered in face of the destruction wrought by the kamikazes. In this position, he traveled to London and Edinburgh. There are submarines, there are mini-submarines, and then there are human torpedoes. catalogued as someone to watch; there was never any possibility that he would be passed over in the lists for promotion. A total of 1,132 enemy planes were put out of action. His flagship was badly damaged by the Japanese and was hit by two torpedoes from a Japanese submarine before sinking. At the crucial Battle of Midway, your daring and skilled leadership routed the enemy in the full tide of his advance and established the pattern of air-sea warfare which was to lead to his eventual capitulation. Admiral Yamaguchi and the Hiryu's captain decide to stay aboard the ship. The three-day operation was the most extensive ever undertaken by carriers. On April 1, Spruance began the Battle of Okinawa. 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. Spruance rewarded his trust by playing a decisive role in the US victory at the Battle Of Midway. On 13 May 1945, Admiral Raymond Spruance put pen to paper and described the second kamikaze attack he experienced at Okinawa. Japanese fleet in charge of landing army units on Midway. His seagoing career was extensive, including command of five destroyers and the battleship Mississippi. Flagship of Task Force 16 under the command of Raymond Spruance. Clarence McClusky, swooped from 19,000 feet onto Nagumos ships. This site is using cookies under cookie policy . >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. His next assignment was command of the destroyer Aaron Ward, and then USS Perceval. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. 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. Four fleet carriers and the heavy cruiser Mikuma were sunk; a cruiser, three destroyers, an oiler and a battleship were damaged. 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. Write down what your favorite food is and why to get 50 points :), Select TWO facts about the relationship between Constantinople and Christianity. Admiral Spruance commanded with deadly precision, reported an observer.[20]. Yamamoto himself was based on the battleship Yamato, which is the largest warship built to date. During the attacks, the Japanese lost twelve warships, thirty-two merchant ships, and 249 aircraft. The Fifth Fleet commanders citation read: Responsible for the operation of a vast and complicated organization which included more than 500,000 men of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, 318 combatant vessels and 1,139 auxiliary vessels, [he] directed the forces under his command with daring, courage and aggressiveness. At Midway, Spruance's force inflicted on the Imperial Japanese Navy its worst setback in 350 years. Close to Japan, Allied planners intended to use Okinawa as a springboard for the eventual invasion of the Home Islands. Arriving back in the United States, he underwent additional training in electrical engineering at General Electric before being posted to USS Connecticut (BB-18) in May 1910. Spruance did not want to leave troops on the Marianas islands unguarded as he chased Jisaburo Ozawas retreating fleet. Covered by fog and lashed by storms most of the time, they were generally unsuitable for air or naval bases. Yamato class battleship that served as the Japanese Combined Fleet's Flagship, housing Admiral Yamamoto. During the Midway engagement which resulted in the defeat of and heavy losses to the enemy fleet, his seamanship, endurance, and tenacity in handling his task force were of the highest quality. [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. Spruance's achievements were acknowledged by the unique distinction of a special act of Congress awarding him Admiral's full pay for life. 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. The Americans were gravely outnumbered by the lurking enemy armada. Hiryu class Japanese aircraft carrier that was part of the second detachment of the Japanese carrier strike force. [17], The Battle of Midway is considered by many to be a turning point of the war in the Pacific, along with the Guadalcanal campaign. "Foreward for Midway." US Naval Institute Proceedings 81, no. Up until this time, the Japanese had captured island after island as they . HistoryLearning.com. The battle would open in the mist-shrouded Aleutians with airstrikes against Dutch Harbor on June 3, followed by landings at three points on June 6. World War II: Fleet Admiral William Halsey Jr. World War II Pacific: The Japanese Advance Stopped, M.S., Information and Library Science, Drexel University, B.A., History and Political Science, Pennsylvania State University. 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. [12] Spruance assumed command of Task Force 16 with its two carriers, USSEnterprise and USSHornet, under battle command of Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher. When not in command of the fleet the admirals, and their staffs, were based at Pearl Harbor and planned future operations. The month before, American and Japanese naval units had fought the Battle of the Coral Sea, and both closely matched sides had suffered. 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 . It was hit and sunk by American dive bombers and the submarine USS Nautilus. Naval Academy in 1906,[5] and received further, hands-on education in electrical engineering a few years later. In the course of a two-hour interview, he stood or walked about all the timenot restlessly, but slowly and deliberately. 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. Admiral Raymond A. Spruance displayed outstanding leadership and command capabilities during the battle that turned the tide in the Pacific. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz,, Commander in Chief, Pacific, (right) and, Admiral Raymond Spruance, Commander, Central Pacific Force, (center) Tour Kwajalein Island, Marshalls, February 5,1944, following its capture. 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. Overseeing the Battle of Tarawa in November 1943, he guided Allied forces as they advanced through the Gilbert Islands. 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. The Japanese intercepted this and soon started sending messages that "AF was short on water. 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. 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