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. Though Spruance had not led a carrier force in the past, Nimitz agreed as the rear admiral would be aided by Halsey's staff, including the gifted Captain Miles Browning. He was commissioned an ensign in 1908, and during a tour of shore duty he took a postgraduate course in electrical engineering in Schenectady, N.Y. Spruance graduated from the U.S. The Turning Point in the Pacific. Privacy Policy, Admiral Raymond Spruance served in US Navy during. 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. 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. On the afternoon of June 4, 24 American dive bombersincluding 10 refugees from Yorktownscored four hits on Hiryu. Aboard the Japanese flattops, many torpedo-carrying planes were waiting for fighters to take off as the American planes dived. Two years later, he aided in the fitting out of USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) then under construction in the yard. 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. He advanced quickly through the ranks, becoming an admiral in 1944. After three days of pre-invasion bombardment, Marines landed on Roi Islet and captured it the same day. Most common sailors were proud to serve under Halsey; most higher-ranking officers preferred to serve under Spruance. Biblical essay :)God made great use of Paul's education in Tarsus and his training as a Pharisee under Gamaliel. Known for his calm in moments of crisis, Admiral Spruance became one of the U.S. Navy's largest assets in World War II. He was uniquely modest and candid about himself all his life. (2021, July 31). >The fleet units shielding the Marianas invasion forces were also under Spruances command. 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. From 1952 to 1955 Spruance served as the American ambassador to Philippines. 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. Spruance directed Operation Hailstone against the Japanese naval base Truk in February 1944 in which twelve Japanese warships, thirty-two merchant ships and 249 aircraft were destroyed. For that assault, Spruance led the most powerful naval strike force in history. But his service was not yet finished. Japanese fleet in charge of landing army units on Midway. 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. 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. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. The Battle of Midway was the first major victory for the United States over Japan and is seen by many as . 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. This article was written by Michael D. Hull and originally appeared in the May 1998 issue of World War II magazine. This gave rise to the description of Spruance as "an Admiral's admiral". 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. At Midway, dive bombers from the Enterprise crippled sank four larger carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. With Okinawa's fall in June, Spruance rotated back to Pearl Harbor to begin planning the invasion of Japan. He remained in the position only briefly as he accepted a posting as President of the Naval War College on February 1, 1946. On April 1, Spruance began the Battle of Okinawa. 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. The repulse of the Japanese invasion fleet at Midway, and critically the destruction of the Kido Butai, allowed the U.S. to gain parity in the naval air war. The heavily fortified islands, former British possessions, were of strategic value because of their good landing strips and naval base. Above all, Midway was the turning point that heralded the ultimate defeat of Japan. In the seven-week campaign, 55 Japanese ships were sunk, five probably sunk and 74 damaged. Historian Morison later described Spruances performance at Midway as superb. He also held several engineering, intelligence, staff and Naval War College positions up to the 1940s. 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. On November 24, Spruance relieved Nimitz as Commander, US Pacific Fleet. 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. Overseeing the Battle of Tarawa in November 1943, he guided Allied forces as they advanced through the Gilbert Islands. When you moved into Admiral Spruance's command, the printed instructions were up to date, and you did things in accordance with them.[19]. Admiral Spruance explained the U.S. victory at Midway in the following way. This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. 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. Shortly before his retirement, Spruance received the following Letter of Commendation from the Secretary of the Navy: Your brilliant record of achievement in World War II played a decisive part in our victory in the Pacific. catalogued as someone to watch; there was never any possibility that he would be passed over in the lists for promotion. In this position, he traveled to London and Edinburgh. 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. ThoughtCo. Spruance rewarded his trust by playing a decisive role in the US victory at the Battle Of Midway. When Midway began on June 4, 1942 the first few waves of U.S. aircraft were greatly outnumbered by Japanese forces. Early on the morning of Thursday, June 4, 1942, Nagumos carriers launched a 108-plane strike against Midway and inflicted John C. Waldron. At 8:20 a.m., Nagumos observers reported a group of American ships 200 miles away. You can specify conditions of storing and accessing cookies in your browser, How does Admiral Spruance explain the U.S. victory, The Brown case began what trend in American The Japanese lost 322 airplanes, most of them going down with the carriers. Armed with this information, Fletcher ordered Spruance to launch a strike at the Japanese with Enterprise and Hornet while holding Yorktown in reserve in case the other Japanese carriers were discovered. Since the Japanese planes were returning from the Midway strike, Spruance ordered that his strike be launched without delay so as to maximize the chances that the Japanese carriers would be caught while landing planes or spotting the next wave. 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. 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. Launched the planes that were responsible for the sinking of nearly all 4 Japanese Carriers at Midway. It was interesting work, but I wouldnt want to do it for a living. 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. In 1939 he was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral. Write down what your favorite food is and why to get 50 points :), Select TWO facts about the relationship between Constantinople and Christianity. Aircraft carrier that served as the flagship of Task Force 17 and Admiral Fletcher. The Japanese carriers were beginning to launch fighters as Torpedo 8 roared down to attack, without fighter cover. 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. Spruance was an active man who thought nothing of walking eight or 10 miles a day. Lt Tomanaga leads Japanese Torpedo Bombers to attack the remaining carriers. "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. The US intelligence services could predict the way the Japanese carriers and planes would be approaching the battle. 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. Meanwhile, Task Force 58 was busy in the forefront of clearing the Japanese from the 600-mile-long Marianas chain. Successfully concluding operations, Spruance was promoted to admiral in February. 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. [22] Spruance later chose the battleship USSNew Jersey as his flagship, as the huge Iowa-class battleship had both room for his staff and the speed to keep up with the fast carrier task forces. They were hurled back decisively, and the losses353 enemy planes downed, 21 U.S. aircraft lostamazed the Americans. Admiral Nimitz praised Spruance for a remarkable job. Nagumo ordered his planes rearmed on their return. President Harry S. Truman appointed him ambassador to the Philippines in January 1952, and he served until March 1955. In June 1942 the United States and Japan fought for control of Midway Island in the South Pacific. [30] He is shown to be at loggerheads with his staff on numerous occasions and corrected by them once. The first Japanese airstrike was followed by another. I was shanghaied ashore in November of the next year to take over as electrical superintendent at the New York Navy Yard, said Spruance. 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). The sole survivor of the squadrons 30 officers and men was Ensign George H. Gay, Jr., who spent several hours floating in the water, watching the battle. In April, Nimitz divided command of the Central Pacific Force between Spruance and Halsey. About his intellect he was equally unpretentious: Some people believe that when I am quiet that I am thinking some deep and important thoughts, when the fact is that I am thinking of nothing at all. US Naval Task Force under Frank Fletcher with aircraft carrier Yorktown. It was his job to protect the landing force.[8]. the prospects for its inclusion in doctrine The logical starting point is Admiral Chester Nimitz's famous "letter of instruction" (actually, of course, transmitted . 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