1155 (August 1946): 144-157. He received his Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D. Spruance, Raymond A. Spruance also held several engineering . Four days after the invasion, all immediate objectives had been taken, and by February 8, 1944, all organized resistance had ceased. Spruance began World War II as a gunship admiral, commanding a division of . 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 . He was the grandfather of legendary theatre director Anne Bogart. After working to defend neutral American shipping from German U-boats, Spruance received orders to take over Cruiser Division Five in September 1941. It was hit multiple times by aircraft from the IJN Hiryu and later torpedoed by a Japanese submarine before sinking. Just before the planned invasion of Midway island in June 1942, Halsey suddenly became ill with shingles. 7 reviews. He did not discuss his private life, feelings, prejudices, hopes or fears, except with his family and his closest friends. 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. [7], He commanded the Percival during the sea trials off the California coast and during the patrol cruises with the Destroyer Force, Pacific Fleet until May 1922, when he was ordered to Washington, D.C., for duty in the Bureau of Engineering under Rear Admiral John K. Robison. Historian Samuel Eliot Morison believed he was one of the greatest fighting and thinking admirals in American naval history. B. Two years later, Spruance again received orders for the Naval War College and taught on the staff until April 1938. help him spread the Gospel?Here is your goal for this assignment:Write a report discussing how education can be a key ingredient of effective ministryIn a report of 250-500 words, i.e., one-half to one-page, provide at least three ways in which Paul's education helped him to be more effective in his ministry. With it he intended to significantly expand the Imperial Japanese Navy's outer defense perimeter across the central Pacific; and, he believed, this very powerful stroke against Midway would so severely threaten Hawaii and Pearl Harbor that the U.S. government would be induced to sue for peace. When Yorktown was struck at Midway, however, Fletcher transferred his flag to the cruiser Astoria and placed Spruance tactically in charge. It Didnt End Well. Biographies, 20th century collection, Navy Department Library. In 1939 he was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral. United States Rear Admiral in command of Task Force 17 on the USS Yorktown. His air group is credited with the sinking of 4 Japanese aircraft carriers during Midway. [32] Wouk writes in his book that "Spruance escaped [the Japanese fleet admiral] Yamamoto's terrible trap by acting on perfect military instinct. Mitschers force pursued the Japanese fleet and engaged it the following day in the Philippine Sea, sinking the light carrier Hiyo and two oilers (in addition to which submarines Albacore and Cavalla had sunk Taiho and Shokaku the previous day). But his service was not yet finished. After three days of pre-invasion bombardment, Marines landed on Roi Islet and captured it the same day. His squadron successfully ambushed and sank 3 Japanese Aircraft Carriers, Lieutenant in command of the USS Hornet air group. He disliked personal publicity and had a reputation for freezing reporters who invaded his privacy. Flagship of Kakuta. Spruances fleet had prevented the Japanese from reinforcing the Saipan garrison. erful leader. The defeat effectively destroyed the Japanese Navy's air arm. He never smoked and drank little. 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. >A few days later, Mitscher rejoined Spruance and the Fifth Fleet. 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. On 6 December 1941 Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japanese bombers and America was swept into World War Two. Early in his career he was 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 fond of symphonic music, and his tastes were generally simple. The Japanese felt that they had won the encounter. Following the war, Spruance served as US Ambassador to the Philippines from 1952 to 1955. . 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. Admiral Ernest J. Shortly before leaving the Naval War College and retiring from the Navy on July 1, 1948, Admiral Spruance received a letter of commendation from the secretary of the Navy that read: Your brilliant record of achievement in World War II played a decisive part in our victory in the Pacific. During the operation, the Fifth Fleet burned up 630 million gallons of fuelmore than the entire Pacific Fleet used in 1943. Admiral Spruance died on 13 December 1969, at his home in Pebble Beach , California. Morison, "Coral Sea, Midway and Submarine Actions: May 1942 August 1942". The Turning Point in the Pacific. Most common sailors were proud to serve under Halsey; most higher-ranking officers preferred to serve under Spruance. The assault began at dawn on November 20, 1943, and the fighting raged for 76 hours. 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. United States Admiral in command of naval units on the Pacific Theatre in 1942. 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. On December 30, 1914, Spruance married Margaret Vance Dean, the daughter of an Indianapolis businessman. United States airbase targeted by the Japanese in preparation to invade Hawaii. 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. Spruance's fast carrier commander, Marc Mitscher, told his chief of staff Arleigh Burke: You and I have been in many battles, and we know there are always some mistakes. It was a cool, clear day. So the US navy had a good idea of what to expect from the Japanese fleet and how to counterattack it. Lieutenant in command of the USS Yorktown air group. The following year, they made me executive officer of the transport Agamemnon, bringing troops home from France. Midway Island sent a false message stating that its water distillation plant had been damaged and that the base needed fresh water. He also held several engineering, intelligence, staff and Naval War College positions up to the 1940s. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz called him a fine man, a sterling character, and a great leader, and said, nothing you can say about him would be praise enough. [28], His achievements in the navy were well known, but himself much less. He managed to gain an appointment from Indiana to the U.S. Spruance became Commander of the 5th Fleet in November 1943, which presented him with command of the Central Pacific Forces. 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. Answer: Admiral Yamamoto had hoped to fight a classic-style sea battle with battleships, but Spruance had proved that the aircraft carrier was now emerging as the capital ship of naval combat forces. He took part in organising the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and led the 5th Fleet in these two final battles. "Foreward for Midway." US Naval Institute Proceedings 81, no. Admiral Spruance could have been right. He studied hard, and when he graduated in September 1906, he stood 26th in his class. The other U.S. flattop, Yorktown, escaped with one bomb hit. Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, is named Spruance Hall. During WWII Italian Commandos Were Tasked to Ride Torpedoes. Though this gamble paid off, Enterprise air squadrons would pay a heavy price, flying in piece-meal and mostly without fighter escort. The U.S. Navy intercept force centered on the three carriers Enterprise, Hornet, and Yorktown, and their air-attack squadrons. Spruance was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, and in May 1943 he was promoted to vice 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. While both Fletcher and Spruance were rear admirals, Fletcher was senior and nominally in overall command. This was in July 1938, and this time he was the battleships commander. 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. For about 20 minutes, fighters, dive bombers and torpedo bombers pounded the island, carefully avoiding damaging the runways because the Japanese hoped to eventually use them. Spruances performance at Midway so impressed Admiral Nimitz that he made him his chief of staff. 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. The Americans lost 74 carrier planes; the Japanese 80. Japanese supporting aircraft carrier in the corresponding Aleutian Islands Invasion. But due to a printing error on the executive calendar of nominations, Spruance was officially promoted only to his former rank of vice admiral. The Indiana War Memorial in Indianapolis has a meeting room named for Spruance as well as displays honoring his career and that of the USS Indianapolis. Aboard the battleship Yamato, Admiral Yamamoto received word that the U.S. fleet was at Midwaynot Pearl Harbor as he had thought. 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. His entry in Whos Who in America was only three lines long (including his full name), and a footnote in Morisons monumental history of the U.S. Navy in World War II testifies to his modesty. Hickman, Kennedy. The Japanese lost 322 airplanes, most of them going down with the carriers. Admiral Yamaguchi and the Hiryu's captain decide to stay aboard the ship. In August 1943 Spruance was placed in command of the Central Pacific Force, which, on April 29, 1944, was redesignated as the Fifth Fleet. With the island's fall, Spruance immediately moved forward with Operation Iceberg. 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. Hiryu class Japanese aircraft carrier that was part of the second detachment of the Japanese carrier strike force. The month before, American and Japanese naval units had fought the Battle of the Coral Sea, and both closely matched sides had suffered. Yorktown and Task Force 17 were under the command of Rear Adm. Frank Jack Fletcher. For more great articles subscribe to World War II magazine today! "[16] Both Fletcher and Nimitz recommended Spruance for the Distinguished Service Medal for his role in the battle. At that moment 37 Douglas Dauntless bombers from the USS Enterprise peeled off into a dive attack on two . The setback in the Japanese timetable to encircle the Pacific gave the U.S. industrial machine time to crank up war production, and ultimately, to turn the advantage on Japan in the production of ships, planes, guns, and all the other matriel of war. He suggested Spruance replace him as commander of the Fleet carrier force, despite the fact that Spruce had little experience with carriers. During the last year of World War I he was assigned as Assistant Engineer Officer of the New York Naval Shipyard, and carried out temporary duty in London, England and Edinburgh, Scotland. He was dragged out of his flagship Akagi before it sank against his will. While screening the American invasion of Saipan in June 1944, Spruance defeated the Japanese fleet in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. [citation needed]. Adding to the surprise factor was the fact that Admirals Yamamoto and Nagumo did not believe the U.S. Pacific Fleet was at sea. This was followed by an assault on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands on January 31, 1944. It was bombed by dive bombers from the Enterprise and as scuttled shortly after Nagumo was forced by his staff to evacuate. 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. Raymond A. Spruance emerged from the battle one of the greatest admirals in American naval history". The U.S. casualties were 199 planes, 128 flight personnel and damage to four warships. [7], Spruance served in Washington until early 1924, when he was ordered to the headquarters, Commander Naval Force in Europe. After further schooling at the Stevens Preparatory School in New Jersey, Spruance applied to and was accepted by the US Naval Academy in 1903. "Admiral Raymond Spruance". Meanwhile, his search planes found no sign of any American warships. Why was Chester W Nimitz important? 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. Naval Academy, graduating in 1906. Once theBattle of the Philippine Sea came to an end, Spruance returned to Pearl Harbour to help plan other landings in the future. Historian Samuel Eliot Morison believed he was one of the greatest fighting and thinking admirals in American naval history. Three bombs hammered her. The following year, the new admiral was ordered to the Pacific. Raised in Indianapolis, IN, he attended school locally and graduated from Shortridge High School. However, an invasion was rendered unnecessary when the atomic bomb was used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. 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. Admiral Nimitz praised Spruance for a remarkable job. About us| Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. 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. 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. 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. Carrier units of his force penetrated waters of the Japanese homeland and Nansei Shoto. (2021, July 31). Captain George C. Dyer of the light cruiser Astoria, who served under both Spruance and Halsey, summed up the view of many ship captains: My feeling was one of confidence when Spruance was there. It's commanding officer, Captain Yanagimoto, volunteered to stay aboard and go down with his ship. As the island-hopping campaign began, MacArthur continued his . 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. He graduated from Shortridge High School and went on to the U.S. A decisive victory, Spruance and Fletcher's actions at Midway helped turn the tide of the Pacific war in favor of the Allies. Aircraft carrier that served as the flagship of Task Force 17 and Admiral Fletcher. This gave rise to the description of Spruance as "an Admiral's admiral". He was appointed as Ambassador to the Philippines by President Harry S. Truman, and served there from 1952 to 1955. Record-Breaking American Female Pilot, how Operation Homecoming was Sprung into Action to Repatriate POWs! 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