Was the site of a naval battle between the United States and Japan in 1942. 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. 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. The Americans lost 74 carrier planes; the Japanese 80. Both commanders hoped for a classic battle with the Imperial Japanese Navy, but only Mitschers carrier planes were able to reach the enemy. When New Mexico was struck by two kamikaze on the night of 12 May 1945 a hasty search by Spruance's staff found the Admiral manning a fire hose amidship. 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. Five days after the Marshalls campaign, Spruance sent the Mitscher force to attack Tinian and Saipan in the Mariana Islands. Richmond Kelly Turner and Harry W. Hill and Marine Generals Holland M. Smith and Julian C. Smith. His torpedo bombershaving switched to bombs for the attack on Midwaywere away, and most of his protective fighters were out on patrol. society in the 1950s? Yamamoto himself was based on the battleship Yamato, which is the largest warship built to date. The Japanese planned to outwit the U.S. forces at Midway. The two admirals presented a contrast in styles as Spruance tended to be quiet and meticulous while Halsey was brash and more impetuous. His classmates included Arthur L. Bristol, William L. Calhoun, William A. Glassford, Charles C. Hartigan, Aubrey W. Fitch, Frank J. Fletcher, Robert L. Ghormley, Isaac C. Kidd, John S. McCain Sr., Leigh Noyes, Ferdinand L. Reichmuth, John H. Towers, Russell Willson, and Thomas Withers. The enemy units were forced to withdraw their battered aircraft carrier Shokaku, while the Americans had to abandon the old, cherished carrier Lexington. 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. Privacy Policy, Admiral Raymond Spruance served in US Navy during. Naval Academy in 1906 and from the Naval War College in 1927 where he taught for a few years. [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. After these victories, Spruance went back to Pearl Harbour to assist with planning Japans invasion. A bust of Spruance is in the lobby. US Naval Task force under Raymond Spruance with 2 carriers, Enterprise and Hornet. https://www.thoughtco.com/admiral-raymond-spruance-2360511 (accessed March 1, 2023). 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. 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. That is how the US navy could inflict great damage to the Japanese fleet and aircraft. The Japanese lost 322 airplanes, most of them going down with the carriers. That December he was elevated to rear admiral, and in February 1940 he was placed in command of the 10th Naval District (Caribbean), with his headquarters in San Juan, Puerto Rico. With the battleship's completion, Spruance joined its crew and remained aboard until November 1917. While both Fletcher and Spruance were rear admirals, Fletcher was senior and nominally in overall command. [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. [21] Buell quotes Spruance speaking with Morison: As a matter of tactics I think that going out after the Japanese and knocking their carriers out would have been much better and more satisfactory than waiting for them to attack us, but we were at the start of a very important and large amphibious operation and we could not afford to gamble and place it in jeopardy. Nimitz had no battleships left after the Pearl Harbor attack, and after the Battle of the Coral Sea there were only two flattops ready for action, Enterprise and Hornet. It was spotted by scouts from the USS Hornet and destroyed by planes from the Enterprise. 6 (June 1955): 658-659. For more great articles subscribe to World War II magazine today! He took part in organising the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and led the 5th Fleet in these two final battles. Although he broke the back of the Japanese naval air force by sinking three carriers, two oilers and destroying about 600 enemy airplanes (so many that the remaining Japanese carriers were used solely as decoys in the Battle of Leyte Gulf a few months later due to the lack of aircraft and aircrews to fly them) Spruance has been criticized for not being aggressive enough in exploiting his success in the Philippine Sea. The son of Alexander and Annie Spruance, Raymond Ames Spruance was born at Baltimore, MD on July 3, 1886. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Before Midway, a small and fractional U.S. Navy faced an overwhelmingly larger and battle-hardened Japanese Combined Fleet. Spruance's seagoing career included command of the destroyers Bainbridge from March 1913 to May 1914, Osborne, three other destroyers, and the battleship Mississippi. Though this gamble paid off, Enterprise air squadrons would pay a heavy price, flying in piece-meal and mostly without fighter escort. When Vice Adm. Bull Halsey was confined to a hospital with a skin disease, Pacific Fleet Commander Nimitz appointed Spruance to succeed him as commander of Task Force 16. The U.S. casualties were 199 planes, 128 flight personnel and damage to four warships. Overseeing the Battle of Tarawa in November 1943, he guided Allied forces as they advanced through the Gilbert Islands. Yet the decision is hailed by the series's narrator as instrumental in sealing the American victory. 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. From the remaining enemy carrier, Hiryu, Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi launched bombers and torpedo planes against Yorktown. 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. When she went to sea in 1916, he went with her. 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. 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. Raymond A. Spruance. Aboard the Japanese flattops, many torpedo-carrying planes were waiting for fighters to take off as the American planes dived. Only 17 of the islands 4,690 Japanese defenders survived to become prisoners. 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. Japanese aircraft carrier squadron under the command of Chuichi Nagumo in command of aircraft carriers Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, and Hiryu. During World War II, he was commander in the . He enjoyed hot chocolate and would make it for himself every morning. In this position, he traveled to London and Edinburgh. At 8:20 a.m., Nagumos observers reported a group of American ships 200 miles away. Japanese supporting aircraft carrier in Aleutian islands campaign. He suggested Spruance replace him as commander of the Fleet carrier force, despite the fact that Spruce had little experience with carriers. On the afternoon of June 4, 24 American dive bombersincluding 10 refugees from Yorktownscored four hits on Hiryu. 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. There are submarines, there are mini-submarines, and then there are human torpedoes. World War II: Admiral Raymond Spruance. It was a cool, clear day. 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. My mind is blank. The Japanese intercepted this and soon started sending messages that "AF was short on water. Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, U.S. Navy, April 1955 . Known for his calm in moments of crisis, Admiral Spruance became one of the U.S. Navy's largest assets in World War II. 1155 (August 1946): 144-157. Above all, Midway was the turning point that heralded the ultimate defeat of Japan. 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. Following a stint aboard USS Cincinnati, Spruance was made commander of the destroyer USS Bainbridge in March 1913 with the rank of lieutenant (junior grade). Early on the morning of Thursday, June 4, 1942, Nagumos carriers launched a 108-plane strike against Midway and inflicted ThoughtCo. Spruance was portrayed by Glenn Ford (a US Naval Reserve officer himself) in the 1976 film Midway, and by Jake Weber in the 2019 film Midway. 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. US Naval Task Force under Frank Fletcher with aircraft carrier Yorktown. The US intelligence services could predict the way the Japanese carriers and planes would be approaching the battle. Early in his career he was Retiring to Pebble Beach, CA, he died there on December 13, 1969. "Foreward for Midway." US Naval Institute Proceedings 81, no. Spruance was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, and in May 1943 he was promoted to vice admiral. Nagumo ordered his planes rearmed on their return. Spruance also held several engineering . Admiral Spruance explained the U.S. victory at Midway in the following way. At the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Japanese won a tactical victory, but suffered an operational-level defeat: it did not invade Port . He never smoked and drank little. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/admiral-raymond-spruance-2360511. The surviving carrier, Hiry, gave the Japanese some brief respite by sending strikes that again damaged Yorktown. So the US navy had a good idea of what to expect from the Japanese fleet and how to counterattack it. C. American Dream 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. 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. Returning to Newport, Spruance remained at the college until retiring from the US Navy on July 1, 1948. 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. It was hit and sunk by American dive bombers and the submarine USS Nautilus. Web. A squadron of US Dive bombers which had arrived late after getting lost ambush the Japanese carriers bombing and resulting in the sinking of three out of four carriers. 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. Retribution was not long in coming. At 0530 June 4, a scout plane from Midway sighted the Kido Butai, however the scout only reported sighting "Two carriers and battleships", and giving course and speed. But we went in and took their possessions in a few days, without the loss of a single ship. [2] He emerged from the war as one of the greater admirals in American naval history. [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. Provide at least two examples.Certain lessons in New Testament Survey, as well as outside sources, may be of help to you as you write your report. 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. 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). Japanese submarine I-168 torpedoes and torpedoes a damaged US aircraft carrier and its escorting destroyer. The Americans lost only 17 planes and no ships. Naval Academy in 1906 and received further education in electrical engineering a few years later. 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. They were hurled back decisively, and the losses353 enemy planes downed, 21 U.S. aircraft lostamazed the Americans. 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. By shortly after 9 a.m., planes from Yorktown were also on their way. In April 1942 he offered support to carriers that launched the Doolittle Raid, an air raid on Tokyo and other parts of Honshu island. He disliked personal publicity and had a reputation for freezing reporters who invaded his privacy. Admiral Yamamoto commanded the combined invasion fleet from aboard his flagship Yamato. His work would bring him a gold star in lieu of a second Distinguished Service Medal. Admiral Raymond A. Spruance displayed outstanding leadership and command capabilities during the battle that turned the tide in the Pacific. 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. Hickman, Kennedy. But his service was not yet finished. Fit and spare in his 70s, Spruance spent most of his retirement days wearing old khakis and work shoes and working in his garden and greenhouse. He's one of the finest officers I know of. However, his actions were both praised and understood by the main persons ordering and directly involved in the battle. 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. ), honoris causa degree from Central Philippine University in 1955, an institution of higher learning founded by the American Baptist missionary, William Orison Valentine in 1905. Having attained the rank of commander, Spruance attended the Senior Course at the Naval War College in July 1926. All four of Japans aircraft carriers were sunk, devastating Japans ambitions in the Pacific. Hickman, Kennedy. B. Commanding the battleship for nearly two years, Spruance was aboard when World War II began in Europe. United States bombers sank three Japanese ships. Kwajalein was in American hands, but the rest of the Marshalls groupabout 30 islands and more than 800 reefs scattered over hundreds of miles of oceanremained to be dealt with. 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. Japanese escort carrier that was mainly responsible for launching scouts attached to Combined Fleet main body. In May 1942, intelligence suggested that the Japanese were planning on assaulting Midway Island. In fact, Spruance had a knack for getting along with difficult people, including his friend Admiral Kelly Turner, the hotheaded commander of 5th Fleet's amphibious force. That same year he received a new assignment: assistant machinery inspector at the Newport News, Va., dry dock, where the battleship Pennsylvania was being outfitted. erful leader. Two years later, Spruance again received orders for the Naval War College and taught on the staff until April 1938. Known as "island hopping," U.S. forces moved from island to island, using each as a base for capturing the next. "World War II: Admiral Raymond Spruance." The other U.S. flattop, Yorktown, escaped with one bomb hit. Born on 3 July 1886, Spruance graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1906. This article was written by Michael D. Hull and originally appeared in the May 1998 issue of World War II magazine. The Japanese managed to inflict only superficial damage on three ships. When not in command of the fleet the admirals, and their staffs, were based at Pearl Harbor and planned future operations. >The fleet units shielding the Marianas invasion forces were also under Spruances command. British Royal Navy units helped support the landings. (. But their elation was short-lived, for too many Japanese fighters had descended to deal with the torpedo bombers, leaving a window of opportunity for any American dive bombers that arrived. 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. This was in July 1938, and this time he was the battleships commander. During the attacks, the Japanese lost twelve warships, thirty-two merchant ships, and 249 aircraft. I finally wangled two months at sea, in 1918, before the war was over. One exception was Admiral John Towers, a constant critic of Spruance, whom Spruance came to despise for his naked ambition.[18]. This site is using cookies under cookie policy . 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. Fletcher would command Task Force 17, but the task force flag ship, USSYorktown, had been badly damaged at the Battle of the Coral Sea and the formation's other carrier, Lexington, had been sunk, but at Nimitz's behest Yorktown was patched-repaired in "rush" time purposefully to join the Midway operation.[11]. When Yorktown was struck at Midway, however, Fletcher transferred his flag to the cruiser Astoria and placed Spruance tactically in charge. B. Jim Crow Laws It was bombed by dive bombers from the Enterprise and as scuttled shortly after Nagumo was forced by his staff to evacuate. "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. During the joint operations leading to the assault and capture of the important enemy bases, complete integration of Army and Navy units was accomplished under his outstanding leadership, enabling all the forces to perform their closely co-ordinated missions with outstanding success.[24]. The Americans were gravely outnumbered by the lurking enemy armada. 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. 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. I am lazy, and I never have done things myself that I could get someone to do for me. 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. Things did not look hopeful for Spruance and his force on the eve of Midway. The Coral Sea fight was virtually a warm-up for the Battle of Midway, regarded later as the turning point of the war in the Pacific. The Battle of Midway infused the U.S. Pacific Navy with confidence. John C. Waldron. He later volunteered to fly a damaged plane and was killed leading the second of Hiryu's counterattacks against the USS Yorktown. McClusky led one squadron, VB-6, against the carrier Kaga, while the other Enterprise squadron pounced on Nagumos flagship, Akagi. After the enemys raids on Midway, Admiral Spruance ordered the launching of every possible plane to search for and attack the Japanese carriers. Biographies, 20th century collection, Navy Department Library, Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, Spruance, Raymond A. 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. A. 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. Leaving, he assumed command of USS Mississippi. Two years later, he aided in the fitting out of USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) then under construction in the yard. 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. 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