Admiral Nimitz praised Spruance for a remarkable job. The Japanese expected no American ships in the Midway area until after the landing there, and they hoped that the Pacific Fleet would dash northward as soon as it received word of the opening strikes in the Aleutians. Hickman, Kennedy. By shortly after 9 a.m., planes from Yorktown were also on their way. https://www.thoughtco.com/admiral-raymond-spruance-2360511 (accessed March 1, 2023). Notwithstanding their different personalities, Spruance and Halsey were close friends. Commanding the battleship for nearly two years, Spruance was aboard when World War II began in Europe. By 1939, at the age of 53, Spruance had spent 18 years at sea. Aboard the Japanese flattops, many torpedo-carrying planes were waiting for fighters to take off as the American planes dived. 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. This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. After air assaults, two rocky islands, Kiska and Attu, were occupied by Japanese ground forces. In this position, he traveled to London and Edinburgh. "World War II: Admiral Raymond Spruance." Midway bought the United States valuable time until the new Essex-class fleet carriers became available at the end of the year. During this period, Spruance served aboard USS Minnesota (BB-22) during the cruise of the Great White Fleet. Admiral Halsey was given command of the Third Fleet, and later that year Task Force 58 was transferred to Halseys fleet. United States Aircraft Carrier attached to Task Force 16. Spruance served as executive officer of USS Mississippi from October 1929 to June 1931. 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. 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. After Rome fell, the bishop of Constantinople became the most pow Lieutenant in command of the USS Yorktown air group. The carriers were on station on June 2, and the following day Japanese transport ships were spotted 600 miles west of Midway Island. 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. Spruances naval guns started their bombardment two days later. On June 14, while Mitscher led a diversionary attack on the Bonin Islands 800 miles to the north, U.S. Marines and infantrymen stormed ashore. During the attacks, the Japanese lost twelve warships, thirty-two merchant ships, and 249 aircraft. Determining that New Mexico was not too badly damaged to remain on station Spruance kept her as his flagship for the rest of the campaign. This was said to be the first time that a four-star admiral took part in a sea action aboard one of the ships engaged. His torpedo bombershaving switched to bombs for the attack on Midwaywere away, and most of his protective fighters were out on patrol. "Well, pick it up and put it back," was Spruance's measured response.[8]. World War II: Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, World War II: Battle of the Philippine Sea. 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. Word of the sacrifice of VT-8 stunned the United States, and Churchill was reported to have wept when he heard about it. Advertisement Still have questions? 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. 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. "World War II: Admiral Raymond Spruance." He died on 13 December 1969 at the age of 83. The other U.S. flattop, Yorktown, escaped with one bomb hit. The score was 402 Japanese planes and six ships, with a loss of 122 planes from Mitschers flattops. Admiral Ernest J. As the war progressed, Spruance became one of two primary . Born on 3 July 1886, Spruance graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1906. 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. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. Terms of Use| Retribution was not long in coming. For that assault, Spruance led the most powerful naval strike force in history. 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. [4] Spruance attended Indianapolis public schools and graduated from Shortridge High School. When Nimitz named him commander of the disputed Central Pacific Area, this made him responsible for the planning and execution of the attack on the Gilbert Islands in November 1943. The attack fails to destroy any airfields or major targets. He suggested Spruance replace him as commander of the Fleet carrier force, despite the fact that Spruce had little experience with carriers. A. Desegregation of Society For the main Midway assault, the Japanese force consisted of the main battle fleet under Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, composed of three battleships, a light carrier and a destroyer screen; Admiral Chuichi Nagumos combined fleet of two battleships, two heavy cruisers, destroyers and four fleet carriers carrying more than 250 aircraft; and an invasion task force led by Admiral Nobutake Kondo, consisting of a dozen transport ships carrying 5,000 troops, closely supported by four heavy cruisers, two battleships and a light carrier; and a three-cordon submarine force intended to neutralize U.S. countermoves. Covered by fog and lashed by storms most of the time, they were generally unsuitable for air or naval bases. Admiral Raymond Spruance on the balcony of the U.S. Embassy, Manila, while serving as U.S. 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. 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. 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. Spruance began World War II as a gunship admiral, commanding a division of . In the opening weeks of the conflict, Spruance's cruisers served under Vice Admiral William "Bull" Halsey and took part in raids against the Gilbert and Marshall Islands before striking Wake Island. Moving forward in mid-1944, Spruance embarked on a campaign in the Marianas Islands. He has appeared on The History Channel as a featured expert. 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 Spruance wrote this foreward for Mitsuo Fuchida's book, Midway, The Battle That Doomed Japan; The Japanese Navy's . In May 1914, Spruance received a posting as Assistant to the Inspector of Machinery at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the Pacific War. The American offensive in the Pacific theater was now enjoying considerable momentum, aided in no small measure by Rear Adm. Marc Mitschers Task Force 58, the most powerful and destructive unit in the history of sea warfare. 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. 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. It was interesting work, but I wouldnt want to do it for a living. After further schooling at the Stevens Preparatory School in New Jersey, Spruance applied to and was accepted by the US Naval Academy in 1903. He remained in the position only briefly as he accepted a posting as President of the Naval War College on February 1, 1946. 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. Naval Academy in 1906 and from the Naval War College in 1927 where he taught for a few years. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. 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. [2] He emerged from the war as one of the greater admirals in American naval history. If this happened, it would enable the Japanese to pinch the Americans between their two carrier forces. He lived quietly at Pebble Beach until December 13, 1969, when he died of arteriosclerosis at the age of 83. The U.S. Navy's decisive victory in the air-sea battle (June 3-6, 1942) and its successful defense of the major base located at Midway Island dashed Japan's hopes of neutralizing the United. In the fighting, the Japanese lost three carriers and around 600 aircraft. The Gilberts attack was planned and directed by Spruance, with the assistance of Rear Adms. Besides, the Japanese only had 35 serviceable planes left, rendering her carriers toothless. 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