Spruance was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for his service at Midway. 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. 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. 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. [14][15] For his actions at the battle of Midway Rear Admiral Spruance was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal and cited as follows: "For exceptionally meritorious service as Task Force Commander, United States Pacific Fleet. He was a diligent, neat and gentle boy. D. The Pope lived in Constantinople. Yorktown and Task Force 17 were under the command of Rear Adm. Frank Jack Fletcher. Naval Academy at Annapolis. Spruances fleet had prevented the Japanese from reinforcing the Saipan garrison. While screening the American invasion of Saipan in June 1944, Spruance defeated the Japanese fleet in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Richmond Kelly Turner and Harry W. Hill and Marine Generals Holland M. Smith and Julian C. Smith. More to his liking was the study of foreign methods of naval fire control, which took him to London and Edinburgh. The following year, they made me executive officer of the transport Agamemnon, bringing troops home from France. Known as "island hopping," U.S. forces moved from island to island, using each as a base for capturing the next. In August 1943 Spruance was placed in command of the Central Pacific Force, which, on April 29, 1944, was redesignated as the Fifth Fleet. 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. U.S. losses were low: 25 airplanes and 18 lives. At Midway, Spruances force inflicted on the Imperial Japanese Navy its worst setback in 350 years. A number of torpedo squadrons from the airfields and carriers launch attacks on the Japanese carriers but score no hits and almost all planes involved were shot down. The Eastern Orthodox Church developed from the church in Constantinople. The US intelligence services could predict the way the Japanese carriers and planes would be approaching the battle. He never smoked and drank little. Analyzing Information How does Admiral Spruance explain the U.S. victory The combined American force consisted of three carriers, eight cruisers, 15 destroyers, 12 submarines and 353 aircraft, ranged against a grand total of 200 Japanese vessels and 700 planes. Launched the planes that were responsible for the sinking of nearly all 4 Japanese Carriers at Midway. He suggested Spruance replace him as commander of the Fleet carrier force, despite the fact that Spruce had little experience with carriers. There are submarines, there are mini-submarines, and then there are human torpedoes. However, an invasion was rendered unnecessary when the atomic bomb was used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. 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. Carrier units of his force penetrated waters of the Japanese homeland and Nansei Shoto. Japanese submarine I-168 torpedoes and torpedoes a damaged US aircraft carrier and its escorting destroyer. Born on 3 July 1886, Spruance graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1906. 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. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. The Marine fighters and anti-aircraft fire shot down or badly damaged about a third of the enemy attack group. B. Jim Crow Laws 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). During this period, Spruance served aboard USS Minnesota (BB-22) during the cruise of the Great White Fleet. He advanced quickly through the ranks, becoming an admiral in 1944. [Admiral Spruance wrote this foreward for Mitsuo Fuchida's book, Midway, The Battle That Doomed Japan; The Japanese Navy's . ThoughtCo, Jul. While both Fletcher and Spruance were rear admirals, Fletcher was senior and nominally in overall command. The Americans lost 74 carrier planes; the Japanese 80. 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. 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. Admiral Spruance was buried with full honors alongside Admirals Nimitz and Kelly Turner in a military cemetery overlooking San Francisco Bay. 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. I am lazy, and I never have done things myself that I could get someone to do for me. On February 26, 1940, Spruance reported as commandant of the 10th Naval District with headquarters at Naval Station Isla Grande in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Four fleet carriers and the heavy cruiser Mikuma were sunk; a cruiser, three destroyers, an oiler and a battleship were damaged. It was interesting work, but I wouldnt want to do it for a 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. She went down with Admiral Yamaguchi, an outstanding flag officer who, it was said, would have been Yamamotos successor had he lived. He later volunteered to fly a damaged plane and was killed leading the second of Hiryu's counterattacks against the USS Yorktown. Five days after the Marshalls campaign, Spruance sent the Mitscher force to attack Tinian and Saipan in the Mariana Islands. The surviving carrier, Hiry, gave the Japanese some brief respite by sending strikes that again damaged Yorktown. His next assignment was command of the destroyer Aaron Ward, and then USS Perceval. Calm, collected, decisive, yet receptive to advice; keeping in his mind the picture of widely disparate forces, yet boldly seizing every opening. But several hours laternear the end of daylight hoursa U.S. scout plane located Hiry again. Akagi class Japanese aircraft carrier that served as the flagship of Admiral Nagumo. In July 1941, his responsibilities were expanded to include oversight of the Caribbean Sea Frontier. 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. In April 1942 he offered support to carriers that launched the Doolittle Raid, an air raid on Tokyo and other parts of Honshu island. United States bombers sank three Japanese ships. Spruance served as executive officer of USS Mississippi from October 1929 to June 1931. Four days after the invasion, all immediate objectives had been taken, and by February 8, 1944, all organized resistance had ceased. Then, reflect on the education opportunities that God has provided us today. Two years later, he aided in the fitting out of USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) then under construction in the yard. Midway bought the United States valuable time until the new Essex-class fleet carriers became available at the end of the year. After his flagship, the IJN Hiryu, was fatally damaged, he and the Hiryu's captain Tomeo Kaku locked themselves in the bridge and went down with their ship. 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. US Naval Task force under Raymond Spruance with 2 carriers, Enterprise and Hornet. The other U.S. flattop, Yorktown, escaped with one bomb hit. The fourth was a choice between Halsey and Spruance, and after much deliberation, eventually Halsey was appointed in December 1945. Meanwhile, the Japanese attack on the Aleutian Islands had been carried out as planned on June 3. Then Nagumos force was spotted by torpedo bombers from Hornets squadron VT-8, led by Lt. Cmdr. I can thank heredity for a sound constitution, and myself for taking care of that constitution." He attended grade and high schools in East Orange, N.J., and in Indianapolis. For that assault, Spruance led the most powerful naval strike force in history. The month before, American and Japanese naval units had fought the Battle of the Coral Sea, and both closely matched sides had suffered. the prospects for its inclusion in doctrine The logical starting point is Admiral Chester Nimitz's famous "letter of instruction" (actually, of course, transmitted . The Japanese intercepted this and soon started sending messages that "AF was short on water. He was then ordered to the China station, with sea duty aboard the battleship Connecticut and the cruiser Cincinnati. He presided over US Forces in the Pacific during two decisive Allied victories: the Battle of Midway in 1942 and the 1944 Battle of the Philippines Sea. 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. 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. The Navy, by law, was limited to four Fleet Admirals; three of these appointments were obvious: Ernest King, Chester Nimitz and William Leahy. During World War II, he was commander in the . My mind is blank. 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. "World War II: Admiral Raymond Spruance." The Turning Point in the Pacific. The American losses were Yorktown, destroyer Hammann and 147 planes. With the island's fall, Spruance immediately moved forward with Operation Iceberg. 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. And, off Okinawa, Spruance never faltered in face of the destruction wrought by the kamikazes. The attack fails to destroy any airfields or major targets. 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. Capturing and occupying Midway was the brainchild-plan of commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. 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. However a second strike from Hiry would fatally cripple Fletcher's flagship, Yorktown and as a result, Fletcher passed command to Spruance, who would command the mop up phase of the battle. Fifteen Buffaloes and two Wildcats were lost, but the garrisons anti-aircraft fire was effective. An academic building at the Naval War College was also named for him. Spruance was an active man who thought nothing of walking eight or 10 miles a day. Covered by fog and lashed by storms most of the time, they were generally unsuitable for air or naval bases. 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. 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. 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. Early on, Halsey had led his task force on hit-and-run raids against the Japanese in the western Pacific: striking the Gilbert and Marshall islands in February 1942, Wake Island in March, and projecting the air power of the Doolittle Raid against the Japanese homeland in April. He held that post until the following February, when he was ordered back to the Naval War College at Newportthis time as president. 2015. [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. But we went in and took their possessions in a few days, without the loss of a single ship. 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. His chance would come. He never did things the same way twice. It would become on of the last aircraft carriers to be sunk in a war in all of history during the battle of Leyte Gulf 2-3 years later. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. So he changed course northeastward, avoiding the first wave of dive bombers launched against him from Spruances carriers. 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. Unites States Rear Admiral in command of Task Force 16 on the USS Enterprise. Biographies, 20th century collection, Navy Department Library. 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 appointed as Ambassador to the Philippines by President Harry S. Truman, and served there from 1952 to 1955. 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. He decided to launch the planes from Enterprise and Hornet when they were about 175 miles from the enemys calculated position instead of postponing takeoff for another two hours in order to diminish the distance. It was June 4, Admiral Raymond A. Spruance and Admira Fletcher had to engage four Japanese ships in the Battle of Midway. 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. 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. Admiral Spruance could have been right. 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