Meanwhile, the Japanese attack on the Aleutian Islands had been carried out as planned on June 3. United States Aircraft Carrier attached to Task Force 16. He suggested Spruance replace him as commander of the Fleet carrier force, despite the fact that Spruce had little experience with carriers. Flagship of Kakuta. He was fond of symphonic music, and his tastes were generally simple. However, an invasion was rendered unnecessary when the atomic bomb was used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. Admiral Spruance commanded with deadly precision, reported an observer.[20]. With Okinawa's fall in June, Spruance rotated back to Pearl Harbor to begin planning the invasion of Japan. This was followed by a promotion to Deputy Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet in September. Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, U.S. Navy, April 1955 . The Japanese had been overconfident, and the Americans taught them a bitter lesson. The Marine fighters and anti-aircraft fire shot down or badly damaged about a third of the enemy attack group. "Well, pick it up and put it back," was Spruance's measured response.[8]. 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. Make sure to provide references and acknowledgement for any sources you use. For that assault, Spruance led the most powerful naval strike force in history. Admiral Raymond Spruance served in US Navy during World War Two. 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 ThoughtCo. From there, he went on to graduate from the U.S. [2] He emerged from the war as one of the greater admirals in American naval history. US Naval Task Force under Frank Fletcher with aircraft carrier Yorktown. [12] Spruance assumed command of Task Force 16 with its two carriers, USSEnterprise and USSHornet, under battle command of Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher. My mind is blank. On 13 May 1945, Admiral Raymond Spruance put pen to paper and described the second kamikaze attack he experienced at Okinawa. 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 escort carrier that was mainly responsible for launching scouts attached to Combined Fleet main body. Raymond Ames Spruance (July 3, 1886 December 13, 1969) was a United States Navy admiral during World War II. Retribution was not long in coming. When she went to sea in 1916, he went with her. But his service was not yet finished. Spruance was an active man who thought nothing of walking eight or 10 miles a day. 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. On April 1, Spruance began the Battle of Okinawa. This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Spruances fleet had prevented the Japanese from reinforcing the Saipan garrison. The month before, American and Japanese naval units had fought the Battle of the Coral Sea, and both closely matched sides had suffered. Navy Secretary Frank Knox said of Kwajalein: The Japanese had been there 20 years. His tour of sea duty ended in 1921, and he spent the next three years with the Navy Departments Bureau of Engineering and the Doctrine of Aircraft board. northwestward of Midway. He was drafted on short notice for his date with destiny. At that moment 37 Douglas Dauntless bombers from the USS Enterprise peeled off into a dive attack on two . 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. His air group is credited with the sinking of 4 Japanese aircraft carriers during Midway. Admiral Raymond A. Spruance displayed outstanding leadership and command capabilities during the battle that turned the tide in the Pacific. I finally wangled two months at sea, in 1918, before the war was over. As his staff worked, Halsey used the fleet to win the Battle of Leyte Gulf. D. The Pope lived in Constantinople. My personal congratulations. 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. Lieutenant in command of the USS Enterprise air group. 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. 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. With the end of the war, Spruance aided in returning American troops home before moving through a succession of engineering postings and destroyer commands. He never did things the same way twice. 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. To the Aleutians, the Japanese dispatched an invasion task force of three transports carrying 2,400 troops, supported by two heavy cruisers, a two-carrier support force and a covering group of four battleships. "World War II: Admiral Raymond Spruance." He was decorated with Order of Leopold and Croix de guerre with Palm by the Government of Belgium for his service for the Allied cause.[26]. B. He's one of the finest officers I know of. The American toll was 1,100 dead and almost 2,300 wounded. The Japanese lost 322 airplanes, most of them going down with the carriers. The USS Enterprise ambushes and sinks the Hiryu. Japanese aircraft carrier attached to the Main Body of the fleet and saw close to no action. This approach of bypassing Japanese strong points, such as Truk, was applied on a large scale as the Allies devised their strategy for moving across the central Pacific. The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the Pacific War. He was then ordered to the China station, with sea duty aboard the battleship Connecticut and the cruiser Cincinnati. Four fleet carriers and the heavy cruiser Mikuma were sunk; a cruiser, three destroyers, an oiler and a battleship were damaged. In April, Nimitz divided command of the Central Pacific Force between Spruance and Halsey. He was a diligent, neat and gentle boy. 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. On June 19, however, hundreds of planes from nine Japanese aircraft carriers attacked the Fifth Fleet. It was bombed by dive bombers from the Enterprise and as scuttled shortly after Nagumo was forced by his staff to evacuate. Early on the morning of Thursday, June 4, 1942, Nagumos carriers launched a 108-plane strike against Midway and inflicted So the US navy had a good idea of what to expect from the Japanese fleet and how to counterattack it. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. Spruance was about to face the sternest test in his long, distinguished career. The young, ambitious officer was then assigned to Bainbridge, U.S. destroyer No. He was fond of symphonic music, and his tastes were generally simple. He commanded U.S. naval forces during two of the most significant naval battles that took place in the Pacific Theatre: the Battle of Midway and the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Pratt, F. "Spruance: Picture of the Admiral," Harpers Magazine 193, no. The Americans lost 74 carrier planes; the Japanese 80. 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. He commanded that vessel during the patrols with the Atlantic Fleet until January 1920, when he assumed command of newly commissioned destroyer USS Percival in San Francisco, California. Kennedy Hickman is a historian, museum director, and curator who specializes in military and naval history. Biographies, 20th century collection, Navy Department Library. 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. In the course of a two-hour interview, he stood or walked about all the timenot restlessly, but slowly and deliberately. The main auditorium of the U.S. 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. The U.S. fleet lost fewer men, but it lost a fleet carrier while the Japanese lost only the light carrier Shoho. Capturing and occupying Midway was the brainchild-plan of commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. B. Jim Crow Laws Admiral Raymond Spruance on the balcony of the U.S. Embassy, Manila, while serving as U.S. 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. 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. 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. I am lazy, and I never have done things myself that I could get someone to do for me. Most historians consider Midway the turning point of the Pacific War.[1]. Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat fighters, Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bombers and Douglas TBD-1 Devastator torpedo bombers thundered off the flight decks and rose to search for the enemy carriers. Not till many months later did American intelligence ferret out the facts."[33]. 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