On November 24, Spruance relieved Nimitz as Commander, US Pacific 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. As part of this reorganization, the force became known as the Fifth Fleet when Spruance was in charge and the Third Fleet when Halsey was in command. An academic building at the Naval War College was also named for him. 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. 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. He held that post until the following February, when he was ordered back to the Naval War College at Newportthis time as president. Early in his career he was However, Spruances fleet was also charged with guarding the amphibious landings at Saipan and Tinian. In May 1942, intelligence suggested that the Japanese were planning on assaulting Midway Island. Richmond Kelly Turner and Harry W. Hill and Marine Generals Holland M. Smith and Julian C. Smith. While both Fletcher and Spruance were rear admirals, Fletcher was senior and nominally in overall command. After his funeral, he was buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery near the grave of his wartime commander, Nimitz. The Japanese managed to inflict only superficial damage on three ships. 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. Japanese submarine I-168 torpedoes and torpedoes a damaged US aircraft carrier and its escorting destroyer. US Navy SBD dive bombers at the Battle of Midway, June 4, 1942. After further schooling at the Stevens Preparatory School in New Jersey, Spruance applied to and was accepted by the US Naval Academy in 1903. The surviving carrier, Hiry, gave the Japanese some brief respite by sending strikes that again damaged Yorktown. His chance would come. Morison, "Coral Sea, Midway and Submarine Actions: May 1942 August 1942". 7 reviews. Commanding the battleship for nearly two years, Spruance was aboard when World War II began in Europe. The main auditorium of the U.S. 1155 (August 1946): 144-157. His father wanted him to go to West Point, but young Raymond yearned to go to sea. But we went in and took their possessions in a few days, without the loss of a single ship. erful leader. northwestward of Midway. Landing troops on Saipan on June 15, he defeated Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa at the Battle of the Philippine Sea a few days later. The fourth was a choice between Halsey and Spruance, and after much deliberation, eventually Halsey was appointed in December 1945. This was followed by an assault on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands on January 31, 1944. The US navy ended up winning the battle and historians consider this a major turning point in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Most common sailors were proud to serve under Halsey; most higher-ranking officers preferred to serve under Spruance. Japanese naval force tasked with the invasion of the Aleutian Islands under Vice Admiral Kakuta with aircraft carriers Junyo and Ryuho. Born on 3 July 1886, Spruance graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1906. This was followed by a promotion to Deputy Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet in September. He commanded the battleship USS Mississippi from April 1938 to December 1939, when he was promoted to rear admiral. 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. Word of the sacrifice of VT-8 stunned the United States, and Churchill was reported to have wept when he heard about it. Historian Samuel Eliot Morison believed he was one of the greatest fighting and thinking admirals in American naval history. Admiral Spruance no.__!t to seek and destroy the Imperial Japanese Navy in a "decisive battle." Rather, Spruance chose to place highest priority on covering and defending the United States (U.S.) amphibious forces that were in the initial phase of the invasion of Salpan. He was the united states navy fleet admiral in the some of the The battle of Midway was one of the most decisive battle in th Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku, Japanese fleet commander, chose to i Admiral Raymond A. Spruance displayed outstanding leadership and command capabilities during the battle that turned the tide in the Pacific. Covered by fog and lashed by storms most of the time, they were generally unsuitable for air or naval bases. Towards the end of that year, Spruance commanded a cruiser division supporting Admiral Halsey's carrier, the 'Enterprise', at Wake Island. ThoughtCo. In 1939 he was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral. It was June 4, Admiral Raymond A. Spruance and Admira Fletcher had to engage four Japanese ships in the Battle of Midway. The Saipan campaign began with air attacks on June 10, 1944. Spruance himself directed a task group of battleships, cruisers and destroyers that left the main body to go after Japanese ships that were fleeing Truk, sinking the light cruiser Katori and destroyer Maikaze. Though Spruance had not led a carrier force in the past, Nimitz agreed as the rear admiral would be aided by Halsey's staff, including the gifted Captain Miles Browning. This article was written by Michael D. Hull and originally appeared in the May 1998 issue of World War II magazine. Meanwhile, Task Force 58 was busy in the forefront of clearing the Japanese from the 600-mile-long Marianas chain. Advertisement Still have questions? 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. >On March 29, 1944, Admiral Spruance took tactical command of a three-pronged assault against the Palau Islands, 550 miles east of the Philippines, and against Yap Island and Ulithi Atoll in the western Carolines. I was shanghaied ashore in November of the next year to take over as electrical superintendent at the New York Navy Yard, said Spruance. Finishing the course, he completed a tour in the Office of Naval Intelligence before being posted to USS Mississippi (BB-41) in October 1929 as executive officer. . Admiral Ernest J. Admiral Spruance commanded with deadly precision, reported an observer.[20]. It was June 4, Admiral Raymond A. Spruance and Admira Fletcher had to engage four Japanese ships in the Battle of Midway. Naval Academy in 1906 and from the Naval War College in 1927 where he taught for a few years. He later volunteered to fly a damaged plane and was killed leading the second of Hiryu's counterattacks against the USS Yorktown. The correct answer to this open question is the following. In 1939 he was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral. 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. On June 4, Spruance and Fletcher engaged four Japanese carriers at the Battle of Midway. [32] Wouk writes in his book that "Spruance escaped [the Japanese fleet admiral] Yamamoto's terrible trap by acting on perfect military instinct. The Japanese were trying to tow Soryu to safety when she was torpedoed and sunk by the U.S. submarine Nautilus. Critical for the defense of Hawaii, the commander of the US Pacific Fleet, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, intended to dispatch Halsey to block the enemy thrust. The Fifth Fleet commanders citation read: Responsible for the operation of a vast and complicated organization which included more than 500,000 men of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, 318 combatant vessels and 1,139 auxiliary vessels, [he] directed the forces under his command with daring, courage and aggressiveness. His torpedo bombershaving switched to bombs for the attack on Midwaywere away, and most of his protective fighters were out on patrol. He did not discuss his private life, feelings, prejudices, hopes or fears, except perhaps with his family and his closest friends. Retiring to Pebble Beach, CA, he died there on December 13, 1969. 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. With Okinawa's fall in June, Spruance rotated back to Pearl Harbor to begin planning the invasion of Japan. President Harry S. Truman appointed him ambassador to the Philippines in January 1952, and he served until March 1955. "Foreward for Midway." US Naval Institute Proceedings 81, no. The U.S. fleet lost fewer men, but it lost a fleet carrier while the Japanese lost only the light carrier Shoho. 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. Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, is named Spruance Hall. [12] Spruance assumed command of Task Force 16 with its two carriers, USSEnterprise and USSHornet, under battle command of Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher. This site is using cookies under cookie policy . 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. Akagi and Kaga subsequently went down. Web. Adding to the surprise factor was the fact that Admirals Yamamoto and Nagumo did not believe the U.S. Pacific Fleet was at sea. Having attained the rank of commander, Spruance attended the Senior Course at the Naval War College in July 1926. The Navy, by law, was limited to four Fleet Admirals; three of these appointments were obvious: Ernest King, Chester Nimitz and William Leahy. 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). 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. The Iwo Jima and Okinawa actions lasted from January to May 1945, and in August the Japanese surrendered. HistoryLearning.com. catalogued as someone to watch; there was never any possibility that he would be passed over in the lists for promotion. 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. Ambassador to the Philippines in 1952-55. Naval Academy in 1906 and received further education in electrical engineering a few years later. Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, U.S. Navy, April 1955 . Close to Japan, Allied planners intended to use Okinawa as a springboard for the eventual invasion of the Home Islands. British Royal Navy units helped support the landings. 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. Captain George C. 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