He enjoyed hot chocolate and would make it for himself every morning. On April 1, Spruance began the Battle of Okinawa. Recently promoted to rear admiral, Spruance was assigned to command a division of cruisers in the Pacific under Admiral Nimitz in 1941. From 1952 to 1955 Spruance served as the American ambassador to Philippines. Japanese propagandists pointed to their success in the Aleutians to offset the defeat at Midway, but actually the Aleutians were of little strategic value. A. Flagship of Task Force 16 under the command of Raymond Spruance. But we went in and took their possessions in a few days, without the loss of a single ship. He loved to show them to visitors. He disliked personal publicity and had a reputation for freezing reporters who invaded his privacy. (2021, July 31). He was in this post on June 4, 1942, when the Japanese navy attacked Midway Island in force. Admiral Spruance commanded with deadly precision, reported an observer.[20]. . Spruance served as executive officer of USS Mississippi from October 1929 to June 1931. Historian Samuel Eliot Morison believed he was one of the greatest fighting and thinking admirals in American naval history. For most of the war, Spruance preferred to use the heavy cruiser USSIndianapolis, named for his hometown, as his flagship. Yamato class battleship that served as the Japanese Combined Fleet's Flagship, housing Admiral Yamamoto. Analyzing Information How does Admiral Spruance explain the U.S. victory I am lazy, and I never have done things myself that I could get someone to do for me. society in the 1950s? 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. Aboard the Japanese flattops, many torpedo-carrying planes were waiting for fighters to take off as the American planes dived. That is how the US navy could inflict great damage to the Japanese fleet and aircraft. 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. It was June 4, Admiral Raymond A. Spruance and Admira Fletcher had to engage four Japanese ships in the Battle of Midway. 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. One commentator said: The quick success of the offensive was attributed to the strategic daring by which Vice Admiral Spruances forces cut behind the eastern chain of the Marshalls. At that time, Admiral Nimitz instituted a unique arrangement in which the command of the vessels which made up the "Big Blue Fleet" alternated between Admiral William Halsey Jr., at which time it was identified as the Third Fleet and Task Force 38, and Admiral Spruance, when it became the Fifth Fleet and Task Force 58. Spruance's fast carrier commander, Marc Mitscher, told his chief of staff Arleigh Burke: You and I have been in many battles, and we know there are always some mistakes. Known for his calm in moments of crisis, Admiral Spruance became one of the U.S. Navy's largest assets in World War II. Although there are no options attached we can say the following. "[16] Both Fletcher and Nimitz recommended Spruance for the Distinguished Service Medal for his role in the battle. The attack fails to destroy any airfields or major targets. Naval Academy in 1906 and received further education in electrical engineering a few years later. 1, and he commanded her until 1914. 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. Midway Island sent a false message stating that its water distillation plant had been damaged and that the base needed fresh water. Four years later, President Harry S. Truman appointed him as Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines. During the Midway engagement which resulted in the defeat of and heavy losses to the enemy fleet, his seamanship, endurance, and tenacity in handling his task force were of the highest quality. Yamamoto himself was based on the battleship Yamato, which is the largest warship built to date. Meanwhile, the Japanese attack on the Aleutian Islands had been carried out as planned on June 3. 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. "[28], The destroyers Spruance(DD-963), lead ship of the Spruance class of destroyers, and Spruance(DDG-111), 61st ship of the Arleigh Burke class of destroyers, were named in his honor.[29]. Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, U.S. Navy, April 1955 . This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Fletcher quickly ordered his dive bombers to strike, which fatally damaged the fourth Japanese carrier; it was scuttled the next day. 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. For that assault, Spruance led the most powerful naval strike force in history. >The fleet units shielding the Marianas invasion forces were also under Spruances command. edward dean spruancegarberiel battery charger manual 26th February 2023 / in what's happening in silsbee, tx today / by / in what's happening in silsbee, tx today / by 7 reviews. 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. transmitted as a message) to Rear Admirals Frank Jack Fletcher and Raymond Spruance on the eve of the battle of Midway To quote a U S Navy website, "Nimitz clearly . He suggested Spruance replace him as commander of the Fleet carrier force, despite the fact that Spruce had little experience with carriers. 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. Raymond Ames Spruance (July 3, 1886 December 13, 1969) was a United States Navy admiral during World War II. King said to him "Spruance, you did a damn fine job there. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. After three days of pre-invasion bombardment, Marines landed on Roi Islet and captured it the same day. Japanese escort carrier that was mainly responsible for launching scouts attached to Combined Fleet main body. For his actions, Spruance received the Distinguished Service Medal and, later that month, Nimitz named him as his Chief of Staff and Aide. 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. 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[24]. Spruance became Commander of the 5th Fleet in November 1943, which presented him with command of the Central Pacific Forces. By that time, he was said to be an expert on the many engines, instruments and guns that go into a battleship. Historian Morison later described Spruances performance at Midway as superb. 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. serious damage on the islands installations. The two admirals were a contrast in styles. "Well, pick it up and put it back," was Spruance's measured response.[8]. ThoughtCo. Official Navy historian Samuel Eliot Morison characterized Spruance's performance as "superb", and he was nicknamed "electric brain" for his calmness even in moments of supreme crisis, a reputation enhanced by his successful tactics. Admiral Ernest J. The Navy, by law, was limited to four Fleet Admirals; three of these appointments were obvious: Ernest King, Chester Nimitz and William Leahy. All four of Japans aircraft carriers were sunk, devastating Japans ambitions in the Pacific. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/admiral-raymond-spruance-2360511. They find and score 3 hits on the USS Yorktown, but also sustain heavy losses. 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. 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. 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. Raymond Ames Spruance (July 3, 1886 - December 13, 1969) was a United States Navy admiral in World War II. While both Fletcher and Spruance were rear admirals, Fletcher was senior and nominally in overall command. Two minutes later, 37 dive bombers from Enterprise, led by Lt. Cmdr. Weeks later . This was followed by an assault on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands on January 31, 1944. He graduated from Shortridge High School and went on to the U.S. 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. C. American Dream [3] After the war, Spruance was appointed President of the Naval War College, and later served as American ambassador to the Philippines. The Japanese were trying to tow Soryu to safety when she was torpedoed and sunk by the U.S. submarine Nautilus. No matter what other people tell you, your decision was correct". So he changed course northeastward, avoiding the first wave of dive bombers launched against him from Spruances carriers. 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. 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. The slow-moving Devastators were easy targets for the Japanese gunners and Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero fighters, and all 15 were shot down. 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. 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. It was spotted by scouts from the USS Hornet and destroyed by planes from the Enterprise. Spruance's first duty assignment was aboard the battleship USSIowa, an 11,400 ton veteran of the SpanishAmerican War. The heavily fortified islands, former British possessions, were of strategic value because of their good landing strips and naval base. His chance would come. Before Midway, a small and fractional U.S. Navy faced an overwhelmingly larger and battle-hardened Japanese Combined Fleet. Spruance was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for his service at Midway. 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