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. He has appeared on The History Channel as a featured expert. The battle would open in the mist-shrouded Aleutians with airstrikes against Dutch Harbor on June 3, followed by landings at three points on June 6. His torpedo bombershaving switched to bombs for the attack on Midwaywere away, and most of his protective fighters were out on patrol. His steady rise, according to Newsweek magazine, has borne the imprint of his personalityunobtrusive but undeviating. Raymond Ames Spruance was born in Baltimore, Maryland on July 3, 1886, to Alexander and Annie Spruance, but grew up in Indianapolis. 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. Fit into his 70s, Spruance spent most of his retirement days wearing old khakis and work shoes and working in his garden and greenhouse; he loved to show them to visitors. Raymond Ames Spruance (July 3, 1886 - December 13, 1969) was a United States Navy admiral in World War II. 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. Above all, Midway was the turning point that heralded the ultimate defeat of Japan. Hiryu class Japanese aircraft carrier that was the flagship of the second detachment of the carrier strike force. "Admiral Raymond Spruance". The U.S. Navy intercept force centered on the three carriers Enterprise, Hornet, and Yorktown, and their air-attack squadrons. 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. Commanding the battleship for nearly two years, Spruance was aboard when World War II began in Europe. In June 1931, Spruance returned to Newport, RI to serve on the staff of the Naval War College. On June 4, Spruance and Fletcher engaged four Japanese carriers at the Battle of Midway. It was bombed by dive bombers from the Enterprise and as scuttled shortly after Nagumo was forced by his staff to evacuate. In 1949, naval historian Samuel Eliot Morison noted that Spruance was subjected to criticism for not pursuing the retreating Japanese and allowing the surface fleet to escape. 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. Samuel Eliot Morison agreed: Power of decision and coolness in action were perhaps Spruances leading characteristics. Lieutenant in command of the USS Yorktown air group. The Gilberts attack was planned and directed by Spruance, with the assistance of Rear Adms. Photograph Courtesy of the US Naval History & Heritage Command. Why was Chester W Nimitz important? 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. The surviving carrier, Hiry, gave the Japanese some brief respite by sending strikes that again damaged Yorktown. 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. All four of Japans aircraft carriers were sunk, devastating Japans ambitions in the Pacific. Then followed two years as assistant chief of staff to the commander of naval forces in Europe; a year of study at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., where he completed the senior course; and two years of duty in the Office of Naval Intelligence. At Midway, Spruance's force inflicted on the Imperial Japanese Navy its worst setback in 350 years. The fourth was a choice between Halsey and Spruance, and after much deliberation, eventually Halsey was appointed in December 1945. Japanese supporting aircraft carrier in Aleutian islands campaign. 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. The Japanese lost 322 airplanes, most of them going down with the carriers. Midway bought the United States valuable time until the new Essex-class fleet carriers became available at the end of the year. Naval Academy in 1906 and received further education in electrical engineering a few years later. Naval Academy in 1906,[5] and received further, hands-on education in electrical engineering a few years later. Four days after the invasion, all immediate objectives had been taken, and by February 8, 1944, all organized resistance had ceased. My mind is blank. The Eastern Orthodox Church developed from the church in Constantinople. Then U.S. dive bombers from Spruance's Enterprise flew to Nagumo's fleet of four carriers which, fatefully, were without air cover. Moving forward in mid-1944, Spruance embarked on a campaign in the Marianas Islands. The Coral Sea fight was virtually a warm-up for the Battle of Midway, regarded later as the turning point of the war in the Pacific. Two years later, he aided in the fitting out of USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) then under construction in the yard. His flagship was badly damaged by the Japanese and was hit by two torpedoes from a Japanese submarine before sinking. The Japanese lost 19 ships sunk, seven probably sunk and more than 200 aircraft destroyed, and their installations were bombed and strafed. 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. 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. Following the campaign, Spruance turned the fleet over to Halsey and began planning operations to capture Iwo Jima. I am lazy, and I never have done things myself that I could get someone to do for me. But several hours laternear the end of daylight hoursa U.S. scout plane located Hiry again. On June 19, however, hundreds of planes from nine Japanese aircraft carriers attacked the Fifth Fleet. 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. He disliked personal publicity and had a reputation for freezing reporters who invaded his privacy. 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. Calm, collected, decisive, yet receptive to advice; keeping in his mind the picture of widely disparate forces, yet boldly seizing every opening. 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. The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the Pacific War. He was raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. Furthermore, Spruance ordered that the air squadrons fly directly to their targets before assembling every squadron into a proper formation, gambling that the attacks would leave the enemy carriers in disarray and delay the launching of their own counterstrike. The US navy ended up winning the battle and historians consider this a major turning point in the Pacific Theater during World War II. My mind is blank. Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, U.S. Navy, April 1955 . These raids were critical to moralesetting a new tone of aggressiveness by U.S. commanders while providing invaluable battle experience for the commanders and sailors of the U.S. Not till many months later did American intelligence ferret out the facts."[33]. 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. Spruance was put in command of Task Force 16, which included two carriers: USS Enterprise and USS Hornet, and was instrumental in the decisive US victory in the Battle of Midway. Mounting a tenacious defense, the Japanese held out for over a month. Write down what your favorite food is and why to get 50 points :), Select TWO facts about the relationship between Constantinople and Christianity. In this position, he traveled to London and Edinburgh. That same month, he directed Operation Hailstone which saw American carrier aircraft repeatedly strike the Japanese base at Truk. He graduated from Shortridge High School and went on to the U.S. [citation needed]. He was promoted to captain in 1932, and the following year he was assigned as chief of staff and aide to the commander of a destroyer scouting force. Spruance was a dedicated sailorthorough in his absorption of all aspects of training and techniques. Fifteen Buffaloes and two Wildcats were lost, but the garrisons anti-aircraft fire was effective. 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. 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. The Turning Point in the Pacific. Bombs destroyed the bridge of Kaga and set her ablaze from stem to stern. 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. Japanese Admiral in command of the second division of the carrier strike force based on Aircraft Carrier IJN Hiryu. Spruance graduated from the U.S. Raymond A. Spruance was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on 3 July 1886. >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. 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. Early in his career he was United States airbase targeted by the Japanese in preparation to invade Hawaii. 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. Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, is named Spruance Hall. 7 reviews. Its commanding officers Admiral Yamaguchi and the ship's captain both stayed aboard their ship. After the enemys raids on Midway, Admiral Spruance ordered the launching of every possible plane to search for and attack the Japanese carriers. Returning to Newport, Spruance remained at the college until retiring from the US Navy on July 1, 1948. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. 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. "[16] Both Fletcher and Nimitz recommended Spruance for the Distinguished Service Medal for his role in the battle. 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