He was fond of symphonic music, and his tastes were generally simple. Four fleet carriers and the heavy cruiser Mikuma were sunk; a cruiser, three destroyers, an oiler and a battleship were damaged. Two minutes later, 37 dive bombers from Enterprise, led by Lt. Cmdr. 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. B. Jim Crow Laws Spruance's rise to fame . Japanese aircraft carrier squadron under the command of Chuichi Nagumo in command of aircraft carriers Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, and Hiryu. With World War I raging, he became Assistant Engineer Officer of the New York Navy Yard. Japanese Admiral and a pioneer in aircraft carrier warfare. Fifteen Buffaloes and two Wildcats were lost, but the garrisons anti-aircraft fire was effective. The defenders fought fiercely but were unable to inflict any damage on the U.S. vessels. He took part in organising the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and led the 5th Fleet in these two final battles. This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. If this happened, it would enable the Japanese to pinch the Americans between their two carrier forces. So he changed course northeastward, avoiding the first wave of dive bombers launched against him from Spruances carriers. At the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Japanese won a tactical victory, but suffered an operational-level defeat: it did not invade Port . As his staff worked, Halsey used the fleet to win the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Since the Japanese planes were returning from the Midway strike, Spruance ordered that his strike be launched without delay so as to maximize the chances that the Japanese carriers would be caught while landing planes or spotting the next wave. Four years later, President Harry S. Truman appointed him as Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines. "World War II: Admiral Raymond Spruance." The struggle by the U.S. Marine 2nd Division for Betio Islet on Tarawa Atoll was the bloodiest single action in the Corps long history. Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, U.S. Navy, April 1955 . I can thank heredity for a sound constitution, and myself for taking care of that constitution." By shortly after 9 a.m., planes from Yorktown were also on their way. He was modest and candid about himself. The attack fails to destroy any airfields or major targets. This was followed by an assault on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands on January 31, 1944. He commanded U.S. naval forces during one of the most significant naval battles that took place in the Pacific Theatre: the Battle of the Philippine Sea. The US intelligence services could predict the way the Japanese carriers and planes would be approaching the battle. In April 1942 he offered support to carriers that launched the Doolittle Raid, an air raid on Tokyo and other parts of Honshu island. Spruance's seagoing career included command of the destroyers Bainbridge from March 1913 to May 1914, Osborne, three other destroyers, and the battleship Mississippi. This was followed by a promotion to Deputy Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet in September. From 1952 to 1955 Spruance served as the American ambassador to Philippines. Was the site of a naval battle between the United States and Japan in 1942. At 8:20 a.m., Nagumos observers reported a group of American ships 200 miles away. HistoryLearning.com. 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. [11] Although Spruance was proven as a cruiser division commander, he had no experience handling carrier-air combat; Halsey reassured Nimitz, and he told Spruance and Fletcher to rely on their newly inherited staff, particularly Captain Miles Browning, a battle-proven expert in carrier warfare. ThoughtCo. 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. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. Yorktowns planes hit Soryu as she was turning into the wind to launch aircraft. Most of Nagumo's attack planes had just returned from the first strike on Midway and were immobilized on the carrier hangers, while his combat air patrol cover planes were engaged with battling torpedo bombers from Hornet. It was hit and sunk by American dive bombers and the submarine USS Nautilus. Naval Academy in 1906,[5] and received further, hands-on education in electrical engineering a few years later. [7], He commanded the Percival during the sea trials off the California coast and during the patrol cruises with the Destroyer Force, Pacific Fleet until May 1922, when he was ordered to Washington, D.C., for duty in the Bureau of Engineering under Rear Admiral John K. Robison. Flagship of Kakuta. He was a diligent, neat and gentle boy. Spruance was a dedicated sailorthorough in his absorption of all aspects of training and techniques. He also held several engineering, intelligence, staff and Naval War College positions up to the 1940s. Nagumo ordered his planes rearmed on their return. Then, reflect on the education opportunities that God has provided us today. During the operation, the Fifth Fleet burned up 630 million gallons of fuelmore than the entire Pacific Fleet used in 1943. British Royal Navy units helped support the landings. Halsey was aggressive and a risk taker. President Harry S. Truman appointed him ambassador to the Philippines in January 1952, and he served until March 1955. 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. While screening the American invasion of Saipan in June 1944, Spruance defeated the Japanese fleet in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. [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. 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. The young, ambitious officer was then assigned to Bainbridge, U.S. destroyer No. A bust of Spruance is in the lobby. 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. The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the Pacific War. 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. These plans proved moot when the war came to an abrupt end in early August with the use of the atom bomb. In October 1946 he was awarded the Armys Distinguished Service Medal for his exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services during the capture of the Marshall and Mariana islands. Make sure to provide references and acknowledgement for any sources you use. 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. 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. He was commissioned an ensign in 1908, and during a tour of shore duty he took a postgraduate course in electrical engineering in Schenectady, N.Y. The Japanese lost 19 ships sunk, seven probably sunk and more than 200 aircraft destroyed, and their installations were bombed and strafed. Admiral Ernest J. The following year, the new admiral was ordered to the Pacific. Three bombs hammered her. Historian Samuel Eliot Morison believed he was one of the greatest fighting and thinking admirals in American naval history. While both Fletcher and Spruance were rear admirals, Fletcher was senior and nominally in overall command. Spruance began World War II as a gunship admiral, commanding a division of . 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. His torpedo bombershaving switched to bombs for the attack on Midwaywere away, and most of his protective fighters were out on patrol. Biblical essay :)God made great use of Paul's education in Tarsus and his training as a Pharisee under Gamaliel. The Japanese intercepted this and soon started sending messages that "AF was short on water. On February 19, American forces landed and opened the Battle of Iwo Jima. Japanese Admiral in command of the second division of the carrier strike force based on Aircraft Carrier IJN Hiryu. "When I look at myself objectively," he wrote in retirement, "I think that what success I may have achieved through life is largely due to the fact that I am a good judge of men. Then U.S. dive bombers from Spruance's Enterprise flew to Nagumo's fleet of four carriers which, fatefully, were without air cover. Returning to Newport, Spruance remained at the college until retiring from the US Navy on July 1, 1948. 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. Spruance launched an assault on February 16-17 against Truk, the Japanese Pearl Harbor, at the same time that Admiral Turners forces were attacking Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshalls, about 700 miles to the west. After Midway, although the Japanese still held a temporary advantage in vessels and planes, the U.S. Navy and the nation gained confidence and, most critically, time. 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how does admiral spruance explain the us victory at midway quizlet