Raymond A. Spruance

Raymond Spruance
July 3, 1886(1886-07-03) – December 13, 1969(1969-12-13) (aged 83)
Spruance in April 1944
Place of birth	Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Place of death	Pebble Beach, California, United States
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1907 – 1948
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	US 5th Fleet US Pacific Fleet
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of Midway Battle of the Philippine Sea Battle of Iwo Jima Battle of Okinawa Battle of Leyte Gulf
Awards	Navy Cross Navy Distinguished Service Medal
Other work	Ambassador to the Philippines

Raymond Ames Spruance (July 3, 1886 – December 13, 1969) was a United States Navy admiral in World War II.

Spruance commanded US naval forces during two of the most significant naval battles in the Pacific theater, the Battle of Midway and the Battle of the Philippine Sea. The Battle of Midway was the first major victory for the United States over Japan and is seen by many as the turning point of the Pacific war. The Battle of the Philippine Sea was also a significant victory for the US. The Navy's official historian said of the Battle of Midway "...Spruance's performance was superb...(he) emerged from this battle one of the greatest admirals in American naval history"^[1]. After the war, Spruance was appointed President of the Naval War College, and later served as American ambassador to the Philippines.

Early life

Spruance was born in Baltimore, Maryland to Alexander and Annie Spruance. He was raised in Indianapolis, Indiana.^[2] Spruance attended Indianapolis public schools and graduated from Shortridge High School. From there, he went on to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1906, and received further, hands on education in electrical engineering a few years later. His seagoing career included command of the USS Osborne, four other destroyers, and the battleship USS Mississippi (BB-41).

Spruance also held several engineering, intelligence, staff and Naval War College positions up to the 1940s. In 1940 and 1941, he commanded the 10th Naval District and Caribbean Sea Frontier, headquartered at San Juan, Puerto Rico.

World War II: Before Midway

In the first months of World War II in the Pacific, Spruance commanded four heavy cruisers and support ships that made up Cruiser Division Five. Spruance’s division was under a task force built around the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise commanded by Admiral William "Bull" Halsey. Halsey led a series of raids on the Marshall Islands, Wake Island, and other targets. The raids didn’t accomplish much militarily, however they provided significant propaganda victories as well as invaluable real world experience for the US Navy.^[3]

World War II: Midway

Admiral William Halsey, commander of the Pacific aircraft carrier force, came down with a severe case of psoriasis just before the battle, which hospitalized him. He recommended to his boss Chester W. Nimitz that Spruance take his place, over the objection that Spruance, as a cruiser division commander, would have little idea as to how to handle carriers.^[4] Halsey reassured him, telling Spruance to rely on his able staff, particularly Captain Miles Browning, a battle-proven expert in carrier warfare. Spruance commanded Task Force 16, with two aircraft carriers, USS Enterprise (flagship) and USS Hornet, and was under the overall command of Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, trailing behind in the damaged USS Yorktown.

The U. S. task force, based on three carriers, faced a Japanese force with four fleet carriers, divided into two groups, a lead group under Admiral Nagumo and a follow-on group under Admiral Yamamoto. The US Navy lost one carrier while sinking all four of the enemy's fleet carriers. The US victory came largely from the toughness of the fighting force, Spruance's combination of coolness plus his caution at just the right moments, and large doses of plain luck. Several waves of US aircraft were beaten badly by the Japanese both at the Island of Midway and at sea around the Japanese task force. Then a large group of US dive bombers happened to find Nagamo's four carriers—with air cover absent. The Japanese planes had all been sent to attack the American ships. The US dive bombers badly damaged the Japanese carriers, all eventually sinking, which essentially ended the Japanese lead in fleet power in the Pacific.

Historian Samuel E. Morison wrote in 1949 that Spruance was subjected to much criticism for not pursuing the retreating Japanese, and allowing the retreating Japanese surface fleet to escape.^[5] However, Spruance was recommended for the Navy Distinguished Service Medal by both Fletcher and Nimitz for his role in the battle.^[6]

Before Midway, a small and fractional US Navy in the Pacific faced an overwhelmingly large and battle-hardened Japanese fleet. After Midway, the Japanese still held a temporary advantage in vessels and planes, but the setback gave the slow-to-crank-up US industrial production time to turn the tables. It also gave the US Navy confidence. Once running at full speed, American factories handed the allies a huge advantage against not only the Japanese but also the Germans. At the same time, American Pacific forces before and after Midway gained crucial combat experience, so that the Japanese lost the advantage there as well.

World War II: Truk, Philippine Sea and Iwo Jima

After the Midway battle, Spruance became Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC) and later was Deputy Commander in Chief. In mid-1943, Spruance was given command of the Central Pacific Force, which became the United States 5th Fleet in April 1944. From 1943 through 1945, with USS Indianapolis as his usual flagship, Spruance directed the campaigns that captured the Gilbert Islands, Marshall Islands, Marianas, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.

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. While screening the American invasion of Saipan, in June 1944 Spruance also defeated the Japanese fleet in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Although he broke the back of the Japanese naval airforce by sinking 3 carriers, 2 oilers and destroying about 600 enemy airplanes—in the Battle of Leyte Gulf a few months later the remaining Japanese carriers were used solely as decoys due to the lack of aircraft, and aircrews to fly them—Spruance has been criticized for not being aggressive enough.

Spruance succeeded Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz as Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas in November 1945.

Later life

Spruance's headstone at Golden Gate National Cemetery

Spruance's promotion to Fleet Admiral was blocked multiple times by Congressman Carl Vinson, a staunch partisan of Admiral William Halsey, Jr. Congress eventually responded by passing an unprecedented act which specified that Spruance would remain on a full admiral's pay once retired until death. Spruance was President of the Naval War College from February 1946 until he retired from the Navy in July 1948. He was appointed as American ambassador to the Philippines by President Harry Truman, and served there from 1952 to 1955.

Spruance died in Pebble Beach, California in 1969. He was buried with full military honors alongside his wife, Margaret Dean, Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, his longtime friend Admiral Richmond K. Turner, and Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, an arrangement made by all of them while living.

The destroyers USS Spruance (DD-963), lead ship of the Spruance-class of destroyers, and USS Spruance (DDG-111), 61st ship of the Arleigh Burke class destroyer, were named in his honor. [1]

In 2009, the Indiana War Memorial renamed a meeting room in honor of Admiral Spruance.^[7]

References

This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

• Bess, Michael (2006). Choices Under Fire: Moral Dimensions of World War II. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-307-26365-7. 
• Naval Historical Center: USS Spruance (DD-963)
• Naval Historical Center, Online Library of Selected Images
• Bess, Michael (2006). Choices Under Fire: Moral Dimensions of World War II. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-307-26365-7. 

External links

• Raymond A. Spruance Gravesite