Raymond Spruance

Raymond Ames Spruance (July 3, 1886 - December 13, 1969) was a United States Navy admiral in World War II, and commanded US naval forces at the turning point of the Pacific War, the Battle of Midway. After that battle, Spruance went on to command naval forces successfully throughout the course of the war, and later served as American ambassador to the Philippines. His high intelligence and quick-thinking abilities earned him the nickname "electric brain".^{[citation needed]} Picture of Ray Spruance from http://www. ... Picture of Ray Spruance from http://www. ... July 3 is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 181 days remaining. ... Year 1886 (MDCCCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... The United States Navy, also known as the USN or the U.S. Navy, is a branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Combatants United States of America Empire of Japan Commanders Chester W. Nimitz Frank J. Fletcher Raymond A. Spruance Isoroku Yamamoto Chuichi Nagumo Tamon Yamaguchi † Strength 3 carriers, ~50 support ships, 233 carrier aircraft, 127 land-based aircraft 4 carriers, 7 battleships, ~150 support ships, 248 carrier aircraft, 16 floatplanes Casualties... For other uses, see Ambassador (disambiguation). ...

Early life

Spruance was born in Baltimore, Maryland. His parents, Alexander and Anna Spruance, moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, when Raymond was an infant. He attended Indianapolis Public Schools and was graduated from the academically rigorous and highly regarded Shortridge High School. From there, he went on to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1906, and received further education in electrical engineering a few years later. His seagoing career was extensive, including 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 was in command of the 10th Naval District and Caribbean Sea Frontier, headquartered at San Juan, Puerto Rico. Nickname: Motto: The Greatest City in America,[4] Get in on it. ... Location in the state of Indiana Coordinates: County Marion Founded 1821 Government  - Mayor Bart Peterson (D) Area  - City  372 sq mi (963. ... Shortridge High School is a public high school located in Indianapolis, Indiana. ... Teamwork: Fourth Class Midshipmen lock arms and use ropes made from uniform items as they brace themselves climbing the Herndon Monument The United States Naval Academy, or USNA, is an institution for the undergraduate education of officers of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. ... Electrical Engineers design power systems… … and complex electronic circuits. ... USS Osborne (DD-295) was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy following World War I. She was named for Weedon E. Osborne. ... The firepower of a battleship demonstrated by USS Iowa. ... USS Mississippi (BB-41/AG-128), a New Mexico-class battleship, was the third ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 20th state. ... The Naval War College. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ...

World War II

Midway

In the first months of World War II in the Pacific, Rear Admiral Spruance commanded a cruiser division. He commanded Task Force 16, with two aircraft carriers, Enterprise and Hornet during the Battle of Midway in early June. This was due to Vice Admiral Bull Halsey contracting a tropical skin disease before the battle which forced him to be hospitalized. He recommended Spruance to take his place over his staff's objections that Spruance, a cruiser division commander, would have little idea as to how to handle carriers. His decisions during that action were instrumental, enabling the US Navy to win an important victory by sinking four Japanese aircraft carriers that turned the tide in the war against Japan. Task Force 16 is one of the most storied task forces in the United States Navy, a major participant in a number of the most important battles of the Pacific War. ... Four aircraft carriers, (bottom-to-top) Principe de Asturias, amphibious assault carrier USS Wasp, supercarrier USS Forrestal and light V/STOL carrier HMS Invincible, showing size differences of late 20th century carriers An aircraft carrier is a warship designed to deploy and recover aircraft — in effect acting as a sea... William Bull Halsey William Frederick Bull Halsey, Jr. ...

Truk, Philippine Sea and Iwo Jima

After the Midway battle, he 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. The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level unit of the U.S. armed forces, under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. ... The 5th Fleet of the United States Navy is the commander of the naval force in the Persian Gulf area. ... USS Indianapolis (CA-35) was a Portland-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy. ... A flagship is the ship used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships. ... The Gilbert Islands are a chain of 16 atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean, part of the nation Kiribati. ... Mariana Islands (sometimes called The Marianas; up to the early 20th century sometimes called the Ladrone Islands) are a group of islands made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the Pacific Ocean. ... Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Holland Smith Tadamichi Kuribayashi â€  Strength 110,000 22,000 Casualties 6,825 killed in action,[1] 1,401 died of wounds,[1] 19,189 wounded,[1] 494 missing[1] Total: 27,909 20,703 dead,[1] 216 captured[1] Total: 20,919 The... Combatants United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand Empire of Japan Commanders Simon B. Buckner†, Joseph W. Stilwell, Ray Spruance Mitsuru Ushijima† Isamu Cho† Strength 548,000 regulars, 1300 ships,  ? aircraft 100,000 regulars and militia,  ? ships,  ? aircraft Casualties 12,513 dead or missing, 38,916 wounded, 33,096...

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 carriers were used solely as a decoy due to the lack of aircraft, and aircrews to fly them - Spruance has been criticized for not being aggressive enough. Attack on Truk Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date 17 February 1944 – 18 February 1944 Place Truk, Caroline Islands Result Decisive American victory In World War II, Operation Hailstone was a massive naval air attack launched on 17 February and 18 February 1944 against the Japanese naval and... A view of Chuuk Chuuk is an island group that comprises one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), along with Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap. ... Combatants United States Japan Commanders Richmond K. Turner, Holland Smith Yoshitsugu Saito Strength 71,000 31,000 Casualties 3,426 killed; 13,160 wounded 24,000 KIA and 5,000 suicides; 921 prisoners The battle of Saipan was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on... Combatants United States Navy Imperial Japanese Navy Commanders Ray Spruance Jisaburo Ozawa Strength 7 heavy carriers, 8 light carriers, 7 battleships, 79 other ships, 28 submarines, 956 planes 6 heavy carriers, 3 light carriers, 5 battleships, 43 other ships, 450 carrier-based planes, 300 land-based planes Casualties 123 planes... Combatants United States Australia Empire of Japan Commanders William Halsey, Jr (3rd Fleet) Thomas C. Kinkaid (7th Fleet) Jisaburo Ozawa Strength 17 aircraft carriers 18 escort carriers 12 battleships 24 cruisers 141 destroyers and destroyer escorts Many PT boats, submarines and fleet auxiliaries About 1,500 planes 4 aircraft carriers...

Spruance succeed Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz as commander of the Pacific Fleet in late 1945. Chester William Nimitz (February 24, 1885 – February 20, 1966) was the Commander in Chief of Pacific Forces for the United States and Allied forces during World War II. He was the United States leading authority on submarines, as well as Chief of the Navys Bureau of Navigation in 1939. ...

Later life

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 early 1946 until he retired from the Navy in July 1948. Spruance was appointed as American ambassador to the Philippines by President Harry S. Truman, and served there from 1952 to 1955. A Congressman or Congresswoman (generically, Congressperson) is a politician who is a member of a Congress. ... Carl Vinson Carl Vinson (November 18, 1883 – June 1, 1981) was a Democratic United States Congressman from Georgia. ... William Frederick Bull Halsey, Jr. ... Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups (as of November 7, 2006 elections) Democratic Party Republican... President Truman announces that Germany had surrendered (May 8 1945) Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884 – December 26, 1972) was the thirty-third President of the United States (1945–1953); as Vice President, he succeeded to the office upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. ...

Spruance died in Pebble Beach, California in 1969. He was buried with full military honors next to Nimitz and his long-time friend Admiral Kelly Turner in Golden Gate National Cemetery, just south of San Francisco. Pebble Beach Pebble Beach is a small private coastal community in northern California. ... Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner (27 May 1885 – 12 February 1961) served in the United States Navy during World War II. Turner was born in Portland, Oregon. ... View out from center of Golden Gate National Cemetery Golden Gate National Cemetery is a U.S. National Cemetery, located in the city of San Bruno, San Mateo County, 12 miles south of San Francisco. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

The destroyer USS Spruance (DD-963), lead ship of the Spruance-class of destroyers, was named in his honor. USS Spruance (DD-963), affectionaly nicknamed The Spru-Can, is the lead ship of the Spruance-class destroyers in the United States Navy. ... The Spruance-class destroyer was developed to replace a large number of World War II-built - and Gearing-class destroyers, and was the primary destroyer built for the U.S. Navy during the 1970s. ...

The destroyer USS Spruance (DD-111), has been named in his honor.[1]

References

This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS for short) is the primary reference work for the basic facts about every ship ever used by the United States Navy. ...

Sources

• Naval Historical Center: USS Spruance (DD-963)
• Naval Historical Center, Online Library of Selected Images