page_title: Raymond A. Spruance
section_title: Truk, Saipan, and Iwo Jima
hierarchical_section_title: Raymond A. Spruance / World War II / Truk, Saipan, and Iwo Jima
context_page_description: Raymond Ames Spruance was a United States Navy admiral during World War II. He commanded U.S. naval forces during two of the most significant naval battles that took place in the Pacific Theatre: the Battle of Midway and the Battle of the Philippine Sea. At Midway, Spruance scored the first major victory for the United States over Japan; most historians consider Midway the turning point of the Pacific War.
  Official Navy historian Samuel Eliot Morison characterized Spruance's performance as "superb", and said that he "emerged from this battle one of the greatest admirals in American naval history".
  Spruance was nicknamed "electric brain" for his calmness even in moments of supreme crisis, a reputation enhanced by his successful tactics at Midway. After the war, Spruance was appointed President of the Naval War College, and later served as American ambassador to the Philippines.
context_section_description: 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. This occurred at the same time that Admiral Turner's forces were attacking Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshalls, about 700 miles to the east. 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. 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. Admiral Spruance commanded with deadly precision, reported an observer.
  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 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. Buell quotes Spruance speaking with Morison:
  As a matter of tactics I think that going out after the Japanese and knocking their carriers out would have been much better and more satisfactory than waiting for them to attack us, but we were at the start of a very important and large amphibious operation and we could not afford to gamble and place it in jeopardy.
  However, his actions were both praised or understood by the main persons ordering and directly involved in the battle. Admiral Ernest J. King told him that "Spruance, you did a damn fine job there. No matter what other people tell you, your decision was correct". Spruance's fast carrier commander, Marc Mitscher, told his chief of staff Arleigh Burke that:
  You and I have been in many battles, and we know there are always some mistakes. This time we were right because the enemy did what we expected him to do. Admiral Spruance could have been right. He's one of the finest officers I know of. It was his job to protect the landing force....
  For most of the war he preferred to use the heavy cruiser  USS Indianapolis, named for his hometown, as his flagship.  He shifted his flag to the old battleship USS New Mexico of the shore bombardment force after Indianapolis was struck by a Kamikaze off Okinawa.  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. Determining that New Mexico was not too badly damaged to remain on station Spruance kept her as his flagship for the rest of the campaign. Spruance later chose the battleship USS New Jersey as his flagship, as the huge Iowa class battleship had both room for his staff and the speed to keep up with the fast carrier task forces.
  Spruance received the Navy Cross for his actions at Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
caption: Spruance (left) with Marine generals following the recapture of Guam on August 1, 1944. Others are LTG Holland M. Smith (FMFPac), MG Henry L. Larsen, Island Commander, MG Roy S. Geiger, (III Amphibious Corps).
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