ADMIRAL RAYMOND A. SPRUANCE

Leadership analysis of ADMIRAL RAYMOND A. SPRUANCE

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ADMIRAL RAYMOND A. SPRUANCE


INTRODUCTION

1. Nimitz named him ‘a fine man, a sterling character, and a great leader’, and
further add, ‘nothing you can say about him would be praise enough’. A cold-blooded
fighting fool was how an immediate senior from Annapolis, Admiral Calhoun saw
him. Eminent Pulitzer won Harvard professor in military history Samuel Eliot
Morison said he was one of the greatest fighting and thinking admirals in American
naval history. Admiral Raymond Ames Spruance is a one notable key character in US
Navy during World War II. As a Carrier commander and the commanding officer of
the central pacific force his contribution has immensely supported to defeat the
formidable Japanese Imperial Navy at the pacific theatre. Battle of Midway, the battle
of the Philippines, Battle of Iwo Jima and Battle of Okinawa were the major battles
that he showed his excellent command and leadership skills to secure victory for US
Navy in abundant war.
2. However since he dislike personal publicity and due to his self-effacing,
discreet nature, he was never a hero in the limelight in the manner of Admirals
Nimitz, Halsey and Mitscher. Admiral Spruance was nicknamed as “Electric Brain”
owing to unique characteristics of him which were differed from other commanders in
the field and which showed very calm attitude than others. Though history was
penurious in his account this paper is going to unfold in subsequent chapters his
biography to lessons the true gentleman has proven for budding military commanders
with his exceptional character.

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AIM

3. The aim of this study is to comprehensively intricate the leadership and
command skills of Admiral Raymond A. Spruance


BIOGRAPHY

4. Raymond Ames Spruance was born on 3
rd
July 1886 in Baltimore, Maryland.
Since he was being a diligent and neat boy his father wanted him to join Westpoint.
Despite he preferred to join U.S. Naval Academy and graduated in 1906 and few
years later received further, hands-on education in the field of Electrical
Engineering.(Raymond Ames Spruance :: Notable Graduates :: USNA, no date)
Initially, Spruance was held several appointments in Naval war college, engineering,
staff and intelligence , further, he had been appointed as a staff to the Naval War
College up to 1940. Admiral Spruance was started his sea tenures by commanding of
destroyers, he had been commanded five destroyers, cruiser divisions and one of US
great battleship USS Mississippi. By 1939 he had finished 18 years at sea. He was
promoted to rear admiral, and in February 1940 he was placed in command of the
10th Naval District in Caribbean Sea Frontier in the early stages of World War
II(Hughes Jr., 2009).

5. In the subsequent year the fresh Admiral was called for Pacific theatre in the
wake of making great Admiral Halshey out of action due to dermatitis. The most
remarkable period of Spraunce’s naval career was commanding the Task Force 16,

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with two aircraft carriers, during the Battle of Midway which turned the tide of the
world war II(Admiral Raymond A. Spruance: Modest Victor of Midway, no date).

6. After the successful Midway battle which made Japanese Pacific Command a
carrierless fleet, he has been posted as the Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief,
U.S. Pacific Fleet and later he becomes the Deputy Commander in Chief. (Buell,
1974) With the end of World War II, Admiral Spruance commands the Pacific Fleet
in late 1945 and early 1946. He has been posted as the President of the Naval War
College until retiring from the Navy in July 1948. After his military career Admiral
Spruance has served his country as Ambassador to the Philippines from 1952 to 1956.
Admiral Raymond A. Spruance died on 13
th
December 1969 in his home in
Pebblebeach, California(Sturm, 2010).


CONTRIBUTION TO THE PACIFIC THEATRE

7. When Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz was commanding the Pacific theater
in a critical tempo, Rear Admiral Spruance has became savior to defend the Midway
from Japanese with correct decisions at correct time(Out of the Jaws of Victory |
Naval History Magazine - April 2016 Volume 30, Number 2, no date). On 26
th
May
1942, Spruance took over the command of Taskforce 16 onboard USS Enterprise
since Halsey was hospitalized for medical treatments. USS Yorktown was heavily
damaged during the Battle of Corral Sea, therefore Rear Admiral Fletcher has not
been able to join with Midway at the beginning. However, commanding two carriers
at a time, USS Enterprise and Hornet, Spruance was able to grasp a great victory over

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Yamamoto’s and Nagumo’s Japanese fleet.(Admiral Raymond A. Spruance: Modest
Victor of Midway, no date) inflicting on the Japanese Navy its first decisive defeat in
three hundred and fifty years.
8. In June 1942 he became the Chief of Staff and Aide to the Commander in
Chief, US Pacific Fleet, and in September of that year he was chosen as Deputy
Commander in Chief. Then he became Commander Central Pacific Force in 1943,
and was designated as Commander Fifth Fleet in Noember 1944. During his Pacific
tenures, he was in overall command of the capturing of the Gilbert Islands in 1943;
the raid of the Marshalls in 1944; maneuvers for the capture of Saipan, Guam and
Tinian in the Marianas, which included the Battle of the Philippine Sea on 19 and 20
June, 1944, and later for the capture of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
9. He relieved Fleet Admiral Nimitz, USN, as Commander in Chief, US Pacific
Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas following the capitulation of the Japanese in August of
that year. He was released of that command on 1 February 1946 and ordered to duty
as President of the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island.(Spruance, Raymond
Ames, no date)


COMMAND AND LEADERSHIP

10. It is a well-known and proven fact that leadership and the military are
practically inseparable. Military leadership is the process of influencing others to
accomplish the mission by providing purpose, direction, and motivation. The
command is defined as the authority a person in the military service lawfully
exercises over subordinates by virtue of his rank and assignment or position. Military

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notables such as George S. Patton, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Nimitz, Fletcher, and
Spruance are synonymous with leadership during World War II. It is observed that
each personality has shown different leadership styles in exercising their command
and leadership. Reviewing and analysis of ‘‘military leadership’’ gives an immense
advantage for future military leaders in accomplishing military interests. However,
there are certain leadership traits like alertness, bearing, courage, knowledge,
judgment, decisiveness, dependability, endurance, initiative, integrity, justice and
loyalty which are common to every leader. Exemplary character and attitude of
Admiral Spraunce is a great specimen to show off the leadership characteristics such a
trailblazer ought to have.


ANALYSIS OF LEADERSHIP QUALITIES

11. Tact. Tact is the skill to converse in the language that best lets a listener to
comprehend the message or gist that’s being communicated and to be motivated to act
upon it. Tactful leader picks the dialect or actions that will help subordinates to
motivate themselves.(Capko, 2006). Being tactful comes with wisdom on maturity but
it’s also determined by making the right decisions.
12. The attack on Gilberts islands was directed by Spruance, After days of pre-
invasion bombardment, Marines landed on Roi Islet and captured it the same day by
quick offensive. This was attributed tact of Vice Admiral Spruance’s forces which cut
behind the eastern chain of the Marshalls. The Japanese knew the invasion was
imminent but expected it to come from outer peripheral, and when archipelago hit
with a huge fleet that approached undetected within Four days all immediate

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objectives achieved and by two months all the resistance had ended owing to
tactfulness of the Admiral Spruance.

13. Courage. Courage is a mental state and what allows to remain calm while
recognizing fear. It gets its strength from spiritual and intellectual sources. Moral
courage means having the inner strength to stand up for what is right and to accept
blame when something is faulty. Physical courage means that you can continue to
function effectively when there is physical danger present (Capko, 2006).
14. On 26 May 1942, Spruance was told that Halsey is hospitalized and Task
Force 16 is his. Within minutes Spruance learns that in forty-eight hours he has to sail
to fight, yet the first naval battle of his life which outnumbered eighty ships to twenty-
six, against an enemy who has not lost a decisive battle in 350 years. Yet with
undiminished courage he sailed to battle and turned the tide away which came in US
way after pearl harbour to Japanese shores.

15. Knowledge. Knowing what to do and how to do makes the leader
directly above the crowd. Knowledge should go further than the specifics of the
profession; it is also knowledge of the group: who they are and what motivates them.
Further knowledge of the culture which person work, make him understand about
goals and missions of superior. Rather, the best leaders are the ones who make
knowledge available to their teams and understand how best to deploy that knowledge
in the best possible manner. In 1909, while still an ensign Spruance’s aptitude for
electrical engineering having been recognized, he served in three engineer officer
appointments afloat and in three technical appointments ashore. Though Admiral.
Spruance fought his way back toward his first ambition, command at sea. But his

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knowledge of engineering and technology for appreciating the operational potential
and limitations of radar, IFF, homing beacons, and the central role of combat
information centers were to be vital ingredients of his future success.

16. Judgment. Very often leaders must assess situations quickly and without
significant time to reflect. The power of the mind to assess various factors and values
quickly and often under difficult circumstances and arrive at a wise decision is called
judgment (Capko, 2006) .

17. Rear Admiral Spruance emerged as the hero of Midway. However, after
finishing off Nagumo’s fourth carrier in the afternoon 4 June, against his staff ’s
advice, Spruance withdrew to the east. He calculated that a Japanese surface force
could reach him during the night if he headed west to chase the “withdrawing” enemy
fleet. Critics immediately after the battle thought he had been too prudent. It wasn’t
until much later that it was discovered that Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, commanding
the Combined Fleet, had done just what Spruance feared he would do try to
compensate for Nagumo’s dreadful defeat by sending a surface formation to meet the
American fleet that everyone but Spruance thought should be driving west.

18. Decisiveness. More than 90 percent of the times leaders take decisions
instinctively quite diagnostically which gives importance to timeliness over
soundness. In many military situations, a timely, though mediocre, choice is better
than a delayed in theory correct, decision.(JJDIDTIEBUCKLE, no date)
19. Spruance in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, overriding the carrier expert
mistcher in instead of going in search of enemy letting the their planes come at him,

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won the second most decisive battle of the Pacific war. (Admiral Raymond A.
Spruance: Modest Victor of Midway, no date)

20. Endurance. Mental and physical endurance are complementary. A
healthy body and a healthy mind are essential for a leader to acquire the necessary
endurance. Rear Admiral Spruance was assigned with the task of engaging in the
battle of midway on 26 May 1942 at the age of late fifties. However, he effectively
commanded the task force 16 with an initial twenty-six number of battle ships and
with the success at the battle he was assigned with more than three hundred battle
ships. The endurance of Spruance made him available at succeeding battles for
thirteen months continuously.

21. Initiative. The initiative is the willingness to act or offer well considered
recommendations in the absence of orders. Spruance assigned with the task force 16
two days before the Battle of Midway and he brought with him only a single staff
member. Spruance had to win the confidence of the ships’ crews and the aviators in a
very limited time before he would commit them to one of the most important battles
in naval history. As Spruance was not an aviator, the task of winning over the pilots
would prove all the more difficult as they were used to serving under Halsey who was
a qualified aviator himself. Though Spruance has no experience is aviation he
proposed that the horizontal bombing and torpedo bombing ineffectiveness and
danger to aircraft so that dive-bombing at low level is the preferred method of
attacking ships. Further, he came up with effective tactical concepts like the
importance of reconnaissance, the reward of coordinated land and sea-based air
operations and the severe constraints imposed by operational logistics.

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22. Integrity. As a leader one has to be honest, not only with oneself but also
with the men one leads and the people with whom he works. Integrity is an absolute
quality that one cannot compromise or alter. Most important at the operational level
was the cooperation between Nimitz, Fletcher, and Spruance. Spruance was entirely
justified in his trust of Fletcher as tactical commander of TFs 16 and 17. Fletcher, in
turn, had no hesitation in turning over tactical command to Spruance at 1800 (that is,
six o’clock in the evening) on 4 June after his single carrier, Yorktown, was attacked
and crippled When Spruance took tactical command at Midway he never had more
than twenty-six warships and 233 aircraft. As a result of unblemished integrity within
less than three years, at Okinawa, he commanded over three hundred fighting ships
with countless aircraft, 1,200 amphibious ships carrying 180,000 assault troops, and
more than two hundred service force vessels.

23. Loyalty. Quality of being faithful to the country, the unit, subordinates,
colleagues, and supervisors is called loyalty (Capko, 2006) . Spruance was calm and
composed during these hair-raising adventures. Never perturbed. Never a raised
voice. He commanded Aaron Ward as he would command all his ships with dignity,
tolerance, justice, professional competence, and quiet confidence. The respect and
loyalty he showed to his officers and crew were reciprocated, and his ships were
clean, efficient, and effective. Spruance was both a master mariner and an
accomplished leader of men.

24. Unselfishness. Unselfishness means that you avoid making yourself
comfortable at the expense of others. Be considerate of others. Give credit to those
who deserve it (Capko, 2006). End of the Second World War the US government

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decided to promote four Admirals as Fleet Admirals due to their excellent and
dedication of service during world war two. They are Ernest King, Chester Nimitz
and William Leahy and Admiral Spruance. Once Spruance received his award he
expressed his personal feelings on this matter as shows his Unselfishness. “So far as
my getting five-star rank is concerned, if I could have got it along with Bill Halsey,
that would have been fine; but, if I had received it instead of Bill Halsey, I would
have been very unhappy over it. (Buell, 1974)


CRITICS ON ADMIRAL RAYMOND A. SPRUANCE

25. As per Buell (1971), Admiral George dyer was one of the captain of a mild
cruiser in CF 16 during Midway Battle. He has served under both admirals Spruance
and Halsey during the battle “My feeling was one of confidence when Spruance was
there. When you moved into Admiral Halsey's command from Admiral Spruance's
you moved into an area in which you never knew what you were going to do in the
next five minutes or how you were going to do it, because the printed instructions
were never up to date He never did things the same way twice. When you moved into
Admiral Spruance's command, the printed instructions were up to date, and you did
things in accordance with them”. This gave rise to the description of Spruance as "an
Admiral's admiral”.
26. According to the Beng (2016) during the Battle of the Philippine Sea from 19
th

to 20
th
June 1944, Japanese air power was seriously damaged by the Spruance’s
fighter planes of Task Force 58. However, Spruance was severely criticized, though it
had led the force for significant victory over the Japanese force. The reason was being

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too cautious during the battle. However, Admiral Spruance was positively
commented and admired by Admiral Arleigh Burke as the main person ordering and
directly involved with the battle.
27. As per the Buell (1974), One of Spruance's fast carrier commander, Marc
Mitscher, has told with his chief of staff Admiral 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.
28. Spruance was President of the Naval War College from February 1946 until he
retired from the Navy in July 1948”. Furthermore, 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".
29. Shortly before his retirement, Spruance received the following Letter of
Commendation from the Secretary of the Navy. “Your brilliant record of achievement
in World War II played a decisive part in our victory in the Pacific. 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”. This trait shines like a beacon in everything he wrote, said, and
did. Morison perhaps best summed up Raymond Ames Spruance: “He envied no man,
regarded no one as a rival, won the respect of all with whom he came in contact, and
went ahead in his quiet way winning victories for his country.

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30. Admiral Nimitz writes, “It is given to few Americans to serve their country so
effectively and at such high levels as did. His career will serve as an example and a
challenge to service personnel His story will be read avidly by those who suffered his
blows in war and by those who are hostile to our country. I hope it will be read with
equal interest by all Americans and by those friends of other countries who benefitted
by his skill and courage.” By analyzing how Admiral Spruance became a great
operational thinker through his operational education, training, and experience, we
can prepare ourselves for tomorrow’s battles.
31. Samuel Eliot Morison said that Spruance “had the level head and cool
judgment that would be required to deal with new contingencies and a fluid situation
(Sturm, 2010).

32. As mentioned in Sturm (2010) due to Spruance’s ability to view situations
through a holistic lens, Vego calls Spruance a “great operational thinker and.” With
no direct exposure to the operational command to influence his operational thinking,
how did Spruance acquire the “broad vision” that enabled him to deal effectively with
“new contingencies” and “fluid situations”? What made him a great operational
thinker and how did his operational thinking enable him to adapt to the changing
environment in the Pacific?
LESSONS LEARNT
33. Personal qualities and leadership qualities of Admiral Spruance make the
researchers on his bibliography rich in various aspects. It appears that lessons learned
from Spruance can be studied in three different viewpoints namely personal life,
career life, and post-career life.

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34. Admiral Spruance was a man of simple tastes who kept very much to him, his
family and to closest circle of friends. When analyzing his personal character it seems
that he was fair enough to treat all the peers and subordinates without discrimination.
He used to talk to all ratings when it was required so that be able to motivate
subordinates and make them more loyal to him. Further, hardship depicted by most
military leaders in WW II was not displayed by Spruance so that it is argued that
Spruance can be considered as the exemplary humane leader.

35. A military leader should be able to take any challenge with short notice.
Initiative capabilities and the use of basic subject knowledge effectively make a leader
more flexible to be suited for accomplishing any assigned tasks. The first impression
of higher command towards a leader would help him more reliable and be competent
throughout the career.

36. Timely and well-analyzed prompt decisions will make a leader more
successful. Further, critical analysis and keen estimation of enemy behavior and
capabilities are of utmost importance in defeating the enemy.

37. The participatory leadership approach of Admiral Spruance elaborates on the
importance of effective use of the human factors in warfare. Further, it reveals that
loyalty gained by the leader from his followers can do the miracles. However,
tactfulness would be a great advantage.

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38. Will power and dedication improve the endurance which will make the leader
more competent at the battlefield. However, the bearing of a military leader should
not be restricted to the physical bearing. It is observed that psychological bearing can
supersede the physical bearing with dedication and courage.

39. The adherence to the rules and regulations are the main pillars of military
command and control. Deviation from the approved norms will not be advantageous.
Being a Admiral by the books Spruance proved same.


CONCLUSION

40. Admiral Raymond a Spruance was a rare found leader can maintain his
unique personality throughout his career as a successful leader and. His judgment,
Courage, and Knowledge are the significant leadership traits highlighted throughout
the battles in the pacific theatre. Despite inexperience in commanding a carrier fleet
he loved service at sea and whilst onboard Enterprise and Hornet destroyed four
Japanese carriers in the battle of Midway. He also participated in the campaign to
capture the Gilberts and the Marshall Islands, the battle of the Philippine Sea in which
numerous attacking Japanese planes were shot down near Saipan and Tinian Islands,
the battle for Iwo Jima, and the battle for Okinawa where his own ship was struck by
a Japanese Kamikaze. As a thorough gentleman with calm and pleasant nature, he
made a favourable environment for his subordinates to fight. Even though his
presence to the Midway was coincident, the decision taken by Admiral Nimitz lead
the battle victory over the Japanese Navy.

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41. His absolute integrity, quiet disposition, bravery, and good decision-making
under immense pressure should be taken as a model for all young men and women in
uniforms to follow today as they matured to be great leaders in the future.

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REFERENCES
1. Admiral Raymond A. Spruance: Modest Victor of Midway (no date). Available
at: https://www.historynet.com/admiral-raymond-a-spruance-modest-victor-of-
midway.htm (Accessed: 24 February 2020).
2. Beng, B. H. W. (2016) This Naval Battle Could Have Changed the Course of
WW2 – The Diplomat.
3. Buell, T. B. (1971) ‘Admiral Raymond A . Spruance and the Naval War
College : Part I — Preparing for World War II’, 24(3).
4. Buell, T. B. (1974) The quiet warrior : a biography of Admiral Raymond A.
Spruance. Boston: Little, Brown.
5. Capko, J. (2006) ‘Leadership traits’, Journal of Medical Practice
Management, pp. 29–30.
6. Hughes Jr., W. (2009) ‘Clear Purpose, Comprehensive Execution—Raymond
Ames Spruance (1886–1969)’, Naval War College Review, 62(4), p. 8.
7. JJDIDTIEBUCKLE (no date). Available at:
http://www.txdevildog.com/backbone-usmc-leadership-traits-jjdidtiebuckle/
(Accessed: 24 February 2020).
8. Out of the Jaws of Victory | Naval History Magazine - April 2016 Volume 30,
Number 2 (no date). Available at: https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-
magazine/2016/april/out-jaws-victory (Accessed: 24 February 2020).
9. Raymond Ames Spruance :: Notable Graduates :: USNA (no date). Available
at: https://www.usna.edu/Notables/ambassadors/1906spruance.php (Accessed: 24
February 2020).
10. Spruance, Raymond Ames (no date). Available at:
https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/research-guides/modern-biographical-

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files-ndl/modern-bios-s/spruance-raymond-a.html (Accessed: 24 February 2020).
11. Sturm, J. (2010) ‘Signature :Admiral Raymond A. Spruance: Lessons in
Adaptation from the Pacific’, 298(0704).