BATTLE GROUP SPRUANCE FREE

Spruance had to win the confidence of the ships’ crews and the aviators in very limited time before he would commit them to one of the most important battles in naval history. Spruance arrived with the task force two days before the Battle of Midway and he brought with him only a single staff member. This indicated that he had high confidence in his subordinates, however when things did not go to plan he had to take responsibility for it. Spruance was also a careful manager but because of his hands-off approach to leadership he was not micromanaging his subordinates. Spruance’s leadership style could best be described as ‘hands-off’ because he would let his people do their thing and his subordinates appreciated this. While Halsey would often act on gut instinct or rely on the advice from his subordinates, Spruance would meticulously and methodically plan everything and then hand over to his commanders who made it happen. The two are often compared as they had almost polar opposites of leadership styles yet both were considered great leaders.

BATTLE GROUP SPRUANCE FREE

‘ Spruance was quiet, reserved, and preferred reflection over constant interaction.’ Unlike Halsey who was a free spirit, Spruance was deliberate, methodical and paid attention to the finest details. Spruance’s personality was also vastly different from his predecessor. His experience as a surface warfare officer would make him have a more conservative and precise view on air-sea combat. In Halsey’s place was the much more constrained Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance. The Midway Islands was a tiny set of islands that had an airfield, a fact that would make them a very important strategic asset that the US could ill afford to lose. The fact that he was sick was not a good omen. He was a naval aviator who knew aircraft carriers well and was very bold in his approach to using them. He was great for publicity and had a passionate hate for the Japanese people, which was popular with the press of the day. Vice Admiral Halsey was a popular military leader he was charismatic, extroverted and inspirational. Spruance had always served on traditional battleships, cruisers and destroyers but was now being asked to lead a task force which included the Aircraft Carriers US Ships Hornet and Enterprise.

Spruance had been leading Cruiser Division Five. Admiral Nimitz who was in overall command of the US Navy in the Pacific chose Rear Admiral Spruance on Halsey’s recommendation. Carrier Task Force 16’s leader, Vice Admiral Bill Halsey, had fallen ill and needed to be replaced. He would subsequently lead the US Naval College and act as ambassador to Singapore.Īdmiral Spruance came to prominence on the eve of the US Navy’s greatest ever test, the Battle of Midway. His decisions at the Battle of Midway and subsequent battles in the Pacific theatre of World War II were the mark of great leadership that saw him rise through the ranks to be Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet after the war had ended. Publication March 2009 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)Īdmiral Raymond Spruance was one of the great Naval leaders of the 20th Century. Garden Island Northern Hill and Garden Tour.Sydney Harbour in War and Peace: Bradleys Head Tour.80th Anniversary Cruise: Sydney under Japanese Attack 1942.Royal Australian Naval Transmitting Station ACT.Admiralty House, Garden and Fortifications.Spectacle Island Explosives Complex NSW.

HMAS Sydney II and the HSK Kormoran Shipwreck Sites.

Battle group spruance