Firstly, and perhaps most remarkably, Spruance, an admiral from a completely different professional discipline (cruiser warfare), stood in at the last moment to lead the US aircraft carrier fleet (he replaced the aggressive Admiral Halsey who had a chronic skin condition). Reflecting on the battle of Midway, four things stand out for me in terms of Spruance’s conduct. “Spruance kept his head when the initial US attack by his torpedo bombers failed catastrophically… he understood the big picture, and remained faithful to his plan.”
