Who was navy commander at midway?

Answer 1

The Commander in Chief of the US Navy (CINCUS) at June 1942 was Admiral Ernest King. The Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC) was Admiral Chester Nimitz. But the commander of the surface ships fighting at Midway Battle (Carrier Striking Force = Task Force 16 (Spruance) + Task Force 17 (Fletcher) was REar Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, who as SENIOR OFFICER PRESENT AFFLOAT, and OFFICER IN TACTICAL COMMAND, directed all this forces (three carriers, eight cruisers, seventeen destroyer, two oilers) during all the battle. When the four big Japanese carriers were sunk, he assigned Rear Admiral Spruance (his second in command) with Task Force 16, to make sure the American Control of the Area. Spruance sunk a Japanese cruiser in the next three days. Yorktown, Fletcher's flagship was sunk and the Admiral change his flag former to cruiser Astoria and Later (8th of June) to the just arrived carrier Saratoga. Under Fletcher's command, all American Ships in zone, including Hornet, Enterprise (flagship of TF!6) and Saratoga (new flagship of all surface forces arrived Pearl Harbor on June 13th 1942. The Pacific war wasn't won, but was defined, after Fletcher Victory.

Admiral Spruance was a great Admiral, but he couldn't show it at Midway, because he didn't know the carriers war. His TF16 made some errors, one of which costed carrier Yorktown. He recognises this in his battle report. This recognition shows clearly the kind of man Spruance was. He also recognised Fletcher as the victor, in a letter to him.