United States Forces

KEY - CV = Fleet Carrier / CVL = Light Fleet Carrier / BB = Battleship / CA = Heavy Cruiser / CL = Light Cruiser / DD = Destroyer

Fifth Fleet
(Admiral Raymond A. Spruance in heavy cruiser Indianapolis)

Fifth Fleet consisted primarily of the landing forces ("Joint Expeditionary Force") under Vice Admiral R.K. Turner, and the fast carriers and their escorts (Task Force 58) under Vice Admiral Mitscher.

The amphibious force was the ultimate target of the Japanese operation, but in the event it was not engaged in the battle, which consisted of a struggle between the Japanese carrier forces on one side, and Mitscher's Task Force 58 (and the American submarines) on the other.

Task Force 58
(Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher in carrier Lexington)

7 fleet carriers, 8 light fleet carriers, 7 battleships, 8 heavy cruisers, 12 light cruisers, 67 destroyers.

Task Force 58 was organised into four carrier groups, plus Vice Admiral Lee's Battle Line, as detailed below.

Task Group One (TG58.1)
(Rear Admiral J.J. Clark in carrier Hornet)

2 fleet carriers, 2 light fleet carriers, 2 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, 14 destroyers.

CV-12 Hornet (Captain W.D. Sample) Air Group 2 (Commander J.D. Arnold)
CV-10 Yorktown (Captain R.E. Jennings) Air Group 1 (Commander J.M. Peters)
CVL-24 Belleau Wood (Captain John Perry) Air Group 24 (Lt. Commander E.M. Link)
CVL-29 Bataan (Captain V.H. Schaeffer) Air Group 50 (Lt. Commander J.C. Strange USNR)
CA Boston
CA Canberra
CA Baltimore
CL Anti-aircraft light cruiser Oakland
CL Anti-aircraft light cruiser San Juan
DD Izard
DD Bell
DD Burns
DD Conner
DD Charrette
DD Boyd
DD Bradford
DD Brown
DD Cowell
DD Maury
DD Craven
DD Gridley
DD Helm
DD McCall
 

Task Group Two (TG38.2)
(Rear Admiral A.E. Montgomery in carrier Bunker Hill)

2 fleet carriers, 2 light fleet carriers,  1 heavy cruiser, 4 light cruisers, 12 destroyers.

CV-17 Bunker Hill (Captain T.P. Jeter) Air Group 8 (Commander R.L. Shipley)
CV-18 Wasp (Captain C.A.F. Sprague) Air Group 14 (Commander W.C. Wingard)
CVL-26 Monterey (Captain S.H. Ingersoll) Air Group 28 (Lt. Commander R.W. Mehle USNR)
CVL-28 Cabot (Captain S.J. Michael) Air Group 31 (Lt. Commander R.A. Winston)
CL Santa Fe
CL Mobile
CL Biloxi
DD Miller
DD Owen
DD Stephen Potter
DD The Sullivans
DD Tingey
DD Hickox
DD Hunt
DD Lewis Hancock
DD Marshall
DD Macdonough
DD Dewey
DD Hull
 

Task Group Three, TG58.3
(Rear Admiral J.W. Reeves in carrier Enterprise)

2 fleet carriers, 2 light fleet carriers, 1 heavy cruiser, 4 light cruisers, 13 destroyers.

CV-6 Enterprise (Captain M.B. Gardner) Air Group 10 (Commander W.R. Kane)
CV-16 Lexington (Captain E.W. Litch) Air Group 16 (Commander E.M. Snowden)
CVL-23 Princeton (Captain W.H. Buracker) Air Group 27 (Lt. Commander E.W. Wood)
CVL-30 San Jacinto (Captain H.M. Martin)  Air Group 51 (Lt. Commander C.L. Moore)
CA Indianapolis
CL Montpelier
CL Cleveland
CL Birmingham
DD Clarence K. Bronson
DD Cotten
DD Dortch
DD Gatling
DD Healy
DD Caperton
DD Cogswell
DD Ingersoll
DD Knapp
DD Anthony
DD Wadsworth
DD Terry
DD Braine
 

Task Group Four, TG58.4
(Rear Admiral W.K. Harrill in carrier Essex)

1 fleet carrier, 2 light fleet carriers, 4 light cruisers, 14 destroyers.

CV-9 Essex (Captain R.A. Ofstie) Air Group 15 (Commander David McCampbell)
CVL-25 Cowpens (Captain H.W. Taylor) Air Group 25 (Lt. Commander R.H. Price)
CVL-27 Langley (Captain W.M. Dillon) Air Group 32 (Lt. Commander E.C. Outlaw)
CL Vincennes
CL Miami
CL Houston
CL Anti-aircraft light cruiser San Diego
DD Lansdowne
DD Lardner
DD McCalla
DD Case
DD Lang
DD Sterett
DD Wilson
DD Ellet
DD Charles Ausburne
DD Stanly
DD Dyson
DD Converse
DD Spence
DD Thatcher
 

Task Group 58.7, Battle Line
(Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee in battleship Washington)

7 battleships, 4 heavy cruisers, 14 destroyers.

BB Washington (Captain T.R. Cooley)
BB North Carolina (Captain F.P. Thomas)
BB Iowa (Captain A.R. McCann)
BB New Jersey  (Captain C.F. Holden)
BB South Dakota (Captain C.B. Momsen)
BB Alabama (Captain V.R. Murphy)
BB Indiana (Captain T.J. Keliher)
CA Wichita
CA Minneapolis
CA New Orleans
CA San Fransisco
DD Mugford
DD Conyngham
DD Bagley
DD Patterson
DD Selfridge
DD Halford
DD Fullam
DD Hudson
DD Guest
DD Bennett
DD Yarnall
DD Monssen
DD Twining
DD Stockham
 

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Main source for this order of battle was - Samuel Eliot Morison "History of US Naval Operations in World War II"  (Little Brown & Co., Boston), Vol.VIII