World War II

Carrier Raids on the Home Islands

24 - 28 July 1945
Contributed by Daniel Muir

Allied Forces

Task Force 38

Part of United States Third Fleet

Admiral William F. Halsey

Position: Commander, Third Fleet
Vice Admiral J. S. McCain

Position: Commander, Task Force 38

Task Force 38.1

Rear Admiral T. L. Sprague

Aircraft Carriers

CV Bennington

Commanding officer: CAPT B. L. Braun
- Air Group 1
  - 37 Hellcats
  - 37 Corsairs
  - 15 Helldivers
  - 15 Avengers

CV Lexington

Commanding officer: CAPT T. H. Robbins, Jr.
- Air Group 94

CV Hancock

Commanding officer: CAPT R. F. Hickey
- Air Group 6
  - 72 Hellcats
  - 12 Helldivers
  - 10 Avengers

CVL Belleau Wood
- Air Group 30
  - 25 Hellcats
  - 9 Avengers

CVL San Jacinto

Commanding officer: CAPT M. H. Kernodle
- Air Group 49
  - 25 Hellcats
  - 9 Avengers

CVL Bataan

Commanding officer: CAPT W. G. Tomlinson
- Air Group 49
  - 24 Hellcats
  - 12 Avengers

Battleships

BB Indiana
BB Massachusetts
BB Alabama

Cruisers

CL Topeka
CL Duluth
CL Dayton
CL Atlanta
CL San Diego

Destroyer Squadron 61

De Haven
Mansfield
Lyman K Swenson
Collett
Maddox
Blue
Brush
Taussig

Destroyer Squadron 25

John Rogers
Harrison
McKee
Murray
Ringgold
Schroeder
Dashiell

Destroyer Squadron 100

Capeton
Cogswell
Ingersoll
Knapp

Task Force 38.3

Rear Admiral Bogan

Aircraft Carriers

CV Wasp

Commanding officer: CAPT W. G. Switzer

Notes: Joined 26 July after Wake strike enroute from US.
- Air Group 86

CV Ticonderoga

Commanding officer: CAPT W. Swinton

Notes: Joined 21 July after three weeks at Guam.
- Air Group 87

CV Randolph

Commanding officer: CAPT F. L. Baker
- Air Group 16
  - 57 Hellcats
  - 15 Helldivers
  - 15 Avengers

CV Essex

Commanding officer: CAPT R. L. Bowman
- Air Group 83
  - 36 Hellcats
  - 36 Corsairs
  - 15 Helldivers
  - 15 Avengers

CVL Monterey

Commanding officer: CAPT J. B. Lyon
- Air Group 34
  - 25 Hellcats
  - 9 Avengers

CVL Bataan

Commanding officer: CAPT W. C. Gilbert
- Air Group 47

Battleships

BB North Carolina
Crew: Admiral T. R. Cooley (Position: Commander, Battleship Division 6.)

Notes: Part of Battleship Division 6.
BB South Dakota

Cruisers

CL Pasadena
CL Springfield
CL Wilkes-Barre
CL Astoria
CL Oakland

Destroyer Squadron 48

Erben
Walker
Hale
Abbot
Strembel
Bullard
Black
Chauncey
Heerman

Destroyer Squadron 62

English
Charles S. Sperry
Ault
Waldron
John W. Weeks
Hank
Wallace L. Lind
Borie

Task Force 38.4

Rear Admiral Radford

Aircraft Carriers

CV Yorktown

Commanding officer: CAPT W. F. Boone
- Air Group 88
  - 40 Hellcats
  - 33 Hellcats
    
    Notes: Fighter-bombers.
  - 15 Helldivers
  - 7 Avengers

CV Shangri-La (force flagship)

Commanding officer: CAPT J. D. Barner

Notes: Flagship of Task Force 34.
- Air Group 85

CV Bon Homme Richard

Commanding officer: CAPT A. O. Rule, Jr.
- Night Air Group 91
  - 37 Hellcats
  - 18 Avengers

CVL Independence

Commanding officer: CAPT N. M. Kindell
- Air Group 27
  - 25 Hellcats
  - 8 Avengers

CVL Cowpens

Commanding officer: CAPT G. H. DeBaun
- Air Group 50
  - 25 Hellcats
  - 9 Avengers

Battleships

BB Iowa
BB Missouri (fleet flagship)

Notes: Flagship of Third Fleet.
BB Wisconsin

Cruisers

CA Quincy
CA Chicago
CA Boston
CA St. Paul
CL San Juan

Destroyer Squadron 53

Cushing
Colahan
Uhlmann
Benham
Stockham
Wedderburn

Destroyer Squadron 54

Remey
Norman Scott
Mertz
Monssen
McGowan
McNair

Destroyer Squadron 113

Rowe
Smalley
Stoddard
Watts
Wren

Other destroyers

Frank Knox

Notes: Radar picket.

Other warships

The sources do not indicate which task groups these ships were attached to.

Cruisers

CL Oklahoma City
CL Amsterdam
CL Tuscon
CL Flint

Destroyers

Samuel N. Moore
Twining
Wadleigh
Franks
Higbee

Notes: Radar picket.
Southerland

Notes: Radar picket.
Benner

Notes: Radar picket.

Task Force 37

Part of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom

Vice-Admiral Rawlings
Vice-Admiral Philip Vian

Aircraft Carriers

CV Formidable
- 1841 Sq.
  
  Notes: 18 Corsair IV.
- 1842 Sq.
  
  Notes: 18 Corsair IV.
- 1848 Sq.
  
  Notes: 4 Hellcat II, 2 Hellcat PRII.
- 848 Sq.
  
  Notes: 12 Avenger II.

CV Victorious
- 1834 Sq.
  
  Notes: 19 Corsair II & IV.
- 1836 Sq.
  
  Notes: 18 Corsair II & IV.
- 849 Sq.
  
  Notes: 16 Avenger II.
- Ship's flight
  
  Notes: 2 Walrus.

CV Implacable
- 801 Sq.
  
  Notes: 24 Seafire LIII.
- 880 Sq.
  
  Notes: 24 Seafire LIII & FRIII.
- 1771 Sq.
  
  Notes: 12 Firefly I.
- 828 Sq.
  
  Notes: 21 Avenger II.

CV Indefatigable
- 887 Sq.
  
  Notes: 15 Seafire FIII & 9 Seafire LIII.
- 894 Sq.
  
  Notes: 16 Seafire LIII.
- 1772 Sq.
  
  Notes: 12 Firefly I.
- 820 Sq.
  
  Notes: 21 Avenger II.

Battleship

BB King George V

Cruisers

CL Newfoundland

Notes: Royal Canadian Navy.
CL Achilles

Notes: Royal New Zealand Navy.
CL Uganda

Notes: Royal Canadian Navy. Relieved by Argonaut on 27 July 1945.
CL Euryalus
CL Gambia
CL Black Prince

Destroyers

Quiberon
Quickmatch
Quality
Quadrant
Troubridge
Tenacious
Termagant
Teazer
Terpsichore
Grenville
Undaunted
Undine
Urania
Urchin
Ulysses
Barfleur
Wrangler
Wakeful

Japanese Forces

Ship Losses

Aircraft Carriers

CV Amagi (sunk)
CV Katsuragi (damaged)
CVL Ryuho (damaged)
CVL Hosho (damaged)
CVE Kaiyo (damaged)

Battleships

BB Ise (sunk)
BB Hyuga (sunk)
BB Haruna (sunk)

Cruisers

CA Tone (sunk)
CA Aoba (sunk)
CL Oyodo (sunk)
CL Kitakami (damaged)

Destroyers

DD Yoitsuki (damaged)
DD Yukikaze (damaged)
DE Nashi (sunk)
DE Hagi (damaged)
DE Kaba (damaged)
DE Tsubaki (damaged)

Corvettes

Kaibokan 2 (damaged)
Kaibokan 4 (damaged)
Kaibokan 6 (damaged)
Kaibokan 30 (damaged)
Kaibokan 44 (damaged)
Kaibokan 45 (damaged)
Kaibokan 190 (damaged)

Frigates

Habushi (damaged)
Takane (damaged)
Okinawa (damaged)

Submarine Chasers

Kusentai Ch.14 (damaged)
Kusentai Ch.26 (damaged)
Kusen T-T Cha.182 (damaged)

Submarines

SS I-404 (sunk)
SS I-205 (damaged)
SS I-202 (damaged)
SS I-153 (damaged)

Minelayers

ML Tojima (damaged)

Training Cruisers

Iwate (sunk)
Izumo (sunk)

Target Ship

Settsu (damaged)

Submarine Depot Ships

Komahashi (damaged)
Chogei (damaged)

Other

Numerous other auxiliary warships and merchant ships were also sunk.

Sources

Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-1945 by J. Rohwer & G. Hummelchen
Carrier Operations of WWII Vol. 1: The Royal Navy by D. Brown
Ships Data 1, USS North Carolina (BB55) by A. Lott & R. Sumrall
The Fast Carriers by Clark G. Reynolds
U.S. Navy Fighter Squadrons of World War II by Barrett Tillman