American Forces

5th Fleet (Task Force 50)
  • V.Adm. Raymond A. Spruance

Task Force 58

Fast Carrier Force
  • R.Adm. Marc Mitscher

Task Group 58.1

  • R.Adm. John W. Reeves
  • CV USS Enterprise
    Commanding officer: Capt. M.B. Gardner
    • Air Group 10
      • 32 x F6F
      • 30 x SBD
      • 16 x TBF
      • 4 x F4U
        Notes: Night fighters.
  • CV USS Yorktown (force flagship)(force flagship)
    Commanding officer: Capt. R.E. Jennings
    • Air Group 5
      • 37 x F6F
      • 36 x SBD
      • 18 x TBF
      • 4 x F6F
        Notes: Night fighters.
  • CVL USS Belleau Wood
    Commanding officer: Capt. A.M. Pride
    • Air Group 24
      • 24 x F6F
      • 8 x TBF
Cruiser Division 13
  • R. Adm. L.T. DuBose
  • CL USS Santa Fe
    Commanding officer: Capt. J. Wright
  • CL USS Mobile
    Commanding officer: Capt. C.J. Wheeler
  • CL USS Biloxi
    Commanding officer: Capt. D.M. McGurl
  • CLAA USS Oakland
    Commanding officer: Capt. W.K. Phillips
Destroyer Squadron 50
  • Capt. S.R. Clark
  • DD USS C.K. Bronson
    Commanding officer: Lt. Cdr. J.C. McGoughran
  • DD USS Cotten
    Commanding officer: Cdr. F.T. Sloat
  • DD USS Dortch
    Commanding officer: Cdr. R.C. Young
  • DD USS Gatling
    Commanding officer: Cdr. A.F. Richardson
  • DD USS Healey
    Commanding officer: Cdr. J.C. Atkeson
  • DD USS Cogswell
    Commanding officer: Cdr. H.T. Deuterman
  • DD USS Caperton
    Commanding officer: Cdr. W.J. Miller
  • DD USS Ingersoll
    Commanding officer: Cdr. A.C. Veasey
  • DD USS Knapp
    Commanding officer: Cdr. F. Virden

Task Group 58.2

  • R. Adm. A.E. Montgomery
  • CV USS Essex
    Commanding officer: Capt. R. A. Ofstie
    • Air Group 9
      • 36 x F6F
      • 34 x SBD
      • 19 x TBF
  • CV USS Intrepid (seriously damaged)(seriously damaged)
    Commanding officer: Capt. T.L. Sprague
    Notes: Seriously damaged by a torpedo hit.
    • Air Group 6
      • 37 x F6F
      • 36 x SBD
      • 19 x TBF
      • 4 x F4U
        Notes: Night fighters.
  • CVL USS Cabot
    Commanding officer: Capt. M.F. Schoeffel
    • Air Group 31
      • 26 x F6F
      • 9 x TBF
Cruisers
  • R.Adm. L.J. Wiltsie
  • CA USS Baltimore
    Commanding officer: Capt. W.C. Calhoun
  • CA USS Wichita
    Commanding officer: Capt. J.J. Mahoney
  • CA USS San Francisco
  • CLAA USS San Diego
    Commanding officer: Capt. L.J. Hudson
Destroyer Squadron 52
  • Capt. G.R. Cooper
  • DD USS Owen
    Commanding officer: Cdr. R.W. Wood
  • DD USS Miller
    Commanding officer: Cdr. T.H. Kobey
  • DD USS The Sullivans
    Commanding officer: Cdr. K.M. Gentry
  • DD USS Stephan Potter
    Commanding officer: Cdr. C.H. Crichton
  • DD USS Hickok
    Commanding officer: Cdr. W.M. Sweetser
  • DD USS Hunt
    Commanding officer: Cdr. H.A. Knoertzer
  • DD USS Lewis Hancock
    Commanding officer: Cdr. C.H. Lyman
  • DD USS Stack
    Commanding officer: Lt. Cdr. R.E. Wheeler
  • DD USS Stembel

Task Group 58.3

  • R. Adm. F.C. Sherman
  • CV USS Bunker Hill
    Commanding officer: Capt. T.P. Jeter
    • Air Group 17
      • 38 x F6F
      • 31 x SB2C
      • 20 x TBF
      • 4 x F4U
        Notes: Night fighters.
  • CVL USS Monterey
    Commanding officer: Capt. L.T. Hundt
    • Air Group 30
      • 25 x F6F
      • 9 x TBF
  • CVL USS Cowpens
    Commanding officer: Capt. R.P. McConnell
    • Air Group 25
      • 24 x F6F
      • 9 x TBF
Cruisers
  • R. Adm. R.C. Giffen
  • CA USS Minneapolis
    Commanding officer: Capt. R.W. Bates (?)
  • CA USS New Orleans
Destroyer Squadron 46
  • Capt. C.F. Espe
  • DD USS Izard
    Commanding officer: Cdr. E.K. Swearingen
  • DD USS Charette
    Commanding officer: Cdr. E.S. Karpe
  • DD USS Conner
    Commanding officer: Cdr. W.E. Kaitner
  • DD USS Bell
    Commanding officer: Cdr. L.C. Petross
  • DD USS Burns
    Commanding officer: Cdr. D.T. Eller
  • DD USS Sterrett
    Commanding officer: Lt. Cdr. F.J. Blouin
  • DD USS Lang
    Commanding officer: Cdr. H. Payson
  • DD USS Bradford
    Commanding officer: Cdr. R.L. Morris
  • DD USS Brown
    Commanding officer: Cdr. T.H. Copeman
  • DD USS Cowell
    Commanding officer: Cdr. C.W.Parker
  • DD USS Wilson
    Commanding officer: Lt.Cdr.C.K. Duncan

Task Group 50.9

Attached to Task Group 58.3
  • V.Adm. W.A. Lee

Task Unit 50.9.1

  • R.Adm. O.M. Hustvedt
  • BB USS Iowa
    Commanding officer: Capt. J.L. McCrea
  • BB USS New Jersey (fleet flagship)(fleet flagship)
    Commanding officer: Capt. C.F. Holden

Task Unit 50.9.2

  • R.Adm. G.B. Davis
  • BB USS Massachusetts
    Commanding officer: Capt. T.D. Ruddock
  • BB USS Alabama
    Commanding officer: Capt. F.D. Kirtland

Task Unit 50.9.3

  • R.Adm. E.W. Hanson
  • BB USS South Dakota
    Commanding officer: Capt. A.E. Smith
  • BB USS North Carolina
    Commanding officer: Capt. F.P. Thomas

Submarine Patrol

  • SS Searaven
    Commanding officer: Lt. Cdr. M.H. Dry
  • SS Seal
    Commanding officer: Cdr. H.B. Dodge
  • SS Sunfish
    Commanding officer: Lt. Cdr. E.E. Shelby
  • SS Skate
    Commanding officer: Lt. Cdr. W.P. Gruner
  • SS Tang
    Commanding officer: Lt. Cdr. R.H. O'Kane
  • SS Aspro
    Commanding officer: Cdr. W. A. Stevenson
  • SS Burrfish
    Commanding officer: Cdr. W.B. Perkins
  • SS Darter
    Commanding officer: Cdr. W.S. Stovall
  • SS Dace
    Commanding officer: Lt. Cdr. B.D. Claggett
  • SS Gato
    Commanding officer: Cdr. R.J. Foley

Japanese Forces

At Truk
  • R.Adm. Chuichi Hara
    Notes: Ashore.

Light cruisers

  • Agano (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Captain Matsuda Takamutsu (killed)
  • Katori (sunk)(sunk)
    Notes: Damaged by aerial torpedo, finished off by 8in and 5in gunfire.
  • Naka (sunk)(sunk)
    Notes: Broken in two by one bomb and one torpedo, 210 survivors.

Destroyers

  • Oite (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Lieutenant Yasuhiro Uono (killed)
    Notes: Lost with all hands.
  • Fumizuki (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Lieutenant Commander Yoshiharu Nagakura
    Crew: Gunnery Officer Commander G.F. Longhurst, Commander Michio Oka (Position: Commander, Destroyer Division 22)
    Notes: Division flagship.
  • Matsukaze
    Commanding officer: Lieutenant Tetsuo Kadono
  • Maikaze (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Lieutenant Commander Tsutomu Hagio (killed)
    Crew: Gunnery Officer Commander G.F. Longhurst, Captain Kenma Isogu (killed) (Position: Commander, Destroyer Division 4)
    Notes: Division flagship. Lost with all hands.
  • Nowaki
    Commanding officer: Commander Setsuji Moriya
  • Yamagumo
    Commanding officer: Commander Shirou Ono
  • Tachikaze (sunk)(sunk)
    Commanding officer: Lieutenant Commander Yasuteru Yokota
    Notes: Already hard aground, struck by torpedo and sunk.
  • One other

Other warships

  • SC 24 (sunk)(sunk)
  • AMC Akagi Maru (sunk)(sunk)
  • AMC Kiyosumi Maru (sunk)(sunk)
  • Others

Merchant ships

  • More than 50
    Notes: Thirty-two lost, totaling 200,000 tons.
    • AS Rio de Janeiro Maru (sunk)(sunk)
    • AS Heian Maru (sunk)(sunk)
    • AKV Fujikawa Maru (sunk)(sunk)
    • Six AOs (sunk)(sunk)
    • 17 AKs (sunk)(sunk)

Aircraft

  • 250 aircraft
    Notes: 250-275 destroyed or damaged.

Sources

  • Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy by Paul S. Dull
  • Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War by Eric Lacroix and Linton Wells III
  • Nihon Kaigun website
  • United States Naval Operations in World War II, Vol. VII: Aleutians, Gilberts and Marshalls by S.E. Morison
  • Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-1945 by Rohwer & Hummelchen