Gilbert Islands naval order of battle

On 20 November 1943, simultaneous landings were made by United States Marine Corps forces on Tarawa and United States Army forces on Makin, two coral atolls located in the Gilbert Islands chain in the South-Central Pacific.

Gilbert Islands

Unlike at the Allied landings on Guadalcanal the previous fall, the Japanese chose to violently oppose the Marines on the beach at Betio, the principal island of the Tarawa Atoll. These extremely well-planned defenses, combined with unexpected tidal conditions, made the fight for Tarawa one of the most difficult for the Marine Corps of the entire Pacific Theater.

Makin was declared secure on 25 November, Tarawa on 27 November.

The naval forces assigned to capture the Gilberts formed the largest armada yet assembled by either side in the Pacific, considerably larger than the Allied force that mounted the invasion of Guadalcanal and dwarfing the Japanese force that attacked Pearl Harbor.

TF 50 – Carrier Force (Task Force 50):

6 fleet carriers, 6 light carriers, 6 fast battleships, 3 heavy cruisers, 3 anti-aircraft light cruisers, 21 destroyers

TF 52 – Northern Attack Force (Makin) (Task Force 52):

3 escort carriers, 4 old battleships, 4 heavy cruisers, 15 destroyers, 1 minesweeper, 5 transports, 4 landing ships

Main article: Battle of Makin

TF 53 – Southern Attack Force (Tarawa) (Task Force 53):

5 escort carriers, 3 old battleships, 2 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, 22 destroyers, 2 minesweepers, 16 transports, 4 landing ships

Main article: Battle of Tarawa

Command structure

Naval commanders

Adm. Chester W. Nimitz

Vice Adm. Raymond A. Spruance

Rear Adm. Richmond Kelly Turner

Ground force commanders

Maj. Gen. Holland M. Smith, USMC

Maj. Gen. Julian C. Smith, USMC

Maj. Gen. Ralph C. Smith, USA

Naval

The roles of Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas (CINCPOA) and Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC), were both exercised by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz from his headquarters at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Since the Gilberts and Marshalls lie in the Central Pacific, their capture was the responsibility of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, led by Vice Admiral Raymond A. Spruance from aboard his flagship, heavy cruiser Indianapolis.

The ships and troops of Operations Galvanic (landings on Tarawa Atoll) and Kourbash (landings on Makin Atoll) were under direct operational command of Rear Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner aboard old battleship Pennsylvania.

In case Admiral Mineichi Koga attempted to disrupt Fifth Fleet's operations, Spruance was to strip all combat ships not needed to cover the landings, join with the fast carrier forces and engage the Japanese. In the event, Koga's Combined Fleet never stirred from its anchorage at Truk Lagoon in the Carolines.

Ground troops

V Amphibious Corps (Maj. Gen. Holland M. Smith)

Tarawa: 2nd Marine Division (Maj. Gen. Julian C. Smith)

Makin: 27th Infantry Division (Army) (Maj. Gen. Ralph C. Smith)

Both Admiral Turner and General Holland Smith sailed with the Northern Attack Force even though it was obvious that Tarawa would be the scene of the main ground action. If the Japanese mounted a counterattack, it was most likely to come from the Marshalls since the closest Japanese bases to the Gilberts were located there. Nimitz and Spruance wanted the two highest-ranking officers to sail with the forces that would be the first to encounter any such enemy response. Unbeknownst to the Americans, the Japanese had stripped almost all their naval and air assets from the Marshalls in an attempt to resist the Allied effort in the Central Solomons. Thus, no counterattack materialized.

Forces afloat

Carrier Force (Task Force 50)

Rear Admiral Charles A. Pownall in fleet carrier Yorktown

Carrier Interceptor Group (Task Group 50.1)

Rear Adm. Charles A. Pownall

Fleet carrier Lexington underway, February 1944

Rear Admiral Pownall in Yorktown

2 fleet carriers

Yorktown (Capt. J. J. Clark)

Air Group 5 (Lt. Cmdr. C. L. Crommelin)

VF-5: 36 F6F Hellcat fighters

VB-5: 36 SBD Dauntless dive bombers

VT-5: 18 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers

Lexington (Capt. F. B. Stump)

Air Group 16 (Lt. Cmdr. E. M. Snowden)

VF-16: 36 F6F Hellcat fighters

VB-16: 36 SBD Dauntless dive bombers

VT-16: 18 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers

1 light carrier

Cowpens (Capt. R. P. McConnell)

Air Group 25 (Lt. R. H. Price)

VF-25: 24 F6F Hellcat fighters

  VF-6: 12 F6F Hellcat fighters

VC-25: 10 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers

Battleship Division 6 (Rear Adm. E. W. Hanson)

3 fast battleships

Washington (Capt. J. E. Maher)

South Dakota (Capt. A. E. Smith)

Alabama (Capt. Fred D. Kirtland)[1]

Screen (Lr. Cmdr. A. J. Hill)

6 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): La Vallette, Nicholas, Taylor, Charrette, Conner, Izard

Northern Carrier Group (Task Group 50.2)

Rear Adm. Arthur W. Radford

Fast battleship Massachusetts off Point Wilson, Washington, July 1944

Rear Admiral Arthur W. Radford in fleet carrier Enterprise

1 fleet carrier

Enterprise (Capt. S. P. Ginder)

Air Group 6 (Lt. Cmdr. E. H. O'Hare) (killed 26 Nov)

VF-2: 36 F6F Hellcat fighters

VB-6: 36 SBD Dauntless dive bombers

VT-6: 18 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers

2 light carriers

Belleau Wood (Capt. A. M. Pride)

Air Group 24 (Cmdr. R. H. Dale)

VF-24: 26 F6F Hellcat fighters

  VF-6: 12 F6F Hellcat fighters

VC-22B: 9 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers

Monterey (Capt. L. T. Hundt)

Air Group 30 (Lt. Cmdr. J. G. Sliney, USNR)

VF-30: 24 F6F Hellcat fighters

VC-30:  9 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers

Battleship Division 6 (Rear Adm. G. B. Davis)

3 fast battleships

North Carolina (Capt. F. P. Thomas)

Indiana (Capt. W. M. Fechteler)

Massachusetts (Capt. T. D. Ruddock)

Screen (Cmdr. H. F. Miller)

6 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Fletcher, Radford, Jenkins, Boyd, Bradford, Brown

Southern Carrier Group (Task Group 50.3)

Rear Adm. Alfred E. Montgomery

Light carrier Independence underway, early 1943

Rear Admiral Alfred E. Montgomery in fleet carrier Essex

2 fleet carriers

Essex (Capt. D. B. Duncan)

Air Group 9 (Cmdr. J. Raby)

VF-9: 36 F6F Hellcat fighters

VB-9: 36 SBD Dauntless dive bombers

VT-9: 18 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers

Bunker Hill (Capt. J. J. Ballentine)

Air Group 17 (Cmdr. M. P. Bagdanovitch)

VF-18: 36 F6F Hellcat fighters

VB-17: 32 SB2C Helldiver dive bombers

1 light carrier

Independence (Capt. R. L. Johnson)

Air Group 22 (Cmdr. J. M. Peters)

VF-22: 16 F6F Hellcat fighters

  VF-6: 12 F6F Hellcat fighters

VC-22:  9 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers

Cruiser Division 5 (Rear Adm. E. G. Small):

3 heavy cruisers

Pensacola (Capt. R. E. Dees)

Salt Lake City (Capt. W. L. Busbey)

Chester (Capt. F. T. Spellman)

1 anti-aircraft light cruiser[lower-alpha 1]

Oakland (Capt. W. K. Phillips)

Screen (Capt. J. T. Bottom):

5 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Erben, Hale, Bullard, Kidd, Chauncey

Relief Carrier Group (Task Group 50.4)

Rear Adm. Frederick C. Sherman

Anti-aircraft light cruiser San Juan off San Francisco, October 1944

Rear Admiral Frederick C. Sherman in fleet carrier Saratoga

1 fleet carrier

Saratoga (Capt. J. H. Cassady)

Air Group 3 (Cmdr. H. H. Caldwell)

VF-12: 37 F6F Hellcat fighters

VB-12: 24 SBD Dauntless dive bombers

VT-12: 18 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers

1 light carrier

Princeton (Capt. G. R. Henderson)

Air Group 23 (Lt. Cmdr. H. L. Miller)

VF-23: 24 F6F Hellcat fighters

VT-23:   9 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers

Cruiser Division 2 (Rear Adm. L. J. Wiltse)

2 anti-aircraft light cruisers:[lower-alpha 1]

San Diego (Capt. L. J. Hudson)

San Juan (Capt. G. W. Clark)

Screen

4 destroyers (3 Gridley-class): Stack, Sterett, Wilson, (1 Benson-class): Edwards

Northern Attack Force (Makin) (Task Group 52)

Rear Adm. Richmond Kelly Turner

Attack transport Leonard Wood off California, April 1944

Rear Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner in old battleship Pennsylvania

Transport Group (Task Group 52.1)

Captain D. W. Loomis
Embarking 165th Regimental Combat Team and 105th Battalion Landing Team
of the 27th Infantry Division (Army)

4 attack transports: Neville, Leonard Wood, Calvert, Pierce

1 attack cargo ship: Alcyone

1 landing ship dock: Belle Grove

Screen

4 destroyers (2 Fletcher-class): Kimberly, Burns, (1 Farragut-class): Dale, (1 Sims-class): Mustin

Fire Support Group (Task Group 52.2)

Rear Admiral Robert M. Griffin in fast battleship New Mexico

Unit 1

2 old battleships: Pennsylvania (Capt. W. A. Corn), New Mexico (Capt. E. M. Zacharias)

2 heavy cruisers: Minneapolis (Capt. R. W. Bates), San Francisco (Capt. A. F. France)

2 destroyers (both Farragut-class): Dewey, Hull

Unit 2

2 old battleships: Mississippi (Capt. L. L. Hunter), Idaho (Capt. H. D. Clarke)

2 heavy cruisers: New Orleans (Capt. S. R. Shumaker), Baltimore (Capt. W. C. Calhoun)

2 destroyers (both Gridley-class): Gridley, Maury

Unit 3

2 destroyers (1 Farragut-class): MacDonough, (1 Porter-class): Phelps

Air Support Group (Task Group 52.3)

Grumman F4F Wildcat fighter

Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bomber

Rear Admiral Henry M. Mullinnix (killed 24 Nov) in escort carrier Liscome Bay

3 escort carriers

Liscome Bay (sunk 24 Nov) (Capt. I. D. Wiltsie – killed 24 Nov)

Air Group (Lt. Cmdr. M. U. Beebe)

16 FM-1 Wildcat fighters

12 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Coral Sea (Capt. H. W. Taylor)

Air Group (Lt. Cmdr. J. J. Lynch)

16 FM-1 Wildcat fighters

12 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers

Corregidor (Capt. R. L. Bowman)

Air Group (Lt. Cmdr. G. M. Clifford)

16 FM-1 Wildcat fighters

12 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers

Screen

4 destroyers: (2 Sims-class): Hughes, Morris, (2 Fletcher-class): Hoel, Franks

1 minesweeper (Raven-class): Revenge

Makin LST Group No. 1 (Task Group 54.4)

Commander A. M. Hurst

3 landing ship tanks: 31, 78, 178, each carrying an LCT

1 Farragut-class destroyer: Dale

TF 53 Southern Attack Force (Tarawa)

Rear Adm. Harry W. Hill

Landing ship dock

Rear Admiral Harry W. Hill in old battleship Maryland

Transport Group (Task Group 53.1)

Captain H. B. Knowles in attack transport Monrovia
Embarking 2nd Marine Division, reinforced

Transport Division 4 (Capt. J. B. McGovern):

5 attack transports: Zeilin, Heywood, William P. Biddle, Harry Lee, Arthur Middleton

Transport Division 6 (Capt. T. B. Brittain):

4 attack transports: Harris, Feland, J. Franklin Bell, Ormsby

Transport Division 18 (Capt. Knowles):

3 attack transports: Doyen, Monrovia, Sheridan

3 attack cargo ships: Bellatrix, Thuban, Virgo

1 landing ship dock: Ashland

1 transport: La Salle

Screen (Capt. E. M. Thompson):

7 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Sigsbee, Hazelwood, Heermann, Harrison, John Rodgers, McKee, Murray

Minesweeper Group (Task Group 53.2)

Lieutenant Commander H. R. Peirce

2 minesweepers (both Raven-class): Pursuit, Requisite

Fire Support Group (Task Group 53.4)

Old battleship Tennessee after modernization

Benson-class destroyer

Rear Admiral Howard F. Kingman

Section 1

1 old battleship: Tennessee (Capt. R. S. Haggart)

1 light cruiser: Mobile (Capt. C. J. Wheeler)

2 destroyers (both Benson-class): Bailey, Frazier

Section 2

1 old battleship: Maryland (Capt. C. H. Jones)

1 light cruiser: Santa Fe (Capt. R. S. Berkey)

2 destroyers (both Benson-class): Meade, Gansevoort

Section 3

1 old battleship: Colorado (Capt. W. Granat)

1 heavy cruiser: Portland (Capt. A. D. Burhans)

2 destroyers (both Sims-class): Anderson, Russell

Section 4

2 destroyers (both Fletcher-class): Ringgold, Dashiell

Section 5

1 heavy cruiser: Indianapolis (Capt. E. R. Johnson)

1 destroyer (Fletcher-class): Schroeder

Air Support Group (Task Group 53.6)

Escort carrier Suwannee underway

Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber

Landing ship tank

Rear Admiral V. H. Ragsdale

5 escort carriers

Sangamon (Capt. E. P. Moore)

12 F6F Hellcat fighters

  9 SBD Dauntless dive bombers

  9 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers

Suwanee (Capt. F. W. McMahon)

12 F6F Hellcat fighters

  9 SBD Dauntless dive bombers

  9 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers

Chenango (Capt. D. Ketcham)

12 F6F Hellcat fighters

  9 SBD Dauntless dive bombers

  9 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers

Nassau (Capt. S. J. Michael)

12 F6F Hellcat fighters

Barnes (Capt. G. A. Dussault)

12 F6F Hellcat fighters

Screen

5 destroyers: (2 Fletcher-class): Cowell, Cotten, (3 Farragut-class): Farragut, Monaghan, Aylwin

Tarawa LST Group No. 1 (Task Group 54.5)

Lieutenant Commander R. M. Pits

3 landing ship tanks: 34, 242, 243, each carrying an LCT

1 destroyer (Benson-class): Bancroft

Notes

1. These cruisers were intended as destroyer leaders when designed. After the first two to be used in this role, Atlanta and Juneau, were lost at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, this mission was abandoned and the anti-aircraft mission adopted.[2]

References

1. USS Alabama War Diary, Wednesday, 17 November 1943, 0 to 4, U.S. National Archives, World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories, ca. 1/1/1942 - ca. 6/1/1946. This diary entry also makes reference to the presence of the oiler USS Lackawanna (AO-40) with Task Group 50.1 on this date.
2. Stille, Mark, US Navy Light Cruisers, 1941–45, Osprey Publishing, Ltd., 2016, p. 7

Bibliography

• Morison, Samuel Eliot (1951). Aleutians, Gilberts and Marshalls: June 1942 April 1944. History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. VII. Boston: Little, Brown and Co. ISBN 978-0-31658-307-7.
• Wright, Derrick (2004). Tarawa 1943: The Turning of the Tide. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-275-98271-8.