# Central Marianas naval order of battle

On 15 June 1944, United States Marine and Army forces landed on the southwest coast of the island of Saipan in the central Marianas chain. US forces declared Saipan secure on 9 July.
Marine Corps forces landed on the nearby island of Tinian on 24 July. Tinian was declared secure 1 August.
The naval forces involved can be summarized as follows:
* Combat ships: 7 escort carriers, 7 old battleships, 6 heavy cruisers, 5 light cruisers, 69 destroyers, 28 destroyer escorts
* 150+ amphibious landing and support ships
* 85+ auxiliaries

## Command structure

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.

### Theater and Operational Command

Since the Marianas 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 embarked troops of Operation Forager were under direct operational command of Rear Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner aboard amphibious command ship Rocky Mount.
The Marine and Army landing forces for Operation Forager were under the command of Maj. Gen. Holland M. "Howlin' Mad" Smith, USMC. Smith directed the ground troops from aboard Vice Adm. Turner's flagship Rocky Mount until the afternoon of 17 June when he set up his command post ashore.

### Ground Troops

V Amphibious Corps (Maj. Gen. Holland M. Smith, USMC)
    Saipan: 2nd Marine Division (Maj. Gen. Thomas E. Watson)
          4th Marine Division (Maj. Gen. Harry Schmidt)
          27th Infantry Division (Army) (Maj. Gen. Ralph C. Smith)
    Tinian: 2nd Marine Division (Maj. Gen. Thomas E. Watson)
          4th Marine Division (Maj. Gen. Harry Schmidt)

## Forces afloat

U.S. Fifth Fleet Admiral Raymond A. Spruance in heavy cruiser Indianapolis
Joint Expeditionary Force (Task Force 51) Vice Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner in amphibious command ship Rocky Mount
   * Northern Attack Force (Task Force 52 – Saipan and Tinian)
       Vice Admiral Turner
   * Southern Attack Force (Task Force 53 – Guam)
       Vice Admiral Richard L. Conolly in amphibious command ship Appalachian

### Combat Task Groups
#### Carrier Support Group One (Task Group 52.14)

Rear Adm. Gerald F. Bogan
    Unit 1 (Rear Adm. Bogan)
       2 escort carriers
          Fanshaw Bay (Capt. D.P. Johnson)
             Composite Squadron 68 (Lt. Cmdr. R.S. Rogers):
             16 FM-2 Wildcat fighters
             12 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers
          Midway (Capt. F.J. McKenna)
             Composite Squadron 65 (Lt. Cmdr. R.M. Jones):
             12 FM-2 Wildcat fighters
             9 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers
       3 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Cassin Young, Irwin, Ross
    Unit 2 (Capt. A.O. Weller)
       2 escort carriers
          White Plains (Capt. Weller)
             Composite Squadron 4 (Lt. Cmdr. R.C. Evins (KIA)):
             16 FM-2 Wildcat fighters
             3 TBF, 9 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers
          Kalinin Bay (Capt. C.R. Brown)
             Composite Squadron 3 (Lt. Cmdr. W.H. Keighley):
             14 FM-2 Wildcat fighters
             9 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers
       3 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Porterfield, Callaghan, Longshaw

#### Carrier Support Group Two (Task Group 52.11)

Rear Adm. H.B. Sallada
    Unit 3 (Rear Adm. Sallada)
       2 escort carriers
          Kitkun Bay (Capt. J.P. Whitney)
             Composite Squadron 5 (Cmdr. R.L. Fowler):
             12 FM-2 Wildcat fighters
             8 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers
          Gambier Bay (Capt. H.H. Goodwin)
             Composite Squadron 10 (Lt. Cmdr. E.J. Huxtable):
             16 FM-2 Wildcat fighters
             12 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers
       3 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Laws, Morrison, Benham
    Unit 4 (Rear Adm. Felix B. Stump)
       1 escort carrier
          Nehenta Bay (Capt. H.B. Butterfield)
             Composite Squadron 11 (Lt. Cmdr. O.B. Stanley):
             12 FM-2 Wildcat fighters
             9 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers
       3 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Bullard, Kidd, Chauncey

#### Fire Support Group One (Task Group 52.17)

Rear Adm. Jesse B. Oldendorf
    Unit 1 (Rear Admiral Howard F. Kingman):
       2 old battleships: Tennessee (Capt. A.D. Mayer), California (Capt. H.P. Burnett)
       1 heavy cruiser: Indianapolis (Capt. E.R. Johnson)
       1 light cruiser: Birmingham (Capt. T.B. Inglis)
       4 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Remey, Wadleigh, Norman Scott, Mertz
    Unit 2 (Cmdr. P.H. Fitzgerald):
       3 destroyers (2 Fletcher-class): Robinson, Albert W. Grant, (1 Benson-class): Bailey
    Unit 3 (Capt. H.P. Jarrett):
       3 destroyers (2 Fletcher-class): Halsey Powell, Monssen, (1 Benson-class): Coghlan
    Unit 4 (Rear Adm. Oldendorf):
       2 old battleships: Maryland (Rear Adm. T.D. Ruddock), Colorado (Capt. W. Granat)
       1 heavy cruiser: Portland (Capt. S.H. Hurt)
       4 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): McDermut, McGowan, McNair, Melvin
    Unit 5 (Rear Adm. R.W. Hayler):
       2 light cruisers: Montpelier (Capt. H.D. Hoffman), Cleveland (Capt. A.G. Shepard)
       3 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Yarnall, Twining, Stockham

#### Fire Support Group Two (Task Group 52.10)

Rear Adm. Walden L. Ainsworth
    Unit 6 (Rear Adm. Ainsworth)
       2 old battleships: Pennsylvania (Capt. C.F. Martin), Idaho (Capt. H.D. Clarke)
       1 light cruiser: Honolulu (Capt. H.R. Thurber)
       3 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Anthony, Wadsworth, Hudson
       1 high-speed transport: Dickerson
       1 high-speed minesweeper: Hogan
       1 seaplane tender: Williamson
    Unit 7 (Rear Adm. George L. Weyler)
       1 old battleship: New Mexico (Capt. E.M. Zacharias)
       2 heavy cruisers: Minneapolis (Capt. Harry Slocum), San Francisco (Capt. Harvey Overesch)
       3 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Halford, Terry, Braine
       1 high-speed transport: Talbot
       1 high-speed minesweeper: Stansbury
    Unit 8 (Rear Adm. C. Turner Joy)
       2 heavy cruisers: Wichita (Capt. J.J. Mahoney), New Orleans (Capt. J.E. Hurff)
       1 light cruiser: St. Louis (Capt. R.H. Roberts)
       3 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Fullam, Guest, Bennett

### Amphibious Operations Task Groups
#### Control Group (Task Group 52.6)

Commodore P.S. Theiss
    14 submarine chasers
    25 landing craft infantry
    3 high-speed transports

#### Transport Group "Able" (Task Group 52.3)

Capt. H.B. Knowles Embarking 2nd Marine Division
    Transport Division 18 (Capt. Knowles)
       2 attack transports: Monrovia, Frederick Funston
       1 transport: War Hawk
       1 attack cargo ship: Alcyone
       1 landing ship dock: Lindenwald
    Transport Division 10 (Capt. G.D. Morrison)
       4 attack transports: Clay, Neville, Arthur Middleton, Feland
       1 attack cargo ship: Alhena
       2 cargo ship: Jupiter, Hercules
    Transport Division 28 (Capt. H.C. Flanagan)
       3 attack transports: Bolivar, Doyen, Sheridan
       1 transport: Comet
       1 attack cargo ship: Electra
       1 landing ship dock: Oak Hill

#### Transport Group "Baker" (Task Group 52.4)

Capt. D.W. Loomis Embarking 4th Marine Division
    Transport Division 20 (Capt. Loomis)
       3 attack transports: Leonard Wood, Pierce, James O'Hara
       1 transport: La Salle
       1 attack cargo ship: Thuban
       1 landing ship dock: Ashland
    Transport Division 26 (Capt. R.E. Hanson)
       3 attack transports: Callaway, Sumter, Leon
       1 transport: Storm King
       1 attack cargo ship: Almaack
       2 landing ship docks: White Marsh, Belle Grove
    Transport Division 30 (Capt. C.A. Misson)
       3 attack transports: Knox, Calvert, Fuller
       2 transports: John Land, George F. Elliot
       1 attack cargo ship: Bellatrix

#### Eastern Landing Group (Task Group 52.8)

Cmdr. C.J. McWhinnie Embarking 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines
    Transport Division 12 (Cmdr. McWhinnie)
       6 high-speed transports: Waters, Stringham, Goldsborough, Manley, Overton, Noa

#### Transport Screen (Task Group 52.12)

Capt. R.E. Libby
    15 destroyers:
       7 Fletcher-class: Newcomb, Bennion, Heywood L. Edwards, Bryant, Prichett, Cony, Renshaw
       2 Porter-class: Phelps, Selfridge
       1 Mahan-class: Conyngham
       2 Bagley-class: Bagley, Patterson
       1 Sampson-class: Shaw
       2 Wickes-class: Philip, Mugford
    1 high-speed transport: Kane
    4 patrol craft escorts: 1396, 1404, 1457, 1460

#### Tractor Flotilla (Task Group 52.5)

Capt. A.J. Robertson
    Tractor Group "Able" (Capt. J.S. Lillard)
       Unit 1: 8 landing ship tanks
       Unit 2: 8 landing ship tanks
       "Able" Reserve: 6 landing ship tanks
    Tractor Group "Baker" (Capt. Robertson)
       Unit 3: 8 landing ship tanks
       Unit 4: 8 landing ship tanks
       "Baker" Reserve: 4 landing ship tanks
       Support Artillery Group: 7 landing ship tanks

#### Minesweeping and Hydrographic Survey Group (Task Group 52.13)

Cmdr. R.S. Moore, USNR
    Unit 1 (Cmdr. W.R. Loud)
       4 high-speed minesweepers: Hopkins, Perry, Long, Hamilton
    Unit 2 (Lt. Cmdr. H.L. Thompson)
       4 high-speed minesweepers: Chandler, Zane, Palmer, Howard
    Unit 3 (Cmdr. Moore)
       3 minesweepers (all Auk-class): Chief, Champion, Herald
    Unit 4 (Lt. Cmdr. J.R. Fels, USNR)
       3 minesweepers (all Auk-class): Oracle, Motive, Heed
    Units 5 & 6 and Mobile Hydrographic Unit
       5 auxiliary motor minesweepers
       2 landing craft, control
       6 landing craft, vehicle

#### Joint Expeditionary Force Reserve (Task Group 51.1)

Rear Adm. William H.P. Blandy Embarking 27th Infantry Division (Army)
    Transport Division 7 (Capt. C.G. Richardson)
       3 attack transports: Cavalier, J. Franklin Bell, Heywood
       1 transport: Winged Arrow
       1 attack cargo ship: Fomalhaut
    Transport Division 32 (Capt. M.O. Carlson)
       3 attack transports: Fremont, Harris, Custer
       1 transport: Herald of the Morning
       1 cargo ship: Auriga
       4 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Waller, Pringle, Saufley, Sigourney
       2 destroyer escorts (both Evarts-class): Sederstrom, Fleming
       1 fleet tug: Chickasaw
    Transport Division 34 (Capt. Charles Allen)
       4 transports: Prince Georges, Kenmore, De Grasse, Livingston
       1 cargo ship: Leonis
       7 landing craft infantry
    Screen (Cmdr. J.R. Phal)
       2 destroyers (both Fletcher-class): Conway, Eaton
       4 destroyer escorts (2 Evarts-class): Tisdale, Eisele, (2 Cannon-class) Baron, Acree
       1 net layer: Mimosa
       1 net cargo ship: Keokuk

### Service and Support Units
#### Service and Salvage Group (Task Group 52.7)

Capt. S.E. Peck
    1 net layers: Cinchona
    3 fleet tugs: Tekesta, Tawasa, Molala
    1 repair ship: Phaon
    2 salvage vessels: Preserver, Clamp
    1 seaplane tender: Ballard
    1 landing craft repair ship: Agenor
    8 auxiliary motor minesweepers

#### Fueling Group (Task Group 50.17)

Capt. Edward E. Paré
    24 fleet oilers: Neshanic, Saugatuck, Saranac, Lackawanna, Monongahela, Neosho, Cimarron, Kaskaskia, Sabine, Caliente, Guadalupe, Platte, Pecos, Schuylkill, Tallulah, Ashtabula, Cahaba, Tappahannock, Kennebago, Marias, Suamico, Cache, Kankakee, Mascoma
    8 destroyers (all Fletcher class): Paul Hamilton, Capps, John D. Henley, Hall, Evans, David W. Taylor, Halligan, Haraden
    14 destroyer escorts
       9 Cannon-class: Samuel S. Miles, Swearer, Bangust, Weaver, Riddle, Waterman, Lamons, Wesson, Hilbert
       5 Evarts-class: Fair, Manlove, Mitchell, Whitman, Wileman
    4 escort carriers: Copahee, Breton, Manila Bay, Natoma Bay
    4 hospital ships: Relief, Solace, Bountiful, Samaritan