As the forces of Admiral Richmond K. Turner landed on Saipan on 15 June, the Japanese made preparations to close onto that island for a "decisive" naval battle. The great fleets approached each other on 19 June for the largest aircraft carrier battle of the war, and as four large air raids hit the American fleet, the covering fighters, with some help from anti-aircraft fire from "Houston" and the other screening warships, destroyed the attacking Japanese formations.