🔗==================>> WWII Japan > The US Naval War with Japan Submodule <<=================🔗
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Naval War with Japan subpages:  US Submarine Force     Third & Fifth Fleets
other submodules:  1941–42: Pearl Harbor     Netherlands Indies Lost     1942 Carrier Raids     Coral Sea     Midway 
                                      1942–43: Guadalcanal Naval War     New Georgia Naval War    Bougainville Naval War
                                      1944–45: Mariana Is. Naval War    Leyte Gulf    Philippines Naval War    Okinawa Naval War
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bigpigeon.us webpage WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets, © 2025 by Robert A. Christiansen, updated by RAC 6 Jun 2025

As of 15 March 1943, the Third Fleet and the Fifth Fleet were names used by the main striking force of the United States Navy in the Pacific Ocean. This powerful armada was called the Third Fleet when commanded by Admiral William Halsey and the Fifth Fleet when commanded by Admiral Raymond Spruance. It was one physical fleet with alternating command structures, with the fleet commander reporting to Admiral Chester Nimitz at Pearl Harbor.

The core of this fleet was the Fast Carrier Task Force, called Task Force 38, commanded by John McCain Sr. under Halsey and Task Force 58, commanded by Marc Mitscher under Spruance. The Fast Carrier Task Force had a modular organization, often consisting of four independent Task Groups, each with several aircraft carriers protected by one or two battleships and multiple cruisers and destroyers.

After the Battle of Midway in June 1942, I view the following three years of surface and air naval war with Japan as consisting of four stages: 
  1. From the landings at Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands in August 1942 to the invasion of the Gilbert Islands in November 1943, most naval combat in the Pacific took place in the South Pacific, mostly in or near the Solomons. Starting in October 1942, the South Pacific area commander was Admiral William Halsey, who was based in Noumea, New Caledonia.
  2. In November 1943, the focus of the war shifted to the Central Pacific, where it remained through the summer of 1944.
  3. With Douglas MacArthur's invasion of the Philippines, first on Leyte in October 1944 and then Luzon in January 1945, the focus became the Philippine Islands. 
  4. Starting in February 1945, the focus shifted again, to the Japanese islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, south of the Japanese home islands.

Here is the chronology of the fleet command structure - not yet proofread:
  • 15 Mar 1943 - Third Fleet formed (Halsey) (Halsey was also South Pacific Area commander until 15 Jun 1944)
  • Aug 1943 - Task Force 38 under Frederick Sherman formed.
  • 6  Jan 1944 - Task Force 58 under Mitscher formed.
  • 26 Apr 1944 - Fifth Fleet formed (Spruance)
  • 26 Aug 1944 - Command change to Third Fleet (Halsey) and Task Force 38 (Mitscher)
  • 30 Oct 1944 - Task Force 38 command change: Mitscher to McCain.
  • 26 Jan 1945 - Command change to Fifth Fleet (Spruance) and Task Force 58 (Mitscher)
  • 28 May 1945 - Command change to Third Fleet (Halsey) and Task Force 38 (McCain)

Chronological list of selected raids on harbors, air fields, and other enemy installations by the Fast Carrier Task Force:
  • 5 & 11 Nov 1943 - Carrier raids on Rabaul to protect the Marine Corps landing on Bougainville (land-based aircraft from the Southwest Pacific Theaterwere included on 5 Nov).
  • 17-18 Feb 1944  - Operation Hailstone - air & surface attack on major Japanese Central Pacific base at Truk. 
  • 29-30 Apr 1944 - TF 58, second carrier strike on Truk.
  • 12-16 Oct 1944 - Formosa Air Battle
  • 6–23 Jan 1945 - Third Fleet South China Sea Raid, aka Operation Gratitude
  • 16-17 Feb 1945 - Fifth Fleet Tokyo Raids
  • 19 Mar 1945 - Attack on Kure
  • 24-28 Jul 1945 - Attacks on Kure and the Inland Sea
Commentary on the above list:
  • list started 14 Oct 2021 and is incomplete. ​
  • list excludes the US carrier raids of early 1942.
  • list will not include pre-invasion attacks on the invasion area by carrier-based aircraft.
  • list excludes carrier-to-carrier battles such as the Coral Sea and Midway. These have their own webpages.
  • list will exclude most of the numerous carrier raids on the Philippines.

Sources for Big Pigeon's WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets webpage:
  • no sources yet

Pottawattamie Area WWII Japan - WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets: ​11-02 - WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets: (22 dead, updated 5 Nov 2025)
† Allstot, Max Vernon, SN 621-05-54, US Navy, Shelby & Crawford Cos.
  • cruiser USS Louisville (CA 28), Task Force 38; KIA 6 Jan 1945; Louisville damaged by kamikaze attack in Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philippines, 42 dead.
  • WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets
† Anderson, Robert Arthur, SN 620-60-66, US Naval Aviation, Boone Co. 
  • Torpedo Sqdn. VT 31, Carrier Air Gp. 31, on carrier USS Cabot (CVL-28); Grumman TBF Avenger gunner with pilot Donald Hornberger; attack on Japanese destroyer escorting a supply convoy north of Chichi Jima, Bonin Is., Japan; KIA 4 Aug 1944; crew of three lost.
  • WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets @ Fourth Bonin Raid
†  Briley, Harold Vinton, SN 860-48-29, US Navy, Fremont Co.
  • cruiser USS Indianapolis (CA-35); KIA 30 Jul 1945 in the Philippine Sea en route from Guam to Leyte; Indianapolis sunk by Japanese submarine I-58; 879 died, 316 survived.
  • WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets @ Sinking of USS Indianapolis
† Bruce, Russell William, SN 307-36-02, US Navy, Montgomery Co. & Jones Co., SD
  • cruiser USS Indianapolis (CA-35); KIA 30 Jul 1945 in the Philippine Sea en route from Guam to Leyte; Indianapolis sunk by Japanese submarine I-58; 879 died, 316 survived.
  • WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets @ Sinking of USS Indianapolis
† Brunk, Edwin Samuel, SN 859-18-62, USN, Polk & Pott. Cos.
  • escort carrier USS Liscome Bay (CVE-56), Task Force 52; KIA 24 Nov 1943 near Makin Atoll, Gilbert Is.; Japanese submarine I-175 sank Liscome Bay during the US Tarawa/Makin invasion; 702 dead, 272 survivors.
  • WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets @ Sinking of USS Liscome Bay.
† Christensen, Darwin Arthur, SN 372-48-80, US Navy, Pott. Co. 
  • aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill (CV-17), Task Force 58 flagship, KIA 11 May 1945 90 miles E of Okinawa, Ryukyu Is., Japan; Bunker Hill severely damaged by Japanese kamikaze attack, 389 dead.
  • Notes: Web information on the kamikaze attack on the Bunker Hill is sometimes incorrect. The Bunker Hill did not sink. When hit, the Bunker Hill was off the coast of Okinawa, not Kyushu. After the Bunker Hill was hit, Admiral Mitscher transferred Task Force 58 headquarters to the USS Enterprise, and elements of Task Force 58 then proceeded to Kyushu to attempt to deal with the continued kamikaze threat. 
  • WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets
† Cody, Claude LeRoy, SN 648-05-90, US Navy, Pott. Co.
  • cruiser USS Houston (CL-81), Task Force 38; KIA 14 Oct 1944 off Formosa; Houston hit by Japanese aerial torpedoes on 14 & 16 Oct; 55 died, 937 survived; Houston stayed afloat and was towed to the US Naval base in Ulithi.
  • WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets @ Formosa Air Battle
​† Cooney, Manford Lyle, SN 620-81-02, US Navy, Adams & Montgomery Cos.​
  • Naval Air Sqdn. VT(N)-90, a night torpedo bomber squadron flying Grumman TBM-3D Avengers, assigned to aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), Task Group 38-5; aircraft radio operator with pilot Shannon Witherspoon McCrary; KIA 15 Jan 1945 between Luzon and Hong Kong; after launching, plane reached a height of 300 feet, then crashed and exploded a mile from the Enterprise; pilot was rescued, two crew members died.
  • WWII Japan > US Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets @ South China Sea Raid
† Etheridge, Lindsey Edward, SN 621-88-27, US Navy, Pott. Co.
  • destroyer USS Monaghan (DD-354), Task Force 38; DNB 18 Dec 1944 200 miles NE of Samar, Philippines; Monaghan sank in Typhoon Cobra; 256 dead, six survivors; two other destroyers, USS Hull and USS Spence, were also lost in Cobra.
  • WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets @ Typhoon Cobra, aka Halsey's Typhoon
† Fisher, Harlan Ray, SN O-325830, US Naval Aviation, Pott. Co.
  • Naval Air Composite Sqdn. VC-11/VC-21 assigned to escort carrier USS Nehenta Bay (CVE-74); At-Sea Logistics Group Third Fleet, aka Task Group 30.8; Grumman FM-2 Wildcat (built by General Motors/Eastern Aircraft) BuNo 16056 pilot; KIA 22 Aug 1944, SW of Marshall Is., Central Pacific; failed carrier landing south of Eniwetok at location ~ 3 N 164 E.
  • WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets
† Garner, William Fredrick, SN O-240615, US Naval Aviation, Pott. Co.
  • Naval Air Fighter Sqdn. VBF-83, Carrier Air Group 83 assigned to aircraft carrier USS Essex (CV-9); Vought F4U Corsair pilot; KIA 18 Mar 1945 near Tomitake Airfield, Kyushu, Japan; shot down.
  • WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets
† Hough, Charles Robert, SN 702-52-00, US Naval Aviation, Pott. Co.
  • Naval Air Torpedo Sqdn. VT-20, Air Group 20 assigned to aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6); Grumman TBM-1C Avenger BuNo 46042  radioman; KIA 13 Nov 1944, over Manila Bay, Luzon Philippines; crew of three lost from anti-aircraft fire.
  • WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets
† ​Isbell, Arnold Jay, SN O-56866, US Navy, Harrison Co. & District of Columbia
  • attached as an observed to carrier USS Franklin (CV-13), Task Force 58.2, engaged in air strikes off the Japanese home islands; scheduled to assume command of USS Yorktown (CV-10); KIA 19 Mar 1945 kamikaze; 807 dead, Franklin survived.
  • WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets.
† Jentoft, Harold Thomas, SN 321-59-68, US Navy, Montgomery Co.
  • in late 1941, served on escort carrier USS Long Island (CVE-1); escort carrier USS Liscome Bay (CVE-56), Task Force 52; KIA 24 Nov 1943 near Makin Atoll, Gilbert Is.; Japanese submarine I-175 sank Liscome Bay during the US Tarawa/Makin invasion; 702 died, 272 survived.
  • WWII Japan >Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets @ Sinking of USS Liscombe Bay
† Leach, William Ellsworth, SN 631-07-23, US Navy, Pott. Co.
  • destroyer USS Bailey (DD-492), Task Group 32.6; KIA 1 Oct 1944 off Anguar Is., near Peleliu Is.; Bailey strafed by Japanese plane, nine dead.
  • WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets.
† Nelson, Herbert Sidney, SN 821-82-95, US Navy, Pott. Co.
  • escort carrier USS Liscome Bay (CVE-56), Task Force 52; KIA 24 Nov 1943 near Makin Atoll, Gilbert Is.; Japanese submarine I-175 sank Liscome Bay during the US Tarawa/Makin invasion; 702 dead, 272 survivors; BNR.
  • WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets @ loss of Liscombe Bay
​† Phillips, Fred Brittman, SN 956-27-27, US Navy, Cedar Co., MO​
  • destroyer USS Hull (DD-350), Task Force 38; DNB 18 Dec 1944 200 miles NE of Samar, Philippines; Hull sank in Typhoon Cobra; 62 survived, 202 died; two other destroyers, USS Monaghan and USS Spence, were also lost in Cobra.
  • WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets @ Typhoon Cobra, aka Halsey's Typhoon
† Rhoten, Roy Edward, SN 958-10-13, US Navy, Harrison Co.
  • Cruiser USS Indianapolis (CA-35); KIA 30 Jul 1945 in the Philippine Sea en route from Guam to Leyte; Indianapolis sunk by Japanese submarine I-58; 879 died, 316 survived; BNR.
  • WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets @ Sinking of USS Indianapolis
† Sander, Merle Edward, SN O-418945, US Navy, Harrison Co.
  • Naval Air Torpedo Sqdn. VT-34 assigned to aircraft carrier USS Monterey (CVL-26); Grumman/General Motors TBM-3 Avenger BuNo 69111 pilot; DNB 9 May 1945 near the Ryukyu Is., Japan, glide bombing exercise preparing for raids on Japan.
  • WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets
† Strain, Joseph Mason, SN 859-98-38, US Navy, Adams Co.​
  • cruiser USS Indianapolis (CA-35); KIA 30 Jul 1945 in the Philippine Sea en route from Guam to Leyte; Indianapolis sunk by Japanese submarine I-58; 879 died, 316 survived.​
  • WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets @ Sinking of USS Indianapolis
† Thoreson, Vernon Charles, SN 321-60-87, US Navy, Harrison Co.
  • destroyer USS Mugford (DD-389), Task Force 38; KIA 5 Dec 1944, Surigao Strait, south of Leyte Gulf, Philippines; kamikaze attack, eight dead, ship survived.
  • WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets
† Welty, Robert L., SN O-407132, US Naval Aviation, Douglas Co., NE
  • Naval Air Fighter Sqdn. VF-12, Carrier Air Group 12 assigned to aircraft carrier USS Randolph (CV-15); Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat BuNo 77880 pilot; KIA 14 May 1945 over Kyushu, Japan.
  • WWII Japan > Naval War with Japan > Third & Fifth Fleets.