For the April 1945 invasion of Okinawa (Allied codename: Operation Iceberg), the Allies assembled the most powerful naval force in history. Since the few remaining capital ships of the Imperial Japanese Combined Fleet had been sunk or otherwise put out of action at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the Allies were effectively unopposed in terms of major surface vessels; a single mission consisting of the superbattleship Yamato and a few escorts was undertaken, but the task force did not get within 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) of the invasion area. The main Japanese naval opposition within the invasion area came from hundreds of Imperial Japanese Navy Shin'yō-class suicide motorboats and Maru-Ni Imperial Japanese Army attack boats.
Since the Japanese air arm had been equally decimated by this point in the war, the lack of trained and experienced pilots led them to deploy the kamikaze extensively in the waters off Okinawa.
US Navy combat ships:
11
fleet carriers, 6
light carriers, 22
escort carriers, 8
fast battleships, 10 old
battleships, 2 large
cruisers, 12
heavy cruisers, 13
light cruisers, 4 anti-aircraft
light cruisers, 132
destroyers, 45
destroyer escorts
Amphibious assault vessels:
84
attack transports, 29
attack cargo ships,
LCIs,
LSMs,
LSTs,
LSVs, etc.
Auxiliaries:
52
submarine chasers, 23 fast
minesweepers, 69 minesweepers, 11
minelayers, 49
oilers, etc.
Royal Navy combat ships:
5 fleet carriers, 2 battleships, 7 light cruisers, 14 destroyers
Losses
The smaller ships were least able to withstand damage from kamikaze attacks.
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 "Big Blue Fleet" was at this time under the command of Admiral Raymond Spruance aboard his flagship USS Indianapolis, the force was designated Fifth Fleet. (It had been Third Fleet until Spruance relieved Admiral William Halsey in January, as part of the "alternating command" system).
The ships and troops of Operation Iceberg were under direct operational command of Rear Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner aboard amphibious command ship Eldorado.
Son of a
Confederate army general, Lt. Gen.
Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. was one of four US lieutenant generals to die during
World War II, but the only one to die by enemy action. On 18 June, Buckner was visiting a forward observation post when a Japanese artillery shell struck a coral outcropping, fragments of which struck Buckner in the chest. Command of Tenth Army passed to Marine Maj. Gen. Roy S. Geiger.
United States Tenth Army (Lt. Gen.
Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. (KIA))
Vice Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner in amphibious command ship Eldorado
Rear Admiral
Lawrence F. Reifsnider in amphibious command ship
Panamint
Embarking
III Amphibious Corps (Maj. Gen.
Roy S. Geiger, USMC)
Rear Admiral
John L. Hall in amphibious command ship
Teton
Embarking
XXIV Army Corps (Maj. Gen.
John R. Hodge)
Lieutenant General
Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr., USA (KIA 18 June)
Consisting of
United States Tenth Army
Rear Admiral
William H.P. Blandy in amphibious command ship
Estes
Rear Admiral Morton L. Deyo in battleship Tennessee
Vice Admiral Sir Bernard Rawlings, RN
Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher in fleet carrier Bunker Hill
Japanese Combined Fleet
[5]
Admiral
Soemu Toyoda
Vice Admiral Seiichi Ito (KIA)
The following table lists the Allied naval vessels that received damage or were sunk in the Battle of Okinawa between 19 March – 30 July 1945. The table lists a total of 147 damaged ships, five of which were damaged by enemy suicide boats, and another five by mines. One source estimated that total Japanese sorties during the entire Okinawa campaign exceeded 3,700, with a large percentage kamikaze, and that the attackers damaged slightly more than 200 Allied vessels, with 4900 naval officers and seamen killed and roughly 4,824 wounded or missing. [6] [7] The USS Thorton is not listed as it was damaged as the result of a collision with another US ship. Those ships in a pink background, and with an asterisk were sunk or had to be scuttled due to irreparable damage. Of those sunk, the majority were relatively smaller ships; these included destroyers of around 300–450 feet. A few small cargo ships were also sunk, several containing munitions which caught fire. Those ships whose names are preceded by a "#" pound sign were scrapped or decommissioned as a result of damage.
For the April 1945 invasion of Okinawa (Allied codename: Operation Iceberg), the Allies assembled the most powerful naval force in history. Since the few remaining capital ships of the Imperial Japanese Combined Fleet had been sunk or otherwise put out of action at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the Allies were effectively unopposed in terms of major surface vessels; a single mission consisting of the superbattleship Yamato and a few escorts was undertaken, but the task force did not get within 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) of the invasion area. The main Japanese naval opposition within the invasion area came from hundreds of Imperial Japanese Navy Shin'yō-class suicide motorboats and Maru-Ni Imperial Japanese Army attack boats.
Since the Japanese air arm had been equally decimated by this point in the war, the lack of trained and experienced pilots led them to deploy the kamikaze extensively in the waters off Okinawa.
US Navy combat ships:
11
fleet carriers, 6
light carriers, 22
escort carriers, 8
fast battleships, 10 old
battleships, 2 large
cruisers, 12
heavy cruisers, 13
light cruisers, 4 anti-aircraft
light cruisers, 132
destroyers, 45
destroyer escorts
Amphibious assault vessels:
84
attack transports, 29
attack cargo ships,
LCIs,
LSMs,
LSTs,
LSVs, etc.
Auxiliaries:
52
submarine chasers, 23 fast
minesweepers, 69 minesweepers, 11
minelayers, 49
oilers, etc.
Royal Navy combat ships:
5 fleet carriers, 2 battleships, 7 light cruisers, 14 destroyers
Losses
The smaller ships were least able to withstand damage from kamikaze attacks.
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 "Big Blue Fleet" was at this time under the command of Admiral Raymond Spruance aboard his flagship USS Indianapolis, the force was designated Fifth Fleet. (It had been Third Fleet until Spruance relieved Admiral William Halsey in January, as part of the "alternating command" system).
The ships and troops of Operation Iceberg were under direct operational command of Rear Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner aboard amphibious command ship Eldorado.
Son of a
Confederate army general, Lt. Gen.
Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. was one of four US lieutenant generals to die during
World War II, but the only one to die by enemy action. On 18 June, Buckner was visiting a forward observation post when a Japanese artillery shell struck a coral outcropping, fragments of which struck Buckner in the chest. Command of Tenth Army passed to Marine Maj. Gen. Roy S. Geiger.
United States Tenth Army (Lt. Gen.
Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. (KIA))
Vice Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner in amphibious command ship Eldorado
Rear Admiral
Lawrence F. Reifsnider in amphibious command ship
Panamint
Embarking
III Amphibious Corps (Maj. Gen.
Roy S. Geiger, USMC)
Rear Admiral
John L. Hall in amphibious command ship
Teton
Embarking
XXIV Army Corps (Maj. Gen.
John R. Hodge)
Lieutenant General
Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr., USA (KIA 18 June)
Consisting of
United States Tenth Army
Rear Admiral
William H.P. Blandy in amphibious command ship
Estes
Rear Admiral Morton L. Deyo in battleship Tennessee
Vice Admiral Sir Bernard Rawlings, RN
Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher in fleet carrier Bunker Hill
Japanese Combined Fleet
[5]
Admiral
Soemu Toyoda
Vice Admiral Seiichi Ito (KIA)
The following table lists the Allied naval vessels that received damage or were sunk in the Battle of Okinawa between 19 March – 30 July 1945. The table lists a total of 147 damaged ships, five of which were damaged by enemy suicide boats, and another five by mines. One source estimated that total Japanese sorties during the entire Okinawa campaign exceeded 3,700, with a large percentage kamikaze, and that the attackers damaged slightly more than 200 Allied vessels, with 4900 naval officers and seamen killed and roughly 4,824 wounded or missing. [6] [7] The USS Thorton is not listed as it was damaged as the result of a collision with another US ship. Those ships in a pink background, and with an asterisk were sunk or had to be scuttled due to irreparable damage. Of those sunk, the majority were relatively smaller ships; these included destroyers of around 300–450 feet. A few small cargo ships were also sunk, several containing munitions which caught fire. Those ships whose names are preceded by a "#" pound sign were scrapped or decommissioned as a result of damage.