number of escourt ships?

[simshell]

what was the most common number and type of ships to escourt the CVs during WW2?

[Captain Virgil Hilts]

Originally posted by simshell
what was the most common number and type of ships to escourt the CVs during WW2?

A lot. Way more than we have here.


Essex class CV's groups often had 20 ships or more. Often 8-10 destroyers, 3-6 cruisers (light, medium, heavy), and at least a couple of battleships (we have none). Add to that oilers, tankers, and tenders (we don't have and don't need). A lot of Task Forces had two or more CV's and their full complement of escorts.

The light CV's were another matter, although they often had as many as a half dozen light CV's in one group, their escorts consisted mainly of destroyers with a few cruisers, and maybe an old battleship, depending on their mission.

The mission of a group determined its composition. For example, an invasion support group may have a larger number of battleships for shore bombardment.

[Jester]

Mainly had to do with the types of ships available and whether it was a A/A or ASW screen and how many CV's were in the Task Group.

During the later part of the war a typical USN Carrier Task Group was made up of 2 CV's and 2 CVL's along with associated escort ships - 4+ Cruisers and enough DD's to cover the whole force.

As Task Groups joined, naturally the number of escorts got larger. If there were Anti-aircraft Cruisers (CLAA) or Fast Battleships BB's - they were almost always put on the carriers forward quarter to act as anti-aircraft protection.

[Jester]

Here is part of the OOB of TASK FORCE 58 during the Battle of the Phillipine Sea. You can get an idea from it what the escorts for both a Carrier Task Group and a Battleship Task Group would be made of.
------------------------------------------------------------

United States Naval Forces (USN)

5th Fleet
    Admiral Raymond Spruance

Task Force 58 (TF58)
    Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher
 

TF 58.1
    Rear Admiral Joseph J. (‘Jocko’) Clark

CV12 Hornet
 41 - F6F, 33 - SB2C, 18 - TBF
CV10 Yorktown (F)
 46 - F6F, 40 - SB2C, 17 - TBF, 4 - SBD
CVL24 Belleau Wood
 26 - F6F,  9 - TBF
CVL29 Bataan
 24 - F6F, 9 - TBF

CA68  Baltimore
CA69  Boston
CA70 Canberra
CL95 Oakland

Desron 46
DD589 Izard
DD581 Charrette
DD582 Conner
DD587 Bell
DD588 Burns
DD544 Boyd
DD545 Bradford
DD546 Brown
DD547 Cowell
 

TF 58.2
    Rear Admiral Alfred E. Montgomery

CV17 Bunker Hill (F)
 42 - F6F, 33 - SB2C, 18 - TBF
CV18 Wasp
 39 - F6F, 32 - SB2C, 18 - TBF
CVL28 Cabot
 26 - F6F, 9 - TBF
CVL26 Monterey
 21 - F6F, 8 - TBF

CL60 Santa Fe
CL63 Mobile
CL80 Biloxi
CL54  San Juan

Desron 52
DD536 Owen
DD535 Miller
DD537 The Sullivans
DD538 Stephen Potter
DD539 Tingey
DD673 Hickox
DD674 Hunt
DD675 Lewis Hancock
DD676 Marshall
 

TF 58.3
    Rear Admiral John W. Reeves

CV6 Enterprise (F)
 Captain Matthais B Gardner
 31 - F6F, 3 - F4U,  21 - SBD, 14 - TBF
CV16 Lexington (F) - Task Force 58 Flagship
 Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher
 41 - F6F, 34 - SBD, 18 - TBF
CVL30 San Jacinto
 24 - F6F, 8 - TBF
CVL23 Princeton
 24 - F6F, 9 - TBF

CA 35 Indianapolis (F) - 5th Fleet Flagship
 Admiral Raymond Spruance
CL96 Reno
CL57 Montpelier
CL55 Cleveland
CL62 Birmingham

Desron 50
DD668 Clarence K. Bronson
DD669 Cotten
DD670 Dortch
DD671 Gatling
DD672 Healy
DD651 Cogswell
DD650 Caperton
DD652 Ingersoll
DD653 Knapp
DD515 Anthony
DD516 Wadsworth
DD513 Terry
DD630 Braine
 

TF 58.4
    Rear Admiral William K. Harrill
CV9 Essex
 Captain R. A. Ofstie
 42 - F6F, 36 - SB2C, 20 - TBF
CVL27 Langley
 23 - F6F, 9 - TBF
CVL25 Cowpens
 23 - F6F, 9 - TBF

CL53 San Diego
CL64 Vincennes
CL81 Houston
CL89 Miami

DD486 Lansdowne
DD487 Lardner
DD488 McCalla
DD399 Lang
DD407 Sterett
DD408 Wilson
DD370 Case
DD398 Ellet
DD570 Charles Ausburne
DD478 Stanly
DD509 Converse
DD512 Spence
DD514 Thatcher
 

TF 58.7
    Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee

BB56 Washington (F)
 Captain Thomas R. Cooley

Battleship Division 8
    Rear Admiral Glenn B. Davis
BB55 North Carolina
 Captain Frank B. Thomas
BB58 Indiana (F)
 Captain Jennings

Battleship Division 7
    Rear Admiral O. M. Hustvedt
BB61 Iowa
 Captain John L. McCrea
BB62 New Jersey
 Captain Carl F. Holden

Battleship Division 9
    Rear Admiral E. W. Hanson
BB57 South Dakota
BB60 Alabama
 Captain Fred D. Kirtland

CA45 Wichita
CA36 Minneapolis
CA32 New Orleans
CA38 San Francisco

DD389 Mugford
DD371 Conyngham
DD392 Patterson
DD386 Bagley
DD357 Selfridge
DD480 Halford
DD472 Guest
DD473 Bennett
DD474 Fullam
DD475 Hudson
DD540 Twining
DD798 Monssen
DD541 Yarnall (Radar Pickett)
DD683 Stockham (Radar Pickett)