Task Force 38 or 58?

Posted by EyeDoc

到1944年末,美國第3艦隊船隻集中在 Ulithi Atoll.以此為基地,由航空母艦為主力,進襲台灣,香港,呂宋各地,以及中南半島一帶.

Maps of Ulithi: (Top): As part of Micronesia [in red circle] and (bottom) details. AO-59 = USS Mississinewa, a US Navy Oiler sunk November 20, 1944 by a Japanese Kaiten (回天, manned suicide torpedo).

US Navy carriers at anchor at Ulithi (from front to back):

Wasp, Yorktown, Hornet, Hancock and Ticonderoga, December 8 1944

太平洋戰爭文獻中常有TF38或TF58出現,其實兩隊都來自第三艦隊.編號及組織上的改變主要原因之一是製造情報上的混亂,讓日方弄不清楚敵情.

据此網頁 http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Task-Group-38.3 描述:

The Fast Carrier Task Force, known at different times as Task Force 38 and Task Force 58, was the main striking force of the United States Navy in the later half of the Pacific War.

TF 38 came into existence in August 1943, built around Saratoga (CV-3), and under the command of Rear Admiral Frederic Sherman.

TF 58 was created under the command of Marc Mitscher, on 6 January 1944. TF 38 continued to exist, with a handful of ships assigned, for two reasons. One was to confuse the enemy, and the other was that it was used for planning purposes when not in operational use. The same became true of Task Force 58. It consisted of six aircraft carriers, six light aircraft carriers, and a host of supporting ships.

The force became TF 38 again on 26 August 1944 under Admiral William Halsey, Jr., and grew to nine CVs and eight CVLs in preparation for the landings on Leyte.

It became TF 58 again on 26 January 1945 under Admiral Raymond Spruance, then back to TF 38 under Halsey on 25 May 1945, remaining so until the end of the war.

[註: CV即大型航空母艦, CVL則是高速輕型航空母艦.]

所以執行 Operation Gratitude 時是以TF38編號出現.空襲台灣及攻打沖繩時則為TF38或 TF58.