Chapter 5: Task Force Organization

The plan provided, in the main, for three major Task Forces. Two were placed under the command of Vice Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher. The first of these, Task Force NEGAT,² commanded by Rear Admiral Leigh Noyes, was to provide aircraft carrier support for the attack. The second, Task Force TARE, under Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner,

was known as the Amphibious Force, and was to make the principle attack, transporting and landing the occupying force of Marines and defending the transport convoys against surface attack. The third Force, Task Force MIKE, under Rear Admiral John S. McCain, was to supply aerial scouting and advance bombing of the operations area by land-based planes and seaplanes. Admiral Fletcher commanded both Task Forces NEGAT and TARE and flew his flag in the Saratoga. Admiral McCain of Task Force MIKE was directly responsible to the Commander South Pacific Force.

The composition of these Forces was as follows:

Task Force NEGAT (Air Support Force), Rear Admiral Leigh Noyes in immediate command:

Group 1--
Carrier: Saratoga, Capt. DeWitt C. Ramsey.
Cruisers:
Minneapolis (CA), Capt. Frank J. Lowry.
New Orleans (CA), Capt. Walter S. DeLany.
Destroyers:
Phelps, Lt. Comdr. Edward L. Beck.
Farragut, Lt. Comdr. Henry D. Rozendal.
Worden, Lt. Comdr. William G. Pogue.
MacDonough, Lt. Comdr. Erle V. Dennett.
Dale, Lt. Comdr. Anthony L. Rorschach.
Group 2--
Carrier: Enterprise {Rear Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid, Capt. Arthur C. Davis}.
Battleship: North Carolina, Capt. George H. Fort.
Cruisers:
Portland (CA), Capt. Laurence T. DuBose.
Atlanta (CLAA), Capt. Samuel P. Jenkins.

Destroyers:
Balch, Lt. Comdr. Harold H. Tiemroth.
Maury, Lt. Comdr. Gilzer L. Sims.
Gwin, Comdr. John M. Higgins.
Benham, Lt. Comdr. Joseph M. Worthington.
Grayson, Lt. Comdr. Frederick J. Bell.
Group 3--
Carrier: Wasp {Rear Admiral Noyes, Capt. Forrest P. Sherman}.
Cruisers:
San Francisco (CA), Capt. Charles H. McMorris.
Salt Lake City (CA), Capt. Ernest G. Small.

Destroyers:
Lang, Comdr. James C. Pollock.
Sterett, Comdr. Jesse G. Coward.
Aaron Ward, Lt. Comdr. Orville F. Gregor.
Stack, Lt. Comdr. Alvord J. Greenacre.
Laffey, Lt. Comdr. William E. Hank.
Farenholt, Lt. Comdr. Eugene T. Seaward.
Oilers:
Platte, Capt. Ralph H. Henkle.
Cimarron, Comdr. Russell M. Ihrig.
Kaskaskia, Comdr. Walter L. Taylor.
Sabine, Capt. Houston l. Maples.
Kanawha, Comdr. Kendall S. Reed.

Task Force TARE (Amphibious Force), Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner:

Transport Group XRAY, Capt. Lawrence F. Reifsnider:
Transdiv AFIRM, Capt. Paul S. Theiss:
Transports:
Fuller, Capt. Paul S. Theiss.
American Legion, Capt. Thomas D. Warner.
Bellatrix, Comdr. William F. Dieterich.
Transdiv BAKER, Capt. Charlie P. McFeaters:
Transports:
McCawley, Capt. Charlie P. McFeaters.
Barnett, Capt. Henry E. Thonrhill.
George F. Elliott, Capt. Watson O. Bailey.
Libra, Comdr. William B. Fletcher, Jr.
Transdiv CAST, Capt. Lawrence F. Reifsnider:
Transports:
Hunter Liggett, Comdr. Louis W. Perkins (USCG).
Alchiba, Comdr. James S. Freman.
Fomalhaut, Comdr. Henry C. Flanagan.
Betelgeuse, Comdr. Harry D. Power.
Transdiv DOG, Capt. Ingolf N. Kiland:
Transports:
Crescent City, Capt. Ingolf N. Kiland.
President Hayes, Comdr. Francis W. Benson.
President Adams, Comdr. Frank H. Dean.
Alhena, Comdr. Charles B. Hunt.

Transport Group YOKE, Capt. George B. Ashe:
Transdiv EASY, Capt. George B. Ashe:
Transports:
Neville, Capt. Carlos A. Bailey.
Zeilin, Capt. Pat Buchanan.

Heywood, Capt. Herbert B. Knowles.
President Jackson, Comdr. Charles W. Weitzel.
Transdiv TWELVE, Comdr. Hugh W. Hadley:
Destroyer Transports:
Colhoun, Lt. George B. Madden.
Little, Lt. Comdr. Gus B. Lofberg, Jr.
McKean, Lt. Comdr. John D. Sweeney.
Gregory, Lt. Comdr. Harry F. Bauer.
Fire Support Group LOVE (with Transport Group XRAY), Capt. Frederick L. Riefkohl:
Fire Section ONE:
Cruiser: Quincy (CA), (2 VOS planes), Capt. Samuel N. Moore.
Fire Section TWO:
Cruiser: Vincennes (CA) (2 VOS planes), Capt. Frederick L. Riefkohl.
Fire Section THREE:
Cruiser: Astoria (CA) (2 VOS planes), Capt. William G. Greenman.
Fire Section FOUR: Comdr. Walfrid Nyquist:
Destroyers:
Hull, Lt. Comdr. Richard F. Stout.
Dewey, Lt. Comdr. Charles F. Chillingworth, Jr.
Fire Section FIVE, Lt. Comdr. Francis H. Gardner:
Destroyers:
Ellet, Lt. Comdr. Francis H. Gardner.
Wilson, Lt. Comdr. Walter H. Price.
Fire Support Group MIKE (with Transport Group YOKE), Rear Admiral Norman Scott:
Cruiser: San Juan (CLAA), Capt. James E. Maher. Destroyers:
Monssen, Comdr. Roland N. Smoot.
Buchanan, Comdr. Ralph E. Wilson.
Minesweeper Group, Comdr. William H. Hartt, Jr.:
Hopkins, Lt. Comdr. Benjamin Coe.
Trever, Lt. Comdr. Dwight M. Agnew.
Zane, Lt. Comdr. Peyton L. Wirtz.
Southard, Lt. Comdr. Joe B. Cochran.
Hovey, Lt. Comdr. Wilton S. Heald.
Screening group: Rear Admiral V.A.C. Crutchley, R.N.:
Cruisers:
Australia (HMAS) (CA), Capt. H.B. Farncomb, R.A.N.
Canberra (HMAS) (CA), Capt. F.E. Getting. R.A.N.
Hobart (HMAS) (CL), Capt. H.A. Showers, R.A.N. Chicago, Capt. Howard D. Bode.
Desron FOUR, Capt. Cornelius W. Flynn:
Selfridge, Lt. Comdr. Carroll D. Reynolds.
Patterson, Comdr. Frank R. Walker.

Ralph Talbot, Lt. Comdr. Joseph W. Callahan.
Mugford, Lt. Comdr. Edward W. Young
Jarvis, Lt. Comdr. William W. Graham.
Blue, Comdr. Harold N. Williams.
Helm, Lt. Comdr. Chester E. Carroll.
Henley, Comdr. Robert Hall Smith.
Bagley, Lt. Comdr. George A. Sinclair.
Air Support Group:
1 VF Squadron, plus 1 additional VF Squadron for initial mission.
3 VSB Squadrons, plus 1 additional VSB Squadron for initial mission.
Landing Force--Maj. Gen. Alexander A. Vandegrift:
(1)
Guadalcanal Group; Maj. Gen. Vandegrift
6 VOS seaplanes, 3 each from Astoria and Quincy.
(2)
Tulagi Group: Brig. Gen. William H. Rupertus.
2 VOS Seaplanes, from Vincennes.

Task Force MIKE, Rear Admiral McCain (for composition see page 15).

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Footnotes

[2] In the interest of security the official designations of Task Forces ore omitted from Combat Narratives. In their stead the flag names of the first letter of the commanding officers' names are used.