On 15 June 1944, United States Marine and Army forces landed on the southwest coast of the island of Saipan in the central Marianas chain. US forces declared Saipan secure on 9 July.
See main article: article and Battle of Saipan.
Marine Corps forces landed on the nearby island of Tinian on 24 July. Tinian was declared secure 1 August.
See main article: article and Battle of Tinian.
The naval forces involved can be summarized as follows:
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 Marianas lie in the Central Pacific, their capture was the responsibility of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, led by Vice Admiral Raymond A. Spruance from aboard his flagship, heavy cruiser Indianapolis.
The ships and embarked troops of Operation Forager were under direct operational command of Rear Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner aboard amphibious command ship Rocky Mount.
The Marine and Army landing forces for Operation Forager were under the command of Maj. Gen. Holland M. "Howlin' Mad" Smith, USMC. Smith directed the ground troops from aboard Vice Adm. Turner's flagship Rocky Mount until the afternoon of 17 June when he set up his command post ashore.
V Amphibious Corps (Maj. Gen. Holland M. Smith, USMC)
Saipan: 2nd Marine Division (Maj. Gen. Thomas E. Watson)
4th Marine Division (Maj. Gen. Harry Schmidt)
27th Infantry Division (Army) (Maj. Gen. Ralph C. Smith)
Tinian: 2nd Marine Division (Maj. Gen. Thomas E. Watson)
4th Marine Division (Maj. Gen. Harry Schmidt)
U.S. Fifth Fleet[1]
Admiral Raymond A. Spruance in heavy cruiser Indianapolis
Joint Expeditionary Force (Task Force 51)
Vice Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner in amphibious command ship Rocky Mount
Vice Admiral Turner
Vice Admiral Richard L. Conolly in amphibious command ship Appalachian
Rear Adm. Gerald F. Bogan
Unit 1 (Rear Adm. Bogan)
2 escort carriers
Fanshaw Bay (Capt. D.P. Johnson)
Composite Squadron 68 (Lt. Cmdr. R.S. Rogers):
16 FM-2 Wildcat fighters
12 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers
Midway (Capt. F.J. McKenna)
Composite Squadron 65 (Lt. Cmdr. R.M. Jones):
12 FM-2 Wildcat fighters
9 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers
3 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Cassin Young, Irwin, Ross
Unit 2 (Capt. A.O. Weller)
2 escort carriers
White Plains (Capt. Weller)
Composite Squadron 4 (Lt. Cmdr. R.C. Evins (KIA)):
16 FM-2 Wildcat fighters
3 TBF, 9 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers
Kalinin Bay (Capt. C.R. Brown)
Composite Squadron 3 (Lt. Cmdr. W.H. Keighley):
14 FM-2 Wildcat fighters
9 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers
3 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Porterfield, Callaghan, Longshaw
Rear Adm. H.B. Sallada
Unit 3 (Rear Adm. Sallada)
2 escort carriers
Kitkun Bay (Capt. J.P. Whitney)
Composite Squadron 5 (Cmdr. R.L. Fowler):
12 FM-2 Wildcat fighters
8 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers
Gambier Bay (Capt. H.H. Goodwin)
Composite Squadron 10 (Lt. Cmdr. E.J. Huxtable):
16 FM-2 Wildcat fighters
12 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers
3 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Laws, Morrison, Benham
Unit 4 (Rear Adm. Felix B. Stump)
1 escort carrier
Nehenta Bay (Capt. H.B. Butterfield)
Composite Squadron 11 (Lt. Cmdr. O.B. Stanley):
12 FM-2 Wildcat fighters
9 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers
3 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Bullard, Kidd, Chauncey
Rear Adm. Jesse B. Oldendorf
Unit 1 (Rear Admiral Howard F. Kingman):
2 old battleships: Tennessee (Capt. A.D. Mayer), California (Capt. H.P. Burnett)
1 heavy cruiser: Indianapolis (Capt. E.R. Johnson)
1 light cruiser: Birmingham (Capt. T.B. Inglis)
4 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Remey, Wadleigh, Norman Scott, Mertz
Unit 2 (Cmdr. P.H. Fitzgerald):
3 destroyers (2 Fletcher-class): Robinson, Albert W. Grant, (1 Benson-class): Bailey
Unit 3 (Capt. H.P. Jarrett):
3 destroyers (2 Fletcher-class): Halsey Powell, Monssen, (1 Benson-class): Coghlan
Unit 4 (Rear Adm. Oldendorf):
2 old battleships: Maryland (Rear Adm. T.D. Ruddock), Colorado (Capt. W. Granat)
1 heavy cruiser: Portland (Capt. S.H. Hurt)
4 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): McDermut, McGowan, McNair, Melvin
Unit 5 (Rear Adm. R.W. Hayler):
2 light cruisers: Montpelier (Capt. H.D. Hoffman), Cleveland (Capt. A.G. Shepard)
3 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Yarnall, Twining, Stockham
Rear Adm. Walden L. Ainsworth
Unit 6 (Rear Adm. Ainsworth)
2 old battleships: Pennsylvania (Capt. C.F. Martin), Idaho (Capt. H.D. Clarke)
1 light cruiser: Honolulu (Capt. H.R. Thurber)
3 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Anthony, Wadsworth, Hudson
1 high-speed transport: Dickerson
1 high-speed minesweeper: Hogan
Unit 7 (Rear Adm. George L. Weyler)
1 old battleship: New Mexico (Capt. E.M. Zacharias)
2 heavy cruisers: Minneapolis (Capt. Harry Slocum), San Francisco (Capt. Harvey Overesch)
3 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Halford, Terry, Braine
1 high-speed transport: Talbot
1 high-speed minesweeper: Stansbury
Unit 8 (Rear Adm. C. Turner Joy)
2 heavy cruisers: Wichita (Capt. J.J. Mahoney), New Orleans (Capt. J.E. Hurff)
1 light cruiser: St. Louis (Capt. R.H. Roberts)
3 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Fullam, Guest, Bennett
Commodore P.S. Theiss
14 submarine chasers
Capt. H.B. Knowles
Embarking 2nd Marine Division
Transport Division 18 (Capt. Knowles)
2 attack transports: Monrovia, Frederick Funston
1 landing ship dock: Lindenwald
Transport Division 10 (Capt. G.D. Morrison)
4 attack transports: Clay, Neville, Arthur Middleton, Feland
2 cargo ship: Jupiter, Hercules
Transport Division 28 (Capt. H.C. Flanagan)
3 attack transports: Bolivar, Doyen, Sheridan
Capt. D.W. Loomis
Embarking 4th Marine Division
Transport Division 20 (Capt. Loomis)
3 attack transports: Leonard Wood, Pierce, James O'Hara
Transport Division 26 (Capt. R.E. Hanson)
3 attack transports: Callaway, Sumter, Leon
2 landing ship docks: White Marsh, Belle Grove
Transport Division 30 (Capt. C.A. Misson)
3 attack transports: Knox, Calvert, Fuller
2 transports: John Land, George F. Elliot
1 attack cargo ship: Bellatrix
Cmdr. C.J. McWhinnie
Embarking 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines
Transport Division 12 (Cmdr. McWhinnie)
6 high-speed transports: Waters, Stringham, Goldsborough, Manley, Overton, Noa
Capt. R.E. Libby
15 destroyers:
7 Fletcher-class: Newcomb, Bennion, Heywood L. Edwards, Bryant, Prichett, Cony, Renshaw
2 Porter-class: Phelps, Selfridge
2 Bagley-class: Bagley, Patterson
2 Wickes-class: Philip, Mugford
4 patrol craft escorts: 1396, 1404, 1457, 1460
Capt. A.J. Robertson
Tractor Group "Able" (Capt. J.S. Lillard)
Unit 1: 8 landing ship tanks
Unit 2: 8 landing ship tanks
"Able" Reserve: 6 landing ship tanks
Tractor Group "Baker" (Capt. Robertson)
Unit 3: 8 landing ship tanks
Unit 4: 8 landing ship tanks
"Baker" Reserve: 4 landing ship tanks
Support Artillery Group: 7 landing ship tanks
Cmdr. R.S. Moore, USNR
Unit 1 (Cmdr. W.R. Loud)
4 high-speed minesweepers: Hopkins, Perry, Long, Hamilton
Unit 2 (Lt. Cmdr. H.L. Thompson)
4 high-speed minesweepers: Chandler, Zane, Palmer, Howard
Unit 3 (Cmdr. Moore)
3 minesweepers (all Auk-class): Chief, Champion, Herald
Unit 4 (Lt. Cmdr. J.R. Fels, USNR)
3 minesweepers (all Auk-class): Oracle, Motive, Heed
Units 5 & 6 and Mobile Hydrographic Unit
5 auxiliary motor minesweepers
2 landing craft, control
6 landing craft, vehicle
Rear Adm. William H.P. Blandy
Embarking 27th Infantry Division (Army)
Transport Division 7 (Capt. C.G. Richardson)
3 attack transports: Cavalier, J. Franklin Bell, Heywood
1 attack cargo ship: Fomalhaut
Transport Division 32 (Capt. M.O. Carlson)
3 attack transports: Fremont, Harris, Custer
1 transport: Herald of the Morning
1 cargo ship: Auriga
4 destroyers (all Fletcher-class): Waller, Pringle, Saufley, Sigourney
2 destroyer escorts (both Evarts-class): Sederstrom, Fleming
1 fleet tug: Chickasaw
Transport Division 34 (Capt. Charles Allen)
4 transports: Prince Georges, Kenmore, De Grasse, Livingston
1 cargo ship: Leonis
Screen (Cmdr. J.R. Phal)
2 destroyers (both Fletcher-class): Conway, Eaton
4 destroyer escorts (2 Evarts-class): Tisdale, Eisele, (2 Cannon-class) Baron, Acree
1 net layer: Mimosa
1 net cargo ship: Keokuk
Capt. S.E. Peck
3 fleet tugs: Tekesta, Tawasa, Molala
1 repair ship: Phaon
2 salvage vessels: Preserver, Clamp
1 landing craft repair ship: Agenor
8 auxiliary motor minesweepers
Capt. Edward E. Paré
24 fleet oilers: Neshanic, Saugatuck, Saranac, Lackawanna, Monongahela, Neosho, Cimarron, Kaskaskia, Sabine, Caliente, Guadalupe, Platte, Pecos, Schuylkill, Tallulah, Ashtabula, Cahaba, Tappahannock, Kennebago, Marias, Suamico, Cache, Kankakee, Mascoma
8 destroyers (all Fletcher class): Paul Hamilton, Capps, John D. Henley, Hall, Evans, David W. Taylor, Halligan, Haraden
14 destroyer escorts
9 Cannon-class: Samuel S. Miles, Swearer, Bangust, Weaver, Riddle, Waterman, Lamons, Wesson, Hilbert
5 Evarts-class: Fair, Manlove, Mitchell, Whitman, Wileman
4 escort carriers: Copahee, Breton, Manila Bay, Natoma Bay
4 hospital ships: Relief, Solace, Bountiful, Samaritan