THE BATTLE FOR LEYTE GULF

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The Battle for Leyte Gulf
23-26 October 1944

The Seventh Fleet

(Vice Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid in amphibious warfare command vessel Wasatch)

At the time of the Leyte landings Seventh Fleet contained 738 vessels. Most of these were amphibious warfare vessels not listed in detail here.
The landing vessels were divided into two forces, the Northern Attack Force (Task Force 78) under Rear Admiral Daniel Barbey, and the Southern Attack Force (Task Force 79) under Vice Admiral T.S. Wilkinson.

Task Forces 78 and 79 each included a Fire Support Unit containing battleships and cruisers, and each unit of these forces had its destroyer screen.
In addition Seventh Fleet (Task Force 77) contained a Close Covering Group (TG77.3) of cruisers and destroyers, most of them being vessels of the Royal Australian Navy, and the Escort Carrier Group (TG77.4) under Rear Admiral Thomas L. Sprague. This last - the Escort Carrier Group - was to play an unexpected and decisive role in the battle.

CVE = Escort Aircraft-carrier / VF = Fighter / VT = Torpedo-bomber
BB = Battleship / CA = Heavy Cruiser / CL = Light Cruiser / DD = Destroyer
(S) = Sunk in the Battle for Leyte Gulf

Bombardment and Fire Support Group, Seventh Fleet (as of sunset October 24 1944)

**(Rear Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf in heavy cruiser Louisville)**

This group is as constituted in order to counter the Japanese Southern Force in Surigao Strait.

6 Battleships, 4 Heavy Cruisers, 4 Light Cruisers, 29 Destroyers, as follows:

BB41 Mississippi
BB46 Maryland
BB48 West Virginia
BB43 Tennessee
BB44 California
BB38 Pennsylvania

CA28 Louisville
CA36 Minneapolis
CA33 Portland
CA Shropshire (Royal Australian Navy)
CL58 Denver
CL56 Columbia
CL46 Phoenix
CL47 Boise

DD586 Newcomb
DD664 Richard P. Leary
DD649 Albert W.Grant
DD562 Robinson
DD480 Halford
DD665 Bryant
DD663 Heywood L. Edwards
DD662 Bennion
DD481 Leutze
DD571 Claxton
DD508 Cony
DD505 Thorn
DD569 Aulick
DD643 Sigourney
DD628 Welles
DD476 Hutchins
DD519 Daly
DD470 Bache
DD Arunta (Royal Australian Navy)
DD593 Killen
DD471 Beale
DD688 Remey
DD678 McGowan
DD680 Melvin
DD691 Mertz
DD677 McDermut
DD798 Monsenn
DD679 McNair

Task Group 77.4, Escort Carrier Group
(Rear Admiral Thomas L. Sprague in escort carrier Sangamon)

Task Unit 77.4.1 - "Taffy One" (Rear Admiral Thomas L. Sprague)

CVE26 Sangamon(Captain M.E. Browder) Air Group 37 (Lt. Commander S.E. Hindman)
CVE27 Suwannee(Captain W.D. Johnson) Air Group 60 (Lt. Commander H.O. Feilbach USNR)
CVE28 Chenango(Captain George Van Deurs) Air Group 35 (Lt. Commander F.T. Moore)
CVE29 Santee(Captain R.E. Blick) Air Group 26 (Lt. Commander H.N Funk)
CVE82 Saginaw Bay(Captain F.C. Sutton) Composite Squadron 78(Lt. Commander J.L. Hyde)
CVE80 Petrof Bay(Captain J.L. Kane ) Composite Squadron 76(Commander J.W. McCauley)

DD534 McCord
DD531 Hazelwood
DD530 Trathen
DE402 Richard S. Bull
DE404 Eversole
DE403 Richard M. Rowell
DE217 Coolbaugh

Task Unit 77.4.2 - "Taffy Two" (Rear Admiral Felix B. Stump in Natoma Bay)

CVE62 Natoma Bay (Captain A.K. Morehouse) Composite Squadron 81 (Lt. Commander R.C. Barnes)
CVE61 Manila Bay (Captain Fitzhugh Lee) Composite Squadron 80 (Lt. Commander H.K. Stubbs USNR)
CVE77 Marcus Island (Captain C.F. Greber) Composite Squadron 21 (Lt. Commander T.O. Murray USNR)
CVE78 Savo Island (Captain C.E. Ekstrom) Composite Squadron 27 (Lt. Commander P.W. Jackson)
CVE79 Ommaney Bay (Captain H.L. Young) Composite Squadron 75 (Lt. A.W. Smith USNR)
CVE76 Kadashan Bay(Captain R.N. Hunter)Composite Squadron 20 (Lt. Commander J.R. Dale USNR)

DD555 Haggard
DD556 Hailey
DD554 Franks
DE344 Oberrender
DE343 Abercrombie
DE342 Richard W. Suesens
DE412 Walter C. Wann
DE414 Le Ray Wilson

Task Unit 77.4.3 - "Taffy Three" (Rear Admiral Clifton A.F. Sprague in Fanshaw Bay)

CVE70 Fanshaw Bay (Captain D.P. Johnson) Composite Squadron 68 (Lt. Commander R.S. Rogers)
CVE68 Kalinin Bay (Captain T.B. Williamson) Composite Squadron 3 (Lt. Commander W.H. Keighley USNR)
CVE66 White Plains (Captain D.J. Sullivan) Composite Squadron 4 (Lt. E.R. Fickenscher)
CVE63 St. Lo (S) (Captain F.J. McKenna) Composite Squadron 65 (Lt. Commander R.M. Jones USNR)
CVE71 Kitkun Bay (Captain J.P. Whitney) Composite Squadron 5 (Commander R.L. Fowler)
CVE73 Gambier Bay (S) (Captain W.V.R. Vieweg) Composite Squadron 10 (Lt. Commander E.J. Huxtable)

DD533 Hoel (S) (Commander L.S. Kintberger)
DD532 Heermann (Commander A.T. Hathaway)
DD557 Johnston (S) (Commander E.E. Evans)
DE405 Dennis (Lt. Commander S. Hansen USNR)
DE413 Samuel B. Roberts (S) (Lt. Commander R.W. Copeland USNR)
DE339 John C. Butler (Lt. Commander J.E. Pace)
DE341 Raymond (Lt. Commander A.F. Beyer USNR)

**(Rear Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf in heavy cruiser Louisville)**

Seventh Fleet's force in the Battle of Surigao Strait

Kaiser/Casablanca Class Escort Carriers

Fletcher Class Destroyers

The US Third Fleet

The Japanese Order of Battle

Leyte Gulf - a brief account of the battle

Leyte Links

Battle for Leyte Gulf Index