Concept
For the April 1945 invasion of Okinawa (Allied codename: Operation Iceberg), the Allies assembled the most powerful naval force in history. Since the few remaining capital ships of the Imperial Japanese Combined Fleet had been sunk or otherwise put out of action at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the Allies were effectively unopposed in terms of major surface vessels; a single mission consisting of the superbattleship and a few escorts was undertaken, but the task force did not get within of the invasion area. The main Japanese naval opposition within the invasion area came from hundreds of Imperial Japanese Navy s and Maru-Ni Imperial Japanese Army attack boats. Since the Japanese air arm had been equally decimated by this point in the war, the lack of trained and experienced pilots led them to deploy the kamikaze extensively in the waters off Okinawa. US Navy combat ships: 11 fleet carriers, 6 light carriers, 22 escort carriers, 8 fast battleships, 10 old battleships, 2 large cruisers, 12 heavy cruisers, 13 light cruisers, 4 anti-aircraft light cruisers, 132 destroyers, 45 destroyer escorts Amphibious assault vessels: 84 attack transports, 29 attack cargo ships, LCIs, LSMs, LSTs, LSVs, etc. Auxiliaries: 52 submarine chasers, 23 fast minesweepers, 69 minesweepers, 11 minelayers, 49 oilers, etc. Royal Navy combat ships: 5 fleet carriers, 2 battleships, 7 light cruisers, 14 destroyers Losses The smaller ships were least able to withstand damage from kamikaze attacks. 12 to kamikaze: , , , , , , , , , , , 2 to mines: , 1 to collision: 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 "Big Blue Fleet" was at this time under the command of Admiral Raymond Spruance aboard his flagship , the force was designated Fifth Fleet. (It had been Third Fleet until Spruance relieved Admiral William Halsey in January, as part of the "alternating command" system).
