SERVICE SQUADRON SIX
Service Squadron Six’s mission was to provide logistical services to the fleet while it was at sea. During OLYMPIC the THIRD Fleet would be ranging up and down the Japanese Archipelago while the FIFTH Fleet was conducting the invasion of KYUSHU.
Flagship
CL 8 DETROIT
Oilers
The fleet could keep 40-50 first class oilers on the front line in the Western Pacific. About 40% of these were the ships of the Cimarron Class, based on a T3 hull and were rated at 18.4 kts. Most of the remainder were based on T2 hulls and were rated at just over 15 kts. These ships carried 115,000-135,000 bbls of oil.
Long haul tankers transferred oil from the US, the Caribbean and the Persian Gulf to Pearl Harbor, Eniwetok, Ulithi, Guam, and Leyte. The fleet’s oilers shuttled oil and other petroleum products between these supply points and the fast carriers. While this was going on, the tankers would also be shuttling fuel forward to Okinawa and other forward points (ultimately Kyushu).
It took Thirty-two AOs to keep Halsey’s THIRD Fleet (three Groups with Sixteen Carriers) at sea and fighting for six weeks. During OLYMPIC the navy would commit five carrier groups with twenty two fast carriers split between two geographically separated fleets. At the same time all the fuel demand for the Amphibious Assault would be enormous. Clearly, the availability of oil and fleet oilers would be a significant aspect of Operation OLYMPIC.
CVEs
In Service Squadron Six CVE’s served two different missions. Combat CVEs with assigned air groups or squadrons defended the service groups from enemy threats. CINCPOA OP-PLAN No. 10-45 identified the four CVEs below for this task, twice as many as assigned during THIRD Fleet’s July-August sortie. Presumably Service Squadron Six would be divided into two Task Groups, one for each fleet. Each Task Group would get two Combat CVEs. These CVEs would be rotated between these groups and Task Force 55.
CVE MATANIKAU
CVE SHAMROCK BAY
CVE PUGET SOUND
CVE LUNGA POINT
Six Replenishment CVEs from the Carrier Transport Squadron were assigned the second mission, shuttling replacement aircraft to the Fast Carrier Task Forces. Four CVEs were assigned to THIRD Fleet’s July-August sortie and could not keep up with the attrition in aircraft. Large aircraft pools were established at Guam, Samar, Kwajalein, and Pearl Harbor. Eniwetok was being expanded. CVEs would cycle between these points and the Fleet.
Ammunition Ships
AEs as assigned
Screen
Screening destroyers and destroyer escorts protected the service fleet as it mirrored the movements of the fast carriers and they protected the ships constantly moving between the service fleet and various supply points. In addition the destroyers of DesRon 21 could provide highly capable replacements for the fast carriers should an element of their screens suffer damage or an engineering casualty.
DesRon 21
DD 563 ROSS
DD 681 HOPEWELL
DD 445 FLETCHER
DD 446 RADFORD
DD 447 JENKINS
DD 448 LA VALLETTE
DesDiv 7
DD 365 CUMMINGS
DD 370 CASE
DD 372 CASSIN
DD 375 DOWNES
DD 384 DUNLAP
DD 385 FANNING
DD 348 FARRAGUT
CortDiv 10
DE 19 BURDEN R. HASTINGS
DE 20 LE HARDY
DE 21 HAROLD C. THOMAS
DE 22 WILEMAN
DE 23 CHARLES R. GREER
DE 24 WHITMAN
CortDiv 11
DE 162 LEVY
DE 163 MCCONNELL
DE 164 OSTERHAUS
DE 165 PARKS
DE 166 BARON
DE 167 ACREE
CortDiv 16
DE 259 WILLIAM C. MILLER
DE 260 CABANA
DE 261 DIONNE
DE 262 CANFIELD
DE 263 DEEDE
DE 264 ELDEN
CortDiv 24
DE 176 MICKA
DE 180 TRUMPETER
DE 181 STRAUB
DE 182 GUSTAFSON
DE 747 BRIGHT
DE 750 MCCLELLAND
CortDiv 26
DE 25 WINTLE
DE 26 DEMPSEY
DE 27 DUFFY
DE 28 EMERY
DE 29 STADTFELD
DE 30 MARTIN
CortDiv 35
DE 763 CATES
DE 105 BURROWS
DE 764 GANDY
DE 765 EARL K. OLSEN
DE 766 SLATER
DE 768 EBERT
CortDiv 55
DE 193 GARFIELD THOMAS
DE 194 WINGFIELD
DE 195 THORNHILL
DE 196 RINEHART
DE 197 ROCHE
DE 739 BANGUST
AKS 20 MERCURY
AKA 19 THUBAN
AKA 20 VIRGO
AKA 6 ALCHIBA
AKA 7 ALCYONE
AFs as assigned
8 ATFs as assigned