Okinawa naval order of battle


For the April 1945 invasion of Okinawa, 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 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.
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.

Naval

The roles of Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas and Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet, 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..
The ships and troops of Operation Iceberg were under direct operational command of Rear Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner aboard amphibious command ship.

Ground troops

Son of a Confederate army general, Lt. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. was one of four US lieutenant generals to die during World War II, but the only one to die by enemy action. On 18 June, Buckner was visiting a forward observation post when a Japanese artillery shell struck a coral outcropping, fragments of which struck Buckner in the chest. Command of Tenth Army passed to Marine Maj. Gen. Roy S. Geiger.
United States Tenth Army

Allied amphibious forces

Joint Expeditionary Force (Task Force 51)

Vice Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner in amphibious command ship Eldorado

Northern Attack Force (Task Force 53)

Rear Admiral Lawrence F. Reifsnider in amphibious command ship Panamint
Embarking III Amphibious Corps

Southern Attack Force (Task Force 55)

Rear Admiral John L. Hall in amphibious command ship Teton
Embarking XXIV Army Corps

Expeditionary Troops (Task Force 56)

Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr., USA
Consisting of United States Tenth Army

Allied combat ships

Amphibious Support Forces (Task Force 52)

Rear Admiral William H.P. Blandy in amphibious command ship Estes

Gunfire and Covering Force (Task Force 54)

Rear Admiral Morton L. Deyo in battleship Tennessee

British Carrier Force">British Pacific Fleet">British Carrier Force (Task Force 57)

Vice Admiral Sir Bernard Rawlings, RN

Fast Carrier Force">Fast Carrier Task Force">Fast Carrier Force (Task Force 58)

Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher in fleet carrier

Allied logistics and support vessels

Support and Service Units (Task Force 50)

Japanese order of battle

Japanese Combined Fleet
Admiral Soemu Toyoda

Surface Special Attack Force

Vice Admiral Seiichi Ito