Task Force 11 - World War II

World War II

During World War II, Task Force 11 was a United States Navy aircraft carrier task force in the Pacific theater. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Destroyer Squadron 1 was attached to the Task Force under Vice Admiral Wilson Brown, made up of USS Lexington (CV-2) with cruisers Indianapolis (CA 35), USS Chicago (CA-29) and Portland (CA 33). On 14 December 1941, after delays due to bad weather, the task force cleared Pearl Harbor as a diversion for an expedition under Rear Admiral Frank J. Fletcher in Saratoga (CV 3) to relieve Wake Island.

TF 11 was originally formed around Lexington, then her sister ship Saratoga until she was disabled by a Japanese torpedo in January 1942, then Lexington again for the Battle of the Coral Sea, then Saratoga after her repairs were completed.

TF 11 — as part of Task Force 61 along with Task Force 16 — was involved in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons in late August 1942, but Saratoga was again crippled by a submarine, and the task force shrank to just the carrier and some destroyers.

In September 1943, TF 11 was reorganized around light carriers Princeton and Belleau Wood under Rear Admiral Willis Augustus Lee, and supported landings on Baker Island and Howland Island.

In early 1944, its task groups TG 11.1 and 11.2, now consisting of escort carriers, supported operations in the Marshall Islands.