World War II "Slow Carrier Task Group"

Note: The phrase "Slow Carrier Task Group" was not an official Navy designation, although it was used in communications and after-action reports.

Like their larger cousins, the light and fleet carriers of the Fast Carrier Task Group, escort carriers were also organised into task groups for various missions. Some of these formations were very small; a supply convoy might be protected by a unit consisting of a single escort carrier and a handful of destroyers or destroyer escorts. Others were larger, such as the immortal Taffy 3 of the Battle off Samar.

But some were major task forces in their own right. These were the task groups organised to support the amphibious landings in the Pacific. Escort carriers were preferred for this assignment for several reasons. Since they would be operating in support of a fixed objective, rather than chasing enemy fleet units around the ocean, high speed was not necessary. Their shallow draft and tight turning radius allowed them to operate in the confined spaces of the gulfs, bays and passages that were encountered during these operations. The large number of available flight decks permitted quick response in the event of attack.

One of the early escort carrier task groups was fairly typical of the breed. Formed to support the invasion of the islands of Mindoro and Luzon in the Philippines in December of 1944 was Task Group 77.12 under the command of Rear Admiral Theodore D. Ruddock. This group would face the dreaded kamikaze, which would damage several ships and sink the Ommaney Bay.

Task Group 77.12 (RAdm. Theodore D. Ruddock)

Task Unit 77.12.1 (RAdm. Ruddock)
Battleships (Colorado-class):	BB-48 USS West Virginia , BB-45 USS Colorado
Battleships (New Mexico-class):	BB-40 USS New Mexico
Light cruisers (Cleveland-class):	CL-58 USS Denver, CL-56 USS Columbia, CL-57 USS Montpelier
Destroyers (Fletcher-class):	DD-466 USS Waller, DD-499 USS Renshaw, DD-507 USS Conway, DD-508 USS Cony, DD-510 USS Eaton, DD-562 USS Robinson, DD-582 USS Connor, DD-662 USS Bennion, DD-643 USS Sigourney
Task Unit 77.12.7 (RAdm. Felix B. Stump)
Carrier Division 24 (RAdm. Stump)
Escort carriers (Casablanca-class):	CVE-62 USS Natoma Bay , CVE-61 USS Manila Bay
Carrier Division 27 (RAdm. William D. Sample)
Escort carriers (Casablanca-class):	CVE-77 USS Marcus Island , CVE-76 USS Kadashan Bay, CVE-78 USS Savo Island, CVE-79 USS Ommaney Bay
Destroyer Screen
Destroyers (Fletcher-class):	DD-688 USS Remey, DD-691 USS Mertz, DD-677 USS McDermut, DD-585 USS Haraden, DD-591 USS Twiggs, DD-644 USS Stembel, DD-630 USS Braine
Destroyers (Gridley-class):	DD-392 USS Patterson, DD-390 USS Ralph Talbot

Sources
1. The Little Giants by William T. Y'Blood

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