Task Force 31
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Task Force 31 (TF 31) was a
US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
task force A task force (TF) is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology. Many ...
active with the
United States Third Fleet The United States Third Fleet is one of the numbered fleets in the United States Navy. Third Fleet's area of responsibility includes approximately fifty million square miles of the eastern and northern Pacific Ocean areas including the Bering ...
during World War II, and still ready to be activated today with today's Third Fleet. Task Force numbers were in constant use, and there were several incarnations of TF 31 during World War II. In its most known World War II guise, it was formed at the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, under
Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...
Oscar C. Badger II, to begin the occupation of Japan. The TF 31 combatant ships were the first to enter
Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan spanning the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture, on the southern coast of the island of Honshu. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. Th ...
when the US was not certain what kind of reception was waiting from the Japanese. The Task Force transported
US Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expedi ...
units to the
Miura Peninsula is a peninsula located in Kanagawa, Japan. It lies south of Yokohama and Tokyo and divides Tokyo Bay, to the east, from Sagami Bay, to the west. Cities and towns on the Miura Peninsula include Yokosuka, Miura, Hayama, Zushi, and Kamak ...
area of Japan, which forms the southwest arm of
Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan spanning the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture, on the southern coast of the island of Honshu. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. Th ...
, for occupation duties. The Marines were tasked with securing the military bases at
Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 373,797, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th-most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city i ...
and demilitarizing the entire peninsula.


History


Background

Anticipating a possible Japanese surrender, plans were underway for the occupation of Japan. General MacArthur's Operation Blacklist was chosen over Admiral Nimitz's plan. Both commanders agreed that the prompt occupation of Japan was essential. Third Fleet, under Admiral Halsey, was the only unit deemed capable and ready to do this. "On 8 August, advance copies of Halsey's Operation Plan 10–45 for the occupation of Japan setting up Task Force 31 (TF 31), the Yokosuka Occupation Force, were distributed. The task force's mission, based on Nimitz's basic concept, was to clear the entrance to Tokyo Bay and anchorages, occupy and secure the Yokosuka Naval Base, seize and operate Yokosuka Airfield, support the release of Allied prisoners, demilitarize all enemy ships and defenses, and assist U.S. Army troops in preparing for the landing of additional forces. Three days later, Rear Admiral Badger, Commander, Battleship Division 7, was designated by Halsey to be commander, TF 31." The existing Task Force 38 was also alerted. The 6th Marine Division, was tasked to provide a regiment for the land portion of the operation. The Fleet Landing Force was commanded by Brigadier General William T. Clement. The 4th Regiment was selected. The choice was symbolic as the Old 4th had been captured in the Philippines early in the war. The 4th, and additional support units, made up the 5,400 man Task Force Able.


Beginning

The elements of TF 31 began loading the Marines and their equipment on 1945-08-14. On the 18th, advance command elements of the task force on board the USS ''Ozark'' joined up with the USS ''Missouri'' in Task Force 38. The Task Force was officially created at 1400 on 1945-08-19 en route to Japan. Two landing plans were considered: landing at Zushi on the western side of the peninsula or at Zushi and Yokosuka on the Tokyo Bay side. It was decided not to risk entering the bay until the "threat of Japanese treachery" was dealt with. At sea, some 3,500 men were transferred between the ships to organize the assault units. On 1945-08-21 plans were changed to land at Yokosuka, the primary objective. This would reduce the forces' exposure on two narrow roads from Zushi to Yokosuka. General MacArthur's choice of Zushi as his headquarters also was a factor in the decision. L-Day was originally scheduled for 1945-08-26, but was delayed to the 28th by a typhoon developing 300 miles to the southeast that was going to delay
USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
operations for 48 hours. L-Day was again delayed until 1945-08-30.


Occupation

On 1945-08-27, Japanese reported on board the ''Missouri'' and their
pilots An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators because they are ...
were sent on a
destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...
to guide Task Force 31 into Yokosuka Bay.
Minesweepers A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...
did a defensive sweep on the way in as the Japanese had not been able to sweep the approaches. That afternoon Task Force 31 anchored in Sagami Wan, just outside Tokyo Bay. At 0900 on 1945-08-28, led by USS ''San Diego'', the combat elements of Task Force 31 entered Tokyo Bay and by 1300 they were anchored in Yokosuka Bay.
Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...
Michitaro Totsuka reported on board the ''San Diego'' for instructions on securing and surrendering the Yokosuka base. Around that time, an advance party from the
USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
landed at Atsugi Airfield to prepare it for the L-Day landing of the 11th Airborne Division. On 1945-08-29, Admiral Halsey arrived in Sagami Wan. Two POWs rescued earlier from the beach convinced him to start the POW rescue operations that day. Before dawn on L-Day, 1945-08-30, three groups of transports and escorts from TF 31 left Sagami Wan for Tokyo Bay. At 0558, Marines landed on Fattsu Saki to secure the forts guarding Tokyo Bay, in coordination with the planned 0600 arrival of planes carrying the 11th Airborne at Atsugi Airfield. Finding the Japanese had followed the instructions on disabling their guns to the letter, the Marines quickly secured the forts and rejoined the task force at 0845. At 0805 a small crew from USS ''South Dakota'' boarded the Japanese battleship ''Nagato'' and received its surrender from a skeleton crew. 0930 on L-Day saw the Marines of 1st and 3rd Battalion landing at Yokosuka. The Japanese at the Yokosuka base had complied completely by disabling their weapons and removing all non-essential personnel. At 1030 the ''San Diego'' docked at Yokosuka. The formal surrender of the Japanese First Naval District by Admiral Totsuka to Rear Admiral Robert Carney, acting for Admiral Halsey, and Rear Admiral Badger took place at 1045.


Dissolution

After the delivery of the Marine occupation forces, TF 31 transport assets departed on 1 September to transport additional occupation troops. After the formal surrender of Japan on 1945-09-02, Task Force 31 had completed its mission. By 6 September all Navy personnel and ships' Marine detachments had returned to their ships from shore duties. On 1945-09-08, Admiral Badger's Task Force 31 was dissolved.


Ships of Task Force 31

* (Task Force
Flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...
) * * * * * ? *TG 31.5 ** ** *TG 31.2 – Minesweeping Group ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **YMS: ''YMS-177''(probably), ''YMS-268, YMS-276, YMS-343, YMS-362, YMS-390, YMS-415, YMS-426, YMS-441, YMS-461, YMS-467'' **''PGM-32, PGM-??'' * * * *Former TU 12.1.2 **"Trio of Destroyers" ** ** ** ** ** **


See also

United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka or is a United States Navy base in Yokosuka, Japan. Its mission is to maintain and operate base facilities for the logistic, recreational, administrative support and service of the U.S. Naval Forces Japan, Seventh Fleet and other operating ...


External links


Map of TF 31 landing plansMemo to Third Fleet members of the landing


References

{{reflist United States Navy task forces Japan campaign Military units and formations of the United States Navy in World War II United States Marine Corps in World War II