Supremacy at Sea: Task Force 58 and the Central Pacific Victory

by Evan Mawdsley

The gripping account of the U.S. Navy’s fast carrier force—and how its Central Pacific campaign in 1944 marked the achievement of American naval supremacy
 
Task Force 58 was World War II’s most powerful battle fleet. Made up in mid-1944 of sixteen aircraft carriers, over a thousand combat aircraft, and an armada of escorts, it was vital to victory over Japan.
 
In this compelling account, Evan Mawdsley charts the 3,500-mile dash of the “Big Blue Fleet” across the Central Pacific in the first six months of 1944, overwhelming enemy opposition and transforming the nature of naval warfare. The Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944 crushed the enemy’s naval air force and secured war-winning air bases in the Mariana Islands. Mawdsley examines the elements of the rapidly assembled force—ships, planes, and 100,000 officers and men—as well as the advanced bases and fleet train that provided such astounding mobility.
 
Task Force 58’s campaign marked the achievement of naval supremacy by the United States, a status it maintains to this day.

Genres: History, Military History, Nonfiction, World War II, Military Fiction

544 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 30, 2024

About the author

Evan Mawdsley is Professor of International History at Glasgow University. He has written numerous books and articles on Russian history and is the co-author of The Soviet Elite from Lenin to Gorbachev. He lives in Glasgow.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a capable albeit unexciting account of the creation of the U.S. Fast Carrier Task Force during the Second World War and its operations under Raymond Spruance’s command in 1944.

[Urey Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tightly focused on the 1944 Central Pacific campaign (roughly Tarawa through the Marianas campaign, ending with the Battle of the Philippine Sea), this is an overview of the battles and the movements and events, interspersed with chapters explaining strategy, ship production numbers, tonnages, aircraft evolution and numbers, the fleet logistical train and other topical areas of relevance to the progression of the campaign. Mawdsley is adept at putting events into broader contexts, explaining the downstream consequences of decisions and actions that may not be readily apparent. Often, the supplementary chapters read like Wikipedia entries – still, informative and definitely contributory to the main subject – the Central Pacific campaign. Every major ship (CV, BB, CA, CL) in every formation gets identified, as well as the oilers they refuel from, the commanding officers, ship capacities, aircraft numbers in the attack flights... lots of information to get through.

[Marshall Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the focus of the book is on the actions of Task Force 58 in 1944, the author provides great information on how carriers operate, their aircraft, and character sketches of the principal leaders. Outstanding maps - a rarity these days in military history books.

[LBA · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book about Task Force 58, the US Navy carrier group that achieved control of Central Pacific in 1944 and put Japan in a retreat and defeat mode.
It has also some very helpful notes.

[Simon Mee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am being a bit generous with applying the World War II rating handicap system to Supremacy at Sea as there is nothing mind blowing. However, I do want to give credit to the improvement in focus compared to The War for the Seas. I like that there is a central theme to this book beyond a recounting of events, in demonstrating how Task Force 58 allowed the United States to accelerate operations against Japanese held islands. The manner in which Mawdsley describes events shows that the concentration of naval/air forces had a clear strategic benefit.

The time period picked is appropriate for demonstrating the core theme because:

- It was the earliest concentration of force – the larger deployments in late 44-45 don’t materially change the point Mawdsley is making.

- It covers multiple deployments and the results of them rather than being fixed around one invasion (such as Okinawa).

- There’s a natural conclusion at the Battle of Philippine Sea, the last proper carrier on carrier battle, even if both sides misfired with their strikes.

An unexpected realisation is that Task Force 58 probably was probably less effective at naval strikes relative 1942 carrier duels due to its change in role of providing air supremacy over islands (also reflecting similar performances noted in Leyte Gulf).

The sourcing is up to date and wide ranging, albeit mostly secondary sources. The writing is clear, and there are interesting historiographical discussions. Otherwise, a short, sharp book on the benefits of naval power.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book, providing a compelling examination of the U.S. Navy’s 1943-1944 Central Pacific campaign during World War II. The author, British maritime historian Evan Mawdsley, seamlessly blends a chronological narrative with in-depth topical histories, offering readers a comprehensive understanding of the forces, processes, and actions that shaped the campaign. The book’s strength lies in its engaging prose. Mawdsley clearly explains how a multi-domain naval campaign was able to attain sea dominance over a still potent adversary by the middle of 1944. Most interesting is Mawdsley’s defense of Spruance’s decisions in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. A great book for anyone interested in the naval history of World War II. Highly recommended for those seeking to understand the means and methods of the Central Pacific campaign.

[WRH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about the time Spruance was head of the Fifth Fleet during 1944. I've read reviews where people complained about some loss of focus such as discussing submarine actions during that time. I think that is a feature. I wouldn't say this would be a good book for anyone not familiar with the war in the Pacific. However, it filled in some gaps in my knowledge very nicely. I enjoyed it.

[Mike Roush · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed but interesting