United States Asiatic Fleet

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The Asiatic Fleet was part of the US Navy. During the World War II era, the fleet was tasked with protecting the Philippines.

Originally the Asiatic Squadron, it was upgraded to fleet status in 1902. In 1907, the fleet became the First Squadron of the Pacific Fleet. However, on 28 January 1910, the ships of that squadron were again organized as the Asiatic Fleet.

So, in later years, this was not part of the US Pacific Fleet, which was based on the western coast of the United States and, in 1940, moved to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Contents

[edit] 1902 – 1941

In 1904, all battleships were withdrawn from the Far East. Gunboats patrolled the Yangtze River in the Yangtze Patrol.

In 1922, when the Atlantic Fleet was dissolved, the Asiatic Fleet was charged with defending the Philippines and Guam and with upholding the Open Door Policy in China.

[edit] World War II

By mid-1941, the headquarters for this unit was in Manila, at the Marsman Building. The commander was Admiral Thomas C. Hart and the fleet was based at Cavite Naval Base and Olongapo Naval Station. On July 22, the Mariveles Naval Base was completed and used as well.

Admiral Hart had permission to withdraw to the Indian Ocean, in the event of war, at his discretion.

[edit] Chinese Detachment

Between 1901 and 1937, the United States military maintained a strong presence in China to maintain Far East trade interests and to pursue a permanent alliance with the Chinese Republic, after long diplomatic difficulties with the Chinese Empire. The relationship between the U.S. and China was mostly on-again off-again, with periods of both cordial diplomatic relations accompanied by times of severed relations and violent anti-United States protests.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the Asiatic Fleet of the United States Navy was based from China, and a classic image of the "China Sailor" developed, as a large number of United States Navy members would remain at postings in China for 10-12 years then retire and continue to live in the country. The classic film The Sand Pebbles is a dramatization on the life of the China Sailors.

The United States military also created several awards and decorations to recognize those personnel who had performed duty in China. The China Service Medal, China Campaign Medal, Yangtze Service Medal, and the China Relief Expedition Medal were all military medals which could be presented to those who had performed duty in China.

With the approach of World War II, the United States military in China was slowly withdrawn to protect other United States interests in the Pacific. With the rise of Communist China, there was no further United States military presence in mainland China, a status which continues to this day.

Early in November 1941, the Navy Department ordered Hart to withdraw the fleet's Marines and gunboats, stationed in China. Five of the gunboats were moved to Manila, USS Wake was left with a skeleton crew as a radio base and was seized by the Japanese on December 8 and USS Tutuila was given to the Chinese.

The majority of the 4th Marine Regiment was stationed at Shanghai, and other detachments were at Pekin (Beijing) and Tientsin (Tianjin). These troops were loaded onto two President class liners on November 27 and 28 (at either Shanghai or Chinwangtao (Qinghuangdao) and arrived in the Philippines on November 30 and December 1.

President Harrison returned to Chinwangtao, to move the remaining Marines, but was captured by the Japanese on December 7. Those Marines which had reached the Philippines were tasked with defending the naval stations, particularly Mariveles Naval Base.

USS Rochester was scuttled.

[edit] Minefields

Manila and Subic Bays (in support of the Harbor Defenses) were mined by the Asiatic Fleet, stationed in Manila Bay. These minefields were designed to stop all vessels, except for submarines and shallow-draft surface craft.

[edit] Vessels of the Asiatic Fleet and the 16th Naval District — December 8, 1941

The Asiatic Fleet and the 16th Naval District possessed:

Also stationed at Cavite Naval Base was the Offshore Patrol.

[edit] Aircraft of the Asiatic Fleet — December 8, 1941

The aviation elements of the Asiatic Fleet comprised Patrol Wing 10, with two patrol squadrons (VPs), a utility unit, and the aviation units aboard the Fleet's two cruisers and the large seaplane tender Langley.

Patrol Wing 10 had been commissioned in December 1940, and included Patrol Squadrons 101 (VP 101) and 102 (VP 102), each equipped with fourteen Consolidated PBY-4 Catalina flying boats. By Mid-1941 these 28 PBY-4s were numbered 1 through 14 for VP 101, 16 through 29 for VP 102. The Utility Unit included Grumman J2F amphibians (1 J2F-2, 4 J2F-4s, and, delivered in the late summer, five new Vought-Sikorsky OS2U-2 Kingfisher floatplanes. Also, a number of Curtiss SOC Seagull floatplanes were present. Houston carried four, Marblehead two, and Langley two or three, and two more were under repair or in storage at the Aircraft Overhaul Shop (Shop X 34) at the Cavite Navy Yard.

As of 8 December Patrol Wing 10 was conducting patrols as follows: Daily five PBYs scouted sector to the northwest of Luzon, five more ditto to the northeast. These flights based at either NAS Sangley Point or the Navy's auxiliary seaplane station at Olongapo on Subic Bay, or seaplane tender Childs in Manila Bay. Trios of PBYs rotated down to the southern islands to base on William B. Preston at Malalag Bay on Davao Gulf, Mindanao. These patrols out over the Philippine Sea to the east bordered with similar patrols flown by Royal Netherlands Naval Air Service flying boats based in the Netherlands East Indies. Seaplane tender Heron, with a detachment of four OS2U-2 Kingfishers from the Utility Unit ran morning and evening patrols from Port Ciego, Balabac Island, over the strategically important Balabac Straits from 4 through 13 December.

Early in the morning of 8 December Preston sent off one plane on patrol and a short time later was attacked by aircraft from the small Japanese carrier Ryūjō, and her other two PBYs were sunk on the water.

Patrol Wing 10 was ordered south into the Netherlands East Indies on 12 December, when the collapsing defenses of the islands made further operations untenable. Within the first ninety days of the war Patrol Wing 10 had fallen back to Perth, Western Australia, being reinforced by VP 22 from Hawaii, but losing 43 of 45 PBYs, all but four to enemy action, together with tender Langley.

Probably the definitive work on Patrol Wing 10 is the book In The Hands of Fate (the story of Pat Wing 10 8 December 1941-May 1942), by Dwight R. Messimer. Naval Institute Press, 1985. 348 pages. Osprey Publishing's Combat Aircraft added two in the series: USN PBY Catalina Units in the Atlantic, by R. Ragnarsson, in 2006, and USN PBY Catalina Units of the Pacific War by L. B. Dorny in 2007.


[edit] Asiatic Fleet — December 8, 1941

Asiatic Fleet Headquarters - ashore from mid-1941 at the Marsman Building on the Manila waterfront. The Fleet flagship, HOUSTON, was assigned to lead TF5.

Task Force FOUR, Asiatic Fleet: Patrol Wing TEN, seaplane tenders, and aviation resources.

Task Force FIVE, Asiatic Fleet: surface strike forces, including cruisers and Destroyer Squadron TWENTY NINE.

Task Force SIX, Asiatic Fleet: submarines force, including all submarines, tenders and rescue ships.

Task Force SEVEN, Asiatic Fleet: patrol force, including gunboats TULSA and ASHEVILLE.

FOURTH Marine Regiment

Commandant SIXTEENTH Naval District (COM16): The Cavite Navy Yard and all the shore establishment on Luzon, including the radio station, ammunition depot, hospital, Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron THREE, naval air station, mine depot, and similar facilities on Corregidor,at Mariveles, Bataan, and Olongpago, on Subic Bay.

The historic Yangtze Patrol was concluded in early December 1941 and the five remaining river gunboats: TUTUILA remained upriver at Chungking, WAKE was in reduced commission at Shanghai as a radio station for the State Dept, and COMYANGPAT sailed in LUZON with OAHU for Manila, joined by MINDANAO.

[edit] Battles Fought by the Asiatic Fleet - early 1942

As the Japanese sought sources of oil and minerals in the Netherlands East Indies and Borneo immediately following Pearl Harbor the only fleet available to defend against their onslaught in that area was the Asiatic Fleet. Outnumbered, outgunned, outmanned, the U.S. Navy, part of the ABDA (American, British, Dutch and Australian) force could only attempt to slow down the Japanese advances. Stopping them was out of the question.

[edit] Battle of Balikpapan - January 24, 1942

Catching a Japanese invasion fleet of 16 transports, a cruiser and several destroyers anchored in Balikpapan Bay, four old U.S. "four piper" destroyers (Ford, Pope, Paul Jones and Parrot), luck with them, attacked at night using torpedoes, then gunfire to sink four transports and one patrol craft. During the attack, the Japanese cruiser and the destroyers headed out to sea, sure that the attack came from submarines there, thus leaving the transports unprotected. This was the first surface action of the Pacific War and the first since the Spanish American War. It was a great morale booster, but slowed the Japanese not at all.

[edit] Battle of Flores Sea - February 4, 1942

Encouraged by the success of the Balikpapan raid, an attempt was made to break up another invasion when word was received that a Japanese force was planning a landing at Makasar on Celebes Island. Planning a night attack, the ABDA force had to sail some distance on open water in daylight. It was attacked by Japanese bombers which severely damaged U.S. light cruiser Marblehead and disabled turret #3 on the heavy cruiser Houston. Wounded, the force retreated to Tjilatjap, Java, mission not accomplished.

[edit] Battle of Badoeng Strait - February 19/20, 1942

In an effort to break up another invasion, this time on the island of Bali, a small force of ABDA ships arrived after the Japanese had made their landing and had retired, leaving only four Japanese destroyers on station. This badly executed attack failed. Three Japanese destroyers were damaged by gunfire, but a Dutch destroyer was sunk and a Dutch and American destroyer were damaged.

[edit] Battle of Java Sea - February 27, 1942

This was the biggest battle fought in this area. The ABDA force of five cruisers and 11 destroyers, led by Dutch Admiral Doorman sailed against a Japanese force of seven cruisers and 25 destroyers. The enemy force had air cover; ABDA did not (it never had air cover in any of the battles described here). It was a rout, fought during the afternoon and evening, a running gun battle with Japanese planes constantly dropping flares to illuminate the ABDA ships. The Dutch lost two cruisers and a destroyer, the British two destroyers. One Japanese destroyer was damaged.

[edit] Battle of Sunda Strait - February 28, 1942

Sunda Strait lies between Sumatra and Java. Retreating south to Tjilatjap after the Battle of Java Sea the day before, the U.S. cruiser Houstonand the Australian cruiser Perth, upon entering the strait, came upon and Japanese invasion force making a landing on Java. Both ships attacked the transports and sank four of them. As they started back down the Strait, they were attacked by a Japanese cruiser and ten destroyers which overwhelmed and sank both ships.

[edit] Half the U.S. Fleet lost

Of the 40 surface vessels in the Asiatic Fleet on Pearl Harbor Day, 19 were sunk by May 5, 1942, the day General Wainwright surrendered to the Japanese at Corregidor in the Philippines. Most of the surviving ships made it to Australia and safety.

[edit] Commanders in Chief, Asiatic Fleet

      • Robley D. Evans (1902 – 1904)
      • ??
      • Willard H. Brownson (1906 – 1907)
      • ??
      • William S. Cowles (c. 1908 – 1909)
      • ??
      • Albert Gleaves (1920 – Feb. 4 1921)
      • Joseph Strauss (Feb. 4 1921 – Aug. 28 1922)
      • Edwin Anderson, Jr. (Aug. 28 1922 – Oct. 11 1923)
      • Thomas Washington (Oct. 11 1923 – Oct. 14 1925)
      • Clarence S. Williams (Oct. 14 1925 – Sept. 9 1927
      • Mark L. Bristol (Sept. 9 1927 –
      • Charles B. McVay, Jr. ( – Sept. 1 1931)
      • Montgomery Taylor (Sept. 1 1931 – Aug. 18 1933)
      • Frank B. Upham (Aug. 18 1933 – Sept. 30 1935)
      • Orin G. Murfin (Sept. 30 1935 – Oct. 30 1936)
      • Harry E. Yarnell (Oct. 30 1936 – July 24, 1939)
      • Thomas C. Hart (July 24, 1939 – Feb. 15 1942)

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Robert W. Love’s History of the U.S. Navy
  • Kemp Tolley's Cruise of the Lanakai
  1. ^ Blair, Silent Victory (Lippincott 1975), p82fn2