Actually, it was 75%(VF-3, VB-3, and VT-3). Ok, perhaps 66%, since the bulk of Yorktown's current VF, VF-42, pilots were transferred to Sara's VF-3 to bring them up to full strength - VF-3 had only 11 pilots at the time.alecsandros wrote:After Coral Sea, USS Yorktown's airgroup was replenished by taking away 50% of USS Saratoga's airgroup...
Sigh...THERE WERE NO OTHER AIR GROUPS AVAILABLE AT PEARL HARBOR! All of the those that were available, training, or forming up were stateside. Further, the CVE air groups are not aboard the CVEs(the CVEs have not even been completed yet), but are in the process of forming up and training at the various NAS. There were also a few VFs working up, and not to mention the Carrier Replacement Group.alecsandros wrote:had there been OTHER airgroups available (such as the ones that you imply being on the CVEs), it would have been more logical to use them, and leave Saratoga's airgroup intact, more so as she was the only fleet carrier not committed immediately to the battle of Midway (though plans for her being sent there existed).
Besides, alecsandros, If it were that simple...Would not the MOST LOGICAL SOLUTION been to return the Yorktown's original VF(VF-5) to her? But they were in Alameda, California...Not Pearl Harbor, although when the Sara returned to Pearl, she would be bringing them along.
The Atlantic was given priority in 1940 & 1940, the ship transfers bear that out. Then comes December 7th, 1941, and everything changes for the US Navy.alecsandros wrote:USN was fighting a 2-front war - Atlantic and Pacific - and the Atlantic was given priority because of the "Germany first" policy.
The problem that you and Paul seem to be continuously forgetting is that the US Navy was, during 1942 and most of 1943, fighting a two-ocean war with a one-ocean Navy. Everyone was screaming for more ships when there were far too few to go around.
Let's look at destroyers, the obvious choice to do escort duty, as of December, 1941, there are 103 in the Atlantic and 95 in the Pacific. By January, 1942, that has changed...with 94 destroyers in the Atlantic and 112 in the Pacific. By March, 1942, it is 84 in the Atlantic and 114 in the Pacific. The Pacific will see a slight gain in June 1942 - 83 in the Atlantic and 122 in the Pacific. The severe losses during the Solomons/Guadalcanal campaign will have the two theaters having roughly parity by December, 1942 with 103 in the Atlantic and 100 in the Pacific. By the new year, the Pacific would once again regain ascendancy with 97 in the Atlantic and 124 in the Pacific. The Atlantic would again take the lead during the build up for Operation Husky, before losing it again in August, 1943. After August, 1943, the Pacific would always have the larger number of destroyers, and by the beginning of 1944, the Pacific would have a 2 to one advantage in destroyers.
As such, the number of destroyers does not bear out any "Germany First policy".
My friend, during all of 1942 the US was in a dire situation concerning the availability of all ships, not just escorts. There were never enough to go around.alecsandros wrote:In the first semester of 1942, USN was in a dire situation in terms of available ships for doing escort, with a reported strength of approx 68 units as of Jan 1942 (to cover the entire coastline + transatlantic convoys) , growing to a reported 270 by July 1942 (both by local production as well as by receiving reinforcements from the Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy), which was the month in which Uboat sinkings on the east coast finally decreased.