Country United States Branch United States Navy | Allegiance Allies of World War II | |
 | ||
Active At least 1941-45, 2001-? Engagements Action off Bougainville
Battle of the Coral Sea
Battle of the Eastern Solomons
Marshall Islands Campaign Notable
commanders Aubrey Fitch
Frank Jack Fletcher | ||
Task Force 11 (TF 11 or alternately Commander Task Force 11, CTF 11) is a designation that has been used by the United States armed forces for two separate units.
Contents
World War II
During World War II, Task Force 11 was a United States Navy aircraft carrier task force in the Pacific theater. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Destroyer Squadron 1 was attached to the Task Force under Vice Admiral Wilson Brown, made up of USS Lexington (CV-2) with cruisers USS Indianapolis (CA-35), USS Chicago (CA-29) and USS Portland (CA-33). On 14 December 1941, after delays due to bad weather, the task force cleared Pearl Harbor as a diversion for an expedition under Rear Admiral Frank J. Fletcher in Saratoga (CV 3) to relieve Wake Island.
TF 11 was originally formed around Lexington, then her sister ship Saratoga until she was disabled by a Japanese torpedo in January 1942, then Lexington again for the Battle of the Coral Sea, then Saratoga after her repairs were completed.
TF 11 — as part of Task Force 61 along with Task Force 16 — was involved in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons in late August 1942, but Saratoga was again crippled by a submarine, and the task force shrank to just the carrier and some destroyers.
In September 1943, TF 11 was reorganized around light carriers Princeton and Belleau Wood under Rear Admiral Willis Augustus Lee, and supported landings on Baker Island and Howland Island.
In early 1944, its task groups TG 11.1 and 11.2, now consisting of escort carriers, supported operations in the Marshall Islands.
War on Terrorism
Task Force 11 was also the first designation given to the United States special operations forces composite grouping which has pursued terrorist high-value targets in Afghanistan and Iraq since October 2001. The grouping has been redesignated multiple times to avoid information leakages. Task Force 11 (seemingly in reference to September 11) was only the first title used.
Initially it operated under the United States Joint Special Operations Command in Afghanistan searching for senior Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders. The unit included elements from Canada's JTF2 as well. JSOC frequently changed the name of the task force, and it has been designated Task Force 6-26, Task Force 121, and Task Force 145 with one of its most recently recorded names being Task Force 88.