American task forces treated escorts as part of carrier power

American task forces treated escorts as part of carrier power. Yorktown's group had two heavy cruisers and six destroyers, while the Enterprise-Hornet force had five heavy cruisers, a light cruiser, and nine destroyers. Its two oilers also received one destroyer apiece instead of sharing a token escort. These formations supplied much more defensive fire and a clearer balance between scarce ships needing protection and escorts that American industry could replace. The United States assembled this balanced force from only part of its ready fleet, while Japan divided much of its available strength among simultaneous operations.