The three available carrier groups were nominally commanded by Rear Admirals Gerald Bogan, Frederick Sherman, and Ralph Davison. Yet Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher was aboard Lexington in Sherman's Task Group 38.3, Admiral William Halsey was aboard New Jersey in Bogan's Task Group 38.2, and Vice Admiral Willis Lee was aboard Washington in Davison's Task Group 38.4. Every rear-admiral-led group therefore carried an officer senior to its nominal commander or, in Lee's case, the admiral responsible for its battleships. The arrangement gave Task Force 38 experienced leadership, but it blurred how freely subordinate commanders could detach ships or act on their own interpretation of events. Forming a separate battle line would pull ships, flag officers, and command relationships out of several carrier groups already worn by continuous operations and combat losses.
Notable Point · 5:06-10:30
Third Fleet's overlapping command structure
Task Force 38's rear-admiral-led groups carried senior admirals aboard, complicating who could detach battleships and act independently.