Editors Note: The Battle of the Philippine Sea has usually been characterized as mainly an air-to-air fight and is popularly known as ” The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot”. However. a large number of ComSubPac and ComSub-So Westpac boats played an important role preceding the actual “Turkey Shoot”.
Bits and pieces of the full story of submarine involvement have been widely published, but mainly as scattered individual events; such as in the story of HARDER and the destroyers. Therefore, the full impact of their importance to the big picture is not generally recognized. The author has documented here a concise chro11ologica/ picture of the role the Submarine Force played in the invasions of Saipan, Guam and Tinian, and of course, in the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
“Mr. Messner has asked that his article be dedicated to VADM Patrick Hannifin, who as a Lieutenant then as a liet1· te11at1t Commander, was his Skipper in DIODON and Qualified him in Submarines.” VADM Hannifin was honored as the 2012 Naval Submarine League’s Distinguished Submariner.
Historians write about the Battle of the Philippine Sea, often referred to as the Great Mariana Turkey Shoot, and inevitably focus on the overwhelming victory U.S. carrier pilots had over their Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) counterparts. Few, however, researched the contribution Pearl Harbor submarines under the command of Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, ComSubPac, and Fremantle submarines under the command of Admiral Ralph W. Christie, ComSubSo Wes Pac, made to the outcome of this battle. This paper then looks at the role of the Submarine Force leading up to and during the battle when Task Force (TF) 58, under the capable leadership of Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher, an integral part of Admiral Raymond Spruance’s 5th Fleet, was having its field day during Operation Forager. It should be noted that the Battle of the Philippine Sea was not a planned event, it was kindled by Operation Forager.
