The Island Nation Navy's fleet was enormous. Its main force alone included eight Capital Ships and twenty-one aircraft carriers of various types.
The carrier Taihō, two Shōkaku-class aircraft carriers, and the light carrier Ryūhō formed the First Carrier Division, with Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo serving as commander and Rear Admiral Takayanagi Gihachi as chief of staff.
Four of the Unryu-class aircraft carriers formed the Second Carrier Division, with Vice Admiral Ito Seiichi serving as commander and Rear Admiral Morishita Nobue as chief of staff.
Two Unryu-class aircraft carriers, together with two Shōhō-class light carriers, formed the Third Carrier Division, with Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo serving as commander and Rear Admiral Obayashi Bakuo as chief of staff.
Two Chitose-class aircraft carriers and two Hiyō-class aircraft carriers formed the 4th Carrier Squadron, with Vice Admiral Hara Chuichi serving as commander and Rear Admiral Sumikawa Michio as chief of staff.
Three Taiyō-class aircraft carriers, the carrier Shinyō, and the carrier Kaiyō formed the 5th Carrier Squadron, with Vice Admiral Shima Kiyohide serving as commander and Rear Admiral Matsumoto Takeshi as chief of staff.
Four Yamato-class battleships formed the 1st Capital Ship Squadron, with Vice Admiral Daigo Tadashige serving as commander and Rear Admiral Sasaki Hanku as chief of staff.
The battleship Kaga, the battleship Mutsu, the battleship Yamashiro, and the battlecruiser Takao formed the 2nd Capital Ship Squadron, with Vice Admiral Omori Sentaro serving as commander and Rear Admiral Fujiwara Kiyoma as chief of staff.
These five carrier squadrons and two Capital Ship Squadrons that made up the Island Nation Navy's Combined Fleet included not only those aircraft carriers and battleships, but also large numbers of cruisers and destroyers.
While the German Navy had been madly building battleships and aircraft carriers, it had not abandoned the construction of cruisers and destroyers either. Large