Carrier battle group at the Battle of Midway. In contrast, the United States Navy deployed its large carriers in separate formations, with each carrier assigned its own cruiser and destroyer escorts. These single-carrier formations would often be paired or grouped together for certain assignments, most notably the Battle of the Coral Sea and Midway. By 1943, however, large numbers of fleet and light carriers became available, which required larger formations of three or four carriers. These groups eventually formed the Fast Carrier Task Force, which became the primary battle unit of the U.S. Fifth and Third Fleets. With the construction of the large
Task Force 11 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 , then her sister ship until she was disabled by a Japanese torpedo on January 11, 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