ORIGINAL: AmiralLaurent
CVE aircraft fly in transport TF. I don't know what they do in escort TF. Also CVE operate at 100% in shallow waters, contrary to bigger CVL and CV.
I always have 6 DD per TF.
As for minesweeping, there are several ways to use minesweepers (or DMS):
_ sweeps in enemy waters, pre-invasion. Send them with orders 'retire' so they will operate at night and send at the same time bombardment TF with retire orders. If your bombard TF have orders 'escort don't bombard', they will stay farther from the target and be less exposed to mines.
_ sweeps in enemy waters, during invasion. You can either have the MSW in the transport TF or in a separate TF with orders 'do not retire' and following the invasion TF.
_ sweeps in friendly waters. Give orders to the MSW TF 'do not retire', 'do not refuel' and send them to the friendly base.
I will divide your transport TF differently.
1) an invasion TF, where I will include 2 cruisers for invasion suppressive fire, carrying the 2nd Marine Div, the tanks (loaded on AKs) and some combat engineers. You are missing them and they are really useful to destroy enemy forts.
2) a command TF with the ACG.
3) a reserve TF with the 33rd Div aboard and if possible another combat engineer unit.
4) a "second wave" TF with the Seabees and a base force aboard, and also tens of thousands of supplies.
Only TF 1) and 2) will sail into enemy waters while 3) and 4) will wait some hexes away. If necessary 3) will land troops also. 4) will only enter the Tarawa hex once the base is in US hands.
Another thing about your TF composition. To carry troops and especially unload them faster you should use first LST and LCI, then AP. Only tanks are better handled on AK than on AP. So the best here is to load takns on LST, marines on the remaining LSTs and the remaining grunts on AP. Then add some supply-laden AK to finish build the TF.
The best for loading invasion TF is to load every unit separatly, with orders 'do not unload'. Then merge them in "operationnal" TF, as you want them to sail. Don't forget to set orders back to 'unload' once they sail to the target.
I thought SeaBees WERE combat engineers. Having been a roommate with one in the Navy, from his talk you'd think they were capable of storming anything.
