Fifteen US Navy aircraft carriers (including Yorktown CV-10) participated in the largest carrier vs. carrier battle of the war; the Battle of the Philippine Sea (19-20 June 1944). Often called “the Marianas Turkey Shoot”, nearly 400 enemy aircraft (land based and carrier based) were shot down by US carrier aircraft.
On 19 June, two Japanese carriers were sunk by US submarines. After a lengthy search, the remaining Japanese carriers were discovered on 20 June. Late that afternoon, US carrier aircraft sank one Japanese carrier and damaged three others. The US Navy was now the dominant fleet in the Pacific Theater.
